This is one of those interesting disks which the advent of CD
has occasionally given us; most welcome it is too. Here are
three orchestral works, so orchestral that it’s impossible
to believe that they could exist in any other form. Therefore,
how can an arrangement for any other combination of instruments
be expected to work? In the 19th century orchestral
music was regularly arranged for piano solo or duet, for home
consumption. I am not thinking here of Liszt’s virtuoso
transcriptions, because the chance of actually managing to hear
the pieces were few and far between. Today this isn’t
necessary, but as recently as the 1920s it still was - Ravel’s
own arrangement of Bolero, for instance, appeared before
his recording of it in 1932.
But there are good reasons for us to listen to these arrangements,
especially when they are by the composers - or, in the case
of Rimsky, it may be by his wife - for they must have wanted
to do them and impart new information to the public. The most
important thing about these arrangements is that they focus
the mind entirely on the music, for there is none of the colourful
orchestration to engage the mind and allow it to simply enjoy
the effect and not notice the process.
Shéhérazade works remarkably well in this
version. The Duo, occasionally, choose tempi which are slower
than we are used to - that’s the trouble with a piece
so well known, we expect certain things, such as constant and
regular tempi. I wondered if it is sometimes difficult to get
the fingers around all the notes. However … The first
movement’s allegro section has a tendency to plod,
and at 4:49, where the solo violin would enter, the tempo is
held back and slowed down even more! At the ensuing tutti at
5:12 the pianists really let go and we find ourselves at the
correct tempo! However, after this splendid sound, at 6:56 the
brakes are applied and we’re back at the slower tempo
where the feel is static, with little real impression of movement,
despite the music being played. The next tutti sees the tempo
increase. It’s all rather unsatisfactory because in an
orchestral performance no one would dream of pulling the music
about to this extent. It doesn’t need it, and it’s
written in such a way as to be obvious what you have to do to
interpret the music. The second movement is much better, with
a real sense of urgency and there’s bags of forward momentum.
Here the Duo’s use of rubato feels much more spontaneous
than in the first movement. The portrait of the young Prince
and Princess, which makes up the third movement, is splendid,
slightly understated and marvellously delicate. The finale is
well handled and the climax is achieved with some success and
the absence of a gong! The ending is very evocative and quite
beautiful.
Pacific 231, Honegger’s paean of praise to the
steam train, is one of the most literal depictions in music
of anything I know. You can almost smell the smoke and feel
the motion as the wheels clatter across the rails. It shows
the progress of a big steam engine at speed which has to make
an emergency stop at the end. It’s nowhere near as exciting,
nor does it work particularly well, for piano duo. This music
really does need the orchestra. The Duo plays it well and it’s
enjoyable but I think I shall return to the original version
for lasting pleasure.
That Bolero doesn’t bore one in the orchestral
version is simply because Ravel had such an acute ear for orchestral
sonority that he carries one away by the sheer verve of his
instrumental invention. You would think that a version of Bolero
for piano duet would not have the ability to remain interesting,
but it does, and that is thanks to Ravel’s understanding
of the keyboard. Trenkner-Speidel give a very good performance
of the piece, and it is exciting and powerful.
The sound is very good, and the notes excellent. This is something
of a specialist issue and not for everyone, but if you feel
you need to delve further into these pieces these performances
will open many doors for you.
Bob Briggs
Piano Duo Trenkner-Speidel (Evelinde Trenkner and Sontraud Speidel)
