George Rochberg is hardly a household name – on the
UK side of the Atlantic, at least – so it’s good that Naxos
has decided to rebrand and reissue this Gasparo disc of his
piano music. As for Rochberg’s orchestral works, Derek Warby
admired the First Symphony – review
– while in her liner-notes Sally Pinkas is just as enthusiastic
about his piano pieces. How does this music strike the innocent
ear? Given Rochberg’s early reputation as an avant-garde
composer and the hint of formal rigour contained in the titles
of these works, one might be tempted to file this music under
D for difficult. Don’t, because after hearing it you’ll want
to amend that to D for deeply satisfying.
The Israeli-born soloist Sally Pinkas has already contributed
to other volumes in the Rochberg series, and on the strength
of this one alone it’s clear she has a real affinity for this
composer. Just sample the irrepressible – somewhat Lisztian
– first movement of the Partita-Variations. Her playing
is clean and uncluttered by undue emphasis or expressive moulding.
The knotty Intermezzo with its repeated motif is subtly shaded.
The open, natural recording helps immeasurably here, highlighting
the crystalline qualities of Rochberg’s writing. But there’s
humour in this music too, notably in Burlesca, which has the
good sense to stay just this side of slapstick.
All very different from the more austere Cortege, with its sustained
bass and spiky treble. Even those who usually shy away from
such gnarled sounds can’t fail to be impressed both by the lucidity
of Rochberg’s score and the focused, unfussy pianism. Just listen
to the gentle rhythmic inflexions of Impromptu, the finely-controlled
dynamics of The Deepest Carillon and the sheer elegance and
fluidity of Tema: Ballade – what a remarkable blend of finesse
and feeling. As for the Caprice Minuet and Canon, they are all
beautifully crafted and well executed. The unfatiguing piano
sound is a real boon in the music’s exposed passages. The Nocturne,
Arabesque and Fuga a tre voce are no less beguiling; the nervy
night music and staccatoed Arabesque especially so. As for the
baroquerie of the final fugue – with its return to the cascades
of the opening prelude – it’s a perfect summation of all that’s
gone before.
Rochberg’s enduring fascination for Bach surfaces in the witty
assonance of Nach Bach, written ten years earlier. It’s
more tersely phrased than anything we’ve heard thus far, combining
stylistic elements of the 17th and 20th
centuries in a most artful and convincing way. Although intended
for harpsichord or piano, I imagine the former would impart
a much drier, more didactic flavour to this music, which clearly
benefits from the colour and dynamic possibilities of the more
versatile modern instrument. It’s an attractive piece, although
not quite as fresh and open-faced as the Partita-Variations.
Pinkas really revels in this music, and her attention to
its many nuances and contrasts is admirable.
‘Dark and deeply anguished’ is how Pinkas describes the Sonata-Fantasia,
written in 1956. It’s a tough, sinewy piece, rescued from
relentlessness by Rochberg’s penchant for subtle textures and
carefully shaded dynamics. The result is a display piece, a
veritable peacock’s tail of eye-catching colours. That’s not
to say Pinkas isn’t right about the music’s emotional subtext;
it’s just that any such content is so tightly bound up with
the musical structure that it’s hard to see where one begins
and the other ends. Not the most grateful or engaging work on
this disc, then, but certainly the most rigorous and intricately
wrought.
Derek Warby declared Rochberg’s First Symphony a
‘major discovery’, a sentiment I’d happily echo where this piano
collection is concerned. Given such strong, incisive, playing
and more than enough variety and invention, an hour of this
music is very easily managed in one sitting. Indeed, it’s a
good piece of programming, combining the embraceable Partita-Variations
with two works that, although somewhat aloof, are never unreachable.
The recording – not always a Naxos strong point – is also excellent,
but then I expect the credit for that lies with the original
Gasparo engineers. If the other instalments are as good as this
one, then I’d say they are a very welcome addition to the admirable
and consistently rewarding Naxos series of American Classics.
Dan Morgan
The Variations
I. Praeludium [2:47]
II. Intermezzo [2:20]
III. Burlesca [00:59]
IV. Cortege [4:02]
V. Impromptu [1:53]
VI. The Deepest Carillon [4:21]
VII. Tema: Ballade [2:17]
VIII. Capriccio [1:04]
IX. Minuetto [2:46]
X. Canon [1:39]
XI. Nocturne [4:48]
XII. Arabesque [2:17]
XIII. Fuga a tre voce [3:46]
Sally Pinkas (piano) 
