DOREMI Releases Second Julian Bream Album

courtesy of Naxos of America

Some readers may recall that, in January of 2019, this site ran an article about the latest Legendary Treasures release on the DOREMI label. This single CD consisted of live performances of the young Julian Bream at two Aldeburgh Festivals in 1958 and 1959. About a month and a half ago DOREMI released a second Bream album in this series, this time consisting of two CDs. This one is entitled A Tribute, and it consists of both concert performances and broadcasts. Once again, the album presents Bream playing both lute and guitar.

This time there are recordings from four Aldeburgh Festivals. The opening track is another selection from 1958, and the other tracks date from 1963, 1964, and 1965. In addition, there is one selection from the 1964 Edinburgh International Festival, which is distinguished because it is the only offering thus far to present a concerto with accompaniment by an ensemble. As many will probably guess, the music is the “Concierto de Aranjuez” by Joaquín Rodrigo; and the ensemble is the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Alexander Gibson conducting.

The broadcasts were all made by the British Broadcasting Corporation. One took place in the Concert Hall of Broadcasting House in 1956, and it consisted of Bream accompanying soprano Carmen Prietto in a selection of Spanish songs, as well as the opening movement of the fifth of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras compositions. The other tracks were taken from studio recitals in the late Fifties and early Sixties. Many of the performances include identification of the music being performed by a radio announcer.

Over the course of his career, Bream recorded the Rodrigo concerto five times. Unless I am mistaken, my own “first contact” took place in my freshman year in the early Sixties as a result of my work at the campus radio station. As I recall, it was a studio recording; and, unless I am mistaken, this new album provided my “first contact” with any concert performance of the concerto. As a result, there is a sense of spontaneity in Bream’s performance, probably due, at least in part, to his positive chemistry with Gibson. The same can be said for his recordings with tenor Peter Pears at Aldeburgh, both of a generous share of compositions by John Dowland and the world premiere performance of Lennox Berkeley’s Opus 65, Songs of the Half-Light.

On the other hand Bream never seems to connect as intimately with Prietto’s vocal selections. More interesting is the arrangement of Joseph Haydn’s Hoboken III/8 string quartet in D major for lute, violin, viola, and cello. Bream was joined by members of the Carmirelli Quartet, presumably Pina Carmirelli herself on violin with violist Luigi Sagrati and cellist Arturo Bonucci. The balance of the instruments was surprisingly effective; and, since this was an Edinburgh Festival performance, one cannot necessarily attribute that success to microphone placement. My guess is that Haydn’s ghost would have been delighted by this alternative approach to one of his earliest quartets.

Taken as a whole, this second volume is, for the most part, an engaging listening experience. I suspect that many of those that had encountered the first volume would have come away asking for more. Adding two CDs to the collection will probably be appreciated by many.