The music of Erik Chisholm,
for many years totally neglected in
his native land (‘out of sight, out
of mind’ as he forsook Scotland for
Cape Town) is now being explored and
if the present disc is representative
then that neglect is indefensible. It
is now known, thanks to his daughter,
that his list of compositions is extensive,
including two piano concertos, two symphonies,
a violin concerto, operas and more.
Here on this disc,
as well as a second outing of the big
Piano Sonata, we have a Suite, and a
set of children’s pieces, demonstrating
a musical personality of great vitality
– nationalist in persuasion but speaking
(or singing) in accents universally
acceptable.
The expansive three-movement
Straloch Suite draws its material from
the lute book of Sir Robert Gordon of
Straloch (1627) [lost, but existing
in a copy in the hand of G.F. Graham
in 1847]. This is a compendium of ancient
Scottish airs of considerable variety
and by no means devoid of contemporary
reference. Chisholm’s treatment, although
based on dance, is contrapuntal – neo-classical
in its clarity. Of its three movements,
the central is longer than the other
two together, using three tunes which
he blends into a "thick-textured
setting" with a richly eloquent
love song.
The set of Scots tunes
for children also has its origin in
the early music of Scotland – in this
case the 1784 collection of airs (laoidh)
gathered by one Patrick MacDonald .
This is a Joy!! If only this music were
to replace the arid counterpoint and
pop/jazz bias in the musical education
of the child today ...! These brief
and exciting pieces, full of vitality
as well as eloquent songful material,
are dressed with musical distinction
by a master hand; simple, not in any
way overdone, but totally ‘right’ and
expressive of a genuine Scottish element
without any trace of the execrable trappings
of musical tourism. At first the music
might suggest by association, Bartók
and Mikrokosmos – yet I fancy that there
is more of a relationship with the unpublished
(and largely unknown) Intuitions of
Francis George Scott, written about
the same time. They also remind me of
a set of children’s pieces "Per
La Gioventu" by the Italian Tagliapietra
– introduced to me many years ago by
Ronald Stevenson. These Chisholm pieces,
like the Tagliapietra, provide a perfect
introduction for children to the accents
of "modern" music yet maintaining
its roots in tradition.
I reviewed
the Piano Sonata as recorded earlier
by MacLachlan when it was played in
its entirety. In the present recording
MacLachlan has elected to make several
cuts – cuts which appear to be substantial
enough to excise some six minutes from
the performance. Some 12 bars or so
appear to be lost in the first movement.
The Scherzo is played faster than previously,
with minor emendations. The 3rd
has a cut towards the end leaving a
quiet conclusion. The most substantial
elisions are in the finale, leaving
the strong melodic romantic pulse to
develop to its apotheosis. Chisholm
left the Sonata in uncollected sections
– and time will tell whether the cuts
more clearly fulfil his intentions.
An athletic work, based
on the piobearachd, ‘The Red Ribbon’
has an opening pipe tune decorated with
grace notes in the style of classical
pipe music. The whole first movement
is a substantial variation structure
penetrated by an aerial melodic strand
redolent of the Isles. The second (Scherzo)
begins with a demonic left-hand rhythm
– probably the most Bartókian
moment in the work – its energies sharply
contrasting with the ensuing Lament
(in memoriam the sinking of the submarine
‘Thetis’ in June 1939.) This movement
is dark and sombre, with dramatic gestures.
The final movement is an exuberant dance
which metamorphoses into a kind of clan
march, and the work reaches a resplendent
climax of romantic proportions.
MacLachlan has made
the study of Chisholm’s music his own.
There is a kind of repressed excitement
in these pieces that is infectious.
It is certainly to be hoped that these
exploratory excursions into Chisholm’s
substantial output will unearth other
revelations.
Colin Scott-Sutherland
See also review
by David
Hackbridge Johnson
see also
ERIK
CHISHOLM Piano Music Murray McLachlan
Piano. Olympia OCD 639
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Murray McLachlan, piano