William Mathias' early
works are somewhat more rewarding than
some of his later ones when he developed
his 'recessional music' where his music
no longer developed or worked towards
expected climaxes.
He was an excellent pianist having
studied with Peter Katin and his understanding
of the piano is assured. The Piano Sonata
No 1, Op 23 is individual, strong and
expertly laid out for the piano. It
has a brilliance that is not that uncomfortable
dazzling white light that blinds because
it is always at the top of the piano,
but a rugged brilliance. It teems with
energy. It may not have the swaggering
gait of the Piano Concerto No 3 but
it is impressive. The slow movement
is worth getting to know. It has a beauty
and simplicity that defies its depth.
The final toccata is full of vitality
and athletic leaps.
The Sonata No 2, Op 46 dates from 1969
and is one of many piano sonatas that
have employed the terrific Liszt Sonata
as their model. Humphrey Searle did
this first in 1951 in accordance with
the precise instruction of the body
commissioning this sonata for the 140th
anniversary of Liszt's birth. The Mathias
is in the slow-fast-slow format. The
opening is uneasy and listless and then
the music suddenly releases a tremendous
blast and internal energy. And how well
Raymond Clarke performs it and how splendidly
the recording engineer captures this
high drama. This is good, old-fashioned
exciting piano music full of suspense,
tension and exhilaration. The final
section explores wonderful harmonies
and arabesque figures and eventually
leads to a quiet ending.
John Pickard was born in Lancashire
in 1963 and studied with William Mathias.
His orchestral piece The Flight of Icarus
was included in the 1996 BBC Promenade
Concerts and was very well received.
He has written three symphonies, a Trombone
Concerto and four string quartets. He
is a composer to watch.
A Starlit Dome dates from 1995 and
lasts about eleven minutes. It is an
extended nocturne which reveals the
composer's interest in astronomy. He
has called the piece an 'astronomical
nocturne'. It is a piece that begins
and progresses mysteriously and quietly
(and yet the music is never uninteresting).
But an underlying agitation becomes
apparent and the work heads towards
a conclusion of tremendous and satisfying
energy. It is a good piece.
Pickard's Piano Sonata of 1987 is a
massive work in two parts, slow and
fast. It has a brief and powerful start
and the exemplary playing and excellent
recording enhance this quality music.
The composer may say that he wrote it
in a comparative hurry and yet every
aspect of the work shows evidence of
careful and detailed planning. Although
the first part of this sonata is slow
it is strong and rugged and is itself
in two halves each with a long theme
with four variations. Any introspection
is never a dreamy sentimental wallow
although the music sometimes has the
feel of a solemn occasion such as a
cortege. But it is powerful music often
reminding me of Liszt's Funerailles.
Slow music does not have to be boringly
soft and tedious; it can be powerful
and strong like this. The composer speaks
of the work's ferocity of expression
and in the sleeve-note makes a political
statement, to which he is, of course,
entitled but I hope it does not serve
to threaten or hinder his career. He
is a composer with a very positive musical
ability.
The second half of part one hints at
Chopin's revolutionary study. Again
the music is very strong and absolutely
fascinating. Even something simple like
the progression of chords has a great
interest in their harmonic content particularly
in the final pages.
Part two has a relentless onward drive
with toccatas and ostinati. And, if
I may display a hobby-horse again, this
is a real fast movement. The tempo remains
a fierce allegro and lasts about ten
minutes. It is angry music, perhaps
young man's music ... exciting and percussive
and very stirring.
The piece is a revelation. The recording
is spell-binding; the performances are
staggering. Clarke is in complete control
... absolutely astonishing.
And the CD booklet contains a picture
of Raymond Clarke with his cat.
It completed a wonderful hour of music.
David Wright
and a further review by Hubert
Culot
Though he was a fine pianist, William
Mathias wrote little for piano, if one
excepts his three piano concertos. His
piano sonatas are in fact his only large-scale
piano works. Though they are on the
whole very characteristic of Mathias’
music-making, they nevertheless reveal
other facets of it. The Piano Sonata
No. l Op. 23 (1963) is an imposing piece
of some substance described by Malcolm
Boyd as "a work of tremendous power
and sinew - one of the more masculine
of all Mathias’ pieces". The
first movement is the more extended
and over-flows with vintage Mathias
ideas. It is also a highly personal
reinterpretation of traditional sonata
form design. It has much energy though
Mathias manages a good deal of contrast
in the course of this predominantly
animated movement. The Andante semplice
that follows is a darker, brooding meditation
in which the character of the Welsh
Penillion may be found. This comparatively
simple movement is a moving example
of Mathias’ avowed Welshness. Characteristically
the First Sonata ends with a vigorous
dance-like Toccata. The Piano Sonata
No.2 Op. 46 (1969) is still more impressive.
It is in one single movement encompassing
a fairly traditional slow-fast-slow
structure of which the animated central
section acts "as a turbulent development"
(John Pickard). The final section gradually
slows down and provides a calmer recapitulation
of the opening. A very impressive piece
indeed. In fact Mathias’ piano
sonatas are among his finest and nevertheless
most neglected works. The present performances
are therefore most welcome for they
shed yet some further light on Mathias’
oeuvre.
John Pickard (born in 1963) was a pupil
of William Mathias. Though still in
his mid-thirties Pickard has composed
a fairly impressive output that contains
three symphonies and four string quartets.
His substantial Piano Sonata was completed
in 1987 and dedicated to Raymond Clarke
who premiered it in 1988. This ambitious
work is much a young man’s work,
some sort of Stürm und Drang sonata
into which the young composer threw
all his technical accomplishment and
all his sincerity, even if the fairly
traditional music (none the worst for
that!) does not also match the composer’s
avowed vindictive mood. This is however
a remarkable achievement superbly written
for the piano which it exploits in an
almost Rachmaninov-like manner. The
extended first part is a massive double
set of variations ending somewhat mysteriously.
The second part is a vigorous Toccata
which builds up to a mighty conclusion.
A Starlit Dome (1995) is some sort of
updated nocturne with much colourful
and imaginative writing. A highly enjoyable
piece that should be taken-up by any
marginally adventurous pianist.
Raymond Clarke’s superb performances
are given a very fine recording perfectly
suited to this highly idiomatic piano
writing. Unreservedly recommended for
the Mathias works and for this first
glimpse into John Pickard’s output.
Reviewer
Hubert Culot
Raymond Clarke (piano)