Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum - Vol. 22 from
the 2010 Festival
C. Ph. E. BACH (1714-1788) Sonata in E minor, Wq 59 No.1, H
281 (1784) [6:51] Marc-André Hamelin
Stephen HELLER (1813-1888)
4 Freischütz Studies, Op. 127 (1871)
No. 1 in A minor: Allegro molto [2:38]
No. 3 in C minor: Allegro con fuoco [5:10]
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883) Zoltan KOCSIS (b.1952)
Flower Maidens' Scene and Finale from "Parsifal (1877-1881)
[14:52]
Ian Fountain
Ferruccio BUSONI (1866-1924)
Prelude in E flat minor, Op. 37, No. 14 (K.181) (1881) [4:18]
Michail Lifits
Ferruccio BUSONI
Six Elegies, (K.249) (1907)
No.2: All' Italia! (In modo napolitano) [7:22]
Giovanni Bellucci
Boris PASTERNAK (1890-1960)
Two Preludes (1906)
E flat minor – Con moto [1:27]
G sharp minor – Andante [4:22]
Eldar Nebolsin
Boris PASTERNAK
Sonata in B minor (1909) [13:45]
Hiroaki Takenouchi
Jørgen BENTZON (1897-1951)
Variations on a theme of Chopin, Op. 1 (1921) [11:23]
Peter Froundjian
Robert HELPS (1928-2001)
Hommage à Fauré, from 3 Hommages, No. 1 (1972) [4:20]
Jenny Lin
rec. 21-28 August 2010, Husum, Germany
DANACORD DACOCD 709 [77:18]
I did a double take when I received this CD from Danacord. One of the composers
featured was a certain Boris Pasternak. Now, like many people, I remember
going to the cinema to see Doctor Zhivago, although not at the time
of its original release in 1965. Apart from this I know virtually nothing
about the man or his writing – except that he translated Shakespeare into
Russian. So it came a a great surprise to me to see that he has ‘contributed
‘two fine Preludes and an excellent Piano Sonata to this disc.
It appears that he came from a musical family; in fact his mother was a concert
pianist who had studied with Rubinstein and Leschetitzky. Visitors to the
family home included Scriabin and Rachmaninov. The young Boris began to compose
aged 13 and later entered the Moscow Conservatoire. However, he suddenly abandoned
his musical career in favour of the study of philosophy and then became a
poet and litterateur.
The Two Preludes played here by Eldar Nebolsin were composed in 1906 when
Pasternak was 16 years old. As the programme notes point out, they owe much
to Scriabin. Both works could well be mistaken for the elder composer and
would certainly be ideal companion pieces at any recital of Scriabin’s music.
The Sonata, which was possibly the last piece of music that Pasternak composed,
moves away from being totally derivative of Scriabin and begins to explore
a territory of greater dissolution of tonality and structure than the Russian
School. Peter Grove suggests that the form of this short Sonata should be
regarded as ‘a stream of consciousness like Schoenberg’s Erwartung...’
There are some lovely moments in this work, nevertheless it could be criticised
as rambling just a little. However, it is an enjoyable piece of music that
is sympathetically played by Hiroaki Takenouchi and certainly deserves to
be included in the pianist’s repertoire. One wonders what the musical world
would have been like if Boris Pasternak had not changed his mind about his
career as a composer.
The CD opens with a great performance by Marc-André Hamelin of Carl Philipp
Emanuel Bach’s Sonata in E minor. This is one of a set of six works composed
between 1779 and 1784 – ‘Keyboard Sonatas and free fantasias, together with
some Rondos’. This music, written for the ‘forte-piano’ has a sense of freedom
that borders on the improvisatory. Sudden changes of expression, key and dynamics
makes this a work that holds the listener’s attention from the first note
to the last.
Most amateur pianists have come across the music of the Hungarian composer
Stephen Heller: there are many relatively easy ‘studies’ available in albums
of ‘teaching’ music and the more straight forward repertoire. However, Heller
was a composer of a wide variety of (mainly) piano music, much of it of a
highly virtuosic nature. There are four important sonatas, reams of ‘character’
pieces, many operatic transcriptions and fantasies. Most of this music is
not heard nowadays, in spite of a one-time enthusiasm for his music by composers
as diverse as Liszt, Bizet and Massenet. It was at one time thought that Heller
was ‘greater’ (whatever that may mean) than Chopin!
The two present pieces are taken from ‘4 Freischütz Studies’ which were written
in 1871. They are based on themes and episodes derived from Carl Maria von
Weber’s great opera Der Freischütz. Listening to these pieces easily
convinces the listener that these are no didactic ‘grade’ pieces but are major
virtuosic works that explore and develop the source material with great skill
and panache. They are admirably played by Jean-Frédéric Neuburger.
The older I get the more I appreciate transcriptions of music from the opera.
Perhaps it is because I am not an opera fan, but often appreciate the ‘tunes’
as it were. In the present case it is the lovely Flower Maiden’s Scene
and Finale from Wagner’s Parsifal played by Ian Fountain. Now
this is an opera that I never seen and have heard only once in my life –about
40 years ago: I should add that I have always struggled with Wagner. However
this transcription by the Hungarian pianist Zoltan Kocsis is absolutely beautiful.
It is much less over the top in its virtuosity than the Liszt transcriptions
of Wagner’s music, however there is a depth that is quite simply ravishing.
Who the ‘magic maidens’ were does not matter for this transcription: it is
sufficient that the music describes a magic garden full of gorgeous flowers.
The musical portrayal of Parsifal gaining the office of Keeper of the Grail
is superb. In fact, it has made me think about listening to the whole opera
again!
Ferruccio Busoni is represented on this disc by two works – one from his teenage
years and the other from his maturity. The fifteen year old composer had written
a complete set of Preludes on all the major and minor keys. Michail Lifits
chose the ‘funeral march’ Prelude in E flat minor which is the fourteenth
in the series. It is a dark and lugubrious work that reveals the youthful
precocity of the composer. From the quiet ‘grave’ opening it builds up into
rather frightening climax and then quietens down to a sepulchral-like rest.
The other piece by Busoni, played by Giovanni Bellucci, is the All’ Italia
(in modo Napolitano). This was composed or at least published in 1907 is the
second of his Six Elegies (K.249). In some ways there is continuity
between this work and the early Prelude in its dark and almost sinister mood.
Yet there an ethereal beauty about this massive piece which moves and impresses
in spite of the feeling that it describes the Naples of nightmares rather
than dreams.
It is always good to have a composer’s ‘Opus 1’ to explore. In this case Peter
Froundjian plays the Danish Jørgen Bentzon and his Variations on a Theme
of Chopin. The theme chosen is the well-known F major Mazurka, Op.68,
No.3. After the presentation of most of the original piece the composer begins
on what is effectively a deconstruction of the work. As the liner notes suggest,
Bentzon was not adverse to shocking listeners who revered the original! There
are nine variations in all – each one being diverse and barely related to
the previous one. It is not my favourite piece on this CD; however it is an
interesting, if a little tedious early work by a fine composer.
The CD recital concludes with a beautiful Hommage a Fauré by the American
composer Robert Helps, played by Jenny Lin. This is the first of three ‘Hommages’
- the other two being to Ravel and Rachmaninov. This short piece is in the
form of three variations on a very simple theme. I am not well enough acquainted
with Fauré’s music to know if this theme is a direct quote or a ‘pastiche.’
It is a very beautiful and ‘haunting’ little number that is near perfect in
its effect.
Once again Danacord have given the piano music enthusiast a right royal feast
of rare music – whether it is from unknown or forgotten composers, or hidden
corners from the catalogues of the ‘masters.’ The playing of this music is
always splendid: each pianist is quite manifestly dedicated to this repertoire
and presents their selections with enthusiasm, sympathy and technical perfection.
The liner notes by Peter Grove are extremely helpful and give a detailed study
of each work and its context.
Danacord have reached Volume 22 of their ‘Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss
vor Husum’ series – plus a Volume 0 which showcases some early festival highlights.
The edition shows no sign of becoming stale and predictable. There is quite
obviously a vast array of ‘forgotten’ works ‘out there’ that are being discovered
by enterprising pianists. Let us hope that some, if not all, of the music
presented on this CD finds its way into the standard repertoire of concert
pianists across the world. Certainly not a few of these pieces are miniature
masterpieces.
John France
Not a few of these pieces are miniature masterpieces.