Frank Martin et ses contemporains
Zürcher Sing-Akademie/Florian Helgarth
rec. 2024, Evangelisch-Methodistische Kirche, Zürich, Luzern Der MaiHof
French texts included; German and English available online
Claves 50-3115 [75]

Frank Martin wrote a good deal of choral music. As well as larger works, such as the oratorios In Terra Pax, Golgotha and Le Mystère de la Nativité, he also wrote a fair number of small a cappella works. These cover the whole of his working life, from the age of nineteen to just before his death. Here they are gathered together, twenty-one of them, which I believe is the complete tally. As that still leaves room on the disc, they have been supplemented by a number of pieces by his contemporaries, who were also often his friends, one for each of them. These are interspersed among the Martin works, but I have listed these all in a group for the sake of simplicity.

Many of them are settings of folksongs, with the usual range of subjects: pretty girls, love, drinking, animals, the countryside and so on, with a few on religious themes as well. Most of them are in French but there are three in German. All are sung in the original languages. Martin writes happily, naturally and idiomatically for choir, and in many of these settings one can hear his characteristic pungent harmony, strong sense of rhythm and attractive melodies. Two of them are canons and another is a round, very nicely done.

The pieces by his contemporaries are attractive though less distinguished, though they hold their own in this company. I must admit I had heard of only one of these composers but on looking them up I find that they have hardly any recordings among them so they are not big names.

The Zürcher Sing-Akademie was founded in 2011 and has already established a good reputation with a number of recordings to their credit, notably with René Jacobs. Here they are conducted by Florian Helgarth, who has been their Artistic Director since 2017. He has also held a number of other choral appointments. They have been well prepared, sing well, and members of the choir take the odd solo. As far as I can tell, very few of these works have been previously recorded.

The recording is good. The booklet gives the texts in French, including for the three songs which are set and sung in German. QR codes are given, by which one can download German or English versions of these texts. I have tested these and they work, but I wish Claves had taken a few extra pages and printed them in the booklet

For the Frank Martin enthusiast this is a find. Those new to the composer should start with his larger works, such as the concertos, the Ballades or indeed the larger choral works I mentioned.

Stephen Barber

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Contents
Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Verse à boire
So wuensch ich ihr ein gute Nacht
Ma Belle
Ode
En reveant d’Auvergne
Chant de la petite ville
Le Coucou
Janeton
Sonnet
Complainte des Vieux
Campagnarde (two settings)
Le petit village
Nous sommes trois suoverains princes
Es ist ein Schnitter
Petite église
Si Charlotte avait voulu
Trimousette
Quand la Mer rouge apparut
Canon Chanson en Canon
Heinrich Sutermeister (1910-1995)
Sonntag auf dem Zuercher See
Bernard Reichel (1901-1992)
Le Voilier
Raffaele d’Alessandro (1911-1959)
Marche
Robert Vuataz (1898-1998)
Si loin
André-François Marescotti (1902-1995)
Avez-vous vu Jesus Christ
Jean Binet (1893-1960)
L’Étang
Henri Gagnebin (1886-1977)
Chanson
Carlo Hemmerling (1903-1967)
La Vigne fleurit
Fernande Peyrot (1888-1978)
Troise choeurs No. 1