Anja Lechner: Bach | Abel | Hume (CD Review)

 by Karl Nehring

Tobias Hume: A Question; An Answer; Harke, Harke; Carl Friedrich Abel: Arpeggio in D-minor; Adagio in D-minor; J.S. Bach: Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G-Major BWV 1007; Suite for Solo Cello No. 2 in D-minor BWV 1008; Hume: Hit It in the Middle; Tom and Mistresse Fine; The New Cut; A Polish Ayre; Touch Me Lightly. Anja Lechner, cello. ECM New Series 2806

 

From the classical imprint of ECM comes this release featuring the German cellist Anja Lechner (b. 1961) in which we see her in a different light from that in which we saw her as a member of Anouar Brahem’s quartet (you can see that review here) playing world music in a group setting, but rather playing Baroque-era music as a soloist. What’s more, we also find her serving as a musical archaeologist, digging into the past to bring us music by a couple of composers who might otherwise have remained unknown to most of us. As the CD booklet explains: “One lived before and during the Thirty Years War, a Scottish mercenary who served in the armies of Sweden and Russia and devoted his leisure hours to music, then spent sixteen years in the almshouse and developed curious symptoms of megalomania in old age. The other was a virtuoso from Saxony-Anhalt and a style-defining composer of the early classical period who caused a furor in London, became an alcoholic despite or because of his success and died impoverished. The third, who lived between them, remained in German principalities, was tirelessly productive and soon famous throughout Europe, also fell into oblivion for a while and later became one of the godfathers of music. Tobias Hume, Carl Friedrich Abel, and Johann Sebastian Bach, three fundamentally different characters from two turbulent centuries of music history meet for a unique musical exchange.”

 

The album opens and closes with music from Tobias Hume (c.1579-1645). These selections are taken from a collection of 116 dances and miniatures for viola da gamba. The First Part of Ayres, which was printed in 1605; the liner notes comment that they seem to have emerged directly from improvisation, as Hume was known to be quite the master of the instrument. The notes go on to observe that, “Hume, however little else is known about him, is said to have had a wry, even crude sense of humor, but the subtitle he chose, ‘Captaine Hume’s Musicall Humors’, refers to something else: namely moods, frames of mind, states of the soul. In 116 dances and miniatures, mostly notated in tablature, nuances of the human condition are acted out, from dark melancholy to frivolous exuberance.” These selections are short, with the longest, Touch Me Lightly, clocking in at 2:52. The cello is an instrument capable of expressive power, which we often think of in terms of sweeping melodic lines such as you might recall from the Dvorak or Elgar concertos, but in these Hume miniatures, Lechner uses her cello to bring us entertaining little sketches that she brings to life with a deft touch. The light entertainment provided by these sketches acts as a nice way to build up to and then wind down from the progressively more complex music of Abel and Bach (1685-1750). 

The two pieces by Abel (1723-1787), both in a minor key, have a sense of structure and purpose about them that stand them in contrast to the lighter, more spontaneous-sounding sketches of Hume. On the other hand, they are not complex; their structure is fairly straightforward. In the context of the program of the CD, they serve as an effective bridge from the lighter works of Hume to the two main works, Bach’s first two Cello Suites. Lechner plays these with an introspective style, making the movements sound not so much like dances but rather as streams of thought. At times she lingers briefly, savors a moment; however, this is not to say she plays in an exaggerated Romantic style. Her playing is thoughtful, reflective, composed. It’ a lovely reading. Framing the Bach with the lighter, less familiar music of the other two composers makes this a rewarding release indeed, not just another take on Bach. It’s a delightful disc that is well worth seeking out even by those who may already own several recordings of Bach’s Cello Suites.