Kapustin: Piano Sonata No 15; 24 Preludes in Jazz Style, Op. 53; 8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40; 10 Bagatelles, Op. 59; Scherzo from Piano Sonata No. 2. John Salmon, piano – Naxos 8.570532 (54 minutes).
Born in 1937 in the Ukraine, and trained in Moscow, Nikolai Kapustin has forged a style of his own. His mixture of classical and jazz is so attractive that his numerous admirers include those who love Rachmaninov andScriabin as well as those who revel in the sounds of Count Basie and Art Tatum.
This is what the pianist on this recording, John Salmon, has to say on the composer: “I have always played classical music and jazz. Beethoven has been at the centre of my musical life for a long time, but so has Brubeck, so it was easy for me to fall in love with the piano music of Kapustin, which blends classical and jazz styles. When I first heard the Piano Sonata, Op. 39 ‘Sonata Fantasia’, I remember thinking, this sounds like Rachmaninov reincarnated as Oscar Peterson.”
Kapustin pianistic textures are rich, spanning the entire keyboard, with melodies in every register, sweeping arpeggios, weighty chords and a fantastic variety of runs.
Although Kapustin undoubtedly has, apart from Rachmaninov, Medtner and Scriabin in his veins, his music also hints at influences of Yuri Saulsky and Oleg Lundstrom, two prominent Russian musicians with whose jazz bands Kapustin played. Indeed jazz was more prevalent in Soviet Russia than we in the West could have imagined.
This is an unusual but highly entertaining disc which should appeal to a wide range of listeners. Lean on playing time, it is all the same full of fun and rollicking tunes brilliantly performed and presented.
Schreker: Flammen (complete opera). Several soloists, Instrumental Ensemble and Chorus of the PPP Music Theatre, Munich, conducted by Frank Strobel – Marco Polo 8.223422 (75 minutes).
Born in 1878, Franz Schreker is known principally as a composer of operas. With works such as Der ferne Klang (The Distant Sound. 1912), Die Gezeichneter (The Branded, 1918) and Der Schatzgraber (The Treasure Hunter, 1920), Schreker established himself as one of Germany’s foremost early 20th century composers, and his operas were, for a time, more frequently performed than those by Richard Strauss.
Under the Nazi regime, Schreker’s music was regarded as decadent, and together with that of many other composers such as Korngold and Krenek, its performance was banned.
It is only in the last two decades that Schreker’s stock started to rise again, and although there is still much to be done for the composer’s rehabilitation, we can at least appreciate and enjoy the best of Schreker’s stage-works.
Flammen (Flames) was written in 1901 soon after the composer had completed his training in the composition department of the Vienna Conservatory, and it is his first dramatic piece.
Premiered in April 1902, the opera was not the unqualified success one had expected, but all the same, the talent of the young composer was recognised, and his mastery of declamation and colourful choral writing were strong indications of his future luscious style.
Composed to a libretto by Dora Leen, Flammen is the drama of a woman who through her association with a musician, in this case a singer, carries a burden of guilt for which she must atone by death.
The piece can be classified as a Liederoper, or a song-cycle within an operatic framework, and the version under review has been arranged for small orchestra by Hans Peter Mohr.
The music has a sense of proportion that was the hallmark of the songs Schreker had written as a student. But traces of the musical language he discovered in his later operas are also easily discernible. Coming at the end of his early creative period, Flammen occupies an important place in Schreker’s music, and this excellent recording should arouse enough interest in a composer who has languished for far too long in the shadow of Richard Strauss, and for other reasons as well. An unusual work worthy of serious investigation.
Mayr: David in the Cave of Engedi (oratorio), several soloists. Simon Mayr Chorus and Ensemble. directed from the jarpsichord by Franz Hauk – Naxos 8.570366/67 (94 minutes).
Born in Bavaria in 1763,Giovanni Simon Mayr spent his greater part of his career inBergamo, Italy.
An important promoter of Viennese classicism in his adopted country, he successfully combined in his own style the legacy of Vienna with the dramatic and melodic genius of Italy, and he was the shining light of Italian opera before the rise of Rossini. He has also remained famous as being Donizetti’s mentor, and the latter’s spectacular career was mainly due to Mayr’s natural ability as a teacher.
Apart from his many operas, of which the most renowned is Medea in Corinto, Mayr composed many sacred works, including four oratorios. Written in 1795, the one under review is the last, composed for the Ospedale dei Mendicanti at the beginning of his career in Venice, and tells the biblical story of Saul and David as narrated in the First Book of Samuel, in which the King’s envy for his humble subject nearly results in the latter’s murder.
To escape from Saul’s wrath, David passes through various places before finally reaching the mountains of Engedi, where Saul catches up with him. While Saul is resting in a cave, David spares his life, and secretly cuts off the end of Saul’s robe as proof of his unflinching fidelity. Saul and David are temporarily reconciled.
The oratorio is steeped in the classical style of the day, but hints of future romanticism abound, and there are many inspired moments, particularly in the second part, where the story reaches its climax.
Performances and sound are commendable indeed, but the accompanying essay lacks vital information on the composer and the musical structure of the piece.
All in all, a very enjoyable choral work which deserves greater exposure.
These CDs were made available for review by D’Amato Record Shop of 98/99 St John Street, Valletta.