Marc Coppey & The Zagreb Soloists: Cello Concertos by J. Haydn and C. P. E. Bach

I approached this with fear and trembling—a new recording of the Haydn concertos with a young soloist and a new Solisti di Zagreb. The group was always small—10 or 12 players. Maybe they have been corrupted by the period performance nonsense? Maybe the cellist will sound off-pitch in an attempt to reproduce “period” pitch?
Well, the group was led by a great cellist in the past—Antonio Janigro—and this cellist is their current leader. Having a cellist for a leader is good, I think, because cellists are often more human, more earthy, more emotional than other musicians. And in the notes this cellist tells us about PPP that “it’s time to stop making an issue of it”. He adds that it is dangerous to treat a piece of music like a museum piece. The music must be brought to life. So the pitch here is modern, though the strings are gut, not metal.
The result is delightful. He’s a wonderful player, and the small orchestra is with him all the way. They have played together for two or three years—this is not the standard recording where the soloist meets the orchestra and conductor in the studio for the first time! They are very much in tune with each other, and the music sounds vital—not “ye olde”. The strings and soloist use enough vibrato to blend well and never produce that scraping sound that we all too often hear. Nothing sounds tinny. The tempos are faster than old favorites like Walevska and DuPre, but they are not mechanical or breathless. The slow movements in both the Haydn concertos are a minute or two faster than I am used to, but they are not extreme. The older recordings were more willing to sound “romantic”—after all, both movements were called “Adagio” by Haydn. I won’t give up those older recordings, but I like this new one.
The CPE Bach concerto sounds more “baroque” than the Haydns, and it made me consult an old Tortelier recording that takes 3 minutes longer. I find that the tempos affect me less than the sound. The new recording sounds really good, and the Tortelier sounds like it belongs to the dim past. I will gladly substitute this one for that, despite the slight tinge of period sounds.

This seems to be Haydn month, for this is the fourth release of Haydn works I’ve received for review in this issue (see also an album of Haydn opera overtures with Michael Halász and the Czech Chamber Orchestra on Naxos; an album of Haydn symphonies and a violin concerto with Harry Christophers and the Handel & Haydn Society on Coro; and a disc of Haydn string quartets with the Maggini Quartet on Claudio). Haydn’s cello concertos are staples of the repertoire; the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, less so, though I’ve remarked in the past on what a real beauty it is.

Now in his mid-40s, Strasbourg-born cellist Marc Coppey has received positive notices in these pages, mainly in recordings of chamber works for cello and piano or as a participant in string quartets and string quintets. But I note from his discography that he has also recorded Bach’s solo cello suites for Æon in 2003, a set which does not appear to have been sent to the magazine for review.

I’ll be brief: Coppey’s Haydn is for those who like it rough. No doubt part of the problem is the recording, which captures Coppey’s cello up close—too close—revealing the gruff and grainy sound of bow on strings. But Coppey bears as much, if not more, of the responsibility for the aggressive approach that crunches and breaks chords, chops phrase endings, and whips individual notes into submission. I find it hard to listen to playing like this without gritting my teeth. Those who prefer their Haydn performed in a manner informed by period practice, even if realized on modern instruments, are not likely to appreciate Coppey’s heavy vibrato, bowing methods, and exaggerated Romantic gestures.

Over the years, I’ve heard recordings of these concertos by Jacqueline du Pré, Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, Antonio Meneses, Truls Mørk, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniel Müller-Schott, János Starker, Jan Vogler, and probably half a dozen more. Some I’ve liked better than others; but my favorite, at least of the D-Major Concerto, which I don’t believe has ever been transferred to CD, is a 1953 London mono LP recording by Pierre Fournier with Karl Munchinger conducting the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. The performance may not be to the taste of those who prefer period instruments or at least a period-informed style of playing, but for me Fournier captures the aristocratic elegance of the work as does no one else I’ve heard.

The Zagreb Soloists, founded in 1953, is the same ensemble previously known as I Solisti di Zagreb that made a number of recordings for Vanguard under one-time conductor Antonio Janigro. Here led by cellist Marc Coppey, it is encouraged to sound like him—loud, slapdash, and coarse. Any of the above-named cellists and their orchestras is preferable to Coppey and the Zagreb Soloists in these Haydn concertos. For the C. P. E. Bach Concerto, I’d recommend Truls Mørk with the semi-period instrument Les Violons du Roy (see 35:2), Raphael Wallfisch with the Scottish Ensemble (33:5), or Timothy Hugh with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta (not reviewed but very good).

If Coppey were a young artist just starting out, I’d say that with additional study and maturity he’d refine his technique and musical judgment, but, as noted above, he’s now in his mid-40s; behavior patterns are firmly established and difficult to change. Perhaps he’s more at home in the Romantic repertoire he has recorded, such as Grieg, Richard Strauss, Maurice Emmanuel, and Théodore Dubois. On evidence of this release, Haydn and C. P. E. Bach are not Coppey’s bailiwick.

Japanische Rezension siehe PDF!

Kann das gut gehen? Aus so viel Legato kann eigentlich nur musikalische Pampe werden. Zugegeben, ich war zu Beginn skeptisch. Doch schon bald ließ ich mich eines Besseren belehren, ließ ich mich vom Farbenrausch begeistern und fesseln, den Marc Coppeys Cello verströmt. Coppey lässt seinen Bogen geschmeidig gleiten, zieht nie voll durch, macht nie Druck. Das Instrument kann frei atmen und seine schöne Kantabilität voll entfalten. Coppeys Musizieren hat etwas Sinnliches, ein inneres Feuer, das Haydns Musik jenes wunderbare Glimmen verleiht, jenes geheimnisvolle Licht, dem man willig folgt.

Die Interpretationen sind klar strukturiert, die Technik ist brillant, der Dialog mit dem Orchester makellos. Nur in dieser Einvernehmlichkeit, dem blinden Verständnis und Vertrauen können die vielen poetischen Glanzlichter gesetzt werden.

Dies gilt übrigens nicht nur für die beiden Haydn-Concerti sondern in gleichem Maße für das A Dur-Konzert von C.P.E. Bach.

Flexible, supple and sensually poetic performances of Cello Concertos by Haydn and CPE Bach.

There are so very many recordings of Haydn’s two cello concertos, both recent and older, that any cellist who dares to add their own contribution to the pile must find it almost impossible to do so without the disturbing mental image of a chorus of critics demanding that they explain themselves. It can’t be easy, and I must admit to mixed feelings myself when a new one lands on my desk; on the one hand there’s pleasure, as no amount of listening can weary me of these jewels of the cello repertoire, but there’s also an element of trepidation. Will the hours to come leave me delighted afresh or merely inspired to go scuttling back to previous favourites once the review is written?

As it happens, Marc Coppey and the Zagreb Soloists have left me somewhere betwixt and between with this recording, but more as a result of the third concerto on the disc, CPE Bach’s slightly earlier A major Cello Concerto, than because of the two Haydn concertos, which are in fact hugely enjoyable. Let’s take the Haydn pair first, these are elegant, winsomely tender performances, Coppey’s beautifully spun long lines accentuated further by his comparatively legato delivery and singing tone. The virtuosity never feels forced either, helped by the infallible, bang-on accuracy of his intonation and articulation. Moving on to the Bach, all those same qualities are there to be enjoyed in Coppey’s playing, matched by a crisp, glowing, joyful performance from the orchestra, and yet Bach’s music is capable of more dancing lightness than we hear from the cello here.
An element of this sturdiness no doubt springs in part from the amalgam of ‘historically informed’ and modern performance practices used: we’re at modern pitch (A=442kHz), Coppey is playing his 1711 gut-strung Matteo Goffriller with a modern bow, while the orchestra are on gut-strung modern instruments but using natural horns. Still, I suspect it’s largely down to Coppey, and in fact the recording’s overall balance and blend are very satisfying, helped further by the subtly supportive acoustic of Zagreb’s Lisinsku Small Hall.

Programmation musicale

Suzy Klein presents a lively mix of music, chat and arts news, including live performance from Tenebrae Consort ahead of their concert at the London A Cappella Festival.