MusicWeb International, Nick Barnard
This new disc from violinist Clare Howick and pianist Simon Callaghan is another example of the kind of intelligent programme, superbly played, presented and engineered that has become something of a ‘house speciality’ for SOMM. The skill is in taking composers or repertoire that is at least reasonably familiar which through the musical juxtapositions and excellence of performances are seen in new and fascinating light.
With the exception of bon bouches from Cyril Scott and Arnold Bax – and even they exist in alternative versions with the exception of the Scott Valse Caprice – all of the music presented here has been recorded many times in excellent performances. So why should the curious listener wish to add these potential repetitions to their collection? Simply because the insightful and exploratory nature of these performances reveal aspects and alignments to this repertoire that I had not previously considered. The disc is given the umbrella title of “Entente Musicale” and the date range of the works is from Delius’ early Violin Sonata of 1892 through to Bax’s whimsical Mediterranean of 1920 [although Jascha Heifetz did not make his violin transcription for another 15 years]. The linking thread is a certain Gallic spirit and as far as the British composers are concerned an absence of folk-song derived harmony or melodic shape.
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[Clare Howick’s] accompanist is the ever-skilled and insightful Simon Callaghan and together they are a very impressive duet.
I like the structuring of the programme very much; two substantial British sonatas frame the great Debussy Violin Sonata with miniatures by Scott, Ravel and Bax providing delightfully contrasting moods.
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Howick and Callaghan … are excellent at marking phrases with those little tempo ebb and flows while Howick makes greater use of expressive position shifts into a note…
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The only work on this disc receiving its first recording is the transcription for violin and piano of Scott’s Valse Caprice … again Howick and Callaghan play it with flair and feeling.
There then follows the two works by Debussy and Ravel … again credit must go to Howick and Callaghan for presenting performances that demand comparison with the best … Likewise Ravel’s Pièce en forme de habañera which has appeared in many recital and compilation discs … this new version is completely compelling, indeed hypnotically sensuous, in its own right.
Throughout, as mentioned, Callaghan is a sensitive and attentive accompanist but I especially enjoyed his gently swaying playing here.
The choice of the earlier of the two Ireland sonatas is a good one … Again Howick and Callaghan prove to be compelling interpreters – the performance ardent and full of vigour and finesse as required…
As with all the performances on this disc, Howick and Callaghan impress at every turn with the sense of a deeply considered and skilfully wrought performance that digs deep into the essence of the work.
… The disc is completed by a little gem by a composer at his peak. Bax’s Mediterranean is one of his most light-hearted miniatures evoking a sun-soaked landscape with none of the darker shadows that often inhabit even Bax’s shortest scores … it remains one of Bax’s most light-hearted works and one that transcribes very well for violin. Heifetz’s version sits very effectively for the violin…
Throughout the disc Howick’s technique is wonderfully clean and secure. As mentioned her use of vibrato, portamenti and rhythmic freedom serves the music with style and sensitivity.
Simon Callaghan is a pianist I have admired in reviews frequently and he proves to be as skilled an accompanist as he is a soloist.
At the risk of becoming a cracked record [pardon the pun], the SOMM engineering, production and presentation is up to their usual very high standard. At just over eighty minutes in length this is a very generous collection to boot. SOMM have made something of a speciality of these anthology-type of discs – their Gluepot and Facades collections immediately spring to mind – both of which made it into my Records of the Year lists. This new disc is of a similar calibre and merit…
A unique and successful combination of familiar repertoire given performances of the highest quality.