As fans of Messiaen’s Visions de L’Amen will know, it
is a tricky business, elevating such demanding piano duo music
not only into the realms of technical excellence, but also creating
an atmosphere of spiritual exaltation and transcendence. I’ve
been having a fish through the versions lurking in my collection,
reminding myself of the beautifully played but surprisingly
lightweight recording on Unicorn-Kanchana by Peter Hill and
Benjamin Frith, and the high quality but still somewhat dry
and dated version with John Ogdon and Brenda Lucas, now available
on the Explore
label. There is also the rather brutally punishing version with
Maarten Bon and Reinbert de Leeuw in a tremendous box from Naïve.
The best all-round recording I have had to date is that of Paul
and Matthew Kim on the Centaur
label, though I’m making no claims as to its having definitive
status – I think I’ve yet to find a recording which really nails
Messiaen’s vision, though Messiaen and Yvonne Loriod make their
own unique case, and Steven Osborne and Martin Roscoe on Hyperion
are world-beaters. Arguably, the medium of two pianos is after
all just not the right one with which to achieve such Visions,
but who am I to utter such heresy.
The recorded balance in this new disc with Ursula Oppens and
Jerome Lowenthal is richer and more lower-mid heavy than with
the Kim family. This serves the bass notes well, and makes the
overall effect less clattering than some. There is still plenty
of rhythmic impact however, and the mix stops well short of
being woolly and indistinct. The American Academy of Arts and
Letters acoustic is familiar through numerous chamber music
recordings. While our noses are closer than they would be to
the piano strings than in a concert setting and the hall resonance
less relevant, the perspective is direct and believable.
Ursula Oppens is a familiar name in the contemporary music scene,
having premiered a remarkable quantity of new music by a distinguished
list of composers. Jerome Lowenthal is a less well known name,
to me at least, but has been a part of the US music scene since
the early 1960s both as a soloist and pedagogue. This pairing
is thoroughly equal, and the warmth and energetic synergy between
the players is palpable. Do they achieve that transcendent sense
of ecstasy we all seem to be looking for in the Visions de
L’Amen? I have the feeling that this can have a deal to
do with the state of mind you are in when approaching such a
recording, but this can be said of much music. This is a recording
which rewards experiencing as a whole far more than dipping.
I have to admit to being something of a litmus-test listener
when initially tackling this kind of grand mountain of music,
and had a few doubts at first. Having settled down and decided
to listen properly, the sheer scale of the Oppens/Lowenthal
performance reveals less a set of seven separate Visions,
rather one huge canvas which leaves you staggered and breathless
by the end. Yes, all of the elements are present, ranging from
the dark atmospheric effects of the opening Amen de la
Création, through a weighty Amen des étoiles…
and a beautifully lyrical Amen du Désir. The widely ranging
Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux is handled
well, the remarkable contrasts rapid and inspirational. Our
souls thus softened, the final two massive movements, the Amen
du Jugement and Amen de la Consommation really are
a kick in the solar plexus. Yes, the music is written to be
so, but I’ve rarely heard the sheer impact with quite such a
physical effect as here. The pay-off for that richer piano sound
is a reduced level of funkyness in the rhythmic power of the
final movement, something which Paul Kim and Son do very well
indeed. The deepest bass becomes something of a noisy roar with
the balance for Oppens/Lowenthal, but this is still pretty daunting
stuff.
Debussy’s En blanc et noir caused something of a stir
amongst a conservative older generation of composers in the
Paris of 1915, and Jerome Lowenthal’s booklet notes open with
the crusty criticisms of Camille Saint-Saëns. Nearly 100 years
later, and our ears are by no means as scandalised by music
which is filled with sparkling wit, atmospheric tragedy and
the juxtaposition of innocent and sinister expression in its
respective three movements. Tinged with the effects of war,
there are military calls and other references all through this
powerful work, and the logic of placing it against Messiaen’s
Visions de L’Amen is entirely credible. This is far more
than just a filler, and is very well played here by the Oppens/Lowenthal
duo. They bring out the little Stravinskian touches and colour
in the polytonal elements with precise and lively observation
– great stuff, but no wonder Saint-Saëns threw a wobbly.
This is a very well recorded and superbly performed disc, and
comes highly recommended. Is it the definitive Visions de
L’Amen? Does such a thing exist? Right now I don’t care
all that much, this is certainly the best recording of the work
in my current collection.
Dominy Clements
Ursula Oppens (piano I), Jerome Lowenthal (piano II)
