Mel Bonis (1858-1937)
Phoebé, Op. 30 (1909, (arr. violin & piano by Ismaël Margain)
Violin Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 112 (1914)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Violin Sonata in G major (1923-27)
Tzigane (1924)
Clémence de Forceville (violin)
Ismaël Margain (piano)
rec. 2023, Studio 150 Bethlehemkerk, Amsterdam
Evidence Classics EVCD140 [51]
This is the type of programme that I relish. The masterpiece here, Ravel’s Violin Sonata in G major, is regularly coupled with one or two of his chamber works, or often violin sonatas by Fauré, Franck, Debussy, Saint-Saëns or Poulenc. Not unexpectedly, Ravel’s Tzigane a ubiquitous album filler is included, too but this pairing with Bonis’ rarely encountered Violin Sonata makes a refreshing change.
Born in 1858, Parisian Mélanie-Hélène Bonis was known in music circles by her pseudonym ‘Mel’ Bonis. She attended the prestigious Paris Conservatoire, where she was taught by César Franck and studied alongside fellow students Chausson, Debussy and Pierné. Despite the ingrained ‘gender bias’ of the time, she won prizes for her achievements. However, her parents opposed her love affair with another student, forcing her to leave the Conservatoire, and a ‘more suitable’ marriage was arranged for her.
At the turn of the 20th century, her personal circumstances changed, allowing her to return to composing. This was the era of the Belle Époque, when she was especially prolific, creating over three hundred works, most featuring the solo piano, plus several organ pieces, mélodies and chamber music. In recent years, Bonis’ works have gradually been emerging from obscurity and several recordings are now available; nevertheless, performances remain uncommon.
In 2003, pianist Christine Géliot, a great-granddaughter of Mel Bonis, assembled seven of the composer’s solo piano pieces into a set with the title Les Femmes de Légende (Women of Legend). All the pieces were based on notable women drawn from literature – mainly classical mythology: Phœbé, Op. 30; Viviane, Op. 80; Omphale, Op. 86; Salomé, Op. 101/1; Desdémona, Op. 101; Mélisande, Op. 109 and Ophélie, Op. 165/1.
A Titan goddess, Phoebé is a daughter of Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). Originally a solo piano piece, Phoebé appears in an effective version for violin and piano arranged by pianist Ismaël Margain. Taking just under three minutes, this is an attractive and dreamy piece of nocturnal atmosphere, which does not outstay its welcome.
The engaging Violin Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 112 is one of Bonis’ most admired works; although it was written in 1914 it wasn’t published until 1923 and was premiered at the Paris Conservatoire by soloist Léon Zighera with the composer on piano. In it, Clémence de Forceville and Ismaël Margain communicate intense waves of longing and romance. The opening movement Moderato is an intriguing blend of both nostalgia and an unsettling quality, followed by a fervent Presto played with verve. The relaxing Lento movement contains a yearning folk melody taken from the collection Mélodies populaires de Grèce et d’Orient by Louis Bourgault-Ducoudray. Marked Con moto themood of the Finale moves rather curiously between states of relative uncertainty and unbridled joy.
Ravel entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1889, some fifteen years later than Bonis, and his foremost composition teacher was Gabriel Fauré. Although not the most prolific composer Ravel’s orchestral works, notably his two ballets for Sergei Diaghilev, Daphnis et Chloé and La Valse, and the Piano Concerto in G are those I am most delighted to encounter in the concert hall. Ravel was a composer who wrote from the heart, saying ‘Music, I feel, must be emotional first and intellectual second.’
Begun in 1923, the Violin Sonata in G major (No. 2) was premiered some four years later in the Salle Érard, Paris by renowned violinist George Enescu with the composer at the piano. Some thirty years earlier, Ravel as a student had written a single movement Violin Sonata, known as the Sonate Posthume owing to its posthumous publication; consequently, this violin sonata is sometimes described as No. 2. In recent decades this mature three movement score has gained in popularity, becoming a repertoire staple.
Opening the work, is an Allegretto movement where De Forceville and Margain delight in the abundance of tense activity. There is an aching melody on the violin, then a burst of nervy energy is followed by a music of a slow funereal feeling. In the second movement, Ravel’s take on the ‘Blues’ sounds more like jazz-inspired rhythms. Regardless of that this memorable central movement clearly reflects the fashion of the time. De Forceville and Margain provide prolonged, heady and energetic virtuosity in a riveting performance, although I especially admire the recording from Renaud Capuçon (violin) and Frank Braley (piano) for their refinement, colour and innate sense of spontaneity. Their all-Ravel disc also includes excellent versions of the Sonate Posthume, Piano Trio and Sonata for Violin and Cello with cellist Gautier Capuçon on Virgin Classics (review).
The final work here is Ravel’s Tzigane, a rapsodie de concert that often gets tagged onto the end of an album.It was commissioned by the celebrated British/Hungarian violinist and dedicatee Jelly d’Arányi, who with pianist Henri Gil-Marchex premièred the score in 1924 at London. Ravel orchestrated the score providing a version for violin and orchestra.A colourful and virtuosic work, Tzigane is compellingly performed by De Forceville and Margain. There is a definite ‘Roma’ character to the writing with suggestions, too, of the Middle East. Here, Tzigane sounds intense and fiery, as if Ravel was making a contentious proclamation.
The duo of Clémence de Forceville and Ismaël Margain prove to be a rewarding partnership throughout this programme. They make a most attractive sound; de Forceville plays a violin by Cremonese maker Lorenzo Storioni (1777) and Margain a Steinway Model D piano. Their playing provides convincing drama and an impressive soft focus when required. They are inspired performers of high integrity.
The sound engineers have done full justice to the soloists by providing clarity and excellent balance. Given the modest total timing of 51 minutes, it’s a shame that extra works were not included, such as Bonis’ Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 114 or Three Pieces for violin and piano.
Michael Cookson
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