Ryelandt Chamber music

[Alan Howe]

...forthcoming from Toccata;
https://d2duss065tgxcq.cloudfront.net/toccata/wp-content/uploads/20150825225852/TOCC_0282cover.jpg

[Alan Howe]

Oh dear, from the audio samples of the violinist, this doesn't sound as attractive as it might (intonation problems and a rather thin tone). What do others think?
https://toccataclassics.com/product/joseph-ryelandt-chamber-music/

[Double-A]

Thanks for pointing out this disk.  Lovely pieces!  And such long audio samples!  You can get a good idea of the movements.  Some are even complete.

I'd say the violinist does not have any more intonation problems than I had with the Franck sonata...

Moving along:  The "thin" tone is--or so I believe--deliberately chamber musical.  Fitting the unassuming nature of the music (which is a bit like the Franck minus the flamboyance).  Imagine this being played in your living room--seems an appropriate setting for this music.  He or she is using little vibrato and does not display any fear of being covered up by the piano (whose part is written with that danger in mind I'd guess).  What I do hear at times is noise sounding as if it came from the bow, a very soft shsh..., more than I usually hear in performance, even more than I hear playing myself.

Now this is a matter of taste.  Personally I like the full range of possible sound exploited for expression, full and thin, loud and soft, straight and with heavy vibrato.  The violin (and its larger siblings) has an advantage over almost all other instruments in this field and should not waste it.  Especially in chamber music.  In this case, given the character of the music you would end up with quite a bit of "thin" tone.

[Alan Howe]

I'd simply say that the violinist, on this evidence, isn't really up to the job. I've no idea how many intonation problems you had with the Franck VS, but this is a commercial recording and it's not good enough. Sorry.

[Alan Howe]

...this is the summary of the review at MusicWeb:

The recording is excellent, as, largely, is the playing, although at times the slightly thin tone of the violin, and occasional intonation issues, would, I feel, legislate against the award of full marks here. If you're a chamber-music aficionado looking to increase your collection of eminently listenable CDs, by a composer probably unknown to most of us, and who hails from Belgium, then this CD could be of some interest. (emphasis added)

[eschiss1]

I hope they will do better by his piano quintet op.32 (parts@IMSLP).

[matesic]

Concerning the violinist, I can easily sympathize with both viewpoints. I think Double-A expresses it to a T - music as essentially modest as this doesn't demand the fat tone and grand style that one often gets by default from "better" players. This sense of intimacy seems to be an increasingly rare quality amongst chamber music players.

[Mark Thomas]

Well nobody is forced to buy this recording, so prospective buyers really should listen to the generous extracts on the Toccata site and decide whether they like what they hear. It's clearly a matter of taste. Personally I don't mind the violinist's tone and can live with the odd dodgy intonation episode. The music itself sounds very attractive and I've paid my money.

[Alan Howe]

I just think it could have been done so much better. Not for me, I'm afraid.

[Double-A]

My Franck reference was primarily a way of saying that I consider intonation problems secondary, as long as they are not systematic.  One ought also to consider that people who play with less vibrato and smaller (or more modest) tone take a bigger risk in this respect.  A big vibrato covers many sins.
There are also some places where the violinist seems on the brink of failing to deliver--the bow shakes for example for a second.  I like that;  it shows again that the player is trying to play the music, not just the notes.  But I understand that a different reaction is also possible.

[Alan Howe]

I'm afraid I think the evidence demonstrates inability rather than intent.

[matesic]

However, I believe that a full, even tone all too often betrays mental disengagement. On a recent BBC4 programme which compiled performances by violinists from the last half-century I frequently marvelled at their technique but just as frequently missed any sense of imaginative interpretation, in particular the kind of phrasing and inflections of intonation that a singer would naturally apply. One might argue that the very best players should achieve both aims, but I agree with Double-A that fallibility can actually be a positive thing, disclosing the player to be a human being rather than an automaton. But then I would say that, wouldn't I?

[Alan Howe]

I'm sorry, I just don't agree. I think one has a right to expect better playing than is in evidence here - especially on a recording. Better tone and more precise intonation aren't much to ask for.

Anyway, we've probably done this aspect of the CD to death. So, how about the music? Anyone?

[Double-A]

We will have to agree to disagree.  Meanwhile I want to point out another positive about this recording:  Very good ensemble playing.

[Alan Howe]

And the music?