An interesting and well-played disc of three widely differing twentieth
century classics. It might seem like improbable programming juxtaposing the
Rite of Spring and Rhapsody in Blue with La Valse as some kind of musical
sandwich between but actually it works rather well. This is due in no small
degree to the virtuosity of pianist Eric Ferrand N'Kaoua.
EFN'K - as the liner likes to acronym him - has a formidable
technique and an ability to bring clarity to the most complex of
textures.
Stravinsky never produced a solo piano version of The Rite - although his
own
version(s) for piano 4 hands or 2 pianos was published before the full
orchestral score. Apparently Artur Rubinstein played his own transcription
at
a private performance with Stravinsky present - but this was never
published.
The current version is by American pianist/composer Sam Raphling - about
whom
the liner says nothing more than that. Which is a shame because Raphling's
transcription - distillation really - is a remarkable achievement. On-line
I
read
a
very
interesting and extended interview with Raphling - which sadly also
makes
no mention of why or when he made this version. What is telling is his
experience in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as their orchestral keyboard
player working with the likes of Toscanini and Rachmaninov. One cannot
help but deduce that that experience of an orchestra from the inside allied
to his skill as a keyboard arranger has helped him produce a work which
contains the essence of the Stravinsky's huge masterpiece. Indeed
time and again I was struck by how little of the original work seemed to be
missing even though logic tells you substantial portions of inner texture
must be absent. Which is why I used the word distilled; there is a curiously
counter-intuitive thing happening here. Although this is the very epitome of
a complex and thickly textured work both Raphling and EFN'K keep it
very 'clean'. There are none of the usual piano transcription
extra fireworks - probably due to a lack of time or fingers. I did wonder if
the original purpose of this transcription was to provide a keyboard version
for the ballet rehearsal room - which did lead me to wonder
how did
ballet companies rehearse this work in the studio before the advent of
decent recordings?
Through no fault of player or transcriber what is missed is the variety of
timbre and texture. Stravinsky uses his large instrumental group not so much
to give a massive weight of sound but rather to allow timbral groups within
sections; hence a flute group is pursued by a clarinet figuration or massed
horns play in one rhythmic pattern where the percussion and strings play
another. All of these ear-leading sub-divisions within the orchestra are
subsumed into a mass of piano tone. EFN'K is very good indeed at
creating as much tonal variety as he can and only once or twice are the
characteristic steady rhythmic ostinati rocked fractionally by the physical
impossibility of getting around all of the keyboard in time.
Interpretatively this is quite a centrist view with few extremes of tempo or
musical vision. I have not heard any of the other solo piano versions
available but this strikes me as enjoyable and impressive. I see that on
RCA/Delos the first performer of the Raphling transcription - Dikran Atamian
- released a performance of this version but I have not heard it.
Maurice Ravel produced his own solo piano version of his great La Valse.
This is much better known and more often recorded in this keyboard version
than the Stravinsky. Even though it shares a twin existence as both a solo
piano and an orchestral work alongside the Rite this
sounds more
like a work conceived for and on the keyboard. The great virtuosic flurries
and flamboyant gestures speak of the piano more than the orchestra - much as
I enjoy that version too. Again, EFN'K proves himself fully up to the
demands of the work and gives it an exciting and impressive performance. As
with the Stravinsky, I particularly admire his ability to clarify the
textures and articulate complex passagework. There is a valid alternative
which treats the piece as more of a latter-day virtuoso vehicle. I remember
a very early CD from Geoffrey Saba on IMP which emphasised just that aspect
of the work to great effect although with a slightly strident recorded
sound. Indeed, it could be seen as a performance characteristic of
EFN'K that he favours a degree of objectivity in all of the works
presented here. Not that it lacks drama or musical power but rather that he
values other aspects of performance higher still.
This objectivity - to my ear at least - seems least rewarding in the group
of Gershwin pieces. The inclusion of the Three Piano Preludes runs slightly
contrary to the rest of the 'transcription-themed' programme.
Again clarity and precision is to the fore but here - and in Rhapsody in
Blue - I miss a degree of warmth and affection that I feel is vital. Also,
EFN'K rarely allows any received performance practice ideas of swung
8ths (jazz triplet quavers). All the rhythms are 'straight'.
Again, I can imagine some listeners will prefer this rather dry-eyed
approach finding other versions too sentimental or mannered. But few would
disagree with the actual pianistic beauty of his playing of the central
prelude - No.2 in C sharp minor which is subtitled here "Blue
Lullaby". Although why - as EFN'K writes in his own liner - this
"conjures up 1920s Manhattan to perfection" escapes me. By all
means write such a comment - but then justify it! The solo piano version of
Rhapsody in Blue seems to be a version of Gershwin's own short-score
of the work he produced as part of the composition process. As such it is
not a transcription or distillation - more the pianistic nuts and bolts of
how it was put together. Again, the remarkable achievement is how little the
ear misses - once the unmistakeable sounds of the jazz band/orchestra are
accepted as absent. EFN'K is very impressive here at layering the
music so there is a sense of solo keyboard and accompaniment. Once more, I
do find him less playful and more objective than my ideal performance might
be but he does find an ideally sonorous and expressive intensity for the
'big tune' that appears two thirds of the way into the
work.
Throughout EFN'K is helped by a recording that is quite close but
shows his Steinway D piano as being in exceptionally good condition - rich
and powerful across the whole range. The recording venue is nicely neutral
without any undue resonance but providing the right amount of warmth. The
main works are usefully subdivided into multiple tracks; twelve for The Rite
and three for Rhapsody in Blue. EFN'K's liner is in three
languages; French, English and German and is reasonably useful but with
rather too many key details missing for these unusual versions of well-known
works. The CD cover is slightly odd; a painting of the three featured
composers which makes them look like waxworks or zombies.
As an appendix to the more familiar orchestral versions of these famous
works this is a wholly enjoyable and well-performed anthology.
Nick Barnard
