Arthur Benjamin is
a composer who suffers from being known
primarily for one work – the Jamaican
Rumba. This appears in dozens of
guises – from James Galway to Glenn
Miller. It is not given an outing on
this CD. I am pleased that this pot-boiler
does not distract from the fine selection
of little-known works presented here.
The best place to start
exploring this disc is the will o’ the
wisp Scherzino. This is one of
the earliest works here, yet it gives
the listener the opportunity to approach
the keyboard style of Benjamin. It must
not be forgotten that he was a composer-pianist
as well as a teacher. In fact Lamar
Crowson, the pianist on these recordings
was one of Benjamin’s American pupils.
There is nothing technically easy about
this Scherzino, yet it is immediately
approachable and its ‘fairy-like’ mood
owes more to Felix Mendelssohn than
anything more avant-garde!
Next up, is the charming
Siciliana. Once again, this is
a work that appeals to the heart rather
than the mind. As Herbert Howells in
his original programme notes points
out – this work "has no secrets:
no complexity ..." It is a beautiful
piece that deserves to be in the repertoire.
It is perhaps the loveliest, if not
the best, thing on this CD.
The Etudes Improvisées
are perfectly titled. Rob Barnett in
his
review has beautifully summed these
up as "eight little [pieces that
are] testy, balletic, quirky, hectic,
brilliantly Godowskian and explosive".
The composer had originally planned
to write ten brief movements – however
only eight were completed and received
the composer’s approval for performance.
Alas, the CD cover does not give a date
for this work: there is no reference
in Grove. Yet this should not deter
the listener from enjoying these miniatures
– the longest is only two and half minutes
whilst the shortest is a mere forty
seconds. Into this small canvas, Benjamin
manages to cram a lot of pianistic styles
and emotional moods. Perhaps the opening
Preambule is the most involved
and the most passionate. Yet each of
the succeeding ‘improvisées’
contribute to the sense of unity and
continuity which is an impressive feature
of this work: it would have been all
too easy for this to have sounded like
a collection of ‘lessons’ for advanced
pupils! There is nothing easy or trivial
about these pieces – especially Miroir
which is written to be played ‘presto
e leggiero possibile’. This is indeed
a tour-de-force! The Arietta and
the Adagio are certainly more
introspective and at times quite dark.
The mood is lightened with the lovely
Valse Volante: alas, it is all
over too quickly. The ‘molto allegro’
has no title, yet Howells quotes a pencil
note by Crowson on the score – Les
mains intimes – apparently referring
to the complex ‘intermixing’ of hands
required to interpret this piece. The
Canon is slow and meditative
and leads into the bravura ‘allegro
strepitoso’. This last movement is an
opportunity for pianists to let down
their hair, as it were. It is full of
exciting pianism and virtuosic detail
and could only have been composed by
a fine performer. It is a fitting conclusion
to an interesting if somewhat wayward
set of pieces.
Yet the most impressive
and perhaps the most important work
is the Pastorale, Arioso and Finale.
It is written in a chromatic style that
is perfectly approachable, if a little
idiosyncratic. I have not studied the
score but even a superficial hearing
reveals a consummate understanding of
piano technique. The work was composed
in 1943 whilst Benjamin was in Canada
as conductor of the Vancouver Symphony
Orchestra. It was dedicated to his friend
Jack Henderson as a 21st
birthday gift. Interestingly, Howells
suggests that the opening Pastorale
is ‘easy on the ear’. This may be true
– yet there is a complexity and involved
harmonic exploration that require some
engagement by the listener. I am not
convinced that it is really a ‘pastorale’
in the generally accepted sense of that
definition. The ‘arioso’ is a much more
profound piece that is both slow moving
and ‘grave’. This music often seems
to have an almost Debussy-ian impressionism
about it. It is quite obviously passionate
music - yet somehow this passion seems
to be repressed. It is beautiful music
that is full of poetry and involved
musical imagery. The finale is a ‘toccata’
– that is full of movement and extrovert
piano figurations. Howells alludes to
the fundamental musical simplicity of
its structure by suggesting that it
is as ‘direct as a Roman road’. The
whole movement is full of glitter and
showmanship. It may not be written in
a jazzy style, yet the exuberance of
that genre is never too far away.
I guess that the best
place to begin the exploration of Lennox
Berkeley’s piano music is the set of
Six Preludes. They were composed
in 1944 and were dedicated to Val Drewry.
The composer writes that, in these Preludes,
it was his intention to "express
himself as concisely as possible".
Each one of these pieces presents a
single idea, which may be a melodic
or rhythmic germ and then offers it
up in a variety of guises or, more pertinently,
elaborations. It would be easy to try
to allocate models to these Preludes
– Chopin, Debussy and perhaps even Stravinsky
spring to mind for at least four of
them. Yet like all great composers,
Berkeley does not write in a vacuum
– he uses ideas and styles and adapts
them to his own ends. He profits by
the example of a previous generation
– he does not fall victim to parody
or pastiche. Perhaps the most perfect
is the first, an ‘allegro’ that surely
sounds like running water. The ‘allegretto’
is within the gift of competent amateurs
and repays study. It is an elegant miniature
that has beautiful harmonies: pure romanticism.
Rob Barnett notes the nod to Haydn in
the fifth prelude – and perhaps a ‘dash
or two of Shostakovich’. Yet this has
a felicity that is surely an important
characteristic of Berkeley’s sound-world.
I have always enjoyed the last prelude
– one again playable by amateurs – it
has a feel of Ireland’s Land of Lost
Content.
A contemporary reviewer
noted that Berkeley was "far from
cramped and burdened by his musical
ancestry, [he] has achieved that measure
of independence which allows him to
profit by the example of earlier composers,
proving that their spirit is still alive
and fertile." Surely this is an
ideal encapsulation of these Six
Preludes?
Perhaps it would be
wise to consider the shorter pieces
on this CD before attempting to come
to terms with the great Piano Sonata.
The Scherzo in D minor Op.32
No.2 was written for the present pianist
Colin Horsley. Berkeley notes that this
was a study in staccato and repeated
notes – and as such is certainly difficult!
I guess that it is one of the lesser
known gems on this CD. I have always
liked the Impromptu: it has a
cool, laid-back style which surely echoes
some of the works of Poulenc? The Concert
Study in Eb Op.48 was the first
piece of Berkeley’s piano music that
I heard. It was played to me by an elderly
pianist in Glasgow many years ago. What
has always impressed me about this work
is the middle section – it seems to
be a considerable contrast to the fast
semi-quavers of the opening material
– both technically and emotionally.
The Concert Studies Op.14 are
the only works on this present CD that
do not appear on Margaret
Fingerhut’s recording of Berkeley’s
music on Chandos. These are the earliest
pieces on this CD and once again are
based on a "definite pianistic
feature". Interestingly, Horsley
does not give the first of the set of
four. Berkeley ‘studies’ legato touch,
rapid semiquavers and alternating third
and seventh chords. The last is probably
my favourite although the entire set
deserve recognition.
The most important
item on this double CD is Berkeley’s
Piano Sonata. It is a major work
dating from 1945 and was written for
Clifford Curzon, who premiered it in
1946. However Colin Horsley had a considerable
association with the sonata both at
home and abroad. It is massive in spite
of being only twenty-three minutes long.
Even a superficial hearing reveals this
Sonata as big and complex work
in four contrasting but inherently coherent
movements. The opening ‘moderato’ strikes
a fine balance between the rhythmic
interest of the first subject and the
‘smooth’ and almost urbane melody of
second. Yet, it is in the development
of these themes that Berkeley reveals
his true mastery. The second movement
is an out-and-out scherzo. It is signed
to be played ‘presto’ yet it is really
a ‘moto-perpetuo’. It has a chromatic
melody that is supported by technically
difficult left-hand semi-quaver figures.
The highlight of this movement is the
attenuated melody which appears above
the figuration in the middle of this
movement.
The ‘adagio’ is notable
for the interesting harmony which seems
to generate the melodic material for
this movement. The middle section is
haunting and this is followed by a brief
return to the opening material. There
is a perfect ending to this gorgeous
movement. The fourth movement is partly
cyclical. The opening introduction refers
to passages from the opening ‘moderato’.
Berkeley suggests that this music is
in fact improvisatory. The main part
of the movement soon begins properly
and turns out to be a fairly classically
constructed ‘rondo’. There are nods
to the semiquaver figuration from the
second movements. The work ends with
a repetition of part of the introduction.
This is a fantastic
CD set – for three reasons. Firstly
it is great to have these two vinyl
discs re-pristinated on CD. Secondly
the Berkeley disc is an excellent introduction
to this composer’s piano music. And
lastly it is one of the few currently
available discs that explores Arthur
Benjamin’s music. Round this out with
the ‘two for one’ pricing strategy and
this release is excellent value indeed.
John France
see also review
by Rob Barnett
Links
Arthur
Benjamin: Interview between Richard
Stoker and John France
ARTHUR
BENJAMIN (1893-1960) by Pamela Blevins
SIR
LENNOX BERKELEY by PETER DICKINSON
Colin Horsley (piano) 
