The tunes incorporated into the last
piece are probably the best on the disc.
That is because they are by Verdi. I
will qualify that later.
Gottschalk is sometimes
described - and is, in Hyperion’s publicity
- as the father of American music. As
a composer his work was variable though
he was extremely prolific and this in
spite of pursuing a relentless performing
career as a brilliant pianist. His output
included, among other things, a handful
of operas (mostly lost) and a couple
of symphonies although it largely consisted
of piano music which he would have played
at his recitals. The pieces would then
often be published and disseminated
widely, consolidating his fame as a
performer so that he became a household
name in musical circles throughout Europe
and the Americas
Much of Gottschalk’s
piano music is designed to show off
his prowess as a pianist and at the
same time pander to popular public taste.
In this he was extraordinarily skilful
and could turn out music that ranged
from sentimental, Victorian "weepy"
music to dazzling Lisztian fantasy pieces.
That brings me back
to the last piece on the disc, Jérusalem,
grand fantasie triomphale, and my
opening remark. Jérusalem
was the name Verdi gave to his revised
version of the opera I Lombardi and
Gottschalk might well have been at the
premiere in Paris. Here we have a fine
example of the operatic fantasy so popular
at the time. This is not just bombast.
Gottschalk plays with Verdi’s tunes
with much lyricism and delicacy while
providing the necessary virtuosity.
Towards the end of his life this became
a major display piece for the child
prodigy pianist "Miss Teresa Carreno"
who stormed New York with it in 1862.
How on earth an eight year old girl
got her hands around those big chords
I’ll never know.
Apart from two other
pieces on the disc, the music is Gottschalk’s
own and is of a kind that calls for
strong melodies but on the whole the
tunes are not particularly distinguished,
hence my remark which might have sounded
cheap and churlish. However, there are
two good reasons why some of this is
not the best of Gottschalk. First, being
as prolific and busy as he was, he could
not be expected to maintain consistent
quality and inspiration. Many of his
pieces would have been knocked out on
one of his long train journeys to the
next recital; in the words of Jeremy
Nicholas in the booklet notes, "on
automatic pilot". Second, as I
understand it, it was not until Hyperion
and Philip Martin got to volume 4 of
their splendid project of recording
a selection of Gottschalk’s piano music
that it was decided to extend the enterprise
towards the complete extant keyboard
music. It follows that up to volume
4 a fair portion of the best piano music
was already spoken for. Considering
this is volume 8, it is remarkable that
there is among the music much in which
to delight.
I really enjoyed Ses
Yeux which includes a lyrical left
hand melody accompanied with Lisztian
filigree work in the right. At one point
there is a Sousa–like march which is
reminiscent of Vladimir Horowitz’s famous
encore arrangement of Stars and Stripes
Forever, complete with an equivalent
of the dazzling obbligato piccolo passage
high up on the piano. Horowitz used
to make this sound as if there were
at least three hands involved. Gottschalk’s
piece here is an arrangement of a duet
and Philip Martin really does use three
hands, the third overdubbed.
The next piece is also
of interest. Pastorella e Cavalliere
is a sort of miniature tone poem for
keyboard. The story, "The Young
Shepherdess and the Knight", is
one of unrequited love. There is a real
sense of forward motion that appropriately
suggests unfolding narrative and there
are some very tricky cross rhythms between
right and left hand that Philip Martin
negotiates with skill and clarity.
With this series of
discs, Martin is establishing himself
as foremost champion of Gottschalk’s
piano music. Gottschalk has needed champions,
for his reputation went into decline
after his death and it was over half
a century before his come-back started.
The late pianist Eugene List was a notable
exponent and it seems Martin has taken
on the mantle. His playing is characterised
by a lyricism and delicacy that suits
the music very well in spite of the
virtuosity. This man is no Steinway
basher, achieving his percussive effects
in the more bombastic moments, by, like
Horowitz, being boldly spare with the
pedal. He also has an ability to indulge
the more weepy music without it sounding
over-sentimental. This quite a feat,
especially in the most famous melody
on the disc which is Gottschalk’s arrangement
of Sir Henry Rowley Bishop’s Home,
Sweet Home. Apparently Gottschalk
would bring tears to the eyes of American
audiences with this rendering. I wonder
how he played it.
The recorded sound
is excellent and the booklet well presented
and highly informative.
John Leeman
Philip Martin (piano) 
for
details
