Concert: Thornburgh/Blumenstock Duo (02/10/2014)

 

Elaine Thornburgh and Elizabeth Blumenstock

02/10/2014

Memorial Church, Stanford, CA

de LA GUERRE: Violin Sonata No.2 in D major
DUPHLY: Pieces de Clavecin: Le Felix - Les Graces - La de Belombre
LECLAIR: Violin Sonata in A major, Op.9 No.4
J. WALTHER: Violin Sonata No.2 in A major
BIBER: Passacaglia in G minor
J.S. BACH: Violin Sonata in B minor, BWV 1014

2013-2014這一季，有許多參加的音樂會相差只有一天，甚至當天趕場的。繼二月九號週日晚上PBO的音樂會，第二天晚上又有自己老師與Elizabeth Blumenstock女士的音樂會，焉能錯過？

Elaine被Stanford聘為大鍵琴老師，明文規定每年須在Stanford舉辦一場音樂會。前幾年參加，她是選擇以開獨奏會，不過前年起，Elaine和Elizabeth的合作開始再度變得頻繁，在Stanford的音樂會Elaine也邀Elizabeth同台演出。今年Elaine在Stanford的音樂會，同樣找了Elizabeth，而Elizabeth的表演戲份，比前年還要多。應該說，這場音樂會的主角是Elizabeth，Elaine的獨奏曲目只有短短的三首而已。

這晚的音樂又是德國與法國的作曲家，不過順序和前年倒過來，先法後德。開場的Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre，是十七世紀最重要的女作曲家和鍵盤家，是最早寫義大利式奏鳴曲的作曲家之一。她這首給小提琴與數字低音的奏鳴曲，是她歷經喪夫之痛，隱退又復出後所寫的。因為找停車位而錯過了這首的一大半，不過剛好聽到了最精湛的終樂章。除了小提琴很忙碌之外，數字低音也是在處跑。其實，就連其他的樂章，伴奏也沒閒著，可以看出de la Guerre本身深厚的鍵盤底子。就連Elaine，也都說這是有挑戰的。

接下來Duphly這些法國鍵盤作曲家的音樂，是Elaine拿手的曲子。她彈的的三首都選得相當好，因為三首的情境是完全不一樣的。Le Felix暗沉，Les Graces優雅，而La de Belombre浮誇。Elaine處理每一首也都很講究，在時間停頓上與和絃的琵音彈奏，都能表現出該曲應有的感覺。而且，Elaine的表演向來都能讓音樂很順暢地流動，就連緩慢的Les Graces也不會覺得沉悶無趣。

整場最困難的曲子，當屬Leclair的這首小提琴奏鳴曲。兩年前的那場Elaine和Elizabeth的音樂會，我在此格文中曾小「抱怨」說那天拉的Leclair有點太平淡了。Elizabeth似乎是聽到了，這次決定來首炫一點的。這首的第一和第二樂章拉雙絃（或以上）的地方處處可可見，第四樂章要求的速度和敏捷度，更是驚人。這首的挑戰程度高到Elizabeth有些地方也招架不住，失了些音準。但Elizabeth表演風格大膽有音樂性，所以演奏上的小缺陷自然是會通容的。

下半場的音樂換到了德國，先是表演了中期德奧重要的小提琴作曲家Walther與Biber，最後再以最有名的巴哈結束。中期德國的小提琴音樂，和晚期之間出現了大斷層，主要是因為Corelli風影響了整個歐洲音樂的生態。 Walther的這首奏鳴曲我沒聽過，但他出版的Hortulus Chelicus裡面其他曲子我倒是有。奏鳴曲的第一樂章Preludio，應該是整曲最有意思的，形式自由，分好幾個段落，情境都不同。後面的舞曲就典型許多，是十七世紀中常見的。

Biber給小提琴獨奏的Passacaglia，對於古樂有點涉獵的人，絕不會陌生。這應該是我印象中第三次聽現場的表演，也是最靠近演奏家的一次。Elizabeth的演奏，樂句修飾的強弱分明，斷句和時間的控制精確，將Biber的這首拉得既美麗又動人。最後的巴哈BWV 1014小提琴奏鳴曲，Elaine和Elizabeth第一樂章的速度比我聽過得都還要快。巴哈的音樂雖然寫得嚴謹和理性，但在Elaine和Elizabeth的詮釋下，也散發出熱情和活力及人性。

Elizabeth在音樂會中，少不了她喜好與觀眾講說的活潑個性。她在表演Leclair，Walther，以及Biber的曲子之前，都會做些簡單的導聆。在講到Biber，聊到scordatura調音，甚至將自己手上的名琴當作道具。

Elizabeth speaking and explaining to the audience

In the 2013-2014 concert season, I ended up attending concerts happening on back-to-back nights. After the PBO concert on Sunday, I was going up to Stanford again to hear Elaine and Elizabeth play. Part of the agreement of Elaine's appointment is to give an annual faculty concert at Stanford. In the past, she's performed solo, but starting 2012, she started playing more frequently with Elizabeth. As a result, Elizabeth has been performing with Elaine at the past two Stanford concerts, one where I attended in 2012. In this year's concert, Elizabeth takes most of the spotlight, and Elaine contributes to only 3 solo pieces. (Although, in the Bach violin sonata, they are really equals.)

The evening was devoted to music of the French and German Baroque composers, just like in 2012, but the order was reversed, the French coming first and then the Germans. Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, whose music opened the concert, was one of the most important female composers and keyboardists of the 17th century. This sonata for violin and continuo was composed after de la Guerre's husband and son passed away, decided to retire, and then returned to the public. Trouble finding parking prevented me to hear the piece in its entirety, but I was able to catch the virtuosic finale, where both the violin and continuo have very busy parts. In fact, in the other fast movements, the continuo is assigned nontrivial parts, a testament to de la Guerre's own keyboard skills. Even Elaine confessed to me later that it was challenging.

The three Duphly harpsichord solo works that followed were Elaine's bread and butter pieces. The selections are very well-chosen, as they all have very different moods. Le Felix was dark and brooding, Les Graces, as its title suggests, graceful and delicate, and La de Belombre pompous and majestic. The way Elaine handled each piece was very skillful, each pausing and turning of phrase, the placement and arpeggiation of the chords, was able to exactly convey the character of the piece. Needless to say, Elaine's playing always has the music flowing, and even the slow Les Graces never felt stagnate for a moment.

The most technically challenging piece came just before the intermission, a violin sonata by Leclair. Two years ago when Elizabeth and Elaine played at the exact location, I commented that I was a little let down by them not tackling a more difficult piece. I suppose Elizabeth heard my calling and they rose to the challenge indeed. This piece has multiple stops all over the first and second movements, and the required dexterity and precision in the last movement is incredible. Near the end, even Elizabeth was on the verge of breaking down a bit with some intonation problems. However, Elizabeth's audacious playing is convincing and never dull, and any shortcomings can be overlooked. And maybe I'm just biased.

We move onto the Austrian-Germans in the second half. First on the program are the mid-Baroque composers Walther and Biber, one of the most influential and inventive composers of violin music in the mid-17th century. There's a noticeable rift in musical styles between these composers and the late-Baroque composers, thanks to Corelli whose compositional style pervaded across the entire Europe. I don't know the Walther piece, although I have heard other pieces from his publication Hortulus Chelicus. The most interesting piece in this sonata is the Preludio, which has interesting free-flowing contrasting sections. The dances that follow are more or less standard. 

The Biber Passacaglia has to be a familiar piece for anyone who is into early music at all. I believe this has to be the third live performance of the piece I've attended, but also the most up-close one too. Elizabeth's playing had good dynamics and great control in her phrasing, delivering a beautifully moving reading of this ethereal piece. As for the Bach sonata, Elaine and Elizabeth took the first movement quite fast, at least faster than any recording I recall, thus showing that they won't hold back in pushing the music. And even though Bach's music is known being strict and rational, Elaine and Elizabeth demonstrate that it is also capable of vitality and passion.


Elizabeth never passes up the chance to address the audience and talk a little about the pieces that she is about to perform. She did so before the Leclair, Walther, and Biber. On Biber, she even went into detail about scordatura tuning and was not shy to use her Stradivarius as a prop. This is also an aspect of her concerts that I always look forward to when attending, and I certainly hope she keeps doing it. 

Memorial Church in the evening