The Intercontinental Ensemble: In Motu
TRPTK

Founded in 2012 in Amsterdam, The Intercontinental Ensemble derives its name from the fact that its members—artistic director and violinist Ernst Spyckerelle, violist Iteke Wijbenga, cellist Simon Velthuis, clarinetist Alfonso Manzanera Rojo, bassoonist Daniel Garrido Iglesias, double bassist Jorge Hernandez, French hornist Simao Fonseca, oboist Ivan Cheng, and flutist Eliska Horehledova—come from different parts of the world, specifically Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Luxemburg, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands. As the group's sophomore recording for the Dutch label TRPTK shows, however, the name is as applicable to the selections the chamber ensemble performs. Whereas its 2018 debut set Traveling Light (also on TRPTK) features Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, In Motu (in motion) offers engaging treatments of Bohuslav Martinu, Nino Rota, and Felix Mendelssohn.

The title was purposefully chosen to convey the ensemble's will to keep moving despite the stasis wrought by the pandemic; consistent with that, dance elements emerge in the works performed. All of the performances are distinguished by an exemplary level of musicianship, and the nonet size enables the excellence of the individual players to come through emphatically (see Velthuis's intro to the central movement of the Martinu piece, for example). The care and precision with which phrasing and dynamics are handled is evident at every moment.

In being so rich in melody and contrasting in mood, Rota's five-movement Nonetto is a splendid tone-setter. Though the Italian composer will always be associated with Fellini's films, a work as expressive as Nonetto does much to argue for his credibility as a composer, full stop. Whereas the zestful “Allegro” and impish “Allegro con spirito” tickle the ears with effervescence, the “Andante” emphasizes sensitive introspection. The theme-and-variations fourth part blossoms from a calm, pastoral-toned intro into a sprightly stream of rhythm-driven episodes, after which “Vivacissimo” lives up to its high-velocity billing. Completed in 1959, Nonet No. 2 by the Czech composer Martinu is more compact at three movements, but it shares with Rota's strong contrasts in mood. The opening “Poco Allegro” exudes a rather Stravinskian grace, the elegance of the writing calling to mind the neo-classicism of Apollon musagète and others. The tempo slows for the “Andante,” which advances from initial solemnity to quiet affirmation, and then picks up again for the sweetly spirited “Allegretto.”

As impressive as the first two performances are, it's the sparkling treatment of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 that is the album's high point. Written after a long journey through Italy, the music plays like a love letter of sorts to the country. The radiance of the exuberant “Allegro vivace” instantly captivates, especially when the music exudes an urgency and power characteristic of Beethoven; it hardly hurts either that Mendelssohn's rapturous melodies are so singable. Sombre by comparison, the graceful “Andante con moto” plays like a funeral procession, while the “Con moto moderato” shows how effective a match the chamber size is for lyrical writing of its kind. That aforementioned dance dimension declares itself passionately in the charging “Presto” that concludes the symphony.

While Rota's and Martinu's pieces were created for the nonet size, Mendelssohn's obviously wasn't. Yet the ensemble does a superb job of translating the symphony into chamber form without losing the essence of the original. All of the members share in that accomplishment in adopting representative roles for the orchestra's sections; Spyckerelle, Wijbenga, and Velthuis, for example, respectively act as violin, viola, and, cello sections, while others do the same for the woodwinds. Of course the ensemble's sound doesn't possess the fullness of a large orchestra, but the arrangements artfully make the group appear larger than it is. At the same time, the music achieves a heightened intimacy with only nine musicians involved.

October 2021