Walter PISTON (1894-1976)
Variations on a Theme by Edward Burlingame Hill (1963) [9:31]
Divertimento for Nine Instruments (1946) [13:07]
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (1967) [12:46]
Concerto for Orchestra (1933) [14:12]
Michael Norsworthy (clarinet)
Boston Modern Orchestra Project/Gil Rose
rec. 30 June 2015, Jordan Hall, Boston (Variations, Concerto for
Orchestra), 11 August 2014, Fraser Hall, WGBH Studios, Boston
(Divertimento) and 6 March 2011, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, USA (Clarinet
Concerto)
Reviewed as downloaded from press preview
First recordings: Variations, Concerto for orchestra
BMOP/SOUND 1080 SACD
[49:41]
For non-specialist classical listeners, American neoclassicism begins and
ends with Copland and Barber. Walter Piston, slightly older than his
aforementioned colleagues, was at least their equal as composer and
educator. Nevertheless, despite being a two-time Pulitzer winner and a
longtime faculty member at Harvard University, his music today barely
registers a flicker of recognition outside of professional musical circles.
Piston’s music—with its neat textures, piquant harmonies, and splashes of
dry wit—was practically the textbook example of the
post-Stravinskian/Hindemithian neoclassicism that dominated the American
academic musical establishment of the 20th century. It also remained more
or less stylistically constant, as this handsomely recorded and played
selection issued by BMOP Sound attests. From the Great Depression to the
Great Society, Piston spent his career not developing so much as honing his
distinctive musical voice, similar to how Chopin and Bruckner had done with
their own music.
The zippy Concerto for Orchestra from 1933 is the earliest work,
as well as the last one on this disc. In three movements, its terseness and
intimate scoring give the impression of chamber music rather than symphonic
music. Winking references to Bach and Hindemith can be heard in the first
movement; the playful second, with its skittering moto perpetuo-like violins and sassy brass interjections, at times sounds like a Paul
Whiteman or Nathaniel Shilkret number run amok. After the good humor of the
preceding movements, the comparatively severe passacaglia which comprises
the finale comes as a bit of a surprise, although the tangy rhythms and
harmonies which grow from it help to impart some brightness.
Following twelve years later is the Divertimento for Nine Instruments, another three-part work in a
similar mood, with a lyrical and introspective slow movement bookended by
breezier fast ones.
The sombre Variations on a Theme by Edward Burlingame Hill, which
opens this program, composed in 1963, was a double memorial to two
important figures in Piston’s life who had died in 1960. Hill had been
Piston’s former teacher and later colleague; it was his theme from an
unpublished work for solo flute that the latter chose as the basis for his
variations. The score was dedicated to the memory of Herbert V. Kibrick, a
Bostonian insurance agent, amateur flautist, and former pupil of both Hill
and Piston. Unsurprisingly, the flute plays an important role in this
superbly crafted score; at times leading the music forward, at others
floating above it all. Even in mourning Piston never relaxes his
craftsmanship. Each variation, each texture is immaculately sculpted. This
is pensive music, but also resilient and dignified amidst grief. Its coda,
with flute trailing off into the void, is all the more moving for its
gentleness and subtlety.
The Clarinet Concerto from 1967, a compact score melding four movements
into one, is the latest work on this disc. It is a further distillation of
Piston’s art, whose basic elements are still recognizable, but over time
have become sharpened. His humor takes on a more acerbic tone here, the
overall mood tense. When echoes of jazz do appear, they carry a whiff of
sulphur which recall the “swing” trio in Vaughan Williams’ saturnine Sixth
Symphony. By a cosmic coincidence Piston’s score also bears a striking
resemblance to another concerto for clarinet composed the year before by
the Bulgarian composer Lyubomir Pipkov, a name and work Piston was unlikely
to have known, much less heard. Clarinettists looking to give the concertos
by Nielsen and Finzi a rest would be rewarded by exploring this masterly
score.
Boston Modern Orchestra Project play with great conviction and feeling for
Piston’s angular language. Its chamber-like transparency and clean textures
are ideal in these works and Michael Norsworthy’s lean clarinet sound is a
fine fit for Piston’s wiry concerto. Fine liner notes by Mark DeVoto round
out this treasurable release. One hopes that BMOP will turn their
attentions to more Piston in the future. Maybe his Ricercare, Concerto for String Quartet, Winds, and Percussion, or the Eighth
Symphony?
Néstor Castiglione
