Copland can
hardly be said to have composed for the piano in a large
way. If we look at the ‘Complete Piano Works’ on Sony (Classical
66345) recorded by Leo Smit we find a total duration just
short of two hours. There are some 17 works recorded. Three
of them account for over an hour’s worth of music. The remaining
14 average about three and a bit minutes each.
The upshot of
this is that although many of the lesser works are interesting,
attractive and perhaps even fun, Copland’s reputation as
a composer for piano does tend to rest on the three big
ones – and deservedly so.
All three of
these key works are recorded on this present disc and allow
us to get to the very heart of ‘Copland the Pianist’. The
first thing to point out is that these works are extremely
difficult to play from both a technical and an interpretive
angle – Benjamin Pasternak achieves considerable success
on both counts.
As an aside
the Sonata has 13 versions currently available: the
Variations and Fantasy has 8 and 7 editions
respectively.
The Variations
is the earliest of the three works on this disc. Apparently
Copland used to joke(?) that he emptied rooms with this
work in his younger days. It was written after a period
of study with Nadia Boulanger when the composer began to
experiment with ‘abstract and concentrated forms’ as opposed
to the jazz/classical fusion of the 1920s. There is an anecdote
about Leonard Bernstein: at his first meeting with Aaron
Copland, he sat down at a piano and played the Variations
from memory. Apparently it was Lenny’s favourite work in
his Harvard days. No doubt Copland was seriously impressed.
This work was,
and has been, criticised as being unmusical and difficult
and even un-listenable. Yet another group of critics lauded
the work as the shape of things to come. So whatever view
the audience took, it was a pivotal work when it was introduced
to the American musical public in the early 1930s. Now that
three-quarters of a century have flown it is probably time
for reappraisal. We are no longer offended by the style
of composition. We no longer need to take sides on its value
and worth. And let’s be honest, it seems quite tame compared
to some that we have had to sit thought in the 1960s and
1970s!
The present
recording plays down the more ‘granitic’ qualities. In fact
Pasternak introduces a considerable sense of lyricism. Current
day critics are debating whether this is being true to the
original concept or not. My feeling is that the present
recording strikes a balance between the austere playing
often associated with this work and a more lyrical approach
that may bring it to a wider range of listeners.
The Piano
Sonata was composed between the Variations and
Fantasy. It was commissioned by the playwright Clifford
Odets in 1939. Some critics have suggested that this is
a tough work to get to grips with. It has been described
as being ‘difficult in form and style and unyielding in
content’. Yet I feel that although it is not written in
a populist style like Billy the Kid it is certainly
approachable. It is fair to say that a little effort needs
to go into understanding this work. It does not do to play
it in the background whilst negotiating the M25 or sipping
a Napoleon brandy after a heavy meal. Pasternak provides
a dedicated and committed performance and he is able to
present it as a work that is fairly straightforward and
laid out with considerable clarity. It is actually quite
moving with many reflective passages to balance the ‘jazzy’
elements encountered in the middle movement. Look out for
the scrap book effect of snippets of American musical styles
that infuses much of the argument.
The genesis
of the Piano Fantasy was a projected piano concerto
for William Kapell. However after the pianist’s death in
a plane crash this plan was summarily abandoned. The sketches
were kept and subsequently reappeared as a new work for
solo piano. The Fantasy is in three movements concluding
with a coda. Copland utilises twelve tone compositional
techniques based around a ten-note theme. The basic premise
is to create a ‘spontaneous and unpremeditated sequence
of ‘events’ that would carry the listener irresistibly from
the first to the last note.’ This is certainly the most
complex and virtuosic work on this CD. However this does
not damage its approachability. All the standard Copland
fingerprints are present – including jazz rhythms. However
anyone hoping for a ‘Hoe Down’ is going to be disappointed.
I have referred to this work elsewhere as being ‘rugged’
and that remains a good adjective.
The writer Paul
Reale stated, with considerable justification that ‘the
Piano Fantasy is, without question the greatest of
Copland’s piano works, and one of the grandest conceptions
in American Piano music’. Benjamin Pasternak tackles this
work with skill, commitment and conviction.
This is an essential
work for all listeners interested in American ‘Classical’
music. It contains the three masterworks for piano by one
of the greatest American composers. The playing complements
the vivacity, complexity and depth of this fine music at
all times.
John France
see also Reviews
by Tony Haywood and Patrick
Waller
Benjamin Pasternak,
piano.
