FP 138 is Poulenc's Trio Suite 'L'invitation au château'. Replace 'château' with 'Salle Élisabeth' of the prestigious Corinthia hotel on Brussels' Koningsstraat and you are confronted with the continuation of the 'Concerts Astoria', which had Trio Kaliko as guests on the first Sunday of June.
'Kaliko' is the name for a calico cat. Its three colours, black, white and red are symbolic of three instrument groups, three nationalities and three musical worlds. And that is precisely Trio Kaliko: violin, clarinet and piano, a violinist from Brussels, a Spanish clarinetist and a pianist with Italian roots, born in Mantua, with the evocative name Mantovani.
There was only one name on the programme, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), but the many facets in his musical language far exceed the number three. Thus we heard a broad palette of humour, irony, exuberance, seriousness, sadness and melancholy. Nicolas Dupont sees it rightly: like Mozart, Poulenc can swing from the highest heights to the deepest depths. No instrument can laugh, tease, jest and lament as the clarinet can, as Alba Mayonga Rodrigo masters it. We had already heard her at the MIM but with different acoustics we had no idea of the power she draws from her instrument. You are not a permanent member of the Koninklijke Muziekkapel van De Gidsen for nothing.
Clarinet and piano, piano solo, their own version for violin and clarinet of the original Sonata for two clarinets, violin and piano and as finale all three together, so many combinations, so many sound worlds. A feast for the ear and a feast for the eye in this setting that is a symbiosis of ecru and olive green. Even the outfits of the musicians were coordinated with the colour of the walls and the carpet, where only the grand piano, the mirror doors and the crystal of the chandeliers were different. For each piece Nicolas Dupont provided knowledgeable, extensive commentary. Only, he drew much more from his dark, matte Pedrazzini, 1920 and copy of a Pressenda, which he has on loan, than from his voice and his English.
Light and dark
The pinnacle of deeply felt tragedy was the renowned Violin Sonata FP 119 from the war years 1942/43. It is dedicated to Federico Garcia Lorca, who was murdered shortly before during the Spanish Civil War. The historical context is evident in the naming of the movements as 'Allegro con fuocco' or 'Presto tragico', in the score markings and, especially, in the music itself. Fierce rhythms, dramatic outbursts like gunshots or cannon salvoes, sudden pauses find a counterpart in the guitar-imitating pizzicati of the Intermezzo, because "the guitar makes the dreams weep". The basis for all this beauty was the piano of Marco Mantovani. His full and sonorous touch let every melodic line come into its own splendidly.
After the drama of the Violin Sonata, 'L'invitation au château' led back to the lighter, more playful Poulenc, who felt at home in the world of theatre. For the incidental music of the play of the same name by Jean Anouilh he wrote a series of short scenes and character pieces that follow one another at high speed. And even this colourful mosaic of waltzes, a march, a tango, a polka, a tarantella and other lightness is unable to hide a hint of seriousness and nostalgia.