This is Alexandra Sostmann’s first solo album; she is one half of the
two-piano Duo Villarceaux. The disc is far from alone in making connections
between the music of Bach or Baroque music in general with contemporary
works. The compilation is described as ‘a personal selection’ so it is a
pity that the pianist herself did not write the notes for a better
understanding of the motivations behind the choice. As it is, the notes,
while sometimes illuminating, tend towards the inflated rather than being
typical of the thoughts of a professional pianist. A not especially helpful
‘making the CD’ video is available on Sostmann’s
website.
Nevertheless, this is an intriguing recital, setting off substantial
pieces of Bach against generally short but by no means inconsequential works
from the last seventy years. Three are by composers of the minimalist
persuasion. Those by Sofia Gubaidulina (
Toccata – Troncata) and
Arvo Pärt (
Fur Alina, the first piece in his "tintinnabuli
style") punch well above their weight.
Fur Alina’s seemingly
artless sequence of chords – beautifully played here - makes an
extraordinarily melancholic impression, blown away in an instant by the
striding theme of Bach’s A minor prelude. In comparison, Terry Riley’s
G
Song, originally for string quartet, is slighter and seems atypical of
the composer of
In C and
A Rainbow in Curved Air. While
the preoccupation with rhythm makes a connection to baroque music, there is
little rhythmic distinction here. It is a straightforward piece on the
periphery of jazz; a pale echo of Enrico Pieranunzi perhaps.
Xiaoyong Chen is a Chinese composer who studied with Ligeti in Hamburg and
is now based in Germany. He is said to be preoccupied with sound
per
se. I read, but do not really understand, that “For Xiaoyong Chen,
composing is communication with the sound, tracing its as yet hidden
possibilities.” I cannot say that I hear any influence of Bach - rather more
of Debussy. Just the same, his two short works here are evocative and repay
repeated listening.
The Dutilleux is uncharacteristic of the composer and uses a modernized
Baroque language. Although it is attractive in a lightweight, minor-key
idiom, its inclusion, like that of the Riley, in this otherwise fairly
serious recital is somewhat surprising.
The most obvious link between the musical eras is the inclusion of the
prelude-and-fugues by Bach and Shostakovich, in the same (minor again) key.
Shostakovich’s concentrated fugue builds to a passionate climax in
Sostmann’s hands, providing an intense finale.
What of the accounts of the Bach works that take up over half of the disc?
If you look at the versions for piano, there are many fine competitors;
Angela Hewitt, Murray Perahia, Vladimir Feltsman and Robert Levin offer the
English Suites in contrasting performances. Alexandra Sostmann’s performance
of the A minor suite shows up well in that company; athletic, clear and
well-articulated, as is her account of the D minor prelude and fugue. Bach’s
youthful toccatas are harder to bring off on the piano, the
stylus
fantasticus of the improvisatory passages requiring, to my mind, the
rich resonance of the harpsichord. Nevertheless, the performance is more
than acceptable.
In the end, the success of this recital rests on the contrasts and comparisons
between not just Bach-and-contemporary but also within the modern set,
and whether you are attracted to the programme as a whole. All the pieces
are well played - to the extent that I am nearly converted to the minimalist
cause - and the sound recording is clear and spacious. Certainly well
worth a listen.
Roger Blackburn
Full tracklist
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Toccata in C minor BWV 911 (1701) [10:40]
English Suite No. 2 in A minor (c. 1715)
Prélude [4:22]
Allemande [4:00]
Courante [1:43]
Sarabande [3:45]
Bourée I, Bourée II [4:08]
Gigue [3:07]
Prelude and Fugue in D minor BWV 851 (1722)
Prelude [1:28]
Fugue [2:55]
Sofia GUBAIDULINA (b.1931)
Toccata-Troncata (1971) [1:55]
Arvo PÄRT (b.1935)
“Für Alina” (1976) [2:58]
Xiayong CHEN (b.1955)
Diary III (2004)
Chant of Stones [2:28]
Wind, Water and Shadow [2:57]
Terry RILEY (b.1935)
G-Song, transcribed by Markus Horn (1980) [3:49]
Henri DUTILLEUX (1916-2013)
Au Gré des ondes: Hommage à Bach (1946) [2 :53]
Dimitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Prelude and Fugue in D minor Op. 87 No. 24 (1950)
Prelude [4:02]
Fugue [8:11]
