Hongyi Mo and John Estell: Métamorphoses: Poulenc on Violin and Piano
Azica

In having transcribed ten of Francis Poulenc's vocal songs for violin and piano, Hongyi Mo has given his fellow violinists exquisite new material to add to their repertoires. He created the treatments after being captivated by the composer's swoon-inducing vocal material and wanting to experience the same rewards singers did when they performed the songs. It was a brilliant move on Mo's part: in being so melodically enticing, the transcriptions cast a potent spell, so much so that one wonders why such a project wasn't undertaken long ago. Adding to the release's value, Poulenc's sonatas for oboe and violin are also performed by Mo and his terrific duo partner, pianist John Etsell. The two are clearly equipped for the challenge. Born in China in 1982, Mo achieved recognition early when at fifteen he received the gold medal at the III China National Violin Competition. He went on to study at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Yale University, and the University of Michigan, and since 2008 has been a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Like Mo, Etsell holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Michigan, as well as one from the University of Nevada. The pianist is a member of the Lumino Trio, staff pianist with Detroit Opera, and an adjunct professor at Adrian College.

Mo hopes listeners will appreciate the performances but also the literary quality of Poulenc's art songs. For the violinist, the texts the composer chose for his songs are critical for the profound influence they exert on performance choices. Rather than focusing exclusively on technical execution, Mo found that awareness of the song's text illuminates the source material in a deeper way and allows its emotional dimension to resonate more powerfully in his delivery. In liner notes, he highlights a particularly interesting challenge in effecting a song's transition into instrumental form. Whereas it's common for melodies to be repeated in the vocal context when words change from one line to the next and new shades of meaning emerge, repetition in an instrumental treatment doesn't benefit from such change and the performer must therefore find ways to sustain interest without sounding contrived or overly calculating. He also writes, “The impossibility of fully capturing the linguistic subtleties and poetic depth inherent in words through instrumental expression is undeniable. Yet, it is precisely this pursuit of the unattainable, the possibilities of fleeting moments that come tantalizingly close to perfection, that draws me irresistibly to Poulenc's art songs.”

Based on texts by French poet Louise de Vilmorin, Métamorphoses (1943) inaugurates the set with a three-part suite whose melancholy doesn't overshadow its sensual beauty. Following the tone-setting “Reine des mouette,” “C'est ainsi que tu es” is distinguished by Mo's poetic articulation of the song's bittersweet sadness. Radiant by comparison is “Paganini,” whose animation offers a showcase for Mo's singing tone. From Fiançailles pour rire (1939) comes “Violon,” which in its use of musical slurs and woozy rhythms effectively evokes the image of an elegant woman dining at a Paris restaurant and getting tipsy.

Deux Poèmes de Louis Aragon (1943) oscillates between extremes, with “C.” wearing its sorrowful heart on its sleeve as it despairs over the Nazi occupation of Paris and the effervescent “Fêtes galantes” celebrating the simple pleasures of life. Surrealist poet Guillaume Apollinaire was the text source for three selections from Banalités, which endears instantly for its Amélie-like joy and whimsy in its brief “Voyage à Paris” before plunging into aching melancholy for “Bleuet,” written during the first year of WWII. Of all the songs, “Les chemins de l'amour” is the most salon-like and quintessentially French, so much so that one could easily visualize it sung by Edith Piaf. It's also music of great dignity and reserve and as such draws from Mo and Estrell a performance of incandescent beauty.

In contrast to the song transcriptions, which are compact and often in the one- to two-minute range, the sonatas' movements grant Mo and Etsell lengthier performance opportunities. By his own admission, Poulenc struggled with writing for strings, though you'd never know it from his Sonate pour violon et piano (1942-43, rev.1949). While the opening allegro calls on Mo's virtuosity in its mercurial mix of high-velocity runs, pizzicati, and double stops, all delivered with seeming effortlessness by the violinist (watch for the Wagner-esque gestures in the opening movement too), the romantic “Intermezzo” abounds in tender and lyrical gestures and shows the deep connection the recital partners share. The fury with which the sizzling “Presto tragico” unfolds is striking, as are the high-wire theatrics by the duo. Dedicated to Prokofiev, Sonate pour hautbois et piano (1962) was Poulenc's last work and was composed decades after the release's other settings. It bears his unmistakable melodic signature, however, and, succeeds splendidly in this transition from oboe sonata to one for violin. As its title intimates, the gently rhapsodic “Élégie” impresses as Poulenc's heartfelt homage to the late Russian composer. Prokofiev's sensibility likewise permeates the lively “Scherzo” at the sonata's centre, after which “Déploration” concludes the recording with a solemn and haunting tribute that also anticipates Poulenc's own impending demise.

October 2025