Johann Heinrich Rolle (1716-1785)
Sinfonia in D major (ca. 1760)
Concerto in F major (publ. 1782)
Sinfonia in B-flat major (? ca. 1760)
Concerto in G minor (publ. 1768)
Sinfonia in F major (? ca. 1760)
Michael Borgstede (harpsichord), Kölner Akademie/Michael Alexander Willens
rec. 2023, Deutschlandfunk, Cologne, Germany
cpo 555 634-2 [68]
Described in 1781 as “the nation’s favourite composer”, Johann Heinrich Rolle is one of those figures who has been relegated to obscurity, their music submerged under a mountain of recordings from the likes of the Bach family, Telemann, Handel and other heavyweights. Thanks to Michael Alexander Willens the CPO label has in recent years been revealing the quality of Rolle’s work with releases such as the Matthäuspassion (review), and long may their work continue.
Rolle is thought to have performed with J.S. Bach’s Collegium Musicum while studying law in Leipzig in 1737, and by 1741 he was a violinist in the court orchestra of Frederick the Great in Berlin. This brought him into contact with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and other composers such as Graun and Benda, leaving for Magdeburg in 1746 to work as organist of St John’s and later succeeding his father as Kantor of the Old Town Latin School, a position he held until his death.
Jolle’s renown came mainly through biblical musical dramas that mixed elements of opera and oratorio, and these instrumental works are very much in the minority of his output. The sinfonias and concertos recorded here are thought to have been composed during Rolle’s time in Magdeburg, and he certainly seems to have exported stylistic characteristics picked up during his experiences in Berlin. The three Sinfonias follow the Italian three-movement model that was popular there at the time, based around a string orchestra with the addition of flutes for the Sinfonia in D major, and horns and oboes enriching the Sinfonia in F major. These pieces all have a refreshingly transparent sound, with lively outer movements and that galant expressiveness in their middle movements that have plenty of elegance and poise, but without overly taxing the emotional equilibrium and fluttering handkerchiefs of contemporary audiences.
The two Concertos have greater formal and technical scope, being similarly comparable to music written for the Berlin Court Orchestra but making use of a virtuoso cembalo tradition established in the 1740s, in which C.P.E. Bach played a significant part. Both of these concertos follow a conventional three-movement structure, with the harpsichord alternating a continuo function during tutti sections with solo passages in the outer movements, with the expressive weight of each concerto invested in their lyrical and more extensive central movements.
Rolle’s character was described as “more gentle than fierce [and] always tempered by comity”, and this is reflected in the music on this recording. He doesn’t make any real attempt to approach C.P.E. Bach’s often quite explosive contrasts, and while there are some attractive little chromatic corners these pieces all work their charm through expertly conjured elegance and the energy of familiar dance rhythms. There are some possible echoes of Vivaldi but without the descriptive fire that kept that Venetian’s name alive through the centuries, and for a further stylistic comparison the booklet notes refer us to Johann Gottlieb Graun, who brough the influence of his teacher Tartini to Berlin in the first half of the 18th century.
If you delight in the Italianate Baroque style with added Classical gentility then Rolle’s music will provide a very nice addition to your collection. The harpsichord is omnipresent in its functions as soloist and continuo throughout the programme, but the balance of the recording manages to give the instrument presence without clattering us into insanity by the end of the disc. This is indeed a superbly performed and recorded collection, all presented in the crisp period style we have come to know and love in this kind of repertoire.
Dominy Clements
Buying this recording via the link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free.
