Can Çakmur, Howard Griffiths / Camerata Schweiz
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.8 in C major, K.246, “Lützow” (Recording Session)
Recording @ Zurich, 2021-03-21
2021-03-28 — Original posting
Der Beginn eines Mozart-Großprojekts der Orpheum-Stiftung, Teil III — Zusammenfassung
Die Orpheum Stiftung zur Förderung junger Solisten steht am Beginn ihres bisher größten CD-Projektes. Das Ziel ist, über einen Zeitraum von 5 Jahren (praktisch) sämtliche Instrumentalkonzerte von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart auf 11 CDs zu bannen. Die 34 Konzerte werden dabei von jungen Solisten und Solistinnen eingespielt, zusammen mit namhaften Orchestern und Dirigenten. Die Stiftung hat mich eingeladen, die Aufnahme-Sessions (8 Aufnahmesitzungen zu 3 Stunden, verteilt über vier Tage) für die erste CD zu besuchen. Diese umfasst das Violinkonzert Nr.1 in B-dur, KV 207, das Hornkonzert Nr.4 in Es-dur, KV 495, sowie das Klavierkonzert Nr.8 in C-dur, KV 246 (“Lützow”).
Ich sehe diesen Artikel als “Werkstattbericht” von der Vormittags-Session des letzten Aufnahmetages. Beteiligt waren der türkische Pianist Can Çakmur als Solist, begleitet von der Camerata Schweiz unter der Leitung von Howard Griffiths. Es handelte sich um eine Studio-Aufnahme in der Kirche Oberstrass in Zürich. Man sollte das nicht als Konzertbericht sehen. An diesem Nachmittag kamen nur Ausschnitte der Ecksätze zur Aufführung. Zahllose Wiederholungen und Unterbrechungen, weitgehend mit Probencharakter. Ein Ausprobieren, bis alles so stimmt, wie es die Musiker haben möchten.
Und natürlich ist dies auch keine CD-Kritik. In dieser Session wurde nur der zweite Satz, Andante, gespielt. Weder habe ich das ganze Konzert am Stück gehört, noch weiß ich, wie sich die Musik nach der Aufbereitung durch die Tontechniker schließlich anhören wird. Die Veröffentlichung der ersten CD ist vorgesehen für das Frühjahr 2022. Im Moment nur dies: wenn die Serie das Niveau dieser ersten Aufnahme halten kann und sich meine Eindrücke im Endresultat bestätigen, war dies der Auftakt zu einer Aufnahmeserie, die den Vergleich mit den zahlreichen Aufnahmen mit Top-Solisten auf dem CD-Markt nicht zu scheuen braucht! Der erste Höreindruck weckte Appetit und Neugier auf mehr!
Table of Contents
General Remarks
This is the second instance of a set of “workshop reports” from visits to CD recording sessions. Neither media reviews (the music is only just being recorded), nor concert reports. There is no audience, no complete performance, just a rehearsal and a series of takes with at most a full movement in a single “chunk”. See also my posting from 2021-03-18 for more detail.
One should read this as a “teaser” for an ongoing CD recording project. The “end product” will only become available in about a year’s time.
Introduction
| Venue, Date(s) | Kirche Oberstrass, Zurich, 2021-03-20 / 2021-03-21 |
| Series / Title | Orpheum Foundation: Next Generation Mozart Soloists |
| Organizer(s) | Orpheum Foundation for the Support of Young Artists Goldmann Public Relations |
| Related Postings | Reviews of concerts organized by the Orpheum Foundation |
The Context
I’m honored to be invited to attend recording sessions for a newly launched CD project that the Orpheum Foundation for the Support of Young Artists is initiating. The title of the project is “Next Generation Mozart Soloists“. It involves the recording of (essentially) all of the instrumental concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791). That project will span a duration of around five years. It involves numerous young soloists that the Orpheum Foundation is currently supporting, or who have received support in the past. The session discussed here was part of the recordings for the first CD.
The Organizer
In the first posting of this short series I have written about the Orpheum Foundation for the Support of Young Artists, the organizer and initiator for this recording project. I want to keep this posting short. Therefore, for detail see my posting from 2021-03-18. In that same posting, I have also given an introduction to the 11-CD Project “Next Generation Mozart Soloists” that I referred to above.
The First CD in the Project “Next Generation Mozart Soloists”
The first of 11 CDs in this project covers three concertos:
- Violin Concerto No.1 in B♭ major, K.207 (1773?), with Stephen Waarts (*1996) as soloist (see separate posting)
- Horn Concerto No.4 in E♭ major, K.495 (1786), with Ivo Dudler (*1994) as soloist (see separate posting)
- Piano Concerto No.8 in C major, K.246, “Lützow” (1776), with Can Çakmur (*1997) as soloist (this posting)
The three concertos above were all performed with the accompaniment of the Camerata Schweiz (see also Wikipedia) under the direction of Howard Griffiths (*1950, see also Wikipedia). Howard Griffiths is also the Artistic Director of the Orpheum Foundation.
The Artists in This Recording Session
For information on the orchestra, the Camerata Schweiz, as well as on its conductor, Howard Griffiths, see again my preceding posting from 2021-03-18. For all concertos in the first CD recording, the orchestra configuration was identical (6 + 5 violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos, 2 double basses, 2 horns, 2 oboes).
Needless to say that the excellent qualities of the Camerata Schweiz as accompaniment, as well as those of Howard Griffiths’ direction remained the same in all of these recording sessions. I don’t want to duplicate that text here.
Can Çakmur, Piano
The Turkish pianist Can Çakmur (*1997, pronunciation: Djahn Chakmur) grew up in Ankara. During his piano studies, his main teacher—the one who influenced him the most—was Emre Şen (*1973). 2012, while he was still at high school in Ankara, he was accepted to the Schola Cantorum de Paris, where he studied with Marcella Crudeli (*1940). He achieved the Diplôme de Virtuosité with highest honours in 2014. Since then, Can Çakmur has further expanded his experience and scope through encounters with notable musicians such as Alan Weiss (*1950), Arie Vardi (*1937), Claudio Martínez-Mehner (*1970), Leslie Howard (*1948), and Robert D. Levin (*1947).
Can Çakmur still continues his education—currently at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar, where he studies with Grigory Gruzman (*1956). At the same time, he is also working privately with Diane Andersen (*1934) in Belgium. As most pianists in his generation, Can Çakmur has participated in several competitions, with success. He was awarded the first prize at the 2017 Scottish International Piano Competition. In the following year he also received the top prize at the 10th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (2018).
Memories
Can Çakmur’s name wasn’t new to me. He participated in a streamed, joint recital, together with his teacher Grigory Gruzman, and with the Romanian pianist (and fellow student with Gruzman) Alina Bercu (*1990). It was a very picturesque, highly atmospheric event in Weimar, on three pianos (all different!). It covered a broad range of music from Bach up to Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. Back then (May 2020) this almost felt like a miracle in the middle of the pandemic lockdown. I was drawn to this event through Alina Bercu, whom I had previously met in a series of recitals in my area.
The Recording Venue, Setting
For some notes about the recording venue see again my preceding posting from 2021-03-18. The setting was essentially identical. The one exception was the addition of the concert grand, right in the center of the nave.
This report is from the afternoon session of the second recording day. It was one of 3 sessions devoted to Can Çakmur and the Piano Concerto No.8 in C major, K.246, “Lützow” (1776) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791).
Note: I’m not really commenting on the interpretation, and I have barely even heard an entire movement from beginning to end in the course of the session. I refrain from describing & commenting on Mozart’s composition. These works are all very well-known, and descriptions are found in countless places—not the least through the above Wikipedia link.
The Instrument
To my pleasant surprise, I instantly realized that the concert grand was not the “usual” Steinway D-274, but a Bösendorfer 280 VC (Vienna Concert). Can Çakmur performed on the biggest one of the latest generation of Bösendorfer grands. The piano had been placed on a minimal platform. It stood maybe 5 cm above ground level (for acoustic reasons, or maybe to protect the church floor?). The instrument was curated by Gebr. Bachmann Pianos, Wetzikon—a company that I know well, and into which I have the highest trust.
Huge? A Quick Look
I had experienced this grand at several concerts some years ago, and there, it made a bold, solid visual impression on me. However, I would not have called it ,”huge” or “monstrous”, as a local newspaper critique did. Sure, it is 6 cm longer than the Steinway D-274—but that difference really is negligible. Indeed, here, I could not have told the difference in size.
After the end of the session, I went up to the instrument, to have a close look. When they are placed on a podium above the audience, concert grands often do look massive, if not sometimes oppressive. Here, however, to my instant and very pleasant surprise, any impression of “huge” or “massive” instantly vanished when I looked into the casing, onto the cast iron frame, the strings and the soundboard. To the contrary, I almost had the impression of “filigree”. I even went to ask the organizer whether this really was a 280 VC!
What I saw was a (visually!) beautiful, beautiful piece of piano engineering, which can’t just be the result of the instrument being relatively new, cleaned, and in top shape—I almost fell in love with the physical appearance, the esthetics of this instrument.
A Side Note: Instruments for the Upcoming Recordings in This Series
The choice of a Bösendorfer Grand wasn’t a mere coincidence. I is quite telling that the Orpheum Foundation’s managing director, Thomas Pfiffner, started off with an education as pianist before taking on a career in concert / music management. I learned from him that for the upcoming piano concerto recordings in this series, the Foundation hopes to employ as many different brands of concert grands as possible. One brand per CD? Bechstein, Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Yamaha, Steinway, Shigeru Kawai, Fazioli, Steingraeber & Söhne, and others were mentioned. It will be highly interesting to explore the differences between these many instruments in concertos from the same two decades (1773 – 1791) in Mozart’s life!
Recording Session Experience
Just as a reminder: this is not a concert critique; I’m merely describing my first, unbiased impressions. The session that I attended (Sunday morning) was filled with takes for the second movement, Andante. The first movement (Allegro aperto) had been recorded in the afternoon session of the preceding Saturday. The final movement (Rondeau: Tempo di Menuetto) was recorded during the afternoon session of the final day.
For comments on setup, sound, articulation, playing style, etc. of the orchestra, as well as for remarks on the venue and the acoustics see again my preceding posting from the session on 2021-03-18. From my visits to two preceding recording sessions I was of course familiar with the “acting” of the orchestra. No surprises there. Naturally, it initially took orchestra and conductor a while to “converge”, i.e., to settle on the right tempo, to avoid unrest, unwanted acceleration, etc.—but that was certainly resolved in the first part of the session. The remainder of the three-hour session was filled with takes (some long, some brief), in a seemingly endless series of checks, small corrections / adjustments, based on the meticulous feedback from the recording / sound technician.
Solo Part
Can Çakmur had already done the recording of the first movement on the previous afternoon. The serene Andante presented no technical challenges, so he could approach this movement in a calm, relaxed, reflective manner, listening to the orchestra, patiently working through the takes, the repetitions, etc.
The soloist played his own cadenza. Naturally, this wasn’t spectacular or virtuosic—but very well-fitting into the movement. As far as I could tell, he occasionally did quote some short segments from Mozart’s three existing cadenzas (at least one of them is fragmentary).
Sound
For me as first-time studio session listener it is hard, if not impossible to judge how the result will sound on CD. So, my commenting on balance and sound may be (partially) futile—and I only listened to music from the second movement. Here, in Can Çakmur’s hands, the Bösendorfer sounded warm, mellow, very harmonious, never even a trace aggressive, across the entire range. A very pleasant experience!
Sure, the instrument sounded relatively “big” in this environment, and in front of this orchestra. However, the sound engineer will adjust the balance accordingly. It is impossible to imitate a historic fortepiano on a modern concert grand. However, I would claim that within the realm of modern concert grands, this instrument sounded exceptionally harmonious and well-balanced.
Interestingly, the organizer told me that Can Çakmur originally learned this concerto on a fortepiano (presumably while he was studying with Robert D. Levin).
Conclusions
Based on the segments that I attended, I would claim that all three concertos that were recorded in the course of these four days fulfill very high standards. The Orpheum Foundation will sure present an excellent set of recordings. At first, some people may state “What, another recording of the Mozart concertos?”.
However, with few exceptions (e.g.: multiple piano concertos on the same CD) every concerto will be performed by a different soloist (and different pianos, see above). This ensures that the result will not be uniform (other than by fulfilling similar quality standards), let alone boring. And: at the same time—nomen “Next Generation Mozart Soloists” est omen—the CD set will allow for encounters with a wealth of upcoming / next generation artists. Definitely a CD set to look forward to!
Related postings
- Day 1, session 2 (afternoon): Mozart, Violin Concerto No.1 in B♭ major, K.207 (Stephen Waarts, violin)
- Day 2, session 2 (afternoon): Mozart, Horn Concerto No.4 in E♭ major, K.495 (Ivo Dudler, French horn)
Acknowledgements, Credits
The author would like to express his gratitude to the Orpheum Foundation and Goldmann PR for the invitation to the recording session.
