This recording is a treasure of the catalogue kept alive by Cambria's enterprise.
It first appeared on a now rare Unicorn LP. Parkin has made a name for himself
as a champion of the obscure and for me it is a pity that we hear so little
of him in concertos. However in his chosen field his name is firmly linked
with the piano music of Ireland, Bax and Mayerl.
The Rozsa Sonata is in three circa six minute movements with the first flowingly
Handelian then wild with a stormy clangour. Relaxation comes fitfully in
the central andante con calore with passages close in heart to Bartok's
Mikrokosmos and with a touch of Bax's Winter Legends too (2.20).
The vigoroso finale evokes a world in tumult and has about it more
of the new world and Lambert's jazzy impatience than any hint of Hungarian
repose. Keyboard display is certainly there perhaps close in character to
Nights in the Gardens of Spain - diving, pulsing and rushing. Altogether
most impressive.
The Bagatelles entertain rather than compel attention and the coeval
Variations have a splendid triumphalism. These two works seem lighter
fare by contrast with the heart-entrancing skill evident in The Vintner's
Daughter. These variations I would have to say make a greater impact
when heard in their orchestral version however Parkin projects them with
subtlety, reserve and a chivalric panache entirely consistent with the theme.
It is a pity that the bagatelles and the individual variations are not separately
banded. That said this is an extremely attractive disc and well worth your
attention. To be snapped up before it disappears.
Reviewer
Rob Barnett
Available from DIMus@aol.com at £11.50
sterling excl p&p.
Eric Parkin (piano
- Bösendorfer 9ft concert
grand)
