In Sara Levy’s Salon – Chamber Music for Viola
Franz Benda (1709-1786)
Solo in C minor (LeeB 3.137)
Johann Wilhelm Hertel (1727-1789)
Solo in F
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788)
Trio in C (Wq 159 / H 587)
Johann Gottlieb Graun (1702/03/1771)
Trio in B flat (GraunWV Cv,XV,132)
Johann Gottlieb Janitsch (1708-1762)
Quadro in E minor
Francesca Venturi Ferriolo, Anna Kaiser, Tommaso Toni (viola)
Johannes Berger (cello), Seulki Bae, Andreas Gilger (harpsichord)
rec. 2022/23, Hans-Rosbaud-Studio, Baden-Baden, Germany
Reviewed as a stereo 16/44 download with pdf booklet from Proper
Christophorus CHR77472 [71]

The viola was part of the instrumental ensemble during the entire baroque period, but made a relatively late appearance as a solo instrument. Johann Joachim Quantz’s remark in his treatise Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen (1752) is telling: “The viola is commonly regarded as of little importance in the musical establishment. The reason may well be that it is often played by persons who are either still beginners in the ensemble or have no particular gifts with which to distinguish themselves on the violin, or that the instrument yields all too few advantages to its players, so that able people are not easily persuaded to take it up. I maintain, however, that if the entire accompaniment is to be without defect, the violist must be just as able as the second violinist” (translation: New Grove). However, in his time that was going to change, as the disc under review shows. All the music in the programme was written in the mid-18th century in Berlin. That said, not all the pieces were originally scored for viola(s); several items are later arrangements.

That brings us to the title of this disc, which mentions an important figure in late-18th century music life in Berlin. All the pieces performed here are from a collection of music once owned by Sara Levy (1762-1854), a great-aunt of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. She played the harpsichord and was particularly interested in the music of the Bach family: Johann Sebastian and his sons Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel; the latter two she knew personally. It seems likely that she played a role in Mendelssohn’s rediscovery of Johann Sebastian’s oeuvre. Around 1818, she gave a large part of her music collection to the library of the Singakademie.

The programme opens with a sonata by Franz Benda, who was in the service of Frederick the Great and generally considered one of the greatest violinists of his time. He was especially admired for his playing of adagios, often from his own sonatas. The violin takes a central place in his oeuvre, and this sonata for viola may well be the only piece of this scoring written by him; in the work-list in New Grove it is not even mentioned. Like all the sonatas on this disc it is in three movements, in the order slow/moderate, fast, fast, as was the custom at the time in Berlin. The opening adagio in typical Benda style is followed by two sparkling fast movements.

Johann Wilhelm Hertel is mainly known for a trumpet concerto; in recent times some other parts of his oeuvre, such as solo concertos for organ and for cello, as well as sacred music, have been recorded. I can’t remember having heard any chamber music from his pen. He seems not to have written much in this genre, but New Grove mentions nineteen sonatas for violin and basso continuo. One of them is the sonata included here, which was later arranged for viola. Especially interesting in this performance is the opening movement, marked adagio, which has been preserved in a version in Hertel’s own hand with ornamentation. This gives interpreters much information about ornamentation practice at the time. Although performers were expected to add ornaments of their own, the importance of this version justifies its inclusion here.

The third sonata is another interesting case. In the œuvre of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach one finds several sonatas in different versions. A case in point is a sonata which was originally written for bass recorder, viola or bassoon and basso continuo in F, and later reworked as a sonata for two violins and basso continuo in B flat. The version in C performed here is a later arrangement for two violas and basso continuo. The tessitura of the two viola parts is confined to the middle and lower registers.

Johann Gottlieb Graun was another prominent member of Frederick’s chapel, alongside his brother Carl Heinrich. As they usually signed their compositions only with their surname, it is not always possible to decide who is the composer of a piece. It is assumed that Johann Gottlieb is the composer of the Trio in B flat. Two things are noteworthy. First, this is again an arrangement; originally the piece may have been intended for the viola da gamba. This instrument and the viola were often treated as alternatives, for instance in a sonata in G minor by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Pieces for the viola da gamba were written by several composers in Berlin, although it was quickly becoming obsolete and overshadowed by the cello. The reason was that a prominent member of Frederick’s chapel was Ludwig Christian Hesse, a true virtuoso on the viola da gamba. Graun composed a number of concertos for him. The second aspect that needs to be mentioned is the scoring as a trio with an obbligato harpsichord part. Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the first who gave the harpsichord an obbligato role in chamber music – for instance, in his sonatas for harpsichord and violin. Interestingly, CPE Bach called these sonatas ‘trios’, like the trio by Graun performed here. The last movement lasts longer than the other two together, and here we find longer solos for either instrument.

The last item is the most unusual. Johann Gottlieb Janitsch, who was an important figure in Berlin music life, was born in Schweidnitz in Silesia (now Świdnica in Poland) and was educated as a gambist. After having been a law student in Frankfurt an der Oder where he also played a major role in local musical life, he joined the chapel of Frederick, then still Crown Prince of Prussia, in Ruppin, later Rheinsberg. There he started a series of weekly concerts on Fridays, the Freitagsakademie. When Frederick became King of Prussia and moved his court to Berlin, Janitsch continued his Friday academies there. Many pieces by members of Frederick’s court may not have been intended for performance at the court, but rather at the concerts of the Friday academy, in which both professional and amateur players participated. Janitsch was particularly famous for his quartets. In a number of these the viola plays a major role. However, he did not compose any quartet for three violas, as we hear here. This is an arrangement included in Sara Levy’s collection. Unfortunately, the liner-notes don’t indicate the original scoring of this piece.

Arrangement was a wide-spread practice in the baroque era, and the change of taste inspired composers or performers to adapt pieces – for instance, a trio sonata as a trio with obbligato keyboard, or for different melody instruments. The latter is the case here. This disc is a kind of sequel to Francesca Venturi Ferriolo’s previous disc, which was appropriately called “More than a dull ripieno”, and included sonatas by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, William Flackton, Felice Giardini, and again Johann Gottlieb Graun and Janitsch (review). This disc is just as interesting as the previous one. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach stated that his father loved the viola more than any other string instrument, and it is also known that Mozart liked to play the viola. This disc explains why. This is a lovely disc, thanks to the lovely sound of the viola(s), and the quality of the music and the respective arrangements, which are undoubtedly well-made. Added to that is the beautiful tone Francesca Venturi Ferriolo and her colleagues Anna Kaiser and Tommaso Toni produce, and their engaging style of playing. Andreas Gilger is excellent in the obbligato harpsichord part in Graun, which makes it one of the highlights of this disc. That does not diminish any of the other items here. This is thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining.

As the repertoire is rare, the music is of fine quality and the performances are excellent, a special recommendation is fully justified.

Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen

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