SOUNDPOST

Jean-Guihen Queyras

LETTER of the MONTH

A LIGHTER TOUCH

Jean-Guihen Queyras and Isabelle Faust make a dashing duo pairing, but in their new recording of Beethoven’s ‘Triple’ Concerto I am particularly looking forward to hearing the timber twang of Alexander Melnikov’s fortepiano (‘A Journey Th rough Time’, January). As Queyras points out, the ‘Triple’ is not inferior in quality to Beethoven’s other music at all – but nor is it quite the same. The technical challenges of the work’s solo violin and cello parts are broadly in line with those of other concertos of the time, but the piano part is much more straightforward than anything Beethoven ever wrote for himself to perform. One possible explanation is that it was written with the composer’s pupil, Archduke Rudolf of Austria, in mind, although this has never been proven. A commensurate sense of ease was sadly lacking from Daniel Barenboim’s heavy-handed contribution to his recent recording of the piece alongside Yo-Yo Ma and Anne-Sophie Mutter.

KAREN KASSELMANN New York, NY, US

BEYOND THE GRAVE

I’m sure it would have been an amazing experience to witness the 1910 premiere of Elgar’s Violin Concerto with Fritz Kreisler and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). I’m also sure that Renaud Capuçon’s new recording of the work with the orchestra and Simon Rattle will be a thrilling listen (Session Report, January). What I don’t buy is the idea that, during the recording process, Mr Capuçon could ‘feel that this orchestra had performed the world premiere’. Although I’ve no doubt he found the idea greatly inspiring, are we really supposed to believe that today’s LSO, assembled from every corner of the globe, has a unique ability to commune with the soul of a moustachioed arch-Edwardian? To give credit where it’s due, Mr Capuçon does concede that ‘they’re not the same players’, but tells us in the same breath that Elgar’s music is ‘in their blood’. I’m not sure it is. The Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra, on the other hand…

ALEX WOOD Malvern, UK

KEY TO A MYSTERY

Readers may be interested to hear of a project to celebrate the life and works of the Polish–Lithuanian violin virtuoso and composer Feliks Yaniewicz (1762–1848, right), who co-founded the first Edinburgh Music Festival in 1815. As a young man Yaniewicz played for Haydn and Mozart, and was believed to be the dedicatee of Mozart’s lost Andante K470. Soon after his arrival in Britain he was hailed as ‘the celebrated Mr Yaniewicz’, and a contemporary reviewer extolled his performance as ‘a perfect masterpiece of the art. In fire, spirit, elegance and finish, Mr Yaniewicz’s violin concerto cannot be excelled by any performance in Europe.’

Among the exhibits to be displayed at Edinburgh’s Georgian House museum in 2022 is Yaniewicz’s beautiful inlaid double violin case, known to have contained a Stradivari and an Amati. An inventory drawn up in 1925 by his grandson, the architect Charles Harrison Townsend, documents the sale of the violins towards the end ofYaniewicz’s life: ‘His Strad he sold for L60, about 1845… This violin was (so says the violin-expert A Hill of Bond Street – who knows it well) a celebrated instrument, and is now in the possession of a New York collector, well known to Hill.

His Amati was raffled for, and produced, 40 guineas!’ Since the Hills’ record books lack an index, information on the current whereabouts of Yaniewicz’s Stradivari has so far proved elusive. If any readers hold a clue to this mystery, it would be fascinating to know who is now playing the instrument that so thrilled his contemporary audiences, and perhaps to feature a recording as part of the exhibition. Any information can be sent to: josiedixon@lucianconsulting.com

JOSIE DIXON Winchester, UK

MICHAEL CARRELLO

QUEYRAS PHOTO PETER MEISEL /BR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

THAT’S DEDICATION

The image of Jean-Guihen Queyras allowing a score by Ligeti or Boulez to ‘impregnate’ him was a strange note to finish the year on (‘A Journey Through Time’, January). It did make me laugh, though, and we could all do with cheering up!

VICTORIA LEVY London, UK

ONLINE COMMENT

Readers online were united in their condemnation of the BBC’s hit show Strictly Come Dancing, which was criticised for allegedly offering ‘screen time’ and a ‘free lunch’ to musicians in lieu of payment bit.ly/3rS6L94

DOUGLAS CANN The way musicians are treated in some quarters is criminal! Years of training, practising and examinations, to be expected to perform for nothing. In what other profession would that be expected?

CATHY FITZGERALD How many times have bands been told that? When you look at what the hosts are paid, it is utterly sickening.

GEORGINA HAND The professional dancers are paid, so the musicians who play on the show should be paid too. Who else would spend years training for a job only to be asked to work for free?

TIM SPARROW This is an all-too-common occurrence. It’s disgraceful and it has to stop. Exposure does not pay the bills.

LIZ YEE LING EVANS So where’s all that money from the licence fee going?

Editorial note

The picture on page 18 of the January issue shows a c.1700 G.B. Rogeri violin, which sold at Bromptons for £88,500 - not a Vincenzo Rugeri as captioned. Apologies.