Country : Ukraine Label : Pentatone Genres and styles : Classical / période romantique / post-romantique Year : 2024

Joshua Bell/Matt Haimovitz/Various artists – Thomas De Hartmann Rediscovered

· by Frédéric Cardin

The problem with Thomas de Hartmann, which may explain why he sank into oblivion after his death, is that he spent part of his life promoting the music of the self-taught mystic George Gurdjieff, who wrote (with Hartmann’s help) a great deal of evanescent music of an esoteric bent. Long before the current fashion for restful neoclassicism and world-flavoured crossover, Gurdjieff was writing exotic orientalist (mainly Armenian in colour) and practically pre-New Age music, which displeased the ‘serious’ establishment of post-war art music and did great harm to the reputation of his partner, De Hartmann, a composer of solid training. The fact that he was Ukrainian by birth may also have played a part, as specifically Ukrainian culture was deliberately diluted in that of the 20th-century Russian-dominated USSR. De Hartmann was thus relegated far behind more famous figures such as Prokofiev and Shostakovich. 

Be that as it may, this album throws a spanner in the works by daring to rehabilitate Thomas De Hartmann as a composer of substance rather than one of Gurdjieff’s ‘stooges’. The programme includes two substantial concertos written in a resolutely Romantic idiom. 

Of the two, the Violin concerto (completed in 1943) is the more substantial. Here, the Romanticism inherent in De Hartmann’s pen is substantially amplified by harmonically modern passages and an assertive orchestral muscularity that would not have displeased Prokofiev. What stands out about this composer is the narrative force of a music constructed with fervour. From the first movement, the painting of a vast world rich in detail, to the whimsical, playful Minuet, via the magnificently lilting Andante and the vivaciously intense Finale Vivace, De Hartmann presents a lively work fully deserving of a more active concert life. Joshua Bell masters this kind of repertoire and sound universe perfectly, and he is brilliantly supported by the Ukrainian Orchestra under the feverish direction of Dalia Stasevska. 

The Cello Concerto dates from 1935. It is based on Jewish harmonic signatures and inflections. Less daring than the one for violin, it nevertheless has some very fine details of colouristic writing, such as the beginning of the central Andante, which is also one of the finest slow movements I know of in any concerto. Pay attention: the poignant melody has something of Bloch’s Prayer, also for cello. The two outer movements are seductive and engaging, especially the Finale allegro ma non troppo, in the form of a smiling pastoral rondo. Montreal cellist Matt Haimovitz, of Jewish faith, seems to take this little-known music, which sounds like a little hidden treasure, to heart. Dennis Russell Davies conducts the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra with precision and great attention to detail.

The recording of this concerto was released in Europe last year, but it has only recently been coupled with the violin concerto to make a complete album.

These are two exciting discoveries that should be listened to carefully if you like lush orchestrations and beautiful melodies.

Latest 360 Content

Orchestre du Centre national des Arts/Orchestre symphonique de Québec/Choeur Mendelssohn/Jean-Sébastien Vallée, dir. – Jacques Hétu : Symphonie no 5 op.81

Orchestre du Centre national des Arts/Orchestre symphonique de Québec/Choeur Mendelssohn/Jean-Sébastien Vallée, dir. – Jacques Hétu : Symphonie no 5 op.81

Dan Fortin – Cannon

Dan Fortin – Cannon

Brûlez les meubles – Folio #5

Brûlez les meubles – Folio #5

Alexandre David – Photogrammes

Alexandre David – Photogrammes

Diane Roblin & Life Force – Breath of Fresh Air

Diane Roblin & Life Force – Breath of Fresh Air

Matthieu Lussier/Amanda Keesmaat/Christophe Gauthier – Un basson sous l’Empire : la musique d’Étienne Ozi

Matthieu Lussier/Amanda Keesmaat/Christophe Gauthier – Un basson sous l’Empire : la musique d’Étienne Ozi

Igloofest 2nd Night: Wild Card with Apashe, Marie Davidson, Dileta

Igloofest 2nd Night: Wild Card with Apashe, Marie Davidson, Dileta

Montréal / Nouvelles Musiques : ¡Némangerie mâchée! Voice / Video Conversation

Montréal / Nouvelles Musiques : ¡Némangerie mâchée! Voice / Video Conversation

First Igloofest Evening: DJ Minx on the Techno Side

First Igloofest Evening: DJ Minx on the Techno Side

First Night of Igloofest 2025: Tali Rose and Michael Bibi’s Party

First Night of Igloofest 2025: Tali Rose and Michael Bibi’s Party

OSM | Mahler, Payare and The OSM: Between Inner Turmoil, Light and Fatality, a Powerful Evening.

OSM | Mahler, Payare and The OSM: Between Inner Turmoil, Light and Fatality, a Powerful Evening.

Voivod + OSM = Symphonic Metal! The Maestra Explains

Voivod + OSM = Symphonic Metal! The Maestra Explains

Voivod + OSM = Symphonic Metal! The Arranger Explains

Voivod + OSM = Symphonic Metal! The Arranger Explains

Voivod + OSM = Symphonic Metal! Michel Langevin Explains

Voivod + OSM = Symphonic Metal! Michel Langevin Explains

Intimate concerts to delve into music and emotions at the Centre des musiciens du monde

Intimate concerts to delve into music and emotions at the Centre des musiciens du monde

Igloofête/Igloofest, pour mieux kiffer la programmation

Igloofête/Igloofest, pour mieux kiffer la programmation

KingAlexBeats, From Laval to Miami, From Local Culture to Shakira and Pitbull

KingAlexBeats, From Laval to Miami, From Local Culture to Shakira and Pitbull

Mitochondrion – Vitriseptome

Mitochondrion – Vitriseptome

MOVIELAND – Then & Now

MOVIELAND – Then & Now

Art d’Ecco – True Believer

Art d’Ecco – True Believer

Evan Williams – Ride On

Evan Williams – Ride On

Nuits d’Afrique / Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita SUBA Trio

Nuits d’Afrique / Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita SUBA Trio

Subscribe to our newsletter