Customer Reviews

The Secret Mozart: Works for Clavichord - Christopher Hogwood

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At long last my collection owns a clavichord recital - John McCabe's interesting disc `Howells' Clavichord' turned out, on closer inspection following purchase, to be something else. The `problem' with the clavichord is that it does not have a big voice; indeed a small clavichord can hardly be heard at the other end of any but a small room. However even the smallest can be heard by its player, and one particularly unpretentious specimen was up to the job of test-driving the music of Mozart.

This disc provides an hour and a quarter of music, and three instruments are used. The one from the house of Hass is an early product and is the richest in tone. The Schiedmayer instrument was built in 1791, the year of Mozart's death, and has a brighter sound. The third is Mozart's own clavichord, of unknown manufacture and more meagre in effect than the others, but if it was good enough for him it is more than good enough for me.

What this recital has done is to force me to do in practice what I like to think I do in theory, namely to focus on the pure content of the music, whatever the instrument or instruments involved. I thrill to the Mozart-playing of Serkin or Brendel or Perahia on modern grand pianos, and I admire the sensitivity of Serkin in particular in scaling down his huge touch to a sound appropriate to what he is playing, but a sound, for all that, that is still bigger than any that Mozart ever heard. Mozart on the other hand was glad of all the instrumental tone he could get when giving his works to his public, but when he was alone with his muse a small clavichord was enough. The specifics of the instrument, it seems to me, are only a kind of clothing or lighting in which the music is presented. It may be more, or less, appropriate in each case - for instance Mozart's spine-tingling Adagio for Glass Harmonica is obviously inspired by the ethereal sound of that instrument and could not be convincingly rendered by even the finest brass band. However the glass harmonica is still there for the piece, not the other way about, and you will hear it very effectively performed here by Hogwood on Mozart's own little clavichord. Coming in from the opposite angle, I hear from Hogwood a very dramatic and imposing crescendo in the D minor Fantasia. If I had been so foolish as to play it back-to-back with a piano rendition either I would not have found it so effective or I would have found the piano performance noisy and coarse. The lesson I draw is clear - the specifics of the sound in terms of volume, tone and scale are secondary. What is essential is the thing that is of the spirit, the music `itself'.

I found this recital completely riveting - after all this is how Mozart's music would have sounded to Mozart. In case Hogwood needs any introduction, he is a musical scholar as well as performer of the highest eminence, and a leader of the drive, 30-40 years ago, towards `authenticity' in performing early music. The agenda of the recital is imaginative, and there are several pieces included that I may not have heard previously. Particularly welcome are two items, the longest in the programme, for 4 hands in which Hogwood is partnered by the clavichord specialist Derek Adlam. These are given (naturally) on the two bigger instruments, and they have a rich and agreeable sound that should do a lot to convert any waverers to this beautiful instrument of music.

Really, I can't recommend this set highly enough. The recording is admirable, and I played the disc at the same volume-setting that I use for classical chamber music, or piano recitals, or Brahms symphonies, or for that matter Mahler's 8th or The Dream of Gerontius. The liner note is likewise admirable, telling us adequately and without verbiage what we need to know about the music, the performers and the instruments. If you choose to take my word for all this and join me in an unfamiliar but particularly beautiful sound-world, then welcome.

Through the eighteenth century, the clavichord was a highly favored instrument for personal music making. Musicians loved it because they could play with dynamics (shades of soft to loud) and even voice chords (play each note in the chord with varying amounts of strength to "color" the chord). While the harpsichord was a louder instrument and more suitable for public performance, the strings were plucked and there was no way to play with different dynamics. The artist could change the effects to give the illusion of dynamics, but it was a psychological manipulation. With the clavichord, the force of pressure on the key directly levered the tangent into the string with that same force and that created the dynamic. Musicians treasured its subtlety and responsiveness to even the softest breath of a note.

A unique effect of the clavichord over the harpsichord and the piano is that the tangent is also the device that keeps the string above the dampening material and allows it to continue to sound. This means the artist is still in contact with the string so there is a possibility of altering the effects of the note by continuing to manipulate the key. The Germans called this bebung and the effect was treated as an ornament.

Christopher Hogwood has previously released recordings of music by Bach and Handel on the clavichord. Each of these is called "The Secret ..." because it represents private and personal music making in one's home. This wonderful disk presents music by Mozart, which is particularly nice because we associate his music so much with the piano (though his piano was vastly different than the usual iron framed, long ringing piano we play on today). As the notes for this disk tell us, Mozart's widow referred to their personal clavichord as the instrument Mozart played in composing "The Magic Flue" and other compositions late in life.

This disk presents 23 tracks using three different clavichords. All of the clavichords are unfretted. A fretted clavichord uses fewer strings than keys because the string only sounds from the one end to the tangent. So, if you have, say, a `c' and a c-sharp that are not going to be sounded together, you could use the same string for both notes by striking the string in the right spot to produce the different notes. However, these three clavichords have a string for each key and are therefore "unfretted".

The Hass harpsichord from 1761 has a second set of strings for the lowest octave and a half that add resonance that you will not hear in the other two clavichords. Some people, including CPE Bach, found the sudden transition of voicing undesirable, others find it adding richness and brilliance. You can hear this instrument on tracks 1-9, especially in the set of variations in G, K. 501.

We also get to hear the actual clavichord Mozart owned and the one mentioned by his widow as the one Mozart used in composing, on tracks 10-15 including the adagio for Glass Harmonica K. 356 and the Rondo in F, K. 494. It is a simple instrument with more historic value than beauty of sound.

The last instrument is the Schiedmayer and it has a clear and appealing sound. It is used on the remainder of the tracks (16-23). We hear two versions of the famous Fantasia in d-minor K 397; one with an improvised (well, at least improvisational sounding) ending, and the other the way we all learned it. The Sonata in D, K. 381 is also a gem and provides a wonderful fresh view of the work for those so familiar with how it sounds on our modern pianos or even a period fortepiano.

All of the numbers are well played by Christopher Hogwood except the K. 501 variations (tracks 2-7) and the K. 381 Sonata in D, which are played by Derek Adlam, whose performing is quite admirable.

A gem of a disk and a treasure for anyone who cares to hear Mozart in a way that would have not only been familiar to Mozart, but to all those alive when his music was new.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I'm not sure there is anything "secretive" about the music on this album. But if you can get past the foolish title, it is something of a revelation to hear Mozart's keyboard music played on the clavichord. The album notes state that the clavichord was considered the most expressive and was Mozart's personal "first choice" among the keyboard instuments. However, the clavichord was (and still is) rarely heard in public performance because it does not produce enough sound to be heard in ensemble or even by itself in a large room. The music on this CD makes a compelling case.

The clavichord is one of the most expressive instruments we have, not a museum curiosity. The musical keyboard is inherently a poor cousin of instruments on which the performer has direct tactile/lip control over the sound. Compare a violin and an organ. A ton of plumbing vs. an extension of one's hands. The harpsichord is not much better than the organ in this respect. Too many clavichord performances suggest a harpischord, because we are accustomed to it. It's all wrong. The clavichord player directly hits the strings, as the "tangent" at the end of the wood lever that extends each key is a brass fret that hammers on the string, rests against it, nurses it, can bend it, apply vibrato, etc. The clavichord is thus potentially THE most expressive keyboard instrument, bar none, and was the favorite of baroque and classical composers until the sophisticated pianoforte action fully developed. It remained the portable keyboard of its time, even Beethoven's. The piano, though capable of great nuance, is, compared to a clavichord, a bit of machine.

The unfortunate technical problem is that the clavichord is too quiet to be heard outside the privacy of one's room, a bit like playing with hammering-on technique on an acoustic guitar, unless of course it is amplified, which is what the recording process does, in effect. This CD gives some insight into the way Mozart heard his own compositions, created, as attested to by his wife, on the clavichord. Too many clavichord players hesitate to use the full range of the instrument, as the PPP fades into background noise, and a volley of FFF notes can pull the old style instruments out of tune, or break a string. Hogwood is an excellent clavichord player, he's not shy, and he begins to give an idea of what the instrument is capable of.

All of the nonsense about mastering and playing clavichord recordings at low level in the name of historical accuracy is annoying: surely back then they didn't have to hear above the ambient noise level of, e.g., a modern city, or a moving car. And it is debatable whether highlighting the mechanical noise of the old clavichord actions is endearing or ridiculous. Or whether imperfections in tuning or in note to note consistency, most noticeable on old double strung instruments, are part of the clavichord ethos. Two of the three instruments used on this CD are historically interesting but deficient in dynamic range, and highlight these traits. It's a specific and endearing sound. Fortunately the recording quality is good enough that you don't have to be bullied into listening at low volume. The third, a 1791 Schiedmayer, though still a period instrument, is more powerful, and this is where Mr. Hogwood shines. To hear these Mozart pieces (rather than the customary harpsichord-like Bach renditions) on such an instrument is a revelation. It's not background music, and none of this should be played as Muzak. Do turn the volume up on this CD! I sat in the car playing it with the volume high last night, and the music and the texture blew me away. Definitely a 5 star. I can't wait for "The Secret Beethoven".

p.s. Some modern clavichord makers are now beginning to take advantage of materials technology to make better/louder instruments, and I believe the clavichord could enjoy a revival outside the purist "historically correct" circles. Look up Keith Jarret's "Book of Ways". For a player, the control over the strings vibrating through the keys into one's fingertips is wonderful. Listening to Mr Hogwood, you can almost feel it.

This recording is part of a series of clavichord discs put out by Christopher Hogwood, the founder of the Academy of Ancient Music and a world-renowned conductor and musicologist. In addition to this title, Hogwood has so far released "The Secret Bach" and "The Secret Handel." "The Secret Haydn" is to come out soon. The "secret" part of the title simply indicates the "private" nature of clavichord music. The clavichord allows its players to express their most subtle emotions--not in public but in the privacy of the home.

All three of the clavichords heard on this disc sound different from each other, but they all manage to be both light and incredibly expressive--in short, perfect for Mozart. At times the sound approaches the sound of the early fortepianos. This is an entirely different world from Mozart played on a Steinway.

Hogwood chooses some unique pieces to showcase these clavichords. Do you remember the short piece that the boy Mozart plays in the movie Amadeus? This is the Klavierstueck in F included on this CD. Hogwood is also joined by Derek Adlam for some (seldom recorded?) Mozart duets.

A different Mozart: both subtle and grand.

In January 2007, I had the privilege of hearing Mozart's tempestuous 24th piano concerto at Boston's Symphony Hall. It was truly a profound, and moving experience to hear a masterpiece played by a virtuoso accompanied by a world-class orchestra in a reknowned venue. But recently, there has been a movement that suggests these large modern performances distort the composer's intent, and instead feature vintage instruments with period performance practices and techniques. Robert Levin and Christopher Hogwood, who have also recorded excellent "period" versions of Mozart's keyboard concertos, are two of the most prominent musicians who espouse this school of thought. This illuminating Hogwood recording provides a real sense of how Mozart's music would have been played and heard in the parlors of Vienna and Salzburg during the late 18th century. I guess the biggest selling point of this disc is that you will get to hear Hogwood perform 5 short pieces on the original clavichord Mozart played from his childhood until 1791, when he used it to compose Die Zauberflote only a few months before his death. This of course is a special treat for any Mozart aficionado and just hearing this long neglected instrument makes it worth adding this release to your collection.

But in my opinion, the highlight of the disc is Hogwood's playing on the Schiedmayer clavichord (circa 1791), which offers a louder and clearer tone than the other instruments used on the recording. The Fantasia in D Minor K. 397 is really wonderful and was made to be played on a vintage instrument. Hogwood and Derek Adlam also deliver an exciting knockout performance of the Sonata in D K. 381. Lastly, the engrossing liner notes offer an in-depth exploration of the importance of the clavichord in Mozart's era, and also discuss the history of the instruments Hogwood played. In the end, this recording will not deter me from returning to hear the BSO, but offers an intimate understanding and appreciation of Mozart that will never be possible in any concert hall.

I am a lover of Baroque and Classical period keyboard music, but I don't believe I've ever owned a recording of music played on a clavichord. Long overdue!! Hogwood is of course an excellent interpreter/player, and these pieces are wonderful. The clavichord itself is a bit of an odd/unusual sounding instrument, even for one who truly appreciates period instrumentation. It's a bit of a cross between a harpsichord and an early fortepiano, sound-wise, and I'm not sure one would want to listen to more than one clavichord LP per day, but that said the instrument seems to bring out new and unusual nuances that I've never really appreciated in Mozart's keyboard pieces generally, even the piano sonatas on fortepiano. If you love Bach, Handle, Mozart and Hayden, and especially their solo keyboard works, this recording is highly recommended.

Saw this CD "used" but still sealed for a few bucks. Saw the powerful names, beginning with Mozart, of course, but also Hogwood and the dhm label, and said, "Well what have I got to lose?" Bought it, listened to it, was initially underwhelmed. "So that's a clavichord, eh?" I said: a sound somewhere between a toy piano, a harpsichord and, well, the instrument (clavinet) Stevie Wonder uses on "Higher Ground" and other songs. "Not my favorite instrument," I concluded and set the disc aside. A few days later, after a full listen, I began to warm up. Now, after several listens, I have been able to listen to nothing else. My Richter, Kempf and Uchida CDs are permanently (for now) set aside for this quaint, quiet (no "forte" here--it's all "piano") instrument. (One must turn the volume WAY up.) I've actually begun to think (for now) that the (modern) piano is a dubious improvement, a brash, crude thing. This is, after all, what the master hisself played! I don't have the proper musical vocabulary to explain it, but these recordings help me see the link between Mozart and Bach more clearly--theme, development, etc. (The linkage between Mozart and Beethoven has always been fairly clear to me.) Not that Mozart is superior to Bach, but there is a more sophisticated expressionism and sense of play at work here, but also more simplicity. At any rate, this has become a pretty special record to me. If my house caught on fire, heaven forbid, I might grab this CD first on the way out the window, followed, if time allows, by my piano discs. Another Mozart secret, please, Mr. Hogwood?

Run don't walk.

Let me know when Hogwood gets on the fortepiano.