Aline van Barentzen (piano)
Radio Archives Edition
rec. 1956-1974
Meloclassic MC1080 [9 CDs: 694]
Aline van Barentzen was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA in 1897. Her mother acted as her first piano teacher. Her parents divorced when she was quite young, and her mother renounced her husband’s surname Hoyle, resorting back to her maiden name van Barentzen. Progress on the piano was swift for young Aline, and aged only nine she was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire, becoming a pupil of Marguerite Long and Élie-Miriam Delaborde. Later she studied with Heinrich Barth and Ernő Dohnányi in Berlin and Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna. Jordan Hall, Boston was the venue for her USA debut in 1912, and a year later she played in London. When she returned to the States, she took up a teaching position at the Philadelphia Conservatory, and later she taught at the conservatory in Buenos Aires. Further tours took her as far afield as Mozambique, Angola and Tunisia. In the 1930’s she took up French citizenship, and in 1954 settled with her husband in Paris, becoming a professor at the Paris Conservatoire. Her students included Jean-Philippe Collard and Cyprien Katsaris. She died in Paris in 1981.
Three Beethoven Piano concertos, Nos. 3, 4 and 5, open the set. In all three performances, set down between 1958 and 1963, Barentzen plays with noble authority and a technique that reaches heights of daring. She’s fortunate that in two of the performances she has admirable support from conductors whose inspiration offers stimulation and vitality to the readings. This is especially so in Nos. 3 and 5 under the batons of Eugène Bigot and Louis Frémaux respectively. Leopoldo Casella directing the Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana I felt was less successful, and in consequence I found the interpretation a little dry. In the Third Concerto, Barenzen eschews the composer’s cadenza for one I was unable to recognise.
No compilation such as this would be complete without the usual concerto warhorses. I’m referring to the Grieg, Tchaikovsky 1 and Rachmaninov 2. The Grieg is the most successful. In a performance dated 3 January 1966 Barentzen is accompanied by the Radio-Orchester Beromünster under the baton of Jorge Meste. The performance’s success rests on the fact that she doesn’t over-indulge or over-sentimentalize. In the central slow movement her tone is ravishing, radiating an ethereal, intoxicating and dream-like quality. The Tchaikovsky is a fairly standard reading in reasonable sound. When it comes to the Rachmaninov Second Concerto I have to take exception with the final movement. It’s rushed, ragged and rough edged. Barentzon seems to have abandoned her usual sensitivity. Maybe she was having an off-night. It’s a performance I wouldn’t want to return to,
Saint-Saëns’ Second Concerto seems to have eclipsed the other four in terms of popularity. Barentzen makes a striking impression from the start with the opening Bachian flourish. The second movement is a scherzo, witty and capricious, whilst the final movement is dispatched with gusto, verve and vigour. The recording dates from 1960, and the piano is very forwardly profiled to the detriment of some orchestral detail and balance. The Scriabin is much more successful in this regard. Barentzen doesn’t shy away from the work’s technical demands. The performance contrasts emotional intensity with melancholy and tranquillity. Leopoldo Casella favourable points up the rich orchestration. The third movement has a glorious ‘big tune’. To my mind, this is a concerto that is crying out for wider currency.
One of the finest discs in the set is No. 6 dedicated to solo piano works by Robert Schumann. The Symphonic Études Op. 13 are played with great musicality and authority. I welcome the contrast between the passionate thrust of the Florestan section and the dreamy longings of Eusebius. Faschingsschwank aus Wien (carnival jest from Vienna) is one of my favourite cycles of the composer’s solo piano works. Barentzen confidently struts the music’s shifting moods, textures and colours, with the waltzes just carrying you along. The wit of the Scherzo is compelling, as is the brilliantly executed finale. The Fantasiestücke (fantasy pieces), Op. 12 and 4 Nachtstücke, Op 23 derive from a recital given in Munich on 13 July 1956. Both benefit from idiomatic readings where colour and dynamics are a notable feature.
Barentzen’s Debussy playing scores highly in my book for its attention to detail, sensitivity, balanced voicing, panoply of colour and genuine musicality. The selection from both books of Preludes are very fine indeed. Technically polished, rhythmically engaging and tonally shaded they make for a compelling listen. La Danse de Puck is mischievous, lighthearted and playful, Minstrels is crisply articulated and quirky. La Puerto del Vino was inspired by the image on a postcard sent him by Manuel de Falla, here portrayed with an infectiously buoyant rhythm. Feux d’artifice, which ends the group, boils over with nervous energy, with the cascading runs radiating a coruscating brilliance. The First Arabesque is limpid, and in Reflets dans l’eau from the first book of Images, the water ripples with suppleness and fluidity.
In a piano recital given in Basel on 22 February 1972, the pianist featured the first three Impromptus of Gabriel Fauré. No. 2 seems to be the most popular of the six, a rippling tarantella, here given a sparkling rendition. From the same recital comes Federico Mompou’s Scènes d’enfants, a richly beguiling set of short pieces. Barentzen confers limpid delicacy to these alluring miniatures. The Villa Lobos selection which brings the set to a close were set down in a recital given in Lugano in March 1967. I wasn’t familiar with these works but they have a compelling attraction, being vibrant, rhythmically buoyant, astringent and, at times, dissonant.
Barentzen’s remarkable range of repertoire, colouristic range and formidable technique are astonishing. She certainly doesn’t shy away from the big beasts of the repertoire, and there are stunning performances of Balakirev’s Islamay, Chopin’s F minor Fantasie and Ravel’s Gaspard, as good as any I’ve heard.
With access to superb source material, Lynn Ludwig’s restorations are beyond reproach. Purchasers of this wonderful set are treated to a remarkably substantial biography of the pianist by Dr. Jürgen Linsenmeyer in the accompanying booklet. In addition to a detailed tracklisting there are a cache of fascinating photographs provided. Pianophiles will warmly embrace this latest addition to the Meloclassic roster.
Stephen Greenbank
Previous review: Rob Challinor (January 2025)
Availability: Meloclassic
Contents
CD 1
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor Op.37
Orchestre national de la RTF
Eugène Bigot
rec 25 February 1963 Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, RTF – Radio Studio Recording
Piano Concerto No.4 in G Major, Op.58
Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana
Leopoldo Casella ∙ conductor
rec 1 September 1961, Lugano, Campo Marzi, RSI – Radio Studio Recording
CD 2
Piano Concerto No.5 in E-flat Major, Op.73
Orchestre national de l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Louis Frémaux
rec 16 August 1958, Monte-Carlo, Opéra, Radio Monaco, Live Recording
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18
Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana
Leopoldo Casella
rec 1 September 1961, Lugano, Kursaal Teatro Apollo, RSI, Live Recording
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Petite Suite No.1 Mazurka
Petite Suite No.5 Sérénade
Scherzo in A-flat Major
rec 14 December 1960, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
CD 3
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16
Radio-Orchester Beromünster
Jorge Meste
rec 3 January 1966, Zürich, Studio 1, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowsky (1840-1893)
Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor, Op.23
Radio-Orchester Beromünster
Erich Schmid
rec. 18 September 1961, Zürich, Studio 1, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Mily Balakirev (1837-1910)
Islamey – Fantaisie orientale
rec. 28 March 1969, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Alborada del gracioso from Miroirs M.43 No.4
rec. 23 March 1967, Lugano-Besso, Studio Auditorio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
CD 4
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor Op.22
Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana
Leopoldo Casella
rec. 27 August 1960, Lugano, Campo Marzio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)
Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor Op.20
Orchestra della Radio della Svizzera Italiana
Leopoldo Casella ∙ conductor
rec. 22 December 1964, Lugano Besso, Studio Auditorio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
Camille Saint-Saëns
Étude en forme de valse Op.52 No.6
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Masques Op.34
rec. 14 December 1960, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
CD 5
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1750-1796)
Piano Sonata No.18 in D Major K.576
rec 21 September 1961 Basel Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Piano Sonata No 11 in A Major, KV 331/300i
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No.5 in C minor Op.10 No.1
rec 13 April 1962 Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Piano Sonata No.12 in A-flat Major Op.26
rec 26 March 1959 Lugano, Campo Marzio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Variations on a Theme by Paganini Op.35 Book 1 & 2
rec 14 December 1960, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
CD 6
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Études Symphoniques Op.13
rec 16 December 1964, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Faschingsschwank aus Wien Op.26
rec 14 July 1956, Munich, Funkhaus Studio 1, BR, Radio Studio Recording
Fantasiestücke Op.12
Nachtstücke Op.23
rec 13 July 1956, Munich, Seidlhaus-Saal, BR, Radio Studio Recording
CD 7
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Fantaisie in F minor Op.49
rec 5 April 1960, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Impromptu No.3 in G-flat Major Op.51
Nocturne in C-sharp minor Op.27 No.1
rec 16 December 1964, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)
Mélancolie No.2 from Dix pièces pittoresques
Scherzo-Valse No.10 from Dix pièces pittoresques
rec March 1967, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Oiseaux tristes from Miroirs M.43 No.2
Alborada del gracioso from Miroirs M.43 No.4
rec 6 July 1959, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Toccata from Le Tombeau de Couperin M.68 No.6
rec 5 April 1960, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Gaspard de la nuit M.55
rec 21 September 1961, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Valses nobles et sentimentales M.61
rec 8 March 1971, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording (Stereo)
CD 8
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Reflets dans l’eau from Images Book 1, L.110
Poissons d’or from Images Book 2, L.111
rec 6 July 1959, Basel, Studio M3 DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Voiles Prélude No.2 Bk.1
Les collines d’Anacapri Prélude No.5 Bk.1
La fille aux cheveux de lin Prélude No.8 Bk.1
La danse de Puck Prélude No.11 Bk.1
Minstrels Prélude No.12 Bk.1
La puerta del Vino Prélude No.3 Bk.2
Bruyères Prélude No.5 Bk.2
Général Lavine – eccentric Prélude No.6 Bk.2
La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune Prélude No.7, Bk.2
Ondine Prélude No.8 Bk.2
Feux d’artifice Prélude No.2 Bk.2
rec 13 September 1966, Lugano-Besso, Studio Auditorio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
Deux arabesques L.66
Estampes L.100
rec 8 March 1971, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
Pour le piano L.95
rec 22 February 1972, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording (Stereo)
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Mouvements perpétuels FP.14a
rec 23 March 1967, Lugano-Besso, Studio Auditorio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
CD 9
Claude Debussy
Voiles Prélude No.2 Bk.1
Les collines d’Anacapri Prélude No.5 Bk.1
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
March No.1 from Ten Pieces for Piano Op.12
Prélude No.7 from Ten Pieces for Piano Op.12
rec 26 March 1959, Lugano, Campo Marzio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Impromptu No.1 in E-flat Major Op.25
Impromptu No.2 in F minor Op.31
Impromptu No.3 in A-flat Major Op.34
Barcarolle No.6 in E-flat Major Op.70
Federico Mompou (1893-1987)
Scènes d’enfants IFM.5
rec 22 February 1972, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording (Stereo)
Johannes Brahms
Intermezzo in E-flat Major Op.117 No.1
Rhapsody in B minor Op.79 No.1
rec 25 May 1974, Paris, Studio 107, ORTF, Radio Studio Recording (Stereo)
Claude Debussy
La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune Prélude No.7 Bk.2
Feux d’artifice Prélude No.2 Bk.2
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Alma Brasileira Chôros No.5 W.207
rec 7 June 1975, Paris, Studio 107, ORTF, Radio Studio Recording (Stereo)
A Pobrezinha (Rag Doll) from A prole do bebê Suite 1 No.6
O Polichinelo (Punch) from A prole do bebê Suite1 No.7
A gatinha de papelão (Cardboard Cat) from A prole do bebê Suite 2 No.2
O camundongo de massa (Clay Mouse) from A prole do bebê Suite 2 No.3
O cavalinho de pau (Wooden Horse) from A prole do bebê Suite 2 No.5
O passarinho de pano (Cloth Bird) from A prole do bebê Suite 2 No.7
rec 23 March 1967, Lugano-Besso, Studio Auditorio, RSI, Radio Studio Recording
Sergei Prokofiev
March No.1 from Ten Pieces for Piano Op.12
Prélude No.7 from Ten Pieces for Piano Op.12
rec 21 December 1965, Basel, Studio M3, DRS, Radio Studio Recording
All items mono unless marked
