See
article on this composer by Bhagwan Thadani.
Previous volumes in this valuable series: first (review),
second (review),
third (review),
fourth (review),
fifth (review),
sixth (FCRCD 9740) in 2011, seventh (review)
I’m on a roll at present with the discs I’ve recently had to
review. I’ve chosen a lot by composers I’d either never come
across before or knew of vaguely so my musical knowledge is
being stretched more than somewhat and I just love it. The list
has included Goldmark, Gál, Zemlinsky, Tcherepnin, Tubin, Maria
Szymanowska, Salmanov, Koszewski, Szeligowski, Panufnik, Feld,
Tansman, Alla Borzova, Leschetitzky and a disc with works by
11 Argentinean composers none of whom I knew! Now here is yet
another whose name was unknown to me just two weeks ago, Sergei
Bortkiewicz. What it emphasises to me is just how little I really
know – a salutary lesson. Why it is that some composers get
under my radar I don’t know. The same goes for performers too,
such as the pianist on these discs Jouni Somero. I read that
he has given more than 2500 concerts around the world and has
made over 70 CDs for numerous labels. I’ve got a lot more to
learn before I try going on a music quiz show!
The other very lucky thing for me has been that I’ve really
enjoyed the music on every one of these discs. It makes me ask
myself whether I’m too easily pleased and I’ve decided that
that is not the case it is simply that I do enjoy someone who
has something interesting to say and who knows how to say it.
Bortkiewicz certainly did. On the evidence of the music on this
disc he was a composer who was clearly most at home working
within the romantic tradition and was not one who felt driven
to explore new methods of expression. I had a quick look at
who was born around the same time and within a period of twenty
years or so between 1871 and 1899 the list included Scriabin,
Rachmaninov, Medtner, Bartók, Szymanowski, Prokofiev and Tcherepnin,
while Brahms died in 1897. Bortkiewicz certainly had more in
common with Brahms and Szymanowski than most of the others,
apart perhaps from Scriabin and Medtner, and for some Szymanowski,
born five years after Bortkiewicz, was “the last Romantic”.
Bortkiewicz’s piano works show the influence of Tchaikovsky
and Chopin. In fact I don’t think it would be going too far
to describe him as a Ukrainian Chopin despite the wide gap between
them in terms of dates. While no one would claim that his music
is anything like as unique or inventive as that of Chopin, nevertheless
it has a charm of its own and a host of good tunes well set.
He had a facility for representing moods extremely accurately
as can be heard clearly in Tempête and Après la
pluie (tracks 3 and 4, from Impressions op.4,
1905). Chopinesque melodies abound in Begegnung (Encounter),
Plauderei (Conversation), Erwachende Liebe
(Reawakened Love) and Auf dem Ball (At the ball), (tracks
8-11 from Ein Roman für Klavier, A story for piano)
which date from as late as 1928 when Bartók’s 4th String Quartet
was written.
It’s interesting to note while listening to this music that
is so full of lush romantic melody that 15 years before this
work was composed Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was
premièred during which there was the famous riot, and about
which Leonard Bernstein wrote "... it's ... got
the best dissonances anyone ever thought up, and the best asymmetries
and polytonalities and polyrhythms and whatever else you care
to name." That’s the endlessly fascinating thing about
music; things don’t change completely all of a sudden but gradually.
While there are plenty of people wanting to, even driven to,
push the boundaries, there are others happy to stay in the same
groove where they feel most at home; there’s something for everyone
at every stage. Since it’s all subjective there’s no right or
wrong way to express oneself just different ways.
In 1930 Bortkiewicz still found his romantic style his favourite
way of expression and composed Kindheit (Infancy) from
a story by Tolstoi. This is a delightful set of fourteen snapshots
from childhood that include teacher, mother, father, wet nurse,
the hunt and finally mother’s death, the latter an achingly
heartfelt piece. In the pantheon of great composers Bortkiewicz
would not find a place it’s true but that goes for a myriad
other composers. What of it because, what counts surely is,
can you relate to it, was it written honestly and with genuine
feeling and does it get its message across. On all those counts
this undemanding music does exactly that and gives pleasure
while doing so. What more could or should you ask? Jouni Somero
must certainly feel that way as these two discs are part of
his survey of the complete piano works of Bortkiewicz. He has
also taken on the role of champion in respect of many otherwise
neglected composers such as Alkan, Arensky, Godard, Henselt,
Thalberg, Blumenfeld, Rebikov and Reinhold. Congratulations
are due him for this as there will undoubtedly be plenty to
enjoy amongst all those and we should get the chance to hear
them. Ploughing the same furrow is not only confined to those,
like Bortkiewicz whose heart was stuck in the romantic tradition
but also those performers who seem only to be interested in
recording yet another disc of Chopin or another Beethoven piano
concerto when there are already dozens of versions. People like
Somero give us a valuable opportunity to hear other works and
further our musical knowledge. He is doing a great job, as he
has here, so thank you Mr Somero, thank you very much!
Steve Arloff
Jouni Somero (piano)