Wednesday 25 May 2011

The Kindness of Strangers, part 8

Jolyon's NGS cake 01, 21-May-11 [trimmed]

Brilliant birthday cake by Jolyon!

This batch of recordings by the d’Arányi sisters was almost a chore, partly because of a couple of notably grungy discs in this batch (as ever, these considerable rarities were transferred and provided with great generosity by collector Raymond Glaspole; I have used ClickRepair and another gizmo)…

But then I listened to the Leclair and Tartini! Wonderful performances of these lovely pieces, such sweetness and commitment (you might wonder that they recorded such music but it was common in concert and on record in the 1920s). I even came to enjoy the catchy if frothy confection by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, which I guess is based on the novel Le Capitaine Fracasse by Théophile Gautier, and Godard’s Duettini (he of Jocelyne fame).

The other chore was identifying the pieces. I can’t find the original work from which Antonio de Pianelli’s Villanelle is supposedly taken. There seem to have been several sonatas by him (17447-1803) arranged for ’cello; but what were they originally scored for? Guilhermina Suggia also recorded a Villanella from a Sonata in G, which I’ve not heard, but I’ve plumped for that key anyway.

Despite what the admirable Creighton says, the Tartini Trio in F is not the work published in London in 1756 as Op.3 No.4; I went to the British Library to check the original print. That work has only two movements, with the same markings as these (so this too may be complete), but the music is not the same. Can anyone help?

Download the 10 fully tagged, mono FLAC files, in a .rar archive, here.

Debussy arr. Bachmann Rêverie
Castelnuovo-Tedesco Capitan Fracassa Op.16
Adila Fachiri (violin), Ethel Hobday (piano)

Vocalion K 05198
issued November 1925

Pianelli arr. Salmon Sonata in G? – (?) Villanella
Brahms arr. Joachim Hungarian Dance No.5 in g minor
Jelly d’Arányi (violin), Ethel Hobday (piano)

Vocalion K 05231
issued June 1926

Tartini Trio Sonata [unidentified] in F –
(i) Andante, (ii) Allegro
Jelly d’Arányi & Adila Fachiri (violins),
Ethel Hobday (piano)

Vocalion X 9877
issued October 1926

Godard 6 Duettini Op.18 – (vi) Sérénade; (v) Minuit
Jelly d’Arányi & Adila Fachiri (violins),
Ethel Hobday (piano)

Vocalion K 05260
issued November 1926

*Sinding Serenade in G Op.56 –
(iii) Allegretto; (iv) Andante
Leclair Sonata in A for 2 violins without bass Op.3 No.2 –
(ii) Sarabande: Largo; (i) Allegro
Jelly d’Arányi & Adila Fachiri (violins),
*Ethel Hobday (piano)

Vocalion K 05270
issued December 1926

Only one more batch to go! I was considerably fortified by Jolyon’s wonderful birthday cake. Visit his blog!