Brussels Museum of fine arts 02/06/2008 - Franz Schubert:  Opening “in the Italian style”, D. 591 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  To questo sono, deh vieni, K. 374 –
Walks, K. 320A [335] – Ah, the previdi, K. 272 Ludwig van Beethoven:  Symphony n° 4, opus 60

Olga Pasichnyk (soprano) National Orchestra of Belgium, Theodor Guschlbauer (direction)

The history of the Concerts of Noon of Brussels is not linear.  In 1940, thanks to Charles Leirens that inspired itself concerts of noon of the National Gallery of London, took places to the Museum of Old Art of the musical meetings during the hour of table but the war decided otherwise course of the things.  It is only from January 1948 that the concerts had again place, and this thanks to Sarah Huysmans that dut nevertheless to do facing a constraint well earth-to-earth that delayed the return: that said Concert of said Noon lunch, now, shortly after the armed conflict that bloodied Europe, Belgium was subjected to a rationnement rather strict, so well that it was not Sufficient of music-loving ones to the occasion of these demonstrations. 

Sixty years after, the Concerts of Noon carry themselves always well – even if the average of age of the public seems to increase inexorably –, these demonstrations, bathed of an outdated delicious perfume, having aujourd’hui place on Wednesdays in the public Studio Carel and Gilded van Creveld of the Museum of fine arts, baptized in homage to the one that some was the president of 1955 to 1999.  And it always is possible to restore itself for a modest price before or after the concert to the adjacent buffet to the room…

This anniversary concert does not reflect totally politics of the programming of this honorable one of Brussels institution, placed under the high patronage of S.M. the Queen Fabiola, the accent in fact being put on the room music.  But the occasion to hear in the middle of the week on the noon time a symphonic formation, furthermore the National Orchestra of Belgium, is not current, also not it is astonishing as the public replied massively present. 

The opening “in the Italian style” (1817) of Schubert gives the tone, the musicians caring for their interventions and the together being driven with effectiveness by the Viennese boss Theodor Guschlbauer.  Separated by a Market (1779) destined to accompany the Serenade “Posthorn”, the two airs together HAS questo sono, deh vieni (1781) and Ah, previdi (1777) of Mozart benefit from the talent of Olga Pasichnyk, Third Price of the Competition Queen Elisabeth 2000 – the presence of this Ukrainian soprano reminder besides the narrow collaboration between the Concerts of Noon and the competition.  Lived, just benefit of your and to the expressive register varied of an accomplished mozartienne and to the admirable vocal means. 

The traditional, wise approach and without bad surprised Guschlbauer in the Fourth Symphony (1806) of Beethoven fully satisfies.  The rhythms are printed with harshness, the music advances without leading, the bends are sveltes and the power as well as the energy do not do defect.  On time babies bosses, it would not be necessary to forget that the old ones have again things to say us in the catalog pillars. 

Sébastien Foucart

In April 2008, Herbert von Karajan would have been 100 years old.  Many publications in CD and DVD greet this birthday.  Here a first turn of horizon of newly reprinted CD that you will be able to find in store. 

It is difficult today, notably seen North America, to imagine to which not at all Herbert von Karajan had a mastery on musical life.  Boss to life of the philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin and of the one of Coming, former deus machined Deutsche Grammophon, it was the classical European music locomotive, a begun ascension in the brown years of Nazi Germany and made real by his taken one of musical strength to Berlin in 1955. 

His pronounced taste for the technologies did the remainder.  The stereophony advent brought it to record the big catalog to Berlin, to Comes and to London.  A time, it had even two “contracts of exclusivity rights”, the one with EMI, the other with DG. 

To the arrival of the compact disc, it was involved himself to melts in the promotion of this new support, that, accessorily, legitimized it of all réenregistrer.  To the all end of his life, it attached himself to constitute an ultimate visual legs, videos climbed in his own cellar and that it confided in Sony (that had just repurchased cbs-columbia) in exchange… construction of a factory of pressage of discs close to at his place in Austria. 

The music strength

On the musical plan also, Karajan had a considerable impact, materializing to Berlin his representation of what had to be an “ideal sonorous body”.  The German word klangkörper of course can translate itself elegantly by “sonorous entity”, but the literal idea of “sonorous body” translates perfectly the organic vision of the sound with Karajan.  And the heart of this tone, this are the ropes. 

In this direction, the orchestral picture carried by Karajan is the illustration more accomplished of the “his German”, that advocates the merger of all the elements in a corpus irrigated by the ropes and opposes itself radically to the “his French”, in which every instrument to wind is considered as a soloist that comes to bring his color key to the body. 

This is for this reason specifies that the fact to see attached on the reissue CD of The Sea of Debussy with DG a self-adhesive one proclaiming “one of the 100 better recordings of all the times according to the magazine Gramophone” has the right to to do to laugh, for even if this is a beautiful recording, it illustrates by the example a hedonistic vision, melted and dynamically corseted, to the exact opposites of.  That does not prevent the envoûtement, but constitutes all except a model

The most surprised one in the career of Herbert von Karajan, this is his “non-career post mortem”.  While the discs of Bride Callas or of Glenn Gould continued to sell itself, more even after their disappearance that of their living one, ubiquitousness and the power of the presence of Karajan on the market practically collapsed in a nothing of time.  All happened as if the music-loving ones too had seen it and decided to turn the page. 

The commercial success of the various commemorative publications to the occasion of the centennial one definitively we will inform on this point.  But what a pity to forget Karajan, for, that one there adheres or no, his legs indicates the quintessence of a unique sonorous ideal, does power and of legato, that marked the year interpretation 1960 to 1990 and opposes itself in all points to the aesthetic one American orchestras of the era. 

Deutsche Grammophon published the first one a commemorative casket of 10 CD in albums boxes embedded in a luxurious casket and resuming visual of era.  This casket sweeps all, first stereo recording (A life of hero of Richard Strauss) to the discovery of the young violoniste Anne-

Sophie Mutter (concerto of Beethoven), while going through the Stupid 1st certo of Tchaïkovski with Sviatoslav Richter, the Requiem of Mozart and the inevitable symphonies of Beethoven (our 3 and 4) and of Brahms (our 2 and 3). 

Other irony of the history, obvious to the réécoute:  Karajan, of which the absolute passion was sonorous ideal, importantly well was not served by the sound engineers: the true plumpness closes ropes of Berlin, the softness that one heard in concert, does not show through really to his just one and full measure in the discs.  For example, the one of the intermezzos of operas suffers as a result tones a little made tense. 

The choices

As such, the casket DG illustrates very well the aesthetic Karajan in the catalogs more varied.  Karajan folding in fact the works to his grinds musical rather than to look for the style of each.  The 1st Concerto of Tchaïkovski, pompously Germanic, or the Requiem of Mozart, cérémonieux and very legato, illustrate that just as well as the disc debussy-ravel aforementioned.  Coronation of the spring by Karajan (interpretation of 1964: a choice surprising when one knows the later version), Stravinski himself had besides reviled the “savagery of parlor”, while very ignored recording Bernstein of 1958, the composer had just says:  “Wow!”  (With reason). 

If you desire a selection of the discs extracts of the casket, the square of have is taken by A life of hero.  More one listens Karajan, more one goes counts than Richard Strauss is “his” composer.  The three heirs apparent of this disc are the “opera Intermezzos”, despite the sonorous aforementioned reserve, the Symphonies n° 3 and n° 4 of Beethoven in 1963, very characteristic of the “claws” Karajan (more than the Brahms of 1964, of which the Second is all except exceptional), as well as the surprise and unrecognized 9th Schubert, rather strange by its priorities and its balances.  This recording of 1969 never had the quotation.  It is nevertheless more personal and partial than many other testimonies, as were it also the 3rd Symphony of Honegger, the 10th one of Chostakovitch or the 5th one of Prokofiev, jewels that do not figure, alas, in the casket. 

DG publishes also a double album of the choices of Eliette von Karajan, extracts without interest, and a luxurious book disc Karajan, the Music, the Legend, understanding a DVD of extracts and a CD of complete works, of which the Concerto for two violins of Bach with Christian Fit with steel and Michel Schwalbé, never published beforehand. 

And for the jollifications to come, of which we will repair yourself, quote DVD with Sony and DG (here and now can buy to you without fear the DVD of the Symphonies n° 4, n° 5 and n° 6 of Tchaïkovski with DG) and, especially, the publication in two immense caskets (symphonic the one of 88 CD, the vocal other of 72 CD) of all the recordings EMI, since 1946.  With DG, only Japan dared a complete one: she totals 240 CD, costs 3000 $ and will be sold in edition limited by subscription! 

Mélodiste and distinguished sayer in the art of the lied, the French mezzo Sophie Koch, student of Jane Berbié to the Cnsm of Paris (after a passage flash to the school of the Opera), asserts itself today on the European scenes, while diversifying its psychological portraits, dress up (The Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos, that the revealed to the TCE to Paris in 2001), or feminine (Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte of …  Margared in The King of There of Lalo, October 2007, Capitole of Toulouse).  Ample and powerful voice, to the again perfectible joint, the singer seizes nevertheless listens it thanks to his dramatic engagement.  This is this vocal implication that him permit to begin his career to London, to the Covent Garden from 1998 (Rosine of the Barber of Seville of Rossini. ..).  The future productions elaborated by the next director of the Opera of Paris, to the horizon 2009, Nicolas Joel, we should allow hearing it uniformly… 

In February 2008, the mezzo offers a recital with the pianist Sophie Raynaud, to the Theater Marigny to Paris, to the profit of the association Coline in ré.  The profits produces by this musical evening will be transferred to The hope Chain that supports to the international one the sick and disadvantaged children.  To the program: airs of operas and signed melodies Mozart, Meyerbeer, Schubert, Berlioz, Liszt, Ravel, Poulenc, Bizet, Offenbach.  Next disc to come in March 2008 with Cascavelle: lieder of Richard Strauss with Philippe Entremont, piano. 

Paris, Theater Marigny.  Recital of Sophie Koch.  Monday February 11 2008 to 20H.  Evening to the profit of Coline and Ré and Chain of the hope.