Volupté

15/05/2010
Geoff Adams
Otago Daily News (New Zealand)

Two leading Australian musicians play for their country’s star label Koechlin’s Sonata for Piano and Viola and Four Short Pieces (where French horn player Ben Jacks joins the duo.) Concertino and three brief pieces for viola and piano are by Jongen. The composers were both born about the last quarter of the 19th century, Koechlin in France and Jongen in Belgium, but are not really household names today. Melba hopes to correct this by demonstrating they wrote wonderful music. “Voluptuous” may be too bold a description for some ears but these are all attractive and at times ethereal pieces in late Romantic style. Koechlin was influenced by Faure, and others.

Highlight: finale of the Sonata, a threnody for Koechlin’s friend Milhaud?