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John ADAMS (b.
1947) Complete Piano Music
Phrygian Gates (1977-78) [24:37]
American Berserk (2001) [6:04]
China Gates (1977) [5:15]
Hallelujah Junction (1996)* [16:05]
Ralph van
Raat, Maarten van Veen* (pianos)
rec. Potton Hall, Suffolk, 7-8 January 2006. DDD NAXOS 8.559285 [52:01]
This recording,
containing all of John Adams’ solo piano works composed thus
far, comes into direct competition with the Road Movies CD
(Nonesuch 79699-20) which John Quinn enthusiastically reviewed
in August 2004. The main difference between the recordings
is the inclusion of the violin/piano piece Road Movies on
the earlier CD, whereas the CD at hand contains only the piano
works. However, if one is interested in just the piano music,
the budget-priced Naxos may be a better buy. As far as the
performances are concerned, there is little to choose between
them. Both are excellent.
The Naxos CD begins
with the longest work, Phrygian Gates. As the pianist
here, Ralph van Raat, writes in the notes for the CD, in both
this work and the much shorter China Gates “minimalistic
(apparent) repetition plays and important and striking role.” In Phrygian
Gates the juxtaposition of the Lydian and Phrygian modes,
or of light and dark, results in the piece’s “intense musical
tension.” As the work progresses the Lydian mode diminishes
and the Phrygian mode takes over and gradually determines the
work’s character. Although the work has enough variety to keep
it interesting in its nearly half-hour duration, I prefer the
other, shorter pieces on the CD, where Adams says what he has
to say in a smaller space and yet leaves a more powerful impression
on the listener. As to the performances, van Raat captures
the essence of the piece well and displays more variety in
dynamics than Rolf Hind does on Nonesuch, even if van Raat’s
is the more distantly recorded version.
The much shorter China
Gates, which Adams composed before Phrygian Gates,
is for me the more effective work. In its five minutes, it
expresses much with its apparent repetition. It is a layered
work with a slow bass line, a faster inner pulse in the treble
with both varied and repeated patterns. The result, as van
Raat writes, is like a “diamond which radiates different
colors and moods at different angles of light, though it
remains the same object.” The two performances are in many
ways opposite. Nicolas Hodges’ on the Nonesuch CD is faster
and clearer and emphasizes the rhythm of the piece, while
van Raat’s with his slower tempo and more distant recording,
demonstrates the dreaminess of the piece and is indeed mesmeric.
I enjoyed both immensely.
With American
Berserk, Adams’ most recent piano work, we move into
a whole new world. With its fractured boogie-woogie influence
of Conlon Nancarrow, it reminded me a good deal of some of
Ligeti’s Etudes, but without that composer’s sense of humor.
Its rhythmic shifts and juxtaposition of harmonies lend it
a complexity that is typical of Adams’ current style of composing,
seemingly far removed from the minimalism of before. The
work’s strange title is owed to a phrase by novelist Philip
Roth. Both pianists do justice to the work, and their tempos
are similar.
The CD concludes
with the duo-piano work, Hallelujah Junction, where
van Raat is joined by Maarten van Veen. The piece was named
after a truck stop near John Adams’ cabin. It begins as a minimalist
work with a repeated “—lle-lu-jah” pattern that gets more agitated
as it goes on. This is followed by a serene middle movement
that is almost impressionistic, until it increases its energy
leading directly into the final movement where the full four-syllable “hallelujah” ends
the piece in a kind of crazed boogie-woogie. Of all the works
on this CD, Hallelujah Junction left the greatest impression
on me. It has the sound of the mature Adams and could not be
mistaken for music by anyone else. The performance here is
certainly fluent enough, but the Nonesuch recording with its
closer recording and better separation of the two instruments
makes more of an impact on the listener.
For someone interested
in Adams’ piano works, then, this disc can be safely recommended.
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