Review:
A fine recording
This is a fine recording.
These gamba sonatas by Telemann were only rediscovered in 2015, and
Robert Smith is one of the first to release a recording of them. In fact, I heard Paolo Pandolfo's slightly
more recent recording first and was so taken with the music that I wanted to
hear what another gambist made of them.
I'm very gad I did, because Smith's is beautifully played
interpretation.
Telemann's music is very good indeed. What I said of it in my review of Pandolfo's
recording still applies: "Anyone who still believes the old canard that
Telemann was a superficial composer of baroque wallpaper need only to listen to
the opening Fantasia in C minor here to have that firmly dispelled. Telemann
may not have been another Bach, but then nobody ever has been; he was a fine
composer in his own right and all of these are works of depth, thoughtfulness
and real compositional skill. The minor-key Fantasias are especially fine, I
think, with a genuine intellectual and spiritual weight. They are a delight to
listen to."
They are an especial delight in Robert Smith's hands. I hadn't heard him play before, but he is a
very fine gambist with a beautiful tone, excellent technique and an expressive
feel for what he is playing. His
approach is a little more restrained and less flamboyant that Pandolfo's (as is
most people's) and I like both very much.
Smith gives these works depth and dignity, but they still dance and have
plenty of that Telemann charm where appropriate. The recorded sound is excellent with a good
balance of clarity and resonance in the acoustic, so the overall sound is
fabulous.
With Smith's thoughtful notes and very attractive
presentation this is a very fine release all round and warmly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment