RECORDING OF THE MONTH     CHOPIN Waltzes and Impromptus Vladimir Feltsman £11 post free World-wide VIVALDI The four seasons London Mozart Players/Juritz £12 post free World-wide BEETHOVEN Symphonies 4 and 5 LSO/Yondani Butt £12 post free World-wide

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Hans HOLEWA Tre preludier (1936-37) [7.27] Sonatine (1943) [16.54] Fyra pianostycken (1944) [11.14] Liten Svit (1947) [13.15] Inventioni (1970) [9.37] Marianne Facht-Ribbing (piano) rec. 29 June 1991, studio 3, Swedish Radio, Stockholm PROPRIUS PRCD 9064 [63.21]

I referred recently to the Proprius anthology of Hägg and Josephson piano solos as 'well behaved piano stool miniatures'. Holewa's piano music is quite a different proposition. He drank deep at the Second Viennese well. The influence here is Schoenberg rather than the 'sour' lyricism of Berg or the out and out objectivity of Webern. Across the years covered we note a trajectory from the Pierrot Lunaire astringency of the Three Preludes and the Sonatine into the quasi-romantic excrescence of the Fyra pianostycken. The Preludes and Sonatine are in awed respect of Schoenberg's precepts. Given that the Sonatine was written only one year before the Four Pieces the contrast is remarkable not that they are a complete abnegation of Schoenberg's style as the so-called allegro moderato proves. It is remarkable, by the way, that despite what you are led to expect by the declared tempo markings, most of these pieces proceed at a middling moderato. Even the schnell of the Tre preludier only snaps the moderato bonds in little impetuous outbursts rather than in a wholehearted rush of blood. For the Liten svit we are back to the style of the Tre preludier and their moderato pacing. If there is a weakness in this music it is its lack of variety of tempo - its generalised middling rate of progress. The Inventioni of three decades later shows how Holewa remained true to his adopted style but with something I take to be an Iberian flavour cut with the melancholy melodrama of the Tre preludier. It also recalls the Lisztian fist-shaking and turbulence of the Howard Ferguson Piano Sonata. Marianne Ribbing's performances which have a bejewelled delicacy and slender steely strength must be taken to be faithful to Holewa's intentions. The notes are in Swedish and German only. Rob Barnett   Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

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