Poulenc : Clarinet Sonata
Brahms : Cello Sonata No. 2
Brahms : Clarinet Trio
Raphaël Sévère, clarinet
Victor Julien-Laferrière, cello
Adam Laloum, piano
I've been hearing quite a bit about Adam Laloum over the last five years or so. If the specialist classical music press and radio in France are to be believed, he's the best new thing since sliced bread. Call me cynical if you wish, but I tend to be a bit sceptical when the media get dithyrambic over young, photogenic performers, so the chance to sample for myself was not to be missed. For once, though, the praise would seem to be well-merited. I have yet to hear him perform as a soloist, in person, but what was abundantly obvious tonight is that he is an excellent partner, and that is an art in and of itself.
The piano is the backbone of much of the chamber repertory, but as an instrument, it is, fundamentally, percussive and easily dominates almost everything save the brass family. In particular, the lower timbre instruments can disappear all too easily, and it is the pianist's job (amongst other things) in programmes such as tonight's one, to ensure that the balance is correctly maintained. This was something that Laloum achieved with spectacular ease, everything sounding effortlessly natural, each instrument in its right place at the right time, the 'spotlight' of the music travelling exactly as it was meant to. Additionally, he has beautiful control over the sound of his instrument, because the timbre of the piano for the Poulenc was quite different from that used for the Brahms, and appropriately so.
Laloum's partners tonight were similar rising stars of the French musical world, both in their twenties, as he is. Raphaël Sévère, in the Poulenc, displayed a lovely liquid tone, like dark honey, particularly appealing in the sweet song of the Romance. The piece was commissioned by Benny Goodman, whose timbre was breathier, and had a bit of an edge beneath the velvet, which is something I thought Sévère lacked just a little, but it remained a persuasive interpretation, with Laloum's piano sound fresh and tart.
For the Brahms, the piano became richer and mellower, with an intensity matched by the fervent cello of Victor Julien-Laferrière. The first movement of the Cello Sonata burned with feverish passion, something Julien-Laferrière couldn't quite sustain through the slow movement, but he recovered in the third movement, to the point that the audience took it for the conclusion and applauded at its end, which unfortunately broke the flow a bit. The final Rondo seemed almost something of an afterthought as a result.
No such mishap marred the Trio, which abounded with moments of pure grace - the undulating conclusion of the first movement, the quiet simplicity of the slow movement, or the elegance of the third movement - in a generally outstanding performance. The third movement was given again as an encore, but I think we would have been happy to hear the whole thing all over again, to linger a while longer in the company of these talented young artists.
[Next : 9th September]
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