(+++) PRESENTATION MATTERS

Salieri: Keyboard Concertos in C and B-flat; Sinfonia “Veneziana”; Sonata in C. Costantino Catena, piano; Accademia d’Archi Arrigoni conducted by Giulio Arnofi. Brilliant Classics. $12.99.

Haydn: Trumpet Concerto; Hummel: Trumpet Concerto. Marianne Li, trumpet; Orchestra da camera Domenico Mazzocchi del Civita Festival conducted by Martin Sieghart. Brilliant Classics. $12.99.

     Although concertgoers are far less likely to dress up for performances nowadays, performers generally still have a sense that the way they come across visually – in effect, the way they are packaged, or package themselves – is an element in the effectiveness of what they bring to an audience. Somewhat analogously, the way a recorded performance is put together and offered to listeners – that is, its packaging – can enhance or undermine the music, showcasing the care of a presentation or, on the other hand, making a CD seem like a throwaway item. There is one CD production company, Bru Zane, that makes elegant and handsome packaging an integral part of every recording it offers; but elsewhere, matters tend to be hit or miss – as two new Brilliant Classics discs demonstrate quite clearly.

     The instrumental music of Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) is not very well known, partly because there is not very much of it and partly because Salieri himself had little real interest in it: he was a theatrical composer above all, and quite a good one. Despite Salieri’s own predilections, it is quite worthwhile to hear how he handled the four keyboard works performed by Costantino Catena, which are presented in fine (if scarcely historically informed) readings and accompanied by a brief essay that helps place them in perspective. Catena uses a modern Fazioli piano, which in this repertoire is doubly unfortunate, since its sound is not only well beyond that of Salieri’s time but also inappropriate for the music: both the concertos offered here were explicitly written for harpsichord. Listeners therefore need to do a kind of aural deconstruction of the sound of the works to get a suitable sense of their effectiveness – although Catena does handle them with a light touch, and the orchestra under Giulio Arnofi is suitably small and texturally light. The keyboard part of the unassuming Concerto in C is not especially difficult, certainly not highly virtuosic, but the solos meld pleasantly with the ensemble, and the periodic dips into lyricism are handled adeptly. The work scales no heights but makes for very pleasing listening. The first movement features an extended but not overdone cadenza; the gentle, mild, delicate second movement has nice flow; and there is a bright and pleasant finale. The Concerto in B-flat has a somewhat broader scale, but a similar structure and overall sound. There is cooperative rather than competitive solo-against-orchestra balance, with the ensemble frequently taking a back seat or sitting silent so the solo instrument can assert itself. The first-movement cadenza is nicely proportioned to complement the rest of the movement; the second movement offers a touch of sweetness and some sense of soloist-ensemble dialogue; and the finale has a danceable rhythm at the start, then some pleasant irregularities as it proceeds through a series of nicely contrasted variations that lead to a speedy conclusion in which the solo part scurries up and down the keyboard, echoed by the ensemble, to good effect. The Sinfonia “Veneziana” is a kind of mashup of two overtures to stage works, and here Salieri’s theatricality peeks through. The music bustles along busily at the start, setting an upbeat mood in the strings, with periodic wind chords for a little extra flavor; the middle portion meanders gently; and a jaunty horn call introduces a final section that percolates along brightly. Also on the disc is the first recording of a Sonata in C that crams six short movements into less than nine minutes. The work has the sound and effect of an exercise, and like the concertos, it was written for harpsichord. Highlights include the third movement, which features attractive counterplay between the bass and the right hand, and the penultimate fifth movement, which has a gentle, relaxed swaying motion. The music here is somewhat inconsequential and the performances do not use the instrumentation that Salieri called for. But the overall presentation is pleasant enough to make the CD a modest success on its own rather self-limited terms.

     Not so a disc featuring much-better-known music presented so poorly that the recording deserves only a (++) rating. The Haydn and Hummel trumpet concertos were both commissioned by Anton Weidinger (1766-1852), who played a crucial role in the development of the modern valve trumpet by creating, in 1792, a seven-keyed instrument that made it possible to play a full chromatic scale. Both Haydn and Hummel were fascinated by the expressive possibilities inherent in Weidinger’s trumpet, with Haydn writing his concerto – his first piece for trumpet solo – in 1796, and Hummel creating his concerto in 1803. Both works are, deservedly, staples of today’s trumpet repertoire, although the Hummel, written in E, is usually (as on this CD) played in E-flat to make fingering easier on a modern valve trumpet, the successor to Weidinger’s keyed version. Unfortunately, no one involved in this collaboration between Marianne Li and Martin Sieghart seems to have much sense of the historical importance and musicality of these concertos. They are the only works on the disc, which means this entire release runs a mere 35 minutes – a decidedly underwhelming length. And everything about the packaging is slapdash. For example, in both of the places where recording dates are given, they are listed as “10-112 October 2022.” The very short writeup about the music (two booklet pages vs. three about the performers) is absurdly repetitious: Haydn’s work was created “for Anton Weidinger, a prominent Viennese trumpeter, [and] composed to showcase the capabilities of the newly invented keyed trumpet,” while Hummel’s concerto was written “for Anton Weidinger, a Viennese trumpet virtuoso and pioneer of the keyed trumpet.” Haydn’s central movement “provides a contrast to the energetic outer movements,” while Hummel’s “contrasts with the brilliance of the outer movements.” And what are the movements’ tempo indications? This is just silly: Haydn’s opening movement is said to be marked Allegro plus cadenza, while Hummel’s is listed as Allegro with spirit plus cadenza – and Hummel’s finale is designated as a Rondó, with an incorrect accent mark that is given in both places where the tempos are indicated. All this sloppiness would be tolerable, and even the 35-minute length of the disc might be acceptable, if the performances were sensitive, knowing and musically apt. But they are not. The Haydn concerto starts in an inappropriately Romantic vein, with lots of swells and uncalled-for crescendo/decrescendo passages accentuated by the solo instrument being placed very close to the microphone. The very extended, self-indulgent first movement cadenza, apparently by Li herself, does not fit the music at all. The difficult turns in the finale are slightly awkward, although the trills are good. But there are unnecessary legato passages and swells in the finale, and the ensemble takes a back seat even when it is supposed to carry the theme: Li seems to consider this a pure display piece. Thankfully, the Hummel performance is somewhat better. The small ensemble plays nicely, with timpani prominent in the first movement, and there is better handling of the trumpet here, although again Li does dwell on and extend some melodic elements, seeking long lines rather than staccato even when that is called for. Li seems a bit impatient with both slow movements, playing them unfeelingly, and she also seems unaware of anything in period style – for instance, invariably beginning trills on the home note rather than the note above. Any hope that the finale of the Hummel might sweep away at least some performance concerns – the movement is a really splendid one in the right hands – evaporates quickly: the finale’s start is genuinely disappointing, with Li having intonation difficulties in the lower notes and with this bright and lively movement dragging at its outset. Indeed, the movement never really takes flight, and the playing, which ought to have a sense of the carefree despite its technical difficulties, seems strained throughout. All in all, the performance on this CD is a bit like what you would expect to hear on a recording of a student recital, not a professional concert. The music is wonderful, but it gets short shrift both from the musicians and from the packagers of the disc.