This second volume of Frank Martin Concertos contains one masterpiece (the Harpsichord Concerto), one attractive non-concerto (Passacaglia for strings), and one tough nut (Polyptique for solo violin and double string orchestra). The latter, composed in 1972-73 for Yehudi Menuhin, consists of six short movements based on a medieval panel containing a series of pictures inspired by the Passion story. Given the often gnarly subject matter, the music itself can hardly be called entertaining, though it certainly has beautiful and affecting moments. The setting for two string orchestras and violin solo can sound monochrome, and this performance lacks the contrasts of tempo and texture that we hear, for example, in the DG recording with The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Marieke Blankestijn, soloist). This isn’t terrible; it’s just, well, dull.
The Passacaglia isn’t a concerto, of course, but it’s a grave, majestic work full of harmonic interest, and it’s nicely played. Martin’s Harpsichord Concerto is certainly one of the great 20th-century pieces for the instrument. This performance has two problems, at least compared to Martin’s own recording with Christiane Jaccottet on Jecklin. First, there’s the bland and colorless accompaniment under Jac van Steen. Indeed, you barely notice the trumpet and horn contributions at all. This may be partly due to the spindly, thin-toned harpsichord–one of those instruments that hasn’t a chance of standing up even to the lightest orchestration, and that has so little musical tone in its timbre that chords and rapid figurations sound like white noise. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with the engineering as such. I just wish this were better.
