I have to confess
to only really being acquainted with Bax’s music through his
colourful orchestral works and symphonies, plus a smattering
of chamber works, such as the excellent Nonet. Of course, I
have been aware of the ongoing series of piano discs from Naxos,
and have been very pleased to have finally been able to sample
this area of his output.
Lewis Foreman’s
exceptionally informative note tells us that the piano was,
in fact, Bax’s main instrument from a very early age and formed
the backbone of his studies at the Royal Academy of Music. He
also tells us that Bax constantly kept up with trends in European
music, and this is evident from listening to the two sonatas.
The Sonata No.3 is a big, lush work lasting well over
half an hour. It is interesting that Foreman’s note mentions
Scriabin and Debussy twice, and it seems clear to me that the
harmonic and chromatic ‘wanderings’ of the long first movement
have these composers as their source. It does have a boldness
about it, but I found the structure rather diffuse and meandering,
which negated some of the cleverness in the writing. At over
15 minutes, this movement alone lasts longer than many whole
Scriabin sonatas, and it is a pity the composer wasn’t persuaded
to tighten things up a little. That said, there is no denying
that Wass’s playing helps to keep a certain rein on things and
he tries in his playing to keep a positive forward momentum.
I liked the slow movement’s dreamy lyricism, so typical of the
composer, and even though the finale returns to the mood of
the opening movement, it is considerably shorter and makes a
bigger impression.
It appears the almost
universal trend towards neo-classicism reached Bax slightly
late, but it is definitely in evidence in the Sonata No.4,
his last outing in the form. Though a truly individual voice
is still hard to detect, I like the thinner, leaner textures
and tauter nature of the structure. Hindemith seems to be lurking
here, but Bax’s material has great charm and there is, certainly
in this performance, a feeling of heading somewhere rather than
lingering. The brilliant, toccata-like finale is particularly
impressive and Foreman points out that the treatment of the
main theme as a triumphal march later in the movement has some
parallels with music from the Fourth Symphony, premiered
about the same time.
I don’t think it’s
a coincidence that the shorter pieces, in some ways, work better
than the longer sonatas. Bax was a brilliant miniaturist, as
his short orchestral and chamber works show. The four pieces
featured here are all delightful, but if I had to pick one I
would say that the haunting and broodingly powerful Winter
Waters is a favourite. Foreman tells us it has a subtitle,
Tragic Landscape, and he surmises that for its inspiration
Bax may have had the stories of the Western Front in mind, which
wouldn’t surprise me.
Dedicated followers
of Bax may have other favourite recordings of this repertoire
to compare with, but for my ears, with its naturally balanced,
warm recording, Wass’s intelligent, agile playing does the composer’s
cause no harm at all.
Tony Haywood
see also Review
by Colin Clarke
Ashley Wass (piano)
