ベートーヴェン: 組曲

マンドリンのヴィルトゥオーゾ、ジュリアン・マルティノー
ベートーヴェン作品集!

ジュリアン・マルティノーは、ラ・フォル・ジュルネ音楽祭で来日もしているフランスのヴィルトゥオーゾ・マンドリン奏者。今回彼が取り上げたのはベートーヴェン。ベートーヴェンは若い頃に、マンドリンとピアノのための作品を書いていました。それらはマンドリンを単音で(トレモロではなく)響かせるものですが、その物悲しくも繊細な、郷愁を誘う音色が奏でる旋律は絶品です。そのほか、同時代作品、さらにはベートーヴェンにインスパイアされた作品をプログラムしています。ピアニストはイタリアのヴァネッサ・ベネッリ・モゼッル。現代音楽もバリバリと弾きこなす彼女のピアノを得て、マルティノーのヴィルトゥオーゾぶりが際立っています。第7番交響曲の編曲はピアノとコントラバス、マンドリンという編成ですが、マンドリンということを忘れてしまう劇的効果に目からウロコが落ちる思いです。
キングインターナショナル

This album is an exploration of Beethovens neglected works for mandolin. None of them are called suites; the suites of the title are groupings of mandolin music closely or more distantly related to Beethoven. Some of this other music turns out to be even more of a revelation than the Beethoven mandolin music, itself rare enough: the Grande Sonate for mandolin and piano, Op. 37a, is an excellent example of Hummels style, with a slow movement thats highly idiomatic to the mandolin (Beethovens pieces, especially on Julien Martineaus rather metallic-sounding mandolin, are more like piano pieces played on the mandolin). All of the Beethoven works are early, and despite his claimed affection for the instrument, its hard to hear his voice in these. Midway through, however, the program turns into something else, humorous and very Gallic. Included is Walter Murphys disco classic A Fifth of Beethoven, arranged for a small jazz combo. Get ahold of the booklet, if you can, where annotator Camille De Rijck points out that in the history of art, it is only permissible to exclude an artist from a movement if he or she absolutely refuses ever to have joined it, a conclusive attitude that Beethoven never expressed toward disco music. The other selections toward the end are not that outrageous, but all poke a bit of fun at the lingering Romantic impressions of Beethoven that have come down to the present day. Pianist Vanessa Benelli Mosell keeps to a circumspect attitude that gives Martineau room to play around, and the result is an enjoyable romp that does give something of an idea of Beethovens youthful, lighter side.