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Einar ENGLUND (1916-1999)
Complete Music for Solo Piano
Laura Mikkola (piano)
rec. 16-17 January 2017, Potton Hall, Blythburgh, Suffolk
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0356 [71:44]

Englund was a fine pianist who gave a number of performances of his own music (e.g. his Piano Sonata No.1 of 1978) and recorded his First Piano Concerto with the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ulf Söderblom on a long-deleted LP (SALP2). However, if one excepts the two piano concertos (1955 and 1974 respectively) and the impressive Piano Quintet of 1941, he did not compose any large-scale works for his instrument which – I hasten to say – does not mean that he did not compose any work of substance for piano.

The release under review contains all the works for piano that he composed throughout his long career, the earliest that he still acknowledge is the Humoresque of 1936, a short piece playing for a little under one minute that he himself premièred in the Spring of 1939 and that he revised later, the final version dating from the 1970s. True to its title, this is a “delightfully cheeky piece” but it already exhibits a number of characteristics of Englund's music among which some tongue-in-cheek irony. Most pieces are relatively short and straightforward and thus do not call for in-depth analysis. However, some of Englund's piano works are to be singled out for their intrinsic musical qualities. The weightiest of these is the substantial Piano Sonata No.1 of 1978 composed to a commission from the Nordic House in Reykjavik. It is laid-out in three movements (Introduzione ed allegro, Notturno and Scherzo-Finale). The opening movement is a classical sonata form following on the opening portal (Recitando e molto rubato). The coda of the first movement prepares the way for the ensuing Notturno that builds up to a big climax before making its way back to the opening nocturnal mood. The final movement displays some rather agitated, stormy music at times recalling material from the previous movements “disrupting the energetic flow, finally causing a complete standstill but the finale manages to end with a fast, almost demonic stretto”. The Piano Sonata is a quite imposing and taxing piece of music, and clearly the work of a master who managed to say much in the most economical way.

The Piano Sonata is undoubtedly his most impressive piece for solo piano. Among his substantial piano works are the two Sonatinas (1966 and 1984 respectively). These are yet again short, compact pieces packed with energy and invention. The composer again gave the first performance of Piano Sonatina No.1 in D minor and this piece has become a favourite because it is gratifying to play and to listen to. Though it still calls for some considerable dexterity, the Neo-baroque idiom and structure is easy to apprehend. Its three movements (Allegro con brio, Sicilienne and Scherzo-Finale) are perfectly balanced and not a single note is wasted. Incidentally, the Sicilienne of 1966 [track 11] is a sketch for the central movement of the First Piano Sonatina. The Sonatina No.2 “The Parisian” was composed as a gift for Eero Heinonen , who had already recorded some of Englund's piano music (on BIS-CD-277). The overall structure of the piece is again quite clear : a lively Allegro con brio is followed by a calm, melodic Andante. The final movement is a light-hearted Vivace. “In the coda the music seems to disappear up into the clear, blue sky”.

The Second Sonatina was composed in Paris, hence its subtitle, in case one should ask. Another somewhat substantial work is the music that Englund composed for a ballet Sinuhe based on Mika Waltari's eponymous novel. (Some may also remember that Michael Curtiz directed a Hollywood epic based on that very same book with music by Alfred Newman in collaboration with Bernard Herrmann.) However, the ballet's project did not travel far since Englund apparently never composed any music for the second act. Moreover, due to too tight schedule, the composer used material from several other works of his such as the incidental music for The Great Wall of China and his film score for The White Reindeer. Later, he scored the music for the first act of Sinuhe for chamber orchestra while some of it found its way into Four Dance-Impressions which to the best of my knowledge has never been recorded. As such the five movements nevertheless display many of Englund's fingerprints although I for one does not consider this score as top-drawer Englund, but still well worth hearing.

Many of the shorter items here bear the mark of a master for their concision actually reveal much and this is certainly true of the three pieces from the anthology The Keyboard Tells (1955) consisting of easy pieces. Englund's cooperation to this bundle consists of What the Hens Tell alluding to Rameau, The Goblin appropriately impish and Scherzino full of wit and humour. The composer also participated into another similar anthology The Keyboard Tells II for which he wrote the short Little Toccata [track 10] that for some reason was not retained and Sicilienne [track 11] which is a sketch for the middle movement of the First Sonatina. Also worth mentioning is Prelude and Fughetta: Hommage à Bach (1986), a well-meant homage without any trace of pastiche or parody, but again straight to the point as well as the very fine Pavane e Toccata (1983) dedicated to Bianca's memory (Bianca being one of the composer's many cats). However, the Toccata has its fierce and eerie moments as well so that the piece as a whole becomes much more than a domestic affair for the composer still remembered events that he witnessed during the war.

This generous release ends with the rousing The Lauttasaari Rotary Club Festive March. This somewhat mock-heroic march is not without some mild irony and it concludes this most welcome release in high spirits.

It is always a real pleasure to hear any new disc of Laura Mikkola who was a brilliant and well-loved finalist of the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in 1995 when she was awarded the second prize and the public prize which says much of the impact she exerted on the audiences. She plays superbly throughout and the recording is excellent. Full marks too to Christian Holmqvist's excellent and well-informed notes from which I have unashamedly quote.

Hubert Culot
 
Contents
Prelude and Fughetta : Hommage à Bach (1986) [4:18]
Sonatina No.2 “The Parisian” (1984) [8:17]
Preludium (1966) [4:22]
Pavane e Toccata (1983) [7:34]
Humoresque (1936) [0:57]
Little Toccata (1966) [1:22]
Sicilienne (1966) [1:14]
From the anthology The Keyboard Tells (1966)
What the Hens Tell [0:26]
The Goblin [0:32]
Scherzino [0:28]
Prelude I (Notturno) (1966) [2:53]
Sonatina No.1 in D minor (1966) [5:54]
Sinuhe (1953) [9:37]
Introduzione e Toccata (1950) [4:48]
Piano Sonata No.1 (1978) [16:12]
The Lauttasaari Rotary Club Festive March (1957) [1:21]