Lennox in Paris

In the autumn of 1926, Lennox Berkeley moved to Paris to study with the redoubtable Nadia Boulanger. Whilst in residence, he met virtually everybody that was anybody in Parisian musical circles. This included Igor Stravinsky, members of Les Six, and Albert Roussel. He had lessons with Maurice Ravel. In 1932, Berkeley returned to England. This present CD “is designed both to pay homage to Lennox and to acknowledge the pivotal role played by Paris in his life and development as a composer. It combines music by Berkeley with his Parisian near-contemporary Francis Poulenc, and Lili Boulanger, the younger sister of Nadia.”

This recital opens with the Sonatina for violin and piano, op.17. It dates from 1942, shortly after Berkeley had returned from a “working holiday” in Gloucestershire with his friend Benjamin Britten. The sonata was dedicated to Gladys Bryans, who was an elderly admirer of Lennox’s music. She made her house in Gloucestershire available as a quiet space for him to create in. The opening movement is written in sonata form, with two relaxed and melodic themes. All the drama is presented in the development section. The Lento is big music in a small package. A brooding melody is whipped up into a “boiling passion” in the middle section, before falling back into its ghostly mood. The finale has a well-wrought theme, followed by five variations. These are complex, sometimes intense, and feature several mood swings. Like many works with the title Sonatina, this introduces material that is deeper and more difficult than the title suggests. It is certainly no teaching piece for the tyro. 

Lennox Berkeley’s three-movement Sonata No.1 remained unpublished until 2015, which seems unbelievable for such a confident and accomplished piece. Moreover, the LB webpage lists only one other recording: Lennox Berkeley: Complete Music for violin and piano, and solo violin, Edwin Paling (violin) and Arabella Teniswood-Harvey (piano) MD 3361, 2012. The Sonata was written whilst Berkeley was resident in Paris. In fact, it dates from his time with Nadia Boulanger. The café culture of Paris infuses this essay. Berkeley uses “basslines, syncopations, and rhythms drawing on jazz.” Yet this is not a “jazz” work, like Milhaud’s Le Boeuf sur le Toit or Gershwin’s American in Paris. He has used these constructive elements to create a personal and refined “take” on music that was in the air at the time. The Sonata was premiered by Yvonne Astruc and Madeleine Grovlez, for the Société Musicale Indépendante at the École Normale on 4 May 1932. It deserves further hearings, and to be reintroduced into the concert hall.

The Elegy and Toccata, op.33 for violin and piano were completed in 1950. They were the second and third in a set of three, written for the violinist Frederick Grinke. The Elegy balances contemplation with passion. It is a lovely moody number. The Toccata is a warhorse, demanding the fleetest of fingering to maintain the momentum of this restless and fast paced tour-de-force. For some reason, Emmanuel Bach chose not to include the first in the set, the Theme and Variations, op.33 part 1 for solo violin. There may just have been enough room on the CD.

Three short pieces by Lili Boulanger, Nadia’s younger sister, are included. Nocturne is nostalgic and thoughtful. There is definite hat tips here to Claude Debussy. The Cortège is dancelike, rather than a funeral procession. D’un Matin du Printemps is her masterpiece. Janus-like it looks backwards to Debussy and forward to Les Six. It dates from 1917 and was therefore one of her last projects. This was conceived in several versions, simultaneously. Editions exist for flute and piano, string trio and full orchestra. It is a perfect evocation of spring, which is full of delight, bursting nature and innocence, with just the occasional hint of something more sinister. This is hardly surprising as it was conceived during the height of the Great War.

Francis Poulenc’s Violin Sonata FP 119, is a wartime work, dating from 1943. It was dedicated to the memory of the great Iberian poet, Federico García Lorca who was murdered by the nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. The music balances “agitated passion” with “nostalgia and tenderness.”  This is typically serious and lacks the joie de vivre so common in much of Poulenc’s output. As might be expected, the slow movement, Intermezzo: Très lent et calme is the heart of the sonata. The score here is marked with a quotation from Lorca, “the guitar makes dreams weep” which certainly suggests the concept of another, better world. Here melody predominates. The mood is sleepy, with an Iberian sultriness. The finale is signed Presto tragico. Here, the music is often violent, driven by powerful rhythms but finally ending with a tragic, slow coda. This is a splendid effort that belies Poulenc’s stated dislike of the solo violin. He felt that this sonata was an “utter failure.” What did he know?! The liner notes do not state that it was heavily revised in 1949, before publication.

The final three pieces on this CD are arrangements of Poulenc’s piano music by Jascha Heifetz. No dates are given in the booklet for the originals or the transcriptions. Poulenc once remarked that his Mouvements perpétuels FP 14, (1918) were "ultra-easy", and “compared them to a brisk stroll by the Seine.” I am not so sure that they are for Grade 4. I assume that Heifetz only transcribed two of the three numbers – the short Très modère is not included. The opening Assez modere is urbane and suggests the thought of a Boulevardier, whilst the Alerte has many time-signature changes, march-like harmonies and an exuberant melody. It ends inconclusively. Both Mouvements are effective in their violin and piano arrangement.

The “helter-skelter” Presto in B flat major, FP.70 was originally composed for Vladimir Horowitz. The liner notes suggest this is an impression of a fairground.

I found both the recording and violin playing a little on the “bright” side and sometimes harder edged than it needs to be. That said, both soloists are clearly dedicated to this project, the playing is excellent, and contributes a great deal to the CD’s success.

The liner notes are authored by Emmanuel Bach. They make a good introduction to this music. After a brief overview of Berkeley’s residence in Paris, succinct notes for each work follow. I wish that the author had included the “Opus” and “FP” numbers in the track listings where appropriate. There are the usual biographical notes about the performers. The texts, which are eminently readable, are printed in English, French and German. One snag. Due to the thickness of the booklet it is jammed into the clips in the jewel case. My copy is damaged already in getting it in and out. There is no booklet download available.

This is an interesting album, full of good things. I am not sure that the Heifetz transcriptions were essential to this project. Also, all but two of the pieces recorded here were written before or after Lennox Berkeley’s residence in Paris. That said, all the music is worthy and deserves to be in the repertoire.

Track Listing:
Lennox BERKELEY (1903-89)
Sonatina for violin and piano, op.17 (1942)
Sonata No.1 for violin and piano (1931)
Elegy and Toccata for violin and piano, op.33 parts 2a and 3 (1950)
Lili BOULANGER (1893-1918)
D’un Matin du Printemps (1911-18); Nocturne (1911); Cortege (1914)
Francis POULENC (1899-1963)
Sonata for violin and piano, FP 119 (1943)
Mouvements perpétuels, FP 14 (transcr. Jascha HEIFETZ (1901-87)) (1918/?)
Presto in B flat major, FP.70 (transcr. Jascha HEIFETZ) (1934/?)
Emmanuel Bach (violin), Jenny Stern (piano)
rec.9-11 April 2021, Turner Simms Concert Hall, University of Southampton, UK
WILLOWHAYNE RECORDS WHR070