This CD is obviously
intended for the mass market as some
useful information is missing from the
CD notes. The connoisseur expects detail!
For a start the dates of most of the
works are not given in the text. Secondly
the dates of recordings are not quoted.
Perhaps it is felt that this sort of
detail is not of interest to the listener?
The documentation for
this disc only occasionally identifies
the film with which a particular piece
is associated. It would of course be
possible to do a search on the internet
to find out what music goes with which
film – but I doubt anyone will bother
doing that. Strangely the Gershwin is
associated here with a documentary about
the composer as opposed to a ‘blockbuster’.
This seems to be at odds with the disc’s
title.
More curiously, the
timings of some of the works appear
to be considerably less than other versions
in my collection. This suggests that
a little cutting has been going on here
and there.
Let’s just look a bit
further at the timings. The Spellbound
Concerto is nearly four minutes
longer on the RTE Concert Orchestra
version on Naxos 8.554323. The same
recording makes the Dream of Olwen
nearly twice as long. Odd minutes are
cut out here and there with the other
works. Some pianists and conductors
whip through works faster than others,
however I doubt that Patrick Thomas
rattles off these works any quicker
than most. No, cuts it must be, although
without the music I cannot be sure.
Also there is always the possibility
that the producers lacked definitive
scores. I have seen two or three different
versions of Hubert Bath’s Cornish
Rhapsody in print. That may be the
excuse.
I do not like movements
excerpted. That’s a personal fetish.
I also know that many people live off
‘purple passages’ cut from the great
scores. I do not like to hear what for
me is one of the greatest and most beautiful
piano concertos in the entire repertoire
reduced to one movement. It reminds
me of Classic FM. They often play a
movement from a concerto or symphony
and then have the gall to announce ‘that
was Symphony No. 4’ without bothering
to point out that it was only about
one quarter of it. Some people will
imagine that they have heard the entire
work.
I have no problems
with things like the Warsaw Concerto
and the Cornish Rhapsody. They
stand on their own and always have done.
What I do have a problem with, is when
they are played one after the other.
This CD has 10 tracks of some of most
romantic concerted music in the repertoire.
Most people buying this CD will play
it end to end. All this intense music
will just be washing over them by the
time they get to the end of the Rachmaninov
extract. This is not the way to listen
to music.
Two works call for
special mention as they are not generally
well known. Lindley Evans’ Idyll
was originally scored for two pianos
and orchestra. It is extremely romantic
in nature and is a good as the other
better known confections on this disc.
I have never heard it before, but then
I have not flown Quantas. Apparently
it was once used on their ‘in flight’
music programme.
Also included on this
CD is one of the pianist’s own compositions
– New Guinea Fantasy. This work
was dedicated to all the service men
and women of World War II. Nothing more
is said. I hate to say this but to my
ears at least it is the least successful
of all the works here. It kind of chugs
along – the piano not quite managing
to compete with drums and trumpets.
It has all the trappings of this kind
of music – octaves and complex figuration
– but it just does not come off. The
composer seems unable to settle on a
style. I will not go as far to say that
it is dreadful: it will suffice to say
that it is all over the place. … I do
not need to hear it again.
I do not know anything
about the pianist, Isador Goodman. A
quick search on the Crotchet and Arkiv
CD databases reveals a blank. There
is no biography in the CD sleeve notes.
I cannot fault the
playing: it has all the hallmarks of
this kind of romantic and overblown
pianism. And I imagine it is just what
the customer will enjoy. I would like
to suggest that the listener takes one
or two of these works at a time and
sits down and really enjoys them. They
are all (with the one exception noted
above) little gems and deserve our wholehearted
attention.
John France
Isador Goodman, piano 
