Isaac ALBENIZ (1860-1909)
Sonata No.3, op.68 in A flat major (1886) [14:34]
Suite Ancienne No.1, op.54 (1885) [6:58]
Sonata No.4, op.72 in A (1887) [18:03]
Suite Ancienne No.2, op.64 (1886) [7:32]
Sonata No.5, op.82 in G flat (1887) [21:16]
Sebastian Stanley (piano)
rec. 2019, Westvestkerk, Schiedam, The Netherlands
PIANO CLASSICS PCL10194 [68:34]
Ever since being introduced to the piano music of Isaac Albeniz by a talented fourth former at Coatbridge High School in Lanarkshire, I have loved this music. There are few pieces that do not impress, move or entertain me. Whether it is the evocative proto-impressionistic works such as the massive Iberia, the suite España or the early Six Short Waltzes, I enjoy and appreciate virtually every bar of music composed by this Spanish master.
Commentators often divide Albeniz’s music into three categories. The early period included the accomplished salon pieces (but that is a disingenuous choice of adjective) that took Chopin, Liszt and Schubert as their exemplars. In the late 1880s, his aesthetic was influenced by Spanish nationalism, and he absorbed various folk music forms and rhythms. The final period was in the late 1890s, when Albeniz was working at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. Here, he was beholden to the music of Ravel and Debussy, which was making an impact in the Capital and began to inform his own music.
Isaac Albeniz wrote seven piano sonatas. Some allege that there were originally a dozen but unfortunately only three have survived complete, plus as couple of fugitive movements from the lost works: a scherzo from Sonata No.1 and a minuet from Sonata No.7. (Could these have been included on this CD?) It is hard to believe but there are only three recordings of his sonatas in the current Arkiv catalogue, including the present disc.
Sebastian Stanley (a British pianist of Spanish birth) begins the recital with the beautifully formed Sonata No.3, composed in 1886. The opening allegretto is classically structured but presents a highly romantic mood in both harmony and melodic development. This movement is redolent of Chopin, and there is nothing wrong with that! I guess that the technically demanding and complex finale (allegro assai) looks towards the piano music of Weber, whilst the middle andante is a remarkably poetic piece presenting a mood of peace and content. It has been noted that there is no Spanish folk music element in this work.
Piano Sonata No.4 was dedicated to Albeniz’s beloved Maestro and patron, Count Guillermo de Morphy. (Morphy was a polymath. Not content with being a Spanish aristocrat, he was a music critic, musicologist, historian, educator, composer and politician.) The opening movement, a spacious allegro, combines rhythmic vitality with a sweeping second subject with some felicitous lyrical moments. I guess that Chopin is again the model here. The second movement scherzo is a little fugue with a dominating staccato figure. The Minuetto is hardly a dance but more an aria written in ternary form, with winning pianistic decorations. The concluding Rondo is the main event. It has been described as Lisztian in its drive, technical demands and vivid contrast between hard-hitting chordal passages and filigree melodic ornamentation.
My personal favourite here is Sonata No.5, completed in 1888. This four-movement work is a pure delight. The ethos is high-flown romanticism balanced with controlled pianism. The Sonata has been criticised for its structural imbalance: the opening movement is nearly as long as the other three combined. For me this is no problem. The sheer poetry of this movement overcomes any formal objections. I have noted before that anyone listening to this Sonata with an “innocent ear” would be hard pressed to come up with Albeniz as the composer. There is not a hint of flamenco, tango or zortzico in these pages. If the listener is looking for musical pointers, then Mendelssohn, Grieg and Chopin must feature as inspiration. The final movement seems to nod towards Scarlatti and fellow Spanish composer Antonio Soler, without ever descending into parody.
Isaac Albeniz composed three Suite Anciennes, all published in 1886-1987. Stanley has recorded the first two. Unusually for a suite, they each have only two movements. They are lovely little works, well written and thoroughly enjoyable. A look at the CD total timings suggests that the third Suite could have been squeezed in – but not at the expense of the remains of the lost sonatas!
The first of the two Suites consists of a Gavotta and Minuetto. The first piece contrasts a march-like opening and closing section with a lyrical second section which has some delicious melodic elaborations. The Minuetto is once again written in Lied form with a slower middle section. In Suite Ancienne No.2, Albeniz has repristinated two dances of Hispanic provenance: the Sarabande and the Chaconne. These dances reputedly originated in the Americas, crossed to Europe and were absorbed into the Baroque musical psyche. Once again, Albeniz has reworked these “ancient” forms using the musical language of the late nineteenth century, without creating a pastiche. Look out for the lovely middle section of the Chacona.
I thoroughly enjoyed Sebastian Stanley’s recital of relatively rare Albeniz. The playing balances the classical and romantic nature of these works. There is always a danger that these sonatas and suites are regarded as little better than salon music. This is hardly fair, as Stanley’s sympathetic and imaginative account reveals. All these pieces are available on the BIS and NAXOS cycles of the piano music but I think that it is fitting to have these early pieces assembled on a single disc. The liner notes are reasonable but could have given more technical and historical details about each work. The Sonata No.3 is barely mentioned. I would have liked a photo of the composer included in the booklet rather than two insipid snaps of the pianist. The cover painting, Pianist 1919, by the cubist forerunner María Blanchard (1881-1932) is a masterpiece.
John France
