jlaurson's Full Review: Offenbach Romantique - Minkowski, Pernod, Les Musi...
Marc Minkowski is not a conductor known for conventionalism, whether it be his interpretations or the repertoire itself. While he made a name for himself with French Baroque as the founder of Les Musiciens du Louvre, he has since shown his wide-ranging taste and ability by giving us much Handel, superb Gluck, and all the operas of his countryman, Jacques Offenbach. Last February he issued a disc – his last for DG’s Archiv label? – that went by me, unnoticed. Unnoticed not the least because it was simply titled: “Offenbach Romantique”. Who knew it would include the whacky, topsy-turvy, oversized cello concerto of Offenbach?
Yes – Jacques Offenbach wrote a cello concerto, and it’s not just the one-movement Concerto Militaire, seldom enough played in its own right and actually the first movement of the Grand Concerto. I only took note when Minkowski, guest-conducting the Bavarian State Orchestra, programmed this barnstormer concerto in its Fifth Akademiekonzert of the 2007/2008 season.
The cello concerto has been reconstructed from fragments that have floated about since the 1940s, but the completion could not take place until 2006 when Jean-Christophe Keck, the publisher of the critical, complete Offenbach edition, found Offenbach’s handwritten score in the Library of Congress and an archive in Cologne. Now we know that the Concerto rondo is the finale of this Grand Concerto, and its nickname “militaire” makes more sense as it did when it was applied to the rather un-martial stand-alone first movement.
That first movement opens gently, softly with timpani touches. It quickly swells, hitting a sporting and gay stride until the cello enters – solo – with a double-stop studded opening statement and then giving way to something altogether more hysterical.
The sounds emitted convey one thing before all: Someone wrote this, who knew the cello, its abilities and possible abuses intimately – and did so to have all the fun imaginable with the instrument. Jérôme Pernoo, the young French cellist that Minkowski plays this with on disc and on tour, succeeds in conveying this impression not only about the composer (said to have been the Franz Liszt of the cello), but also about himself.
Given the sometimes ridiculous challenges that this work presents – high register double stop-sequences especially – a live performance isn’t likely to achieve technical perfection. Not necessary: Pernoo succeeds in concert through sheer buoyant joy, verve, and plenty spunk. Listening to him play this concerto, one can not help but expect it to take cellists’ repertoires and concert halls by storm,despite its considerable length (~45 minutes) and the downright silly technical demands it places on the soloist. The recording, also made at a concert, doesn’t trade any of that energy for the added technical polish which may, in any case, have come by diligent patching.
There is very little military attitude in the highly lyrical, flute-twittering and cheery second movement Andante – the only entirely new music in this work. How good to have found that part, though: the duo between cello and first violin must surely be among the most immediately and widely pleasing moments in cello concerto history.
Between the artillery and infantry shots from the third movement’s percussion ranks, the cello and the strings put down an infectious romp that evoked a sort of Beer-hall joviality in the dignified surroundings of the Munich opera house. Imagine what it can do to you in your arm-, or better yet, rocking-chair at home – especially while having a beer! The back and forth between those percussion batteries and the soloist has moments of absolute hilarity, concluding with a particularly harsh salvo that leaves the cello limping off stage.
Chock full of lust for composing and playing the cello, unbridled fantasy, like an excited puppy blissfully running about the orchestral stage: this concerto cares not about convention, only entertainment. Had a composer of lesser stature than Offenbach attempted this, the result might have been an embarrassing disaster. As it is, there are more moments in this work that made me smile broadly than I can count. A feat not possible were it not for the willing and sympathetic support from Musiciens du Louvre who played at the occasion of the recording at the MC2 in Grenoble.
Pernoo clearly found a – very thankful – vehicle here, though I suspect that for all its entertainment value also one vulnerable to overexposure. So far, however, repeat listening on disc has only recalled an equally broad smile. Minkowski stuffs the disc with more romantic and rare Offenbach: The overture to Orphée aux enfers, Overture, Ballet & Grand Valse of Lees Fées du Rhin (Offenbach’s take on the Rhinemaidens), and the Ballet des Flocons de neige from “Le Voyage dans la lune”. Entertainment of the highest quality.
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