Notes and Editorial Reviews
WEISS FAMILY WOODWINDS, THEN AND NOW
•
Dawn Weiss (fl); David Weiss (ob); Abraham Weiss (bn); Zita Carno (pn)
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CRYSTAL CD354 (55:18) Live: Los Angeles 4/3/2010
1
VIVALDI
Sonata in g for Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, and Harpsichord.
MESSIAEN
Le Merle Noir.
BOURDEAU
Premier Solo for Bassoon and Piano.
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class="COMPOSER12">HINDEMITH
Oboe Sonata.
1
SVOBODA
Trio.
1
WORTHEY
Sandcastles
The Weiss siblings have been first-desk players of major symphony orchestras for a cumulative 95 years: Dawn with the Oregon Symphony, David with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Abraham with the Rochester Philharmonic. The first four pieces on this disc are reissues from a 1978 LP; the final two are world premiere live performances of works written for the Weiss trio. Let’s get one thing out of the way early: Every note, every phrase, every movement here is played superbly, not only with impeccable technique but with marvelous sensitivity for a wide range of music.
I’ve never been a Vivaldi fan, but I love every minute of this delightful sonata; the notes say it was probably written for two violins and continuo but may imply that the arrangement is not by the composer: “The version heard here captures the flavor so typical of Vivaldi.” If there’s a harpsichord in the mix, it is buried by the winds, which brings my only complaint: Almost all of the sonata is
forte
, and the instruments are recorded so closely as to put an edgy strain on the ear, no matter how low one sets the gain. Messiaen’s
Blackbird
, for flute and piano, is a calming zephyr after that burst of energy. Eugene Bourdeau (1850–1925) was professor of bassoon at the Paris Conservatory. His
Premier Solo
is so thoroughly musical that I would not have guessed it was written as a contest piece. Its gentle to passionate melodies are reminiscent of Saint-Saëns works for solo strings and piano. The reissues end with a rich performance of Hindemith’s Oboe Sonata; pianist Zita Carno’s solid, persuasive contributions show that both she and David Weiss understand the composer. I have heard more elegant renditions, but none that were quite as colorful.
The two contemporary works make it clear that the Weisses have not dropped a stitch (cut a lip?) over the 34 years. Perhaps it’s the change in recorded sound, but I sense a deeper ensemble, a new level of subtlety. Tomas Svoboda (b.1939) studied in Prague with Miloslav Kabelá? and in the U.S. with Ingolf Dahl and Halsey Stevens. His cyclical five-movement trio begins and ends with Andantes that honor deceased family members; its inner movements—Vivace, Lento, Vivace—recall happier times. Carol Worthey was born in 1943, and—lovely story!—a visiting Leonard Bernstein proclaimed she’s “gonna be a star” that very day; some years later, she studied with Milhaud and Persichetti. Her
Sandcastles
tells a story of a family at the beach, its main theme taken from the letters “DA
vid,
ABE, DA
wn, then
FA
mill
E
.” Whatever; it’s a charming if lightweight piece.
This disc’s a keeper, primarily for the reissues.
FANFARE: James H. North
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Works on This Recording
1.
Le merle noir by Olivier Messiaen
Performer:
Dawn Weiss (Flute),
Zita Carno (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1951; France
Length: 6 Minutes 0 Secs.
2.
Sonata for Oboe and Piano by Paul Hindemith
Performer:
Zita Carno (Piano),
David Weiss (Oboe)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1938; Switzerland
Length: 3 Minutes 53 Secs.
3.
Trio for woodwinds by Tomás Svoboda
Performer:
Dawn Weiss (Flute),
David Weiss (Oboe),
Abraham Weiss (Bassoon)
Period: Modern
Length: 3 Minutes 29 Secs.
6.
Premier Solo, for bassoon by Eugčne Bourdeau
Performer:
Abraham Weiss (Bassoon),
Zita Carno (Piano)
Period: Post-Romantic
Length: 5 Minutes 17 Secs.
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