Douglas MUNN (1929–2008)
Complete Music for Solo Piano
Arta Arnicane (piano)
rec. 2019, Studio of Riga Radio, Latvia
First Recordings
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0559 [57:44]
This appears to be the only recording ever made of the music of Scottish composer Douglas Munn. He was better known as a mathematician, and was respected
world-wide, as such. He was nurtured in an artistic family environment, with both parents being amateur painters. His home overflowed with books. He took up the piano early and even made more than competent attempts during his boyhood at composing. His university education in Glasgow embraced mathematics and physics in addition to music and English. He later progressed to Cambridge, embarking on a PhD in pure mathematics, which he completed in 1955. There followed a period of National Service at GCHQ, after which he resumed an academic career at the Universities of Stirling and Glasgow. He retired in 1994. In 2001 he and his wife met and formed a close friendship with Arta Arnicane, the pianist on this recording. Before the composer’s death in 2008, Arnicane made a promise that she would record all of his piano music, and thus this recording was eventually realised.
The majority of Munn’s piano works date from his youth, and in the mid-1980s he began to revise them. As a child he gravitated towards Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy and Chopin, and it’s the latter composer which, to my ears, seems to be the strongest and abiding influence. The Mazurka in D minor and many of the Nocturnes illustrate the point.
There are also passing references to Scottish folk music and, for Arnicane, the middle section of the Scherzo evokes the “distant sound of bagpipes”. I hear what she means. Yet, the most Scottish-sounding piece is the third movement of the Sonatina, which is jaunty, buoyant and soused with a
ceilidh dance rhythm.
The pieces are melodically rich, yet brief and structurally well-balanced. The most substantial are the Sonatina in F minor, originally conceived in 1950, undergoing revisions in 1985 and 2001 and the F-sharp minor Scherzo from two years earlier. Munn was fond of accidentals and awkward keys e.g. F-sharp major and E-flat minor, which pose something of a challenge to the performer. The Intermezzo, written with a 5/8 time signature, is bewitching for its enticing rhythm.
Of the three Preludes which conclude the recording, my particular favorite is No 2 in F-sharp major. It requires a formidable technique. Passionate, romantic and Chopinesque, Arnicane plays it with fervent intensity. No 3 in D major likewise overflows with ardor and emotion.
The accompanying annotations are superb. Munn’s younger sister, Lesley Duncan, described as a “Scottish journalist, poet and book editor” has provided an affectionate biographical portrait, as well as a poem “Music Holds the Key”, dedicated to her brother. David Eastam’s article “Munn’s Mathematics”, discussing Munn’s academic research, I’m afraid, went way above my head. Finally, Arta Arnicane contributes a brief overview of the music. As for sound quality, the studio of Riga Radio, Latvia provides a sympathetic venue and acoustic to showcases these captivating scores to good effect. Arnicane must be lauded for her championing of Munn’s music in these first recordings.
Stephen Greenbank
Contents:
Minuet and Trio in G minor (1947, rev. 2004) [5:24]
Mazurka in D minor (1947, rev. 2006) [3:20]
Scherzo in F-sharp minor (1948, rev. 1989) [5:47]
Sonatina in F minor (1950, rev. 1985/2001) [11:22]
Nocturne in D-flat major (1944) [3:27]
Nocturne in A major (1943) [3:01]
Nocturne in B minor (1945, rev. 1988/2003) [3:33]
Nocturne in E-flat major (1943) [2:32]
Nocturne in E-flat minor (1946, rev. 1991/2004) [5:59]
Intermezzo in A minor (1947, rev. 2005) [1:31]
Prelude No 1 in E minor (1944, rev. 2003) [2:28]
Prelude No 2 in F-sharp major (1946) [3:24]
Prelude No 3 in D major (1947) [5:53]
