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Paris. City of Music. Amphitheater. 15-X-2022. Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Octet for strings and winds in F major D. 803. ONDIF musicians: Clément Verschave, violin; Flore Niquevert, violin; Lilla Michel Peron, viola; Frédéric Dupuis, cello; Pierre Maindive, double bass; Jean-Claude Falietti, clarinet; Ludovic Tissus, bassoon; Tristan Aragau, horn.
Interpreted by the musicians of the ONDIF, the ample and luminous Eight of Schubert is part of the vast cycle devoted to the composer by the Philharmonie de Paris.
Rather than considering theEight of Schubert as a preliminary drawing to the composition of the great Symphony No. 9 in C, perhaps on the contrary it should be considered as a masterpiece in itself, the pinnacle of Schubert’s chamber music repertoire, both in terms of its dimensions (six movements and a duration of almost an hour) as well as by the subtle arrangement of timbres between winds and strings. Composed in 1824, it is the result of a commission from Count Ferdinand Troyer, an excellent amateur clarinetist, an important detail which explains the privileged place occupied by the clarinet in this composition. Elegant, refined, carried by a wide variety of inspiration that never compromises the unity of the whole, it surprises with its joyful and hedonistic side, crossed with a touch of melancholy because it occurs in a context of failing health (Schubert knows he has had syphilis since 1822). Far from representing a pale epigone, it is in line with the On Sept. 20 of Beethoven, 20 years earlier, which he greatly exceeds by his melodic grace and his poetry.
The musicians of the ONDIF, gathered for the occasion, deliver us, alas, a rather bland reading, willingly confused, which singularly lacks homogeneity and cohesion, two key words which must constitute the common thread of any interpretation. chamber music, especially in an octet formation…
The first movement Allegro immediately marks the limits of an unconvincing interpretation: confused in the organization of the polyphony, constantly burdened by a thundering and nasal horn (Tristan Aragau), escaping all control and undermining the necessary homogeneity of the whole . The clarinet (Jean-Claude Falietti) in this opening movement lacks roundness; opposite her, the solo violin (Clément Verschave) struggles to assert his leadership, the phrasing seems stiff and the balance between strings and winds permanently compromised. L’Adagio following which is not without evoking the Larghetto of the Quintet by Mozart through its meditative introduction to the clarinet, finally regains presence and volume through the more marked engagement of the solo violin and a setting that gradually asserts itself. We appreciate the poetry of the phrasing, the sound of the cello (Frédéric Dupuis) which forms with the double bass (Pierre Maindive) a fortunately solid hinge; I’Allegro Vivace deploys from the first notes its famous theme carried by a lively dynamic and well-marked rhythmic supports which restore a certain cohesion to the whole. We note here once more the beautiful countermelody of the cello and an effective support of the bassoon (Ludovic Tissus); I’Andante unfolds a serene dialogue between violin and clarinet, well supported by the lower strings; the Menuetto lack of this subtle mixture of elegance and rusticity, but also of dynamism and this touch of gallantry which makes it so charming; I’Andante-Molto Allegro finale, well introduced by the bass sonorities of the cello, panting and imbued with a feeling of urgency of good quality, closes this reading certainly not worked enough.
Photographic credits: Pierre Maindive, double bass 2nd Solo; Frédéric Dupuis, cello © ONDIF
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More details
Paris. City of Music. Amphitheater. 15-X-2022. Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Octet for strings and winds in F major D. 803. ONDIF musicians: Clément Verschave, violin; Flore Niquevert, violin; Lilla Michel Peron, viola; Frédéric Dupuis, cello; Pierre Maindive, double bass; Jean-Claude Falietti, clarinet; Ludovic Tissus, bassoon; Tristan Aragau, horn.
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