Must-listen: Two concerts by Thomas de Hartmann
16/08/2024
Thomas de Hartmann Rediscovered; Thomas de Hartmann: Violin Concerto op. 66 + Cello Concerto op. 57; Joshua Bell, violin, INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra, Dalia Stasevska, Matt Haimovitz, cello, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Dennis Russell Davies; # Pentatone PTC5187076; recordings 01.2024, 05.2022, release 16.08.2024 (65’52) – review by Remy Franck
There is a remarkable line-up of artists for this album with the cello and violin concertos by the Ukrainian composer Thomas de Hartmann (1884-1956), who was highly regarded during his lifetime and had a successful career in France in the 1930s and 1940s. After his death (in the USA), his music fell into oblivion and has only recently been revived. Apart from private releases on LP by the composer’s wife, these are the first recordings of the two concertos.
The Violin Concerto from 1943 was recorded in Warsaw with Joshua Bell and Dalia Stasevska conducting the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra. They play the first movement energetically and with the greatest colorfulness.
De Hartmann’s score has clearly roots in klezmer music, and is a musical reflection of his despair over the occupation of Poland and Ukraine by the Nazi army and, in particular, the fate of the Jews. This can be heard above all in the slow movement, which is « reminiscent of a violinist wandering through the war-ravaged Ukrainian steppe and playing his macabre and sad songs », as De Hartmann’s wife Olga once wrote. The movement is full of harmonic surprises and incredibly rich. The klezmer influence is also unmistakable in the third movement, a Menuet fantasque, before the virtuoso, dance-like, atmospheric and passionate finale brings the concerto to a close with stupendous verve. It is incredible that such a magnificent work has not been played for decades. It is a masterpiece, incredibly original and gripping from the first to the last note. It may be that a number of hitherto little-known works that are recorded today do not necessarily belong in the standard repertoire, but this one is of such quality that it should stand on an equal footing with many other important concertos of the 20th century. The Cello Concerto was composed in 1935 and premiered in 1938 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitsky. Although De Hartmann himself was not Jewish, he felt very close to Jewish traditions and the piece is strongly influenced by Jewish musical folklore. Thematically, it combines the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany with De Hartmann’s own memories of local Jewish folk musicians in his native Ukraine.
Matt Haimovitz and the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig under the direction of Dennis Russell Davies are the performers of the cello concerto. They deliver a fascinating interpretation of this magnificent musical fresco, revealing all the composer’s richness and imagination. It is simply impossible to get enough of this concerto with its many motifs. The slow middle movement is particularly beautiful, sounding like a deeply moving prayer, somewhere between resigned sadness and a gentle plea.