Biber, Schmelzer, Mealli, Böddecker

• Performers: Ensemble Stravaganza (Domitille Gilon, violin, dir.; Ronald Martin-Alonso, gamba, Diego Salamanca, theorbo, Chloé Sévère, organ, Thomas Soltani, harpsichord, dir.)
• Engineer: Paulin Roman
• Producer: Clothilde Chalot
• Recording: Studio de L'Orchestre Nationale de L'Ile de France, Alfortville
• Label: NoMadMusic

Something was off with Qobuz’s booklet for this album, I could not access it. I therefore sourced my information about this recording here. The program features works by Biber, Schmelzer, Böddecker, and Pandolfi Mealli who all wrote in a style we call the ‘fantastic style,’ which means that no musical idea persists for too long. Before a composer might fully exhaust an idea’s potential, the mood changes and we are presented with a new idea. In the case of the opening sonata by Schmelzer, the pulse or beat changes, alongside the melodic material. I have collected more than one collection from which these pieces are taken for each composer. This album, then for me, is more of a concert-concept album, which is great when getting to know a new ensemble.

Despite the overused word Stravaganza for musical ensembles, this particular one was new to me. I did audition their Abendmusik album earlier but will have to return to it, as I did not take notes.

It’s believed that Schmelzer and Biber were aware of one another, however I am not sure we have conclusive proof that they got along, or if one studied with the other. It was another Schmelzer (son, cousin, I can’t remember) that presented one of Biber’s Mystery Sonatas as his own, further linking the two families (adding a final movement). Andrew Manze was my introduction to that set by J.H. Schmelzer. He’d also introduced me to Biber’s music and recorded twice sonatas by Pandolfi Mealli.

Philipp Friedrich Böddecker is a less well-known name. He’s the youngest of the composers on this record. My introduction to him (and this D minor sonata) came by way of the Rare Fruits Council, one of my favorite names of a music ensemble, directed by Manfredo Kraemer.

This is all to say that these composers are already represented in the canon of recordings of middle-baroque music. I’d always like new ones covering this material because the period is so rich the developing styles and in some cases offers today’s performers more interpretive freedom, increasing the import of the invention of the performers.

Clearly the star of this album is the violinist, which in this case is Domitille Gilon, who sounds confident in her playing. She plays with dynamic variance between one phrase to the next but seems less interested in exploring microdynamics within a phrase; the Böddecker might be a good sonata to illustrate what I mean. She plays consistently loud across one phrase to the next. It’s worth noting because other musicians who play this repertoire tend to be more dynamically adventurous. Her attention to detail is easily palpable with the clean way she plays a variety of ornaments.

The continuo group has a good sound and blends well.

Gilon’s reading of the fourth Mystery sonata by Biber is lacking for me with little effort to add gravitas or sensitivity to the way the music is played, especially so in the slower parts. It’s a very competent performance, all the details well-executed. But it’s missing the extra theater that some performances tend to bring to live or even recorded versions of the music. I quickly switched over to the rendition by Alan Choo with Apollo’s Fire that I recently reviewed. The recording by Ensemble Stravaganza is closer with less reverb, it also starts up faster. Both Gilon and Choo do well with the runs in the violin part. Where Choo’s version comes forward is in the treatment of the music with more dynamic contrast, not to mention tempo contrasts between sections.

I am thinking now of how drawn-out Letzbor treated some of the Pandolfi sonatas and for my taste, that’s going too far, but in general, I think this recording would have been far more interesting if they’d mellowed a bit in the slow parts and taken the care to breathe before the inevitable fireworks come.

Biber’s other big collection of virtuoso sonatas aside from the Mystery Sonatas is his 1681 set, the 6th of which is performed here. The opening projection for me is well-played but the presentation is all around pretty straightforward. Which makes getting into the faster, more energetic section more difficult, at least if you’re trying to capitalize upon changes in mood.

I felt there were several times that Andrew Manze (Romanesca) put his reputation on the line. While everyone of his recordings was not my favorite, I admired his ability to present for us new music in compelling ways, to the point, at times, of pushing things a bit into the extreme. (His recording of Corelli’s La Follia being the best example.) That at least is my perception. I sadly never got to hear him perform on violin live (although I did see him in person). Gunar Letzbor, another well-recorded baroque violinist, has gone to extremes in some of his recordings (twice recording the Mystery Sonatas and twice recording Pandolfi’s). Again, not a fan of everything, but there were those special moments that left you breathless. Just as I expect the composers performing this music must have left some of their listeners.

This recording for me is very well performed. My criticisms are difficult to see in the music; it’s more of a stylistic approach. I wish these Stravaganza folk might have let loose a bit more. The music—this very music—almost demands it from us. I also recognize that some ensembles approach the music differently live than in person, but it's the recording that I have here now before me.

There are already recordings of these music that are very finely done by HIPP artists, some named on purpose by your reviewer. I don’t feel this recording says anything substantially new or interesting about this music.

That said—brought together here this collection makes a very enjoyable concert. Having new versions of these works—of any works—may help us hear the music differently. The benefit is that we may get an emotional response that’s different and that difference can be of a special delight to a listener. It’s one of the reasons to collect recordings and to make room for listening in our lives.

The track that for me is the most interesting for this recording is the 18th, the Ciaccona in A major by J.H. Schmelzer. All the musicians take special care with the separation of notes provide a fundamental pulse for the repeated bass. The violin is then free to extrapolate a bit off that foundation. For me this piece is an opportunity to tell a story. A musician has to ask themselves why a composer would write back to back phrases the same. Are they to be performed the same? One at least feels like an echo, where a definitive phrase is repeated to mimic the distance (echo) of the second rendition. The piece however ends with little consequence, in my estimation. I am not sure we ever truly went somewhere.

Alas, this is a good recording (with very good recorded sound) of some really good music that in my view falls short of some previously-recorded renditions. That’s not to say you should avoid it, but instead revel in how you might hear these pieces differently.