Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
Piano Conversations: Dances, Transcriptions and Arrangements
Luigi Palombi (piano)
rec. 2021, Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, Switzerland
DYNAMIC CDS7947 [79]
Although Stravinsky regularly composed at the piano, he wrote comparatively few solo works for the instrument. Leaving aside the early piano sonata of 1903/4, which he never published, there are only two major original works: the Piano Sonata of 1924 and the Serenade in A. However, there is a fair number of other works, mostly short, some composed for the instrument, but many more in the form of transcriptions, some by himself, some by people he trusted, such as his son Soulima, and Arthur Lourié, and some by others again. Here we have a collection of these, omitting the two major original works and also the well-known virtuoso transcription Three Movements from Petrushka.
They may be divided into three groups: trifles, little gems and one major work. Of course, nothing Stravinsky composed is completely without interest, but some of these pieces were written just to raise a bit of money or to support a good cause. The trifles include the Preludium of 1936, which is the piano score of a piece intended for a jazz band, which here receives its first recording. Also in this category come his arrangements of The Star Spangled Banner and a chorus from Mussorgsky transcribed for his children, the parodic Souvenir d’une marche boche, the Polka from Three Easy Pieces and the Valse pour les enfants. I would also add the third of the Four Studies, but remain puzzled why only one was included. This is an original, early piano work, much more interesting than that early sonata, and I would have expected all or none. We also get an early piano Scherzo.
On a higher level come Ragtime, which was originally written for an ensemble of eleven players and transcribed for the piano by the composer. This is a gem, as is the Tango, which also exists in two forms, but here the piano version preceded the ensemble one. Similarly, the closing chorale from the Symphonies of Wind Instruments was published as a piano solo before being incorporated in its parent work. The Concertino, originally written for string quartet, then much later transcribed for ensemble by the composer, appears in a solo piano version by Arthur Lourié which works pretty well. Also in this category come a number of transcriptions taken from Stravinsky’s ballets, including the Ronde des princesses from Firebird (though Summer Moon, which is a painfully banalized version of the same folksong, should be credited to Lou Singer), the Pas de deux from The Fairy’s Kiss, two items from Pulcinella – which must be the most transcribed of all Stravinsky’s works – and the Air de danse from Orpheus. I wish I could also consider the solo piano version of the Danse sacrale from The Rite of Spring a gem. This starts off well enough, but two hands cannot do justice to both the percussion ostinato and the irregular rhythms above, and the thrilling moment when the whole orchestra going full pelt suddenly drops out, leaving only the barking of trombones above the shuddering of the strings and the pounding of the drums, goes for little. Stravinsky’s own piano duet version copes with all this much better and deserves the several recordings it has had.
Finally, and much the longest item, is a complete piano version of Apollon Musagète, later simply titled Apollo. This is a major masterpiece, one of the most serene and beautiful of Stravinsky’s works, giving the lie to those who think he preferred to write only dissonant music featuring wind instruments. It is scored for a string orchestra without any wind or percussion. I expected the piano version to be a mere rehearsal transcription, necessary for dancers but not of interest beyond that. However, Stravinsky made the piano version himself, and it represents a slightly earlier version of the work than the final orchestral score. To my surprise I found that, he had imagined or reimagined it beautifully for the instrument so that it is a pleasure to hear in its own right.
This programme is the brainchild of Luigi Palombi, who is also a composer himself and has a wide range of musical interests which includes jazz. He plays fluently, but I felt he slightly lacked the snap and crackle needed for those pieces in which rhythmic vitality is key, such as Ragtime and Tango. On the other hand, he handles the more lyrical pieces well and he makes a great success of the Apollo transcription. The recording is clear and the booklet helpful. This is probably only for Stravinsky completists but there are quite a number of us about.
Stephen Barber
Previous review: Néstor Castiglione
Contents
John Stafford Smith (1750–1836)
The Star-Spangled Banner (circa 1773) (harmonized by Stravinsky) [1:35]
Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881)
Chorus from Scene 1 of Boris Godunov (1868–1873) (arr. Stravinsky) [1:37]
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
Preludium (1936–1937) [1:35]
Souvenir d’un marche boche (1915) [1:36]
The Princesses’ Khorovod from The Firebird (arr. Wilms) (1910) [4:44]
Summer Moon (arr. from The Princesses’ Khorovod from The Firebird by Singer.) (1946) [3:30]
Tombeau de Claude Debussy (Fragment from the Symphonies of Wind Instruments) (1920) [2:35]
Ragtime (arr. Stravinsky) (1918) [4:27]
Tango (1940) [4:01]
Polka from Three Easy Pieces (arr. Soulima Stravinsky) [:51]
Valse pour les enfants (1917) [1:00]
Étude No. 3 from the Four Études, Op. 4 (1908) [1:47]
Pas de deux from The Fairy’s Kiss (arr. Stravinsky) (1928) [1:48]
Scherzo (1902) [2:12]
Scherzino and Allegro from Pulcinella (1919–1920) [3:14]
Concertino (arr. Lourié) (1920) [6:42]
Apollon musagète (1927–1928) [28:22]
Air de danse from Orpheus (arr. Spinner) (1948) [2:33]
Sacrificial Dance from The Rite of Spring (arr. Raphling) (1913) [4:24]
