Danny Bond, Baroque bassoonist (here with early Classical bassoon)
02/17/2013
First Congregational Church, Berkeley, CA
Marc Schachman, oboe
Danny Bond, bassoon
Essence of Classical Style
HAYDN Symphony No. 44 in E minor “Trauer”, Hob.I:44
J.C. BACH Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe and Bassoon in F major (C 38)
J.C. BACH Symphony No. 6 in G minor, Op. 6
MOZART Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201
好一陣子沒聽古典時期的作品，不過既然PBO有演出，順便來聽聽也無妨。至今我仍記得小五時，練完鋼琴後，第一次在家中認真聽莫札特音樂CD的那一刻。人生有些時候可以用黑白清楚劃分，一為事件前，一為事件後。認真培養古典樂熱情，就是從那一天開始的。
為什麼會提到這件事，是因為莫札特以及古典時期的音樂風，的確是要接觸古典音樂最好，最容易的管道。優美的旋律，易掌握的和聲，這個巴洛克末期誕生的主音音樂，正是為了取悅平民大眾而發展出來的。這個成功的公式，至今仍然相當管用。
PBO近來開始用觸角深入古典時期(甚至早期浪漫時期)的作品，讓了曲目多元化，不知道是不是要嘗試吸引更大的愛樂族群。可以肯定的是，此舉造成主流的音樂家們開始和PBO合作交流，長期來講應該是好事。
到了古典時期，曲子長度自然也比較長。上下半場各只有時間演奏兩首曲子，而且也都是一短一長。上半場的海頓和J.C. Bach，雖然都有錄音，但都是我比較生疏的。海頓的第四十四號交響曲有「哀悼」的標題，和他有名的「告別」交響曲相差一號(No. 45)，同是他Sturm und Drang(狂飆運動)時期的作品。交響曲的快樂章都是激動的小調，只有第二樂章menuett中的trio有露出短暫的陽光。
海頓這首交響曲的標題，來自於甜美的第三慢樂章。據說，海頓曾說過，希望能在他的葬禮上演奏它。用那麼美麗的行板，來當他的葬禮音樂，海頓就連離開人間，也不忘持續帶給人們喜悅。 不過後來，事與願違，海頓的追思會上，演奏的卻是莫札特的安魂曲。
PBO為了演奏古典時期的音樂，他們的樂器也稍稍做了調整。提琴家們將原本的巴洛克弓換成了古典過渡時期的弓(transitional bow)。這樣，他們可以拉出比較長且延續的音，和古典樂日後發展，偏向喜用更長的樂句，是完全吻合的。而PBO承接古樂風格，表達簡潔有力，讓我相當能接受。
上半場演奏的第二首是J.C. Bach二十多首交響協奏曲中的一首。這些交響協奏曲，是古典時期的特有產物。既有交響曲，又有協奏曲的特徵，這些Sinfonia Concertante是大調的比例佔壓倒性多數(99%)，是討好音樂會聽眾們，不折不扣的一種輕音樂。這首交響協奏曲只有兩個樂章，是迎合巴黎聽眾的口味，和J.C. Bach許多早期的鋼琴協奏曲是一樣的, 而它的兩個獨奏樂器為雙簧管以及低音管。
PBO的獨奏家為Marc Schachman以及Danny Bond。前者我在別的PBO音樂會聽過其表演，覺得他那一次表現不大穩，經常失誤。Danny Bond，則是實力雄厚的低音管家，長期在歐洲和一流的古樂家一塊兒演出。他和Dombrecht一塊兒錄的Zelenka三重奏鳴曲，就是最好的見證了。這首J.C. Bach的曲子，似乎對於二位管樂家沒什麼太大的困難，將早期古典的歡愉氣氛表現得很稱職。
下半場的第一首仍然是J.C. Bach的曲子，為一首交響曲。對於J.C. Bach不熟悉的人，會覺得他在抄襲莫札特的曲風，但事實恰恰相反。身為前輩的J.C. Bach，莫札特不但極力推崇，並在1764年和父親造訪倫敦時就開始的。年僅八歲的莫札特，有幸在Bach家和他一塊兒彈奏鋼琴，並在Bach的指導下寫了若干樂曲。小小莫札特，認真吸收了Bach的古典曲風，成為自己日後作曲的重要基礎。
如同莫札特，J.C. Bach大部份曲子為快樂的大調樂曲。這也使得他們的少數小調作品格外顯眼。這首作品六之六的G小調交響曲，也是Sturm und Drang(狂飆運動)時期的作品。同被歸類在Sturm und Drang的莫札特第二十五交響曲，正好也是G小調，和J.C. Bach這首也有許多相似之處。J.C. Bach的三樂章交響曲，規模不及莫札特盛大，但音樂中衝動的力道，可是表露無遺。而最意想不到的驚喜，該是第三樂章的結尾，居然在不斷的驚濤駭浪之下，驟然靜悄悄地結束。
最後一首，莫札特第二十九號交響曲，是再度勾起兒時回憶的音樂。這算是我接觸莫札特中最早的一首。和音樂會先前的海頓跟J.C. Bach的Sturm un Drang風格大不同，這首交響曲沒有任何焦躁不安，而是一種豁然開朗。這首是典型的莫札特，第二樂章的行板優美的旋律和其節奏還讓我聯想起他另一首鋼琴奏鳴曲。第三樂章小步舞曲，以及終樂章，再度打起精神，並在情緒最高昂的狀態下劃下句點。
最後，音樂會結束後，我逮到和Danny Bond說話的機會。他這天所吹的樂器不是巴洛克低音管，而是稍稍晚些的古典低音管，主要差別在古典時期的作品音域變得更廣了，所以多增加了幾個按鍵。雖然他在台上看起來很冷酷，但私底下是個相當親切又斯文的人。
Back to the "Classics", so to speak. Normally I would pass coming to a concert featuring pieces of the Classical period, but I decided to give it a shot anyways. Despite distancing myself from the period of Haydn and Mozart, I owe them immensely in my exposure to classical music, which acted as a gateway to the eventual exploration of early music. Beautiful singable melodies, humorous rhythms, grander orchestration, and dynamic contrasts make it the perfect spokesperson for those wanting introduction to classical music till this day.
PBO's increasing repertoire of later works (sometimes extending to the Romantic) seems to be an attempt at attracting a wider audience by diversifying their program. Some may or may not welcome this move, but what is certain is that it has increased collaboration between "mainstream" classical and period musicians, and I believe this is a good thing in the long run.
The longer Classical works also meant fitting fewer pieces into the night. The first half featured a symphony and a sinfonia concertante by Haydn and J.C. Bach, respectively. While owning recordings of both works, they are much less familiar to me than the second half. The leading piece, Haydn's Symphony No.44, was written just before his more famous No.45 "Farewell" Symphony. They both belong to the period of Sturm und Drang, prominently featuring works in minor keys that have violent mood swings. The only period of relenting the tension happens in the trio section of the second menuet movement and the third slow movement.
The symphony is nicknamed "Mourning" because Haydn reported said that he wished that the slow movement to be performed at his funeral. For such a relatively agitated symphony, the slow movement is actually one of great serenity. I suppose, the good nature of Haydn was thinking of constantly bringing happiness to the audience, even at his own funeral. However, Haydn's wish did not come true. At his memorial service, it was Mozart's Requiem that was played instead. I wonder what Haydn thought of that arrangement.
PBO made the necessary adjustments to play music of the Classical period. The main thing was switching to the transitional bow, which allowed for playing longer and more sustained notes with more ease. This fits right into the developing musical style that would come to be norm of idiomatic string writing. Coming from period performance practice, PBO's rendition Classical works retain a briskness and compactness in their playing that I found to my liking.
The J.C. Bach sinfonia concertante was a much shorter and lighter work. In fact, these sinfonia concertantes were written to please the Parisian crowd to begin with. Another piece of evidence is the removing of the slow movement altogether and retaining the two fast and uplifting movements. This formula is also seen a lot in J.C. Bach's keyboard concertos.
This sinfonia concertante is scored for the oboe and bassoon as soloists, and the roles fall on Marc Schachman and Danny Bond. I've heard Marc play before in a previous PBO concert, which I was not that impressed. It might have been one of his off days, but he was making a few too many mistakes to even enjoy the music. Danny Bond, however, is on a different caliber, having spent time in Europe playing with the best early musicians of the previous generation. His recording with Dombrecht of Zelenka's trio sonatas alone is enough testament to that. The J.C. Bach piece didn't seem to trouble either soloists on this night, and the two did an admirable job in conveying the sweetness in the early Classical piece.
The program stayed with J.C. Bach in the first piece of the second half. If one is unfamiliar with the man, you may be inclined to think of J.C. Bach as a "mini-Mozart", mimicking his style. Obviously, this could not be further from the truth, as J. C. Bach was the predecessor, and young Mozart in heavily indebted to J.C. Bach in terms of his musical forms and style. After meeting J.C. Bach in London as a kid, Mozart greatly soaked up Bach's latest fashionable early Classical style and booted out the outdated late Baroque. Mozart even commented at hat he really learned how to construct melodies from J.C. Bach, so it would be no surprise that one's music reminds us of the other. Of course, Mozart later was to develop into the better composer that we all know now.
Like Mozart, many of J.C. Bach's works are in major keys, and so the few remaining minor ones really stand out. His Op.6 No.6 G minor Symphony also belongs to the Sturm und Drang period, and many similarities have been drawn between this piece and the more famous Mozart Symphony No. 25, also in G minor. While not quite on the level as the Mozart masterpiece, the tension and violence is pretty much unsurpassed. Bach even throws in a few surprises, especially in the last movement, where after wave after wave of heightened drama, the music draws to an abrupt soft close.
The last piece was another trip down memory lane. In fact, Mozart's Symphony No.29 is one of the earliest symphonies I got to know (along with No.39 "Prague", which is among my favorites). Unlike the Sturm und Drang pieces, this one is sunny, bright, and outright positive. This piece is unmistakably Mozart to the bone. The second movement could not be sweeter, and there's a repeating passage which strongly resembles the Andante of a Mozart A minor piano sonata. The third movement and the finale return to the uplifting spirit, ending climactically, as expected.
After the concert, I briefly spoke with "Mr. Bond." He commented that he played on a classical bassoon and not a baroque one, the main difference being having a few more keys in order to play the increasing range of the Classical repertoire. Though he looked a bit cold and distant on stage, he was a nice and friendly fellow in person.
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