Alfred Dubois (violin)
Royal Conservatory Orchestra of Brussels/Désiré Defauw
Gerald Moore (piano: Handel)
Fernand Goeyens (piano)
rec. 1929-47, Brussels, Belgium
Biddulph 85049-2 [78]
Biddulph has already released two outstanding discs devoted to the art of the Belgian violinist Alfred Dubois (1898-1949), who is better-remembered these days, if at all, as Arthur Grumiaux’s teacher. Those discs focused on his sonata recordings but this one includes two concertos and a fine, largely piano-accompanied sequence of much interest.
The so-called ‘Mozart in E-flat’ is in all probability by Johann Eck and continues to receive recordings as it’s a fine work even if it’s not by Mozart. As Wayne Kiley writes in his booklet notes it was recorded by French-trained players such as Jacques Thibaud, Christian Ferras and Henryk Szeryng, and even Menuhin and Josef Suk recorded it, though the last time I checked Suk’s ‘Classical Navigator’ CD transfers of recordings made in 1972, it had been tactfully withdrawn. Dubois is joined by ex-fiddler Désiré Defauw in a 1931 recording of great sweetness and focused tone, and of a wittily voiced dialogue between his upper and lower strings. The finale is truly dextrous with lithe but unshowy, highly effective bowing.
Vieuxtemps’ Fifth Concerto doesn’t usually appeal to me as I find it a lopsided, unsatisfactory work but this 1929 recording had me listening as if for the first time. Dubois plays it vividly and with vitality and is attuned to its lyric beauty and tenderness. There are a few well-concealed scrapes on the copy used, notably in the cadenza. These were Dubois’ only recordings with orchestra.
One of his most important recording is of Ysaÿe’s Solo Sonata No.3, made at what turned out to be his last recording session in 1947. Important because Ysaÿe had been one of his teachers and Dubois succeeded him at the Royal Conservatory in 1927. Dubois was a significant figure in the propagation of the Belgian lineage in the twentieth century, onwards to Grumiaux and through him to players such as Augustin Dumay, who continues the tradition in our own time. Sonata No.3 ‘Ballade’ was dedicated to Enescu and Dubois takes it as a single arc, a near eight-minute example of the violinist’s technical command and expressive calibration. At the same session he also recorded an unhurried version of Handel’s Violin Sonata in E with Gerald Moore.
Nardini’s Aria from the Sonata in D is heard in his old teacher’s arrangement whilst two others are also arrangements, this time by Carl Hermann, of music by Leclair – the Tambourin from his Sonata in D, but not the Sarabande – and Mozart’s Minuet from his Divertimento, K.334. This last has nice room ambience, and quite a big acoustic with the violin set back. Appropriately, as he won the Vieuxtemps Prize in 1920, he plays the composer’s Romance. Fernand Goeyens accompanies in this quartet of little pieces. Back in 1929, the day before he recorded the Vieuxtemps Concerto, he also recorded Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo for solo violin.
Musique en Wallonie has released a twofer devoted to Dubois recently and it includes the same Vieuxtemps Concerto, and Romance, as well as the Nardini and Kreisler pieces, as here. It also includes other works – some rare to find in Dubois’ discography – as well as the Franck sonata which Biddulph has already transferred. Lining up A/B comparisons I can say that Biddulph’s transfers are much brighter and more open than MEW’s and strongly to be preferred.
Dubois has a small discography but I hope we can have good transfers of his Trio de la Coeur de Belgique recordings of Franck and Mozart Trios. This latest disc is admirably compiled, annotated and transferred.
Jonathan Woolf
Buying this recording via a link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free
Contents
Johann Friedrich Eck (1767-1838) attrib Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Violin Concerto in E flat ‘No.6, K.268’
Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881)
Violin Concerto No.5 in A minor, Op.37 (pub 1861)
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Violin Sonata No.6 in E
Pietro Nardini (1722-1793)
Sonata in D; Aria arr Ysaÿe (pub 1799)
Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764)
Sonata in D, Op.9 No.3: Tambourin arr Hermann
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Divertimento in D, K.334; Minuet (1780)
Henri Vieuxtemps
Feuilles d’album, Op.40 No.1; Romance (pub 1864)
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931)
Sonata for solo violin No.3 in D minor ‘Ballade’ (1923)
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
Recitativo and Scherzo, Op.6 (1911)
