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The Catalan Piano
Album Frederic MOMPOU (1893-1987)
Preludi No.12 [3:54] Ricardo VIÑES (1875
-1 943)
En Verlaine Mineur [2:56] Josep María RUERA (1900-1988)
Tocs de festa [4:11] Xavier MONTSALVATGE (1912-2002)
Divertimento No. 2 [1:57] Enrique GRANADOS (1867-1916)
Mazurka [3:48] Joaquim NIN-CULMELL (1908-2004)
3 Tonadas [4:04] Joan MASSIÀ (1890-1969)
El gorg negre [3:25] Manuel BLANCAFORT (1897-1987)
Polka de l’equilibrista [1:38] Isaac ALBÉNIZ (1860-1909)
Mallorca [5:26] Joaquim MALATS (1872-1912)
Serenata española [3:01] Ricard Lamote DE GRIGNON (1899-1962)
El convent des peixos [2:09] Ricardo VIÑES (1875-1
943)
Menuet spectral [2:56] Joan MASSIÀ
Scherzo [6:54] Joaquim SERRA (1907-1957)
Cançó de bressol [3:15] Enric MORERA (1865-1942)
Dansa No. 1 [3:16] Roberto GERHARD (1896-1970)
2 Apunts [3:05] Agustí GRAU (1896-1970)
Cançó de bressol [3:15] Xavier GOLS (1902-1938)
Ametllers florits, al lluny [2:45] Joaquim ZAMACÓIS (1894-1976)
Sardana [8:37] Frederic MOMPOU
Preludi No.12 [3:54]
Jordi
Masó (piano)
rec. Teatre Ponent, Granollers, Spain, 25-26 July 2006.
DDD NAXOS
8.570457 [79:00]
I
really like this CD. I confess that I did not know what
to expect, as I am not familiar with the wider field
of Catalan composers beyond Albéniz and Granados. Of
the composers included in this recording, however, I
only had a vague acquaintance with the names of Mompou
and Montsalvatge. The CD was a wonderful surprise.
I’ll
begin with the pianist, Jordi Masó. He sounds relaxed
and plays with a light touch, but he also has the range
of depth to express drama and emotion, without straining
or reaching beyond the music. His pacing always seems
appropriate to the music, never indulging in idiosyncrasies
or extremes. A Catalan himself, he studied in Barcelona
as well as in the Royal Academy of Music in London, earning
the prestigious DipRAM. Masó arranged some pieces for
piano, wrote the very informative liner notes, and it
seems to me that he also made the selection of the music.
In
his notes he writes that the first decades of the twentieth
century was a particularly fertile and stimulating period
for Catalan piano music, with enormous stylistic diversity,
with links to the Romantic tradition of Chopin, Schumann
and Liszt, the use of nationalistic and folk themes,
a growing admiration for Wagner, an affinity with the
burgeoning and distinctive French music primarily of
Debussy and Ravel, and I would add an opening up to the
musical language of neo-classicism as well. At first
I was listening for these influences, but soon I realized
that I was in a sound world that eschewed preconceptions
and insisted on being heard on its own merits.
That
sound-world is immediately established by the dreamy
and melodic initial piece, Mompou’s Cançó I Dansa No.13. Vaguely
impressionistic, it presents what appears to be a nostalgic
reminiscence, and then breaks into, as the name implies,
a slightly ironic little dance. Along the same vein
is Viñes’s En Verlaine Mineur. Harmonic, yet slightly
dissonant, there’s a tenuously comfortable melody that
seems to hesitate it’s way through the piece.
A
complete change of pace, Ruera’s Tocs de Festa, Festival
Fanfares, sounds like part neo-classical ballet and part
march. Insistent rhythms are broken up by persistent
forward motion in a very entertaining and rollicking
piece.
No
sooner have we gotten into the festive spirit than we
languidly fall back into Xavier Montsalvatge’s Divertimento
No.2. A dreamy warm afternoon Habanera dance
piece which starts quite simply and melodic, becomes
whimsically discordant, and then finds its way back to
the simplicity of its beginning, but with a sadder tone. Beautiful. The
next piece is a Mazurka of Granados. Sad and nostalgic
in its minor key, at first it’s hard to identify its
origins, but then it declares its Iberian blood in its
flourishes, with a persistent closing phrase that seems
to silence all further speculation, especially when in
its last apparition it ends in a satisfying major chord.
From
the tropical ease of the Habanera and the nostalgic repose
of the Mazurka, we jump into a playful and humorous,
almost cartoon-like, world with Joaquim Nin-Culmell’s
3 Tonadas. I kept imagining children’s animated cartoons,
especially in the first “tonada”, more because of the
attitude than the music itself. It is not surprising
that Nin-Clmell studied with Alfred Cortot and Paul Dukas! The
second tune starts off a lot like Smokey Robinson & The
Miracles’ “The Tears of a Clown”, which seems appropriate — or
ironic, as this is a very funny little piece, especially
the hilarious ending. Apparently he wrote 48 “tonadas”,
and it would be interesting to hear them all, even if
it may be too much of a good thing.
Again
there is a change of mood when we hear Joan Massià’s
El Gorg Negre, The Black Lake. Late Romantic and pictorial,
this is a beautiful salon piece. We are again thrown
into a whimsical world by the Polka De L’Equilibrista,
the tightrope walker. The piece is unremarkable but
certainly fun enough. Then comes Albéniz’s very Spanish
barcarolle, Mallorca. In Masós hands this is an icon
of elegance and restraint. And speaking of elegance,
while still in the very Spanish music world created by
Albéniz, Joaquim Malats’s Serenata Española is beautifully
played and the rhythmic and melodic nuances seem to float
off the keyboard. Malats was a popular virtuoso, and
Albéniz actually wrote his popular suite Iberia specifically
for him. One can sense the connection between these
two artists, especially hearing these two pieces in sequence. Some
listeners will be familiar with this serenade in its
guitar version.
Ricard
Lamote De Grignon’s El Convent dels Peixos, The Convent
of the Fish, is a dreamy, somewhat Satie-like poem, a
clear little gem. In the same vein is Ricardo Viñes’s
Menuet Spectral, although it is not a miniature and has
a more sophisticated form and development. Joan Massiá’s
Scherzo is a true scherzo, changeable and humorous. Serra’s
Cançó De Bressol, which means “Lullaby”, is sunny and
reflective.
Morera’s
Dansa No. 1 breaks the sleepy mood with an inventive
and rhythmic composition, full of many rich and gorgeous
sounds. Roberto Gerhart’s 2 Apunts, which can be translated
as notes or sketches, are more firmly planted in a 20th century
soundscape. They are ethereal and searching and as modern
as they sound they are never dissonant. Then follows
a world premiere recording of a barcarolle by Agustí Grau,
Tamarit. It starts off simply but goes through many ebbs
and flows, even quoting Mozarabic melodies in its central
section, before gently coming ashore.
Xavier
Gols’s Ametllers Florits, Al Lluny, Blossoming Almond
Trees in the Distance, is another piece that seems to
float, perhaps alluding to the optical illusion of distance,
painting a decidedly impressionistic landscape.
The “Sardana” is
a circle dance typical of Catalunya. The penultimate
selection on this CD is a sardana composed by Joaquim
Zamacóis. In his hands it becomes variations on a theme,
going through many colors and lightings of the basic
tune.
The
CD began with Frederic Mompou, and it ends with his Preludi
No.12. This is a good piece with which to leave the
listener, as it characterizes much of what makes this
a great CD. It combines melodic with impressionistic,
earthy with ethereal, and has a dreamy quality shared
by many other pieces, yet sounds unique and secure in
its personal voice. Masó brings full circle what he started
with Cançó I Dansa No.13, which leaves one sated and
satisfied.
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