Ludwig van Beethoven; Franz Berwald - Septets (Wigmore Soloists)

Information

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven; Franz Berwald

• Beethoven - Septet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20
• Berwald - Grand Septet in B-Flat Major

Wigmore Soloists

    Isabelle van Keulen, violin

    Rachel Roberts, viola

    Adrian Brendel, cello

    Tim Gibbs, double bass

    Michael Collins, clarinet

    Robin O'Neill, bassoon

    Alberto Menéndez Escribano, horn

Date: 2023

Label: BIS

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Review

The early 19th century couldn’t get enough of Beethoven’s Septet, to the composer’s mounting irritation (‘too much sentimentality and too little skill’ was his muttered verdict). Its offshoots include, most famously, Schubert’s Octet, but also the three-movement Septet of 1828 by the Swede Franz Berwald. There’s little here of the quirky individuality of Berwald’s symphonies of the 1840s. But his Septet is a welcome jeu d’esprit: tuneful, neatly structured (the slow movement enfolds a breezy Prestissimo scherzo), and deftly written for the wind-string ensemble.

Berwald could hardly have more persuasive advocates than the Wigmore Soloists, a starry line-up led with mingled finesse and ebullience by violinist Isabelle van Keulen and clarinettist Michael Collins. Aided by typically superb BIS recorded sound, textures are ideally balanced. Touches of horn and bassoon colour always tell. Phrasing of the lyrical melodies – say, the folk-like theme of the Adagio – is invariably graceful, while the scherzo interlude and the chattering buffo finale are dispatched with scintillating virtuosity and an infectious sense of fun. If the finale doesn’t make you smile, you probably haven’t been listening.

Beethoven’s Septet, as popular now as it was two centuries ago, is just as enjoyable. Compared with other recommendable versions – the Vienna Octet (Decca, 5/88), the Gaudier (Hyperion, 7/92) and the Nash (ASV, 11/04) – the Wigmore Soloists are slightly more urbane. Their Minuet and Scherzo are dapper where the other groups sound more earthy, and more lustily accented. For all van Keulen’s refinement and panache, her skittering figuration and chirpy commentaries in the fast movements can be delicate to a fault. But delights abound. No recording I know is so closely attentive to Beethoven’s dynamic and articulation markings, not least in the pools of pianissimo mystery in the outer movements and Adagio. The Adagio’s clarinet solo is poetically floated by Collins over feathery strings (bass lines are always kept light and springy); and Alberto Menéndez Escribano makes the soft horn theme that sails in towards the end of the first movement (8'46") as magical as Beethoven surely intended. My inner ear craved added touches of ornamentation in the Adagio’s recapitulation – but I suspect that’s my problem. The Wigmore Soloists’ Beethoven yields to none in polish, buoyancy and cantabile eloquence, while the Berwald makes for a thoroughly agreeable digestif.

— Richard Wigmore

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Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Beethoven is acknowledged as a giant of classical music, and his influence on subsequent generations was profound. His best-known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas and 16 string quartets. Many of his most admired works come from the last decade of his life, when he was almost completely deaf.

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Franz Berwald (23 July 1796 – 3 April 1868) was a Swedish Romantic composer. Born in Stockholm into a musical family, he initially trained as a violinist before turning to composition. Unable to earn a living in music, he eventually turned to business, managing a glass works and opening a saw-mill. Berwald was only became a professor at the Stockholm Conservatory in 1867, shortly before his death. His music gained greater appreciation posthumously. Today he is regarded as the most important Swedish composer of the 19th century. His symphonies, chamber works and operas are regularly performed and studied worldwide.

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Wigmore Soloists is a chamber ensemble founded in 2021 by clarinetist Michael Collins and Wigmore Hall Director John Gilhooly. Named after the iconic London venue, they feature a line up of string quintet, wind quintet and piano. They regularly appear at Wigmore Hall and internationally at venues like the Concertgebouw and Yamaha Hall, performing a wide and varied repertoire which includes both old and newly commissioned works. Their six acclaimed albums on BIS Records have received high critical acclaim, including a Diapason d'Or Award for their recordings of the Berwald and Beethoven's septets.

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