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The Piston of the 1940s
and 1950s wrote in a much more accessible
vein, never extravagant of gesture but
with sprung power and a lyrical gift
rarely held in check. The works of the
1960s became increasingly inward looking
- more the work of an aesthete craftsman.
The musical world was changing around
him and perhaps this seeped into his
veins too.
The Serenata
is in three short movements
- the whole thing is over and done in
under twelve minutes. A rather lack-lustre
middle movement is framed by warm and
showily celebratory music, and with
a darting forward pulse. In fact the
athletic rush and bustle recalls the
start of Tippett’s Second Symphony -
the one the premiere of which foxed
Adrian Boult and had to be restarted.
The Fifth Symphony
was written in the same year as
the Serenata. An emotional holding
back and reserve is now encountered.
However there are compensations in plenty
including some exceptionally intriguing
orchestral timbres. This and the other
two symphonies are in stereo unlike
the Serenata. Rather like the Mennin
Sixth this is quite serious writing.
A plodding pizzicato initiates the Adagio
which feels emotionally drained - certainly
dignified and with nothing so vulgar
as explicit passion. The finale kicks
into gear almost carefree and bristling
with an activity that has the Randall
Thompson and Bernstein signatures.
Four years later Piston
wrote the Seventh Symphony. This
is the most succinct of the three symphonies
here at twenty minutes. It is a work
lacking surface brilliance. Of both
this symphony and its successor Piston
wrote that they were composed: ‘with
no intent other than to make music to
be played and listened to.’ A tight
little Con Moto is succeeded
by the longest movement - an Adagio
Pastorale which has more pathos
and lugubrious humanity than the other
two movements. The Allegro festevole
casts a sidelong and conspiratorial
glance back towards the celebratory
dynamism of the finale of the Second
Symphony (done best of all by Tilson
Thomas on DG). The Eight Symphony makes
a perfunctory nod towards the twelve-tone
row. It was commissioned by Leinsdorf
and the Bostonians who premiered it
on 5 March 1965. Once again the colours
and moods are very restrained - grey
even. Both these late works are rendered
with what I take to be complete fidelity.
The two works seem written to be template:
with the longest movement being the
middle one and the finale being the
most active of the three.
This is not the first
time that these recordings of symphonies
5, 7 and 8 have been issued on CD. In
the mid 1980s Albany issued AR011. However
the Serenata was not included on the
disc.
This First Edition
disc is the most convenient and pleasing
way of acquiring many of your missing
Piston symphonies. Performances are
good but do not expect the ingratiating
ways of the first four symphonies. A
growing but fascinating severity pervades
this music. Make no mistake this ascetic
approach is leavened by poetry and bright
elan but the ascendancy goes to the
matte and away from the gloss.
Rob Barnett
Louisville Orchestra/Robert Whitney, Jorge Mester
