More CD reviews (The Straits Times, November 2009)

PIANO SONATAS
RAFAL BLECHACZ, Piano
Deutsche Grammophon 477 7453
*****

This is the second CD recording on the “Yellow Label” by young Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz, winner of the 2005 Chopin International Piano Competition. Its three classical sonatas prove that he is more than just a Chopin-player, but a musician of interpretive insight and finesse.

Rarely has Haydn’s Sonata No.52 in E flat major sounded so ahead of its time; its grand majestic opening chords, air of contemplation in the slow movement and hectic finale all look ahead to Beethoven. Conversely, Beethoven’s youthful Sonata in A major (Op.2 No.2) is possessed with a spirit and vivacity that recalls Haydn. There is little to separate late Haydn and early Beethoven, it seems. This superb recital concludes with Mozart’s Sonata in D major (K.311) of 1777, ironically the earliest work of the three, where its symphonic pretensions and digital virtuosity predate both the Haydn and Beethoven. Blechacz is one name truly worth following.

FREDERIC RZEWSKI

The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
RALPH VAN RAAT, Piano
Naxos 8.559360

****1/2

If there were a 20th century reply to Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, that would be this hour-long behemoth; 36 variations by the Polish-American pianist-composer Frederic Rzewski (born 1938) on the Chilean socialist anthem El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido! The melody is slightly banal but has a catchy swagger that makes it memorable. Rzewski’s treatment traverses the full range of modern techniques and devices, including the pianist whistling and slamming the lid of the keyboard. Much of this music is very accessible, and does not stray too far away from folk and jazz influences.

There have been several recordings of this 1975 work, including by the composer himself, but Dutch pianist van Raat matches the best of them. His ad-libbed improvisation towards the end combines minimalism with the pounding brute force of the track that follows. That, Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues, is the ultimate musical portrait of relentless industrialisation and depersonalisation in our age of machines. Ardently recommended.

CD reviews (The Straits Times, January 2009)

ROBERT CASTEELS Symphony No.2
Taman Suara / Sound Journey
Casteels 2008

Rating ****1/2

The Belgian-Singaporean Robert Casteels (born 1958) has carved himself a niche by combining trans-cultural and inter-disciplinary elements in music, eloquently displayed in his latest disc. Taman Suara (2007) has two separate parts: Buluh (bamboo) and Pontianak (the Malay female apparition). Both employ Western instruments and amplified taped sounds of bamboo and banana trees. The Malay titles suggest an assimilation of certain aspects of culture rather than quoting ethnic tunes. Jazz ironically features prominently in the second piece. Both also involve installation art (photos in the CD leaflet), so mere listening isn’t enough.

Sound Journey for three percussionists celebrates tribal drumming, taking a leaf from György Ligeti’s creations. In the 23-minute Symphony No.2 (commissioned for the 2006 Singapore Arts Festival and performed by The Philharmonic Winds conducted by the composer), Casteels holds the Mahlerian worldview of embracing everything, including mathematics, numerology, choral contributions with children’s ditties and closing with a big bang. Just the right tonic for the curious and adventurous.

This CD is available on sale at Earshot, 

The Arts House @ Old Parliament House.

For more about Robert Casteels, please visit:

http://robertcasteels.com

JOHN TAVENER Piano Works
RALPH VAN RAAT, Piano
Naxos 8.570442

Rating ****1/2

Sir John Tavener (born 1944) is often synonymous with choral music of a hyper-religious bent, easy listening steeped in Russian Orthodoxy with its sine qua non icons. His small volume of piano music shares a similar aesthete but is far less well known. This album is especially welcome because the piano writing is highly idiomatic, filled with celestial choruses, exotic birdsong, resonant tintinnabulation (bell sounds) alternating with pregnant silences, and ecstatic climaxes.

The sprawling 30-minute long Pratirupa (Sanskrit for “reflection”) has all of these. The shorter pieces: Zodiacs, Palin (short for “palindrome”) and Ypakoë (Greek for “to be responsive”) involve modern techniques but are eminently listenable. Possible influences? Arvo Pärt, Olivier Messiaen and less so, Alexander Scriabin, but Tavener is very much his own man. Much sympathy will also be had for two short feline-inspired works – Mandoodles and In Memory Of Two Cats. Dutch contemporary music specialist Ralph van Raat, a sensitive pianist with a steel-clad technique, makes the best possible case for these interesting rarities.

CHOPIN Piano Concertos
LANG LANG, Piano
Vienna Philharmonic / ZUBIN MEHTA
Deutsche Grammophon 477 7749
Rating ****

It is gratifying to note that Lang Lang, long known for his self-indulgence, attempts to go to the heart of both Chopin piano concertos. The tendency to distort the music to his own wilful ends, most excruciating in the same composer’s Third Sonata, is thankfully absent.

He astutely presents the Second Concerto, chronologically the earlier work, first. Eschewing sentimentality for its own sake and the need to shock and awe, he actually sounds persuasive and idiomatic. The finale is taken at a lithe, light pace and in one passage, he creates a luminous crystalline sound - an unexpected but pleasant surprise. The more grandiose First Concerto is equally convincing, and even if he does not relive the white-hot intensity and vehemence of Martha Argerich, there is still much to enjoy.