I must confess that
I am always a little disappointed with
the music of Nikolai Medtner, and much
more to the point I am not really sure
why this is the case. I suppose part
of the reason goes to an initial expectation
that in this composer’s music we had
a pendant to the likes of Scriabin or
Rachmaninov. I imagined that here was
a corpus of romantic music that was
just waiting to be indulged in or even
luxuriated in.
Gerald Abraham sums
up what the problem is. He points out
that Medtner is the one composer whose
works differ so considerably from the
popular conception of Russian music.
Abraham isolates rhythmic excitement,
brilliant harmonic and instrumental
colour, rather obvious but nonetheless
delightful melodies which are noted
for their simplicity and clarity as
being the commonly held conception of
Russian style. However, Medtner, he
describes as having an austere as opposed
to flamboyant romanticism, and having
considerable emotional depth instead
of wearing his heart on his sleeve.
And finally the building bricks of Medtner’s
music make use of a number of highly
crafted compositional devices including
complex harmonies and considerable use
of polyphonic textures. So Medtner’s
music is not like Rachmaninov. It is
not conceived in a popular style. It
is not easy to understand at a first
hearing and it is not the kind of music
that becomes a Classic FM potboiler.
The Three Arabesques
Op. 7 were composed in 1904. The
first is subtitled ‘Idyll’ whilst
the last two are noted as ‘Tragedy
Fragments.’ Now this is interesting
as the definition of arabesque is ‘florid
(i.e. decorated) figure or composition;
[the] name means 'Arabic decoration';
a male ballet position.’ Now we can
discount the latter definition. However
to me the title 'arabesque' suggests
something perhaps pastoral, ephemeral
or perhaps will o’ the wisp. Not so
with this set of three connected pieces.
The first conforms to type, opening
in a ‘dreamy’ manner. However the second
slowly descends into something much
more sinister and even violent. In 1904
the Russians had begun the disastrous
war against Japan and this had been
followed by waves of unrest at home.
It is perhaps helpful to see these pieces
as the composer’s response to these
unsettled times. It is very much a case
of ‘the Dream is Over’. The final piece
is extremely attractive in a strange
way. There is much aggression, but every
so often an uplifting theme struggles
desperately to be free.
A brief look at the
CD catalogue will reveal a number of
Medtner’s works that carry the title
‘Fairy Tales’. Now this is perhaps
an unfortunate translation of a Russian
word – ‘Skazka’. It is probably better
rendered as ‘tale’ or ‘legend’ without
the ‘fairy.’ So here we are not considering
stories derived from the Brothers Grimm
or Hans Christian Andersen but with
a much more mundane, more immediate
expression of musical thought. It may
have something to do with forests and
owls and witches but could refer to
‘doings’ of a less tangible or esoteric
nature. Medtner uses the title ‘fairy
tale’ in the same manner as Brahms uses
Intermezzi or Chopin uses ‘Ballade’.
They are perhaps more of a vehicle for
the composer’s own lyrical compositions
and ‘quasi-narrative’ tone than a pictorial
representation of an artistic or literary
theme from a story book.
The Two Fairy Tales
Op. 8 seem to be related to the
Arabesques in so far as they
exude a sense of foreboding. The tender
moments seem to be outweighed by the
drama and tension of troubled times
to come. Yet they are effective works
that can quite easily be listened to
and divorced from their apparently ‘lyrical’
programme.
Medtner was perceived
as a difficult composer by both publishers
and the public. There was a need for
something simple – something the gifted
amateur would be able to master. The
composer responded with his Romantic
Sketches for the Young, Op.54. These
consist of eight pieces – presented
as four ‘tales’ preceded by a prelude.
Now whether these are either easy or
suitable for the young is a matter of
opinion, but my impression is that they
are probably more difficult than to
be in the gift of the ‘average’ amateur.
However, they make attractive listening
and include one of Medtner’s loveliest
creations – the prelude to the last
‘Tale’. This prelude is subtitled
Hymn. The programme notes allude
to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
as being somewhere in the background
to this work.
The last work on this
disc is the also the longest .The Second
Improvisation, Op. 47 lasts for
nearly half an hour. This work is subtitled
– ‘In the form of Variations’
and a quick look at the track list reveals
that these variations all have a poetic
title. Assuming something is lost in
the translation, a typical example would
be the third variation which is called
Feathered Ones. The ninth is
purportedly about Wood Sprites
and the fourteenth a Song of the
Water Nymph. Now Tozer warns us
that these subtitles need to be regarded
as poetic rather than literal. This
is no Pictures at an Exhibition.
Tozer believes that this work is autobiographical
and that the titles are metaphors or
like the clues of a crossword. He then
writes an interesting 500 words of analysis
based on this presumption.
Now the work itself
can be listened to quite easily by abandoning
the programme or hidden subtext. This
is an extremely tightly controlled work
that on first hearing sounds quite sparse
and even astringent. However a second
attempt began to reveal hidden depths.
So I imagine it is one of those works
that gradually imparts its secrets –
already my enjoyment has been increased
many-fold. My impression is that it
could be considered as a candidate for
the composer’s masterpiece. It is with
this work that my original conception
of Medtner’s music as being a mine of
romantic music in the high Russian manner
begins to become true.
Geoffrey Tozer has
done a fine job in almost single-handedly
promoting the piano works of Nicolai
Medtner. Of course, other pianists including
Hamish Milne and Marc-André Hamelin
have contributed to the catalogue, but
Tozer is the only one who is systematically
producing a complete cycle of all the
piano works. The collection produced
by Chandos runs to eight volumes with
the possibility of a few more. I first
came across Tozer in his recording of
the Alan Rawsthorne piano concertos
and heard him as the accompanist in
the McEwen violin sonatas. He tends
to concentrate on 20th century
repertoire, and has included Bartók,
Korngold, Gerhard and Ottorino Respighi
in his catalogue. I like his style of
playing in this CD. One cannot help
feeling that he is totally committed
to this music. As another reviewer said,
it is obviously a labour of love. The
excellent programme notes were written
by Geoffrey Tozer and once again reflect
his enthusiasm for the music of this
underrated by quite fascinating composer.
Since listening to
this disc I have caught something of
the subtlety of Medtner’s writing. I
have been able to understand that what
I thought was a lack of emotion or warmth
is in fact a testament to the complexity
and depth of his musical language. There
is a huge range of emotion across these
pieces and this requires a degree of
‘tuning in’. I am becoming sensitive
to the fact that this effort is extremely
worthwhile.
A welcome addition
to this complex but rewarding composer’s
discography. Tozer plays this music
with skill, understanding and obvious
high regard.
John France
Geoffrey Tozer, piano 
