This disc is an absolute winner, a real cracker.
I have heard Shostakovich played by a myriad of pianists, including the 'famous
names', but, after hearing Raymond Clarke's performances, they can all be
relegated into the second division.
The recording sound is brilliant, close, vibrant and it has a very exciting
attack. The performances are legendary and superlative. I do not want to
hear anyone else play these pieces again. These are the definitive versions.
I hesitate to say any more since I am limited as to what adjectives I can
use to describe that which is of the highest quality.
I do greatly admire his performances of the Twenty-four Preludes.
A very great deal of insight has gone into this reading or, perhaps, the
pianist's instincts are so remarkable that it came naturally to him. He plays
them as a set, a cycle, a unified whole and with the minimum break between
movements and it all gels together perfectly. The tempi are very well-judged.
The fast preludes are fast and enthralling; Shostakovitch's
eccentricities are captivating and wonderfully irrepressible; the slow preludes
never linger or hang around. In fact, it is this admirable belief that music
should always have onward motion that I value in Clarke's performances. I
adore the grotesque Prokofievian Gavotte and how wonderfully Shostakovich
parodies this old French dance form.
He plays the G minor prelude faster than I would wish but, nevertheless,
the performance works very well. The Piano Sonata No 1 splendidly
captures the turmoil of this incredible score and yet the nervous excitement
and expectancy remains. Written when the composer was just out of his teens
it is clearly a young man's work. He is out to impress and find his own style
and, consequently, uses several. I do admire his non-conformity and his courage
to be a recusant. At times, the music is red hot, almost enraged. By contrast,
the thoughtful passages are equally interesting.
Seventeen years passed before the Piano Sonata No 2 appeared in 1943.
The opening allegretto is played briskly and all the ambiguous tonalities
are brought out. This Sonata may not be wild as the first one is but
it has tremendous strengths; it also has a few banalities but I often wonder
if this is deliberate ... as if Shostakovich was making a protest but may
make it both to be too long and tenaciously. He does the same in the opening
movement of the Symphony No 7 with its march theme over a type of
Ravelian Bolero accompaniment.
The second movement hints at Prokofiev's sardonic style and is a
largo. Its 'sharp corners' and sinister bass line are magnificently
captured in this truly unique performance. I have always thought of this
anomalous movement as Shostakovich's self-reproach. It seems introspective
and, perhaps, inspired by the weariness of the Second World War ... the weariness
that pervades his final works particularly the String Quartet No 15 in
E flat minor of 1974.
The finale is a passacaglia in which the extended theme is first heard
in the right hand and what a catchy, easy to remember theme it is. It has
a beauty and serenity that has to be heard to be believed, a performance
beyond praise. There follows eleven variations and how remarkably Clarke
reveals them; some of his nuances are ravishing in tone; his fingerwork,
particularly in the staccato passages, is exemplary. His characterisation
of each variation shows an uncanny insight and, with the score before me,
all I can do is simply marvel at his all-round and unsurpassed abilities.
The poignant adagio section may be too slow for some but, as with
Beethoven, Shostakovich's metronome markings were suspect but Clarke does
achieve the double-dotted rhythms to great and telling effect!
The Prelude and Fugue in D minor ends this impressive disc. I do not
wish to sound feebly humorous but the Prelude is played so lovingly
and sensitively that it is a complete revelation. The Fugue is not
a big enough contrast to the Prelude, in my view. Shostakovich should
have been more innovative. But the clarity of the playing is memorable.
I cannot evince the quality of this disc. All I can do is quote the Swiss
composer Frank Martin when he said, "Some music and performances are far
beyond what words can ever convey."
Reviewer
David Wright
Performances
Recording
and another view from Paul Conway
This is a superbly played and intelligently planned disc which should bring
pleasure to all lovers of the music of Shostakovitch and admirers of fine
pianism. The soloist constantly strikes the right balance between irony and
deeply felt emotion in these bittersweet performances. Raymond Clarke's
breathtaking technique is absolutely at the service of the music.
The CD gets off to a flying start with the 24 Preludes op34, hugely enjoyable
miniatures which contain the very essence of Shostakovitch and capture the
composer's full expressive range from the simple and affecting (nos. 1and
11) to the heartfelt and sombre (nos. 14, 17 and 22); from the brilliant
(nos. 9 and 20) to the quirky and sardonic (nos. 15 and 24). All these moods
are captured perfectly in these exquisite readings which unselfconsciously
present us with scrupulous attention to details of the score with the added
bonus of characterful playing.
The Piano Sonata no 1 (1926) is a compact and intense one-movement piece
which tests the musicianship and the technique of any soloist. Raymond Clarke
attacks the work to the manner born but always responds to the more lyrical
moments. This is musicianship with heart rarely encountered in the recording
studio.
The Second Piano Sonata of 1943 is more complex and problematic than its
hearty predecessor. Its intended moments of banality conceal deeper feelings
which only surface towards the end of the final passacaglia third movement.
At this point the soloist achieves playing of melting beauty tinged with
such wistful sadness that the effect is almost unbearably moving. This may
well be the most rewarding performance on the CD, the sonata's every ambiguity
sensitively explored without descending to bathos or crude parody.
After this substantial work the disc concludes with the last of Shostakovitch's
24 Preludes and Fugues of 1951. In this context the piece makes a worthy
epilogue to the CD, the commanding dynamism of the concluding Fugue tempered
by the memory of the immaculately poised playing of the Prelude.
The recording (in the Djanogly Recital Hall of Nottingham University) is
exemplary and allows the full expressive range of the soloist to shine through,
every nuance faithfully caught but never in a clinical fashion. In short,
the recording matches the piano playing on this CD: natural, well balanced
and completely at the service of the composer. As if the playing were not
enough Raymond Clarke himself provides extensive and thought-provoking notes
for the booklet accompanying the disc as well. This could be my disc of the
month - you will have to go far to find more characterful playing demonstrating
such consummate musicianship.
Reviewer
Paul Conway
. Raymond Clarke (piano)
