John McCABE (1939-2015)
Variations, op.22 (1963) [9:43]
Aubade (Study No.4) (1970) [6:00]
Gaudi (Study No.3) (1970) [14:42]
Five Bagatelles (1964) [4:47]
Mosaic (Study No.6) (1980) [13:42]
Haydn Variations (1983) [27:17]
John McCabe (piano)
rec. Bishopgate Hall, London, 1998
NAXOS 8.571367 [76:11]
My introduction to John McCabe’s music was found in
an old cardboard box outside Hughes second-hand bookshop in Llandudno around
1975 –the EMI recording of the Chagall Windows coupled with
the Variations on a theme of Karl Amadeus Hartmann (ASD3096). I remember
that I was not impressed by either work, although time has changed my mind
about the Chagall
Windows. It is a masterpiece. Around the same time, I discovered that
McCabe was also a brilliant
pianist. I acquired one of the LP boxed sets (vinyl) of his recordings
of the Haydn Piano Sonatas. In 1995, I invested in the 12CD Decca reissue
of all the sonatas and other piano works: I have never found the need for
any other version of this great music.
Over the years I have come to appreciate McCabe’s music, especially
the orchestral and brass band pieces. Yet for some reason, his original piano
works have passed me by. I never got round to buying the BMS CD (British Music
Society BMS424CD) which appeared around 2004. This was reviewed on MusicWeb
International by Christopher
Thomas and a few years later by Bob
Briggs (see
also). It is this disc that Naxos
has now re-issued.
John Healy in the Newcastle-based newspaper The Journal (19 February
1964) noted that the Variations, op.22 are ‘not cast in the usual variation
form.’ He was concerned that there appeared to be ‘no recognisable
theme announced at the outset – only a series of chords and twiddlings
at the extremity of the keyboard.’ Yet the reviewer conceded that there
was ‘much effective writing and the three well contrasted sections seemed
to present a good deal of thoughtful invention.’
All this seems to fit my first impression that the opening of this piece is
a bit tenuous but that the work becomes more impressive as it develops. I
was amused to read that the composer himself had apparently referred to ‘tinkles’
at the extreme ends of the keyboard. The basic fact is that this is a series
of ‘studies in rhythm and texture rather than in melodic variations
in the traditional sense’ (Manchester Guardian 6 March 1964).
There are eighteen ‘variations’ in all with a short ‘cadenza’
interposed between the penultimate and final one. The structural material
of the piece is based on the tritone (C-F#): the composer referred to this
as the ‘springboard of the theme’. It is the rhythmic diversity
of this work that I find memorable. The sound-world of this piece is more
Bartók than Brahms or Rachmaninov; however there are a number of meditative
moments scattered here and there.
The Variations were completed in 1964 and were first played on 18 February
of that year by the composer at the Newcastle Upon Tyne People’s Theatre
Arts Centre as part of a Tyneside Music Society event. They are dedicated
to Gordon Greene with whom McCabe had studied piano at the Royal Manchester
College of Music.
Aubade, Study no. 4 was composed in 1970. McCabe wrote that, ‘the music
derives principally from the extended use of arpeggio features and appoggiaturas
(grace notes), as the pianistic elements uppermost in the piece … it
is intended to conjure up not so much the coming dawn … but the moment
of stillness before dawn.’ This study created a feeling of stasis often
associated with the music of Olivier Messiaen, but without the liturgical
colourings.
Gaudi, Study no.3 is a major work by any account. Inspired more by the Montserrat
landscape of rocky outcrops that influenced Gaudi than any particular building
by the legendary architect, this piece is a constant flux of powerful, declamatory
eruptions with moments of reflective calm. There are five thematic elements,
which are both contrasting and complex: they are pieced together in the form
of a large (but not classical) rondo. McCabe uses a wide palette of pianistic
colour including ‘Bartókian’ clusters, irregular rhythmic writing,
bell-like music and counterpoint. This stunning music reflects the sunshine
of Spain in its ‘kaleidoscope’ of musical colourings.
Mosaic (Study No.6) is the latest of the series of Studies. It was composed
in 1980 for the North Wales Festival and was dedicated to William Mathias.
The inspiration for this music are the mosaics which the composer saw in the
mosques of Damascus during a concert tour. The study is based on a tone-row,
which is not treated ‘serially’ in a strict sense; it is simply
a source for material. This is a work of considerable length that explores
‘a fantasia-like set of dovetailed and freewheeling variations’.
It is a complex piece that places great demands on the pianist. I spite of
a number of climaxes and outbursts I found this a deeply meditative work.
The Five Bagatelles are quite beautiful in their exploration of a number of
relatively restrained moods - the Toccata excepted. They were commissioned
by Robin Elkin, the music publisher, were completed in 1963 and dedicated
to ‘Isobel’. The five bagatelles last less than three and half
minutes with the opening Capriccio being a mere 36 seconds long. Yet these
are not ‘trifles’ as such. They are well-conceived and convincing
miniatures that responded to a request ‘for not-too-difficult 12-note
pieces’. McCabe may have used serial techniques to engineer these Bagatelles,
however the constructional process does not interfere with their magical quality
and sheer beauty. The Five Bagatelles are ‘Capriccio’, ‘Aria’,
‘Elegia’, ‘Toccata’ and ‘Notturno’.
John McCabe’s most important piano work is often claimed to be the Haydn
Variations. It was commissioned by the City Music Society and was composed
during 1982-83. The work was dedicated to the pianist Philip Fowke who gave
the premiere in London Goldsmith’s Hall on 26 October 1983. In preparing
for this review, I read both assessments of the old BMS CD noted above. I
picked up on Bob Briggs' statement that ‘the Haydn Variations
start with quite a shock – you cannot be prepared for this at all! It’s
a most arresting opening – more Rachmaninov than Haydn – but once
the piece gets going it’s pure McCabe’. It is really a brilliant
overview of this work. The liner-notes point out the rather unorthodox nature
of these ‘variations’. The theme, which is derived from the first
movement (Moderato) of Haydn’s Piano Sonata No 32
in G minor, Hob XVI: 44, does not actually appear until page 32 of the
score - there are 53 pages in total. John McCabe has stated that the theme
is presented ‘surrounded by remote harmonies giving it the air of something
being recollected rather hazily.’ The composer insists that everything
in the work is derived from this theme ‘even when the music seems far
removed from it.’
I felt that I was listening to a sonata rather than a set of variations, and
this view is supported by the tripartite nature of the piece. The opening
section is fast, followed by a much slower and reflective middle part which
is succeeded by music that gradually increases in pace and virtuosity.
The playing by John McCabe is beyond fault. I have not heard the old PYE LP
of the Bagatelles (GSGC 14116) or the two studies released on RCA (RL 25076)
so I am unable to offer comparisons. The liner notes are by Guy Rickards.
They are comprehensive and amount to a major study of these works: they bear
study before and after listening to this music. The ambience of the recording
is perfect.
It is good that McCabe’s music is attracting
more attention from Naxos.
I do hope that this trend will continue, both with the orchestral works which
surely demand a complete cycle of his symphonies, and the other piano works
that still await a premiere recording. This present CD is an important re-release
of a valuable British Music Society disc that some people — like me
— may have missed first time round.
John France
|
Support us financially by purchasing
this from
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|