Thomas Dyke Akland Tellefsen bears the weight of having been
best known as a student of ‘the divine’ Frédéric Chopin, and
therefore little more than a footnote in musical history. He
is referred to in Poland as Chopin’s only pupil, as the others
consisted of nobility whose money was a welcome way of keeping
Chopin’s finances afloat. Tellefsen was introduced to Chopin
by Georges Sand, and the two virtuoso players and composers
became both friends and colleagues. Tellefsen honoured his teacher’s
dying wishes in 1849 and continued as a teacher to Chopin’s
students. Simax Classics has already done sterling work in raising
Tellefsen’s profile as a composer, having released Einar Steen-Nøkleberg’s
recordings of the piano concertos (PSC1232) and chamber works
(PSC1226 see review).
This is not the first ‘complete’ recording of Tellefsen’s piano
works, with that of Malgorzata Jaworska on the Acte Préalable
label (see review)
having been available for a while now. This set has a bonus
in the Sonate pour deux pianos Op. 41 but not the unpublished
works on CD 4 of this Simax collection. One thing I noticed
about Jaworska’s set is that the timings are almost invariably
longer than Steen-Nøkleberg’s. Not having the CDs available
I compared a few samples online and indeed, the dancing quality
of the first Four Mazurkas for example is almost entirely
absent in her playing. She seems to want to find Chopinesque
qualities in the music where the pieces have more simple honesty
than poetic intent. I’m sure there are good things on her set,
and she seems better in more abstract pieces such as the Sonata,
but didn’t feel inspired to delve too deeply into the comparatively
leaden and over-cooked examples of the waltzes I heard, and
feel very safe in recommending Steen-Nøkleberg’s set far more
favourably.
So, luxuriating in fine piano sound in a sympathetic church
acoustic and confident we’re onto a winner, here are a few comments
and highlights. One of the nice things about the programming
for this set is that it is done chronologically, in order of
opus numbers. Beginning with the Four Mazurkas op.1 there
is a clear influence of Chopin, and while Steen-Nøkleberg gives
good weight to significant musical points the joy in these early
pieces is their sparkling sense of the dance, which comes through
in fine style. Tellefsen was clearly under the spell of Parisian
style, and the Valses brillantes clearly play to please
those audiences. There are however enough moments in the Mazurkas
where the fresh air of Norwegian folk music comes through
in his melodic gestures and harmonies. If you like Grieg’s piano
music, then I can safely guarantee you will enjoy at least some
of Tellefsen’s. Though his attitude was to avoid nationalist
musical statements and to adopt more European traditions quite
consciously, and his style is different to Grieg whom he predates,
there do exist lines which can be traced which point to the
ways later generations integrated Norwegian flavour with established
classical forms. The Thème original et Fantaisie Op. 12
is a case in point in this regard. CD 1 also has the remarkable,
funereal Elégie op. 7 written in memory of the popular
‘singer prince’ Gustav of Sweden who died in 1852.
The influence of Liszt is another element in Tellefsen’s piano
works, and the Adagio et Rondo in B minor and the Thème
original et Fantaisie have some of Liszt’s dramatic character
and religious fervor in them. This is something which is also
notable on CD 2 with the Grande Polonaise op.18, and
works of substance and seriousness of purpose also include the
well crafted Sonata op.13, though this lacks the distinctive
and forward-looking character of either Chopin or Liszt. The
Feuillets d’Album are delightfully sweeping dances and
very much of their time, with the last a Marche funèbre which
is a clear homage to Chopin’s most famous sonata movement. Virtuoso
show pieces are in the majority in CD 3, with high quality but
not distinctively memorable Grand Valse and other traditional
forms delivering music for dedications, each of which is given
with the titles of the works. The C minor Ballade is
a fascinating and moving work, dedicated to Rossini, but eight
years too early to be a memorial. A few pieces also indicate
further Norwegian leanings, and the Walhallafesten and
Bruraslaatten may have been written for annual carnival
celebrations for Norwegian artists in Paris. The majority of
these pieces keep faith with the spirit of Chopin, and works
such as the final Pavane de la Reine Elisabeth are very
fine indeed.
Something of an extra highlight and most certainly a USP for
this set is on CD 4, with sensitive performances of Tellefsen’s
unpublished manuscripts. These are played on a fine-sounding
period instrument, an Érard piano. The booklet notes mention
that Tellefsen would have worked on pianos made by Ignaz Pleyel,
but the instrument to which all aspired in Paris were those
by Érard, and from the spring of 1843 Tellefsen was given permission
to practice on the pianos in the Érard studio for three hours
every day. The manuscript works are largely studies of one kind
or another, or liturgical pieces. These often show a more personal
character than many of the published works however, and as is
correctly pointed out in Harald Herresthal’s notes, are easily
of a standard equal to the pieces with opus numbers. The versetti
are organ ‘verses’ used between the sung verses of hymns,
and the preludes which conclude the programme are also
given pedal lines on a third stave for performance on organ.
I particularly like these miniatures, and the mix and range
from baroque style fugue counterpoint to often dramatic mature
works make for a fascinating journey through Tellefsen’s life
work.
This release has its four beautifully recorded discs housed
in a clever multiple jewel case which can require a little dexterity
to manage. The nicely designed booklet is illustrated with atmospheric
period photographs and is in a format a little larger than usual,
being held outside the jewel case but in an outer sleeve which
keeps everything together in a desirable package. Einar Steen-Nøkleberg
has written a heartfelt essay at the end of the booklet, ‘A
Cultural Heritage’, about Tellefsen’s historical context and
our perspective on him 150 years on, as well as his personal
relationship to the composer’s work. “T.D.A. Tellefsen is an
important figure in the Norwegian musical heritage, and I have
given of my very soul to bring him into the light in the year
2011.” The evidence of this can be heard very clearly in this
superb set, and this is a collection which deserves pride of
place in any fine library of piano music.
Dominy Clements
Track-listing
CD 1
Four Mazurkas op. 1 (1846) [10:34]
Nocturne in F major op. 2 (1849) [4:41]
Four Mazurkas op. 3 (1849) [8:59]
Trois Valses brillantes op. 5 (1851) [6:53]
Tarantelle op. 6 (1851) [3:41]
Elégie op. 7 (1852) [7:15]
Huldredansen op. 9 (1850s) [2:45]
Adagio et Rondo op. 10 (1850) [9:06]
2e Nocturne in E major Op. 11 (1853) [4:02]
Thème original et Fantaisie Op. 12 [10:06]
CD 2
Sonate op. 13 in C minor (1848) [17:51]
Mazurkas op. 14 (1853-54) [14:13]
Feuillets d’Album op. 16 [10:43]
3e Nocturne in B flat major op. 17 (c.1850s pub.
1885) [4:55]
Grande Polonaise op. 18 in C sharp major (1855) [7:42]
Allegretto in A major op.20 [3:35]
Toccata in F major op. 22 [8:58]
‘La petite mendiante’ op. 23 (c.1857) [2:42]
Grande Mazurka op. 24 in B flat major (1857) [3:52]
Grande Etude in E major op. 25 [3:31]
CD 3
Bruraslaatten/Bridal Tune op. 26 (1850s) [3:09]
Valse in D flat major op. 27 (1850s) [3:34]
Ballade in C minor op. 28 (1860) [5:42]
Marche Triomphale op. 29 in E flat major (1860) [5:15]
5e Grande Valse op. 30 no. 1 in F major (c.1860-62)
[4:02]
6e Grande Valse op. 30 no. 2 in F minor (c.1860-62)
[4:02] ???
Mazurka/Polskdans in A major op. 33 (1860s) [4:17]
‘Au travers d'un songe’ op. 34 [3:34]
Capriccio appassionato Op. 36 (1868) [5:37]
Impromptu op. 38 in G major [3:54]
4e Nocturne op. 39 in G flat major (1872) [5:04]
Walhallafesten op. 40 (c.1873) [3:51]
Mélodies écossaises op. 42 [7:29]
Exercice en sixtes Op. 43 [3:01]
Pavane de la Reine Elisabeth op. 44 (pub.1881) [8:19]
CD 4
Moderato [6:41]
Variations of Choral in G major ‘kimer i klokker’ [0:58]
Prelude in G major [2:54]
Lento-Allegro moderato-tempo primo [7:07]
Larghetto [1:47]
Prelude in G major [1:35]
Suite in G minor [3:38]
Fughetta’r, versettes & cantabilae [22 :37]
Prelude in G minor [1:38]
Prelude Andantino in E minor [3:04]
Prelude in G major [2:41]
Prelude in D major [1:27]
Prelude E phrygian [1:14]
Fuga D dorian [1:37]
Prelude in G major [0:39]
Adagio in D minor [1 :05]
Prelude in G major [0:55]
Interlude in C major [0:59]
Variations in G major on ‘Jesus styr de mine tanker’ [1:16]
Prelude in G minor ‘I Jesu Navn’[2:57] Deserves pride of place
in any fine collection.
Einar Steen-Nøkleberg (piano) 
