There has been a notable absence of British piano music in concerts
and recordings made over the last thirty five years or so and
it is therefore to be applauded that Naxos started to produce
a ‘British Piano Concertos’ series. Fortunately this has increased
the number of works by Thomas Pitfield available to us on CD.
Born in the first years of the twentieth century and belonging
to a generation of composers whose works found their way into
the concert hall following the Second World War, Thomas Pitfield
was a largely self-taught composer who wrote prolifically for
all kinds of instruments and for every type of ensemble.
Folk music influenced the style and form of his compositions
but always remained subservient to self-expression. Of the pieces
recorded here, it is most apparent in the second Piano Concerto
(The Oak and the Ash) and the Studies on an English Dance-Tune
(Jenny Pluck Pears).
Good craftsmanship is a quality ever present in Pitfield’s music
and readily reveals itself in Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor.
It was written in 1946-47 for Stephen Wearing who gave the first
performance with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under
the direction of Hugo Rignold in November 1949. This concerto
is one of Pitfield’s best large-scale works, presenting the
soloist with some technical problems which Anthony Goldstone,
well supported by Andrew Penny and the RNCM Orchestra, copes
with admirably.
The interplay between piano and orchestra, especially in the
canonic treatment of the first theme in the opening movement,
is skilfully marked by clarity of line and texture in this performance.
The canonic writing here is not only important as a hint of
the canonic compression of the final movement’s rondo theme
at the end of the work, but a hallmark of Pitfield’s style.
The outer two movements of the concerto are brilliant but the
composer’s invention, musical charm and beauty show themselves
to good effect in the middle movement which has a memorable
main theme of some solemnity. Here too is a short, and beautifully
written, mysterious scherzo-like section, deftly realized by
the soloist.
Moments such as this, along with Anthony Goldstone’s generally
sympathetic interpretation, lift the music to a level of inspiration
beyond the simply pleasing and tasteful.
The length and form of Piano Concerto No.2 was governed
by the restrictions imposed by the commissioner, Max Hinrichsen,
who was looking for a miniature concerto for the use of American
piano students in performance auditions. The result is a work
of very unusual form but the main characteristics are unmistakably
Pitfield. A quotation from Milton at the head of the score sums
it up well – “… and bring with thee Jest and youthful Jollity”.
Inventiveness is the keynote of this work. The first movement
(Dance-Prologue) using three simple tunes on the white keys
treated with ostinati, hymn-like harmonization, various rhythms
and decoration, is followed by a scherzo (Interlude on White
Keys) of running figures and modal melody.
The last movement is curious in that it embodies both the slow
movement and the finale presented as a set of variations on
the English folksong, ‘The Oak and the Ash’. Here the performers
enjoy themselves in the playful rhythms of the first and third
variations which are separated by a delightfully contemplative
variation scored for piano alone.
Both concertos are recorded with good piano presence and endowed
with the rhythmic energy so essential to the composer’s style.
The works for solo piano should not disappoint as Pitfield’s
favoured 5/8 and 7/8 rhythms, pianistic decoration and harmonies
of almost French flavour, can all be found in his tuneful music.
Studies on an English Dance-Tune, written for John McCabe
who first performed it whilst still a student at the RMCM in
1961, subjects the folk tune, ‘Jenny Pluck Pears,’ to various
rhythmic, modal and playing techniques in seven short movements.
Peter Donohoe’s technique and artistry show themselves to good
effect in this and the other two works for solo piano included
on the disc.
Although an early piece, Arietta and Finale is all one
would expect of the composer but it is the Toccata, written
for Lucy Pierce and published in 1953, which demands the listener’s
attention with its exuberance.
Always looking to the needs of performers, Pitfield often found
himself writing for unusual instruments or combinations of instruments
when required. His four movement Xylophone Sonata, composed
for the Hallé Orchestra’s principal percussionist, Eric Woolliscroft,
and superbly executed here by Peter Donohoe, is a work that
falls into that category. This lively piece using 7/8 and 10/8
rhythms was published in 1967 and deserves to be heard.
All in all, this collection of works is truly representative
of Thomas Pitfield’s output of music for piano. The recording
gives much pleasure and, for those who are not already familiar
with his music, it is well worth exploring at superbudget price.
Stuart Scott
see also reviews by Rob
Barnett and Patrick
C Waller
Anthony Goldstone (piano) 
