Volume 23 Issue 3 - November 2017

oat songs and traditional dance music. In
addition, there are original compositions
by two members of the quartet – three by
cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin and one by
violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen – as well
as a polska by Swedish fiddler Eva Sæhter.
Sjölin and Sørensen also add the occasional
harmonium, piano and glockenspiel
and double bass contributions to enrich
the sound.
It’s a really lovely collection, beautifully arranged and played. The
quartet members say that they “gathered a bunch of amazing tunes
and hope you will enjoy what we have done to them.”
Well, consider it job done.
Dmitri Shostakovich wrote four string quartets
in the period 1946-56, years in which
his standing with the Soviet regime was still
uncertain, so I’m not sure I agree with the
statement by the Altius Quartet, on their
new CD of Shostakovich String Quartets 7,
8 & 9 (Navona Records NV6125) that these
three works, from 1960-64, were written
“directly after World War II when art was
often oppressed.” By 1960 Stalin had been dead for seven years and the
composer’s rehabilitation was well under way.
There is, however, no doubting the quartet’s assertion that these
three highly personal works form a triptych, dedicated as they are
to the composer’s first (No.7) and third (No.9) wives and ostensibly
to the victims of fascism (No.8) including Shostakovich – indeed, his
daughter Galina claimed that he originally dedicated it to himself,
with the published dedication imposed by Soviet authorities.
There’s a lovely feel to the playing from the outset, from the String
Quartet No.7 in F-sharp Minor Op.108 through to the highly positive
ending of the String Quartet No.9 in E-flat Major Op.117, but it’s
the String Quartet No.8 in C Minor Op.110 that is at the heart of this
group, not merely physically but also emotionally. The opening four
notes D, E-flat, C and B (or D, S, C, H in German notation) that form
the composer’s musical signature reappear in every movement, and
the autobiographical nature of the music is constantly underlined by
numerous quotations from earlier works.
It’s a committed and moving performance by the Altius, albeit
perhaps with not quite the air of utter desolation and despair that
some performances wring from the final pages.
The American composer Martin Boykan,
who turned 86 in April, may be a new
name to a lot of people, but there is no
doubting his pedigree: he studied with
Copland, Piston and Hindemith. His output
is predominantly in the chamber music
realm, which probably makes the new CD
Rites of Passage – Chamber Music 1993-
2012 (Bridge Records BRIDGE 9483) a fairly
representative introduction to his works.
A good deal of American classical music over the past 25 years or so
has been unabashedly tonal, but Boykan is clearly not of this persuasion.
There’s not a great deal of emotional warmth or purely melodic
material, and the absence or ambiguity of tonality together with the
often extreme dynamics means that it’s not always easy listening.
Still, there’s no doubting that this is a strongly individual and skilled
composer fully in control of his structures and material.
The works, recorded between 2011 and 2015 by combinations of ten
different players, are: Impromptu for Violin Solo (1993); Sonata #2
for Violin and Piano (2009); Piano Trio #3 “Rites of Passage” (2006);
Sonata for Viola and Piano (2012); and Psalm 121 (1997) for mezzosoprano
and string quartet. The violin and viola sonatas were written
for the soloists here, Curtis Macomber and Mark Berger respectively.
Keyed In
ALEX BARAN
Noriko Ogawa has just released the second
volume of her project to record all the solo
piano works of Erik Satie, Noriko Ogawa
plays Erik Satie (BIS 2225 SACD). Both this
disc and Volume I are performed on an 1890
Erard grand piano, an instrument from
the period of Satie’s life (1866-1925). The
piano maker Erard was noted for numerous
innovations in piano design, especially the
double escapement action which allowed for rapid note repetition, a
feature ever more in demand by composers of the late 19th century.
The instrument used in this recording is in remarkably fine condition,
sounding well-voiced and mechanically capable of the frequent staccato
touch, often at great volume, that Satie requires.
Ogawa’s choice of repertoire for Volume II offers a more esoteric and
quirky side of Satie’s personality, the two sets of preludes for flabby
dogs, Préludes flasques (pour un chien) being a case in point. The
Trois sarabandes are untitled early works, although the second of the
three is dedicated to Ravel. These are surprisingly forward-looking,
with a feel that occasionally evokes a modern jazz club. Sports et
divertissements is a catalogue of 21 social pastimes, often quite
comical, and each requiring less than a minute to play.
Ogawa has a very credible understanding of French music of this
period, although Satie admittedly sits comfortably outside the mainstream.
Still, her previous recordings of the complete piano works
of Claude Debussy reveal a studious and comprehensive approach
that offers a convincingly genuine feel to her interpretation of
Satie’s music.
Emanuele Delucchi is a young Italian pianist
with extraordinary technical ability. His
recording Godowsky Studies on Chopin
Op.10 (Piano Classics PCL0122) is a rare
opportunity to hear this unusual repertoire.
Godowsky claimed his studies were
equally appropriate for public concert as
well as private playing. The music is always
immediately recognizable as Chopin, but
Godowsky has taken the material and recomposed it as a series of
studies for aspiring players. They are devilishly difficult and intentionally
so. Many are written for left hand alone and just one is for a solo
right hand.
Godowsky takes Chopin’s main thematic material and moves
it around, often from one hand to the other, meanwhile creating
Chopin-style cascades of other figures around it. Some of these transcriptions
are quite strict, others freer, and still others structured as
cantus firmus and variation versions. It’s altogether quite an experiment
and in its day would have sparked a debate about originality and
legitimacy. Anticipating this, Godowsky was careful to include introductory
remarks in his publication to clarify his aims. Essentially, he
believed that pianists, composers and piano builders had more evolutionary
potential to realize. Hence, the Herculean challenge.
Despite all the muscle and stamina, Godowsky’s music is not
without its beauty. Chopin’s genius remains intact, both musically
and technically. Delucchi ensures that technique is never glorified at
the expense of art. He plays a beautifully restored 1906 Steinway, from
Godowsky’s day.
Known as “Tony” to his friends, British pianist Anthony Goldstone
passed away early this year (2017) and was unable to see his last CD
70 | November 2017 thewholenote.com