COUP 006 - Favourite Short Works, Martzy/Antonietti

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Handel, Falla, Beethoven/Kreisler, Fiocco, Ravel, Handel, Martinu, Milhaud, Bartok/Szekeli

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Sleeve Notes

From her performance of Kodály's Duo for Violin and 'Cello at the Academy on the occasion of the composer's sixtieth birhtday in December 1942, until the closing days of her career, Johanna Martzy was determined to enrich her repertoire. The music she chose is an expression of her personal taste - in music as in life, she was determined to avoid any work she considered vulgar.

Looking back over her programmes, there are works that would appear again and again. The little Beethoven Rondino featured here became Johanna's most favourite encore. From the beginning of her career, her recitals consisted of work by Vivaldi, Bach, Stravinsky, Ravel, Mozart, Bartók, Milhaud, Wieniawsky, Szymanawski, Martinu, Vitali, Prokofiev, Debussy, Hindemith, Franck, Suk, Brahms, and de Falla. She played all the Handel sonatas, though never more than one on the same evening. She gave her first complete Back cycle for Radio Hilversum as part of their Bach bi-centennial in 1950. Her first performances of the complete Beethoven sonatas were given with Antonietti over three nights in Naples in 1955. Schubert's violin and piano works were also regular treats. In her concert appearances she played Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Dvorak, Mozart, Bartók, Vivaldi, and of course, Bach.

Spurred by my discoveries while researching the Martzy biography, Coup d'Archet was founded with the primary aim of expanding her catalogue. Johanna's recorded output with DGB and Columbia, though significant for a female artist, was still modest, the equivalent of eleven LPs. Her first recording as a mature player was with DGG in August 1951, and her last recording for EMI was in February 1957 at the Electrola studios in Berlin, the last of the seesions with Antonietti that gave us the Schubert set. The final recording made in London, though completed in December 1955 was eventually released as a contractual obligation in January 1958. This hardly bears comparison to the marathon recording careers of her male contemporaries.

While sonic values are high on Coup D'Archet's agenda, if the original method of reproduction falls somewhat short of contemporary expectations one is occasionally forced to make a different kind of value judgement. The RSR recordings presented here were originally cut directly to 78rpm lacquer. Although there is some centre distortion toward the end of the Bartók, I consider it a worthwhile addition to her oeuvre. Neither does quality control rest entirely with me. Johanna's recording of Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 2 with the OSR under Charles Bruck from 1966 was denied me because representatives of the orchestra deemed it of insufficient quality for commercial release.

Johanna could be extremely self-critical, and she needed to be confident in her accompanists and conductors. A telling example was the ill-fated 1954 Columbia recording of Mozart K. 216 and the Mendelssohn with the Philharmonic under Wolfgang Sawallisch. Fifteen takes of each work were recorded over a gruelling three days in the Kingsway Hall with Walter Legge in attendance. When Johanna heard the resulting test pressings she vetoed them. In contrast, when she went back to do the Mendelssohn with Paul Kletzki, there were only three takes after the run-through. The Beethoven Romances featured on the same LP were done in one.

Reviews and awards

Winner: Special Editor's Award, CRC 1999

ICRC Summer 2000

[This LP] starts with Handel (movements scrolled) and comprises short pieces favoured for recitals by Martzy. The analogue transfers are a pleasure to listen to and the sleeve note apology for deterioration on the Bartók 78rpm master is superfluous. There one can hear Martzy's ability to create colour and imagery within the idiom; the Handel allegros and the piece by the 18th century Belgian Fiocco illustrate her brio and lift to phrases (albeit such movements end in firm rallentandos), again with dynamic subtlety in echo-phrases; the Kreisler Rondino would melt a heart of ice; and Martzy is suitably incisive on the Martinu Etude. Antonietti is a discreet, supportive accompanist.

- Christopher Breunig

Track listing

Handel

Sonata A Major, Opus 1 No. 3

Andante
Allegro
Adagio - Allegro

Accompanist: Jean Antonietti

Recorded by DeutschlandRadio/RIAS Berlin May 4th 1962