Romance and Counterpoint Works by Brahms, C Schumann and R Schumann Yosuke Kawasaki (violin), Angela Hewitt, Stewart Goodyear (piano); NAC Orchesta/Alexander Shelley Analekta AN288845 120:04 mins (2 discs)
And so with two Fourth Symphonies, Alexander Shelley and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra bring their series exploring Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms to an illuminating conclusion.
On paper, this double album looks as if it could be a bit of a mish-mash, mixing together orchestral, chamber and solo piano works by three different composers, recorded from 2019-2023, in three different venues. In practice, it’s a wonderful deep-dive into the heady world of this German-Romantic trio of artists, a place of romance, obsession, love both requited and unrequited – and, yes, as per the title, counterpoint.
If there are plenty of recordings of both symphonies to choose from, these performances are a worthwhile listen. Shelley fires up playing of vigorous energy and spirit which, if not always ideally captured by the mics, understands the impassioned, turbulent characters of these darkly hued works.
Plus the programming works a treat. After Robert’s intense Fourth Symphony – which he first wrote the year after his wedding, before revising it a decade later – come two sets of romances by Clara. Violinist Yosuke Kawasaki and pianist Angela Hewitt are wonderfully fluid in the Trois romances, Op. 22, while Stewart Goodyear is an eloquent guide to the Trois romances, Op. 11 and the standalone Romance in B minor – written after her husband’s death as a Christmas gift for Brahms.
Romance covered, the recording turns to counterpoint. Brahms’s magisterial passacaglia is one of his contrapuntal triumphs; all three composers revered Bach. Apt then, that this recording ends with Clara’s Bachian Preludes and Fugues, rarely heard, beautifully played by Goodyear.
Rebecca Franks
