Klengel: Cello Concertos [CD]

Although Julius Klengel was a highly regarded cellist and teacher, there is little here that speaks of anything more than modest compositional talent. His music is written in the German Romantic tradition that hails from the Leipzig conservatoire and Gewandhaus orchestral repertoire. We perhaps shouldn't be surprised at his conservatism, given that he was taught composition by the famous pedagogue Salomon Jadassohn and spent most of his life working within that traditionalist musical milieu.

Of course, there is no reason to discount his music simply because of its old-fashioned, solid craftsmanship and respect for Classical formal procedures; but, unfortunately, even within this framework, his compositional gifts seem to be slender. The sonata form, opening movement to the first concerto may be structurally less subtle than that of the fourth concerto which followed thirty years later but overall the musical language is much the same to my ears. The booklet's claim that the fourth concerto could be considered the greatest German cello concerto after that of Schumann stretches the bounds of credibility further than is really sensible - such statements can only lead to disappointment when the music actually comes out of your speakers.

In fact, I find the melodic writing more memorable in the first concerto; the liner notes point out that a flaw of his musical structures is that there is too little contrast in the writing and there IS a general air of meandering sameness about the later piece as whole. The first concerto has more moments of charm, even if their presentation is less technically accomplished and the modes of expression too conventional - the slow movement treads a thin line, not always successfully, between lyricism and hackneyed sentiment.

The Double Cello Concerto in E minor, although the shortest work, is the most inventive and interesting; this is even aside from the novelty of its dual protagonists (incidentally, this is the first time I have heard a double cello concerto outside of the baroque period). It has a three movement structure which neatly encapsulates an over-arching sonata form - following the expository first movement, the central slow movement acts as a sort of extended development and the reprise occurs in the finale. There is much attractive writing here and the striking themes seem better suited to substantial variation and manipulation.

For all my doubts about the quality of the music, these are fairly fluent and undemanding pieces that can bring pleasure - the Double Concerto, indeed, offers rather more than that and is the work I have returned to most often. The solo writing obviously aims at showing what the cello as an instrument can achieve rather than what the soloist as a virtuoso can pull off, and that lends all the concertos a certain quiet integrity.

I think that last phrase - `quiet integrity' - pretty much sums up the quality of the performances too - there is certainly nothing to complain of from either soloist or orchestra, and CPO's sound is more than adequate without being particularly remarkable.

Devotees of the cello repertoire will no doubt be delighted to hear this music from a once renowned cellist; the more general listener will probably also find enjoyment here, so long as expectations aren't set too high.

Given that concertos for the cello are rare when compared to the number written for violin and piano, this CD is a very welcome discovery. Julius Klengel (1859-1933) was a virtuoso cellist and composed primarily for his own instrument. He wrote four cello concertos and two double-concertos, for two cellos and violin and cello respectively (the former of which is included on this CD).

The insert notes states that Klengel's Fouth Concerto "can lay claim to being the best cello concerto by a German romantic composer after Schumann". Written in 1903, tt is certainly a striking work, melodious and fluently written. The first movement contains a theme that seems to have walked out of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony and the finale in places anticipates Elgar's famous concerto. The Concerto for Two Violincellos and the First Concerto that complete the disc are not as immediately memorable but are fine works. Christoph Richter is the accomplished solist and is joined by Xenia Jankovic in the double concerto. The playing of the Hanover radio orchestra is perfectly good and the woodwind solos in particular are very well played.

This music can be recommended to anyone with an interest in the cello or romantic music generally. Fans of Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and English composers such as Parry and Stanford will find much to enjoy here.