1. Variations on a Theme by Haydn (Brahms)
2. Variations for Two Pianos and Band (Gulda)
3. Volcano for Hire (Zawinul)
Friedrich Gulda, Joe Zawinul - Pianos
WDR Big Band Köln
Friedrich
Gulda, who died in the year 2000, always had
a two-way ticket between classical music and
jazz.. Trained as a classical pianist, he
acquired a liking for jazz by attending jazz
clubs in New York. In 1988, he gave two concerts
in Cologne with another Vienna-born pianist
– Joe Zawinul – and the results are on this
CD.
Gulda
and Zawinul start by performing the two-piano
version of Brahms’ Variations on a Theme
by Haydn, also known as Variations
on the St Anthony Chorale. This is played
fairly straight, although the variations are
preceded by an improvised introduction. Then
the two are joined by the WDR Big Band of
Cologne for Gulda’s Variations for Two
Pianos and Band. The variations are based
on an attractive waltz theme which is stated
discreetly before the tempo quickens and the
band enters. A slower passage features the
two pianists in meditative mood, although
the sleeve-note offers no help in identifying
which is which – and it is difficult to decide
how much is improvised. The orchestra enters
again for a hustling passage which keeps the
pianists’ fingers busy. Another shift into
gentle lyricism precedes a showy finale. It
is an interesting piece but, as in many examples
of "Third Stream" music, the jazz
element gets submerged beneath the composed
passages.
The
CD ends with Joe Zawinul’s Volcano for
Hire, a short but fiery piece which
allows the soloists to let their hair down
and improvise with real gusto.
The
disc contains barely 40 minutes of music,
and half that time is taken up by the Brahms
Variations which may not interest jazz
fans particularly (although it is a beautiful
piece). So the album will probably have a
limited appeal to our readers.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
for
details
Capriccio
67 175
