Haoli Lin: Clement

The Strad Issue: September 2024

Description: World premiere of Beethoven dedicatee Franz Clement’s solo violin works

Musicians: Haoli Lin (violin)

Works: Clement: 12 Caprices, vol.1: nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; vol.2: nos. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12; Variations sur la Romance de l’Opéra ‘Joseph’ de É.-N. Méhul; Variations sur un Thème tiré de la Pantomime ‘Die 3 Sclaven’; Variations sur le Air ’Wer hörte wohl iemals mich klagen’ de l’Opéra ‘Die Schweizer Familie’ de J. Weigl; 8 Variations sur la Marche tirée de l’Opéra ‘Die Neger’ de Salieri

Catalogue number: NAXOS 8574497

Franz Clement is best known for giving the 1806 premiere of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and in the same concert performing one of his own pieces with his violin upside down. Beethoven eventually dropped him, and he died in obscurity. Now, Naxos has collaborated with Haoli Lin to present the world premieres of solo violin works by Clement.

The results, a little like Clement’s career, have their moments. Lin has cleverly shuffled the caprices’ order, and the curtain-raising no.10 is the disc’s clear highlight: a sweetly songful Andante melody to pizzicato accompaniment, gracefully shaped and voiced. Its charm also pervades the next two (nos. 2 and 3), but after that Clement’s writing has a tendency to become angular and unimaginative – qualities that Lin can’t always overcome.

The broken chords in the triplet-filled no.4 feel laboured, no.6’s alternating bars of triplets, quavers, semiquavers and demisemiquavers even more so. The march-like no.11 suggests musical potential, but needs brilliance and storytelling flair to be fully realised. It’s similar in the case of the theatre improvisations, although a couple of their themes – for example the Méhul Romance – recall the attractive opening track.

Musicologically fascinating. Musically, a lot like technical practice.

CHARLOTTE GARDNER