It is lazy musical criticism to
call John Field ‘The Irish Chopin.’ Beethoven, Clementi and Moscheles were more
pertinent influences on his music. On the other hand, he did invent the ‘Nocturne’
as a musical form. He is usually understood to have both anticipated and
influenced Chopin rather than the other way about. Perhaps we should refer to Chopin
as the ‘Polish Field’?
A few biographical notes will be
of interest. John Field was born in Dublin on 26 July? 1782. He studied the
piano with Napoli composer Tommaso Giordani who was living in Ireland at that
time. Field’s debut recital in his home town was given when he was only ten
years old. Two years later, in 1794, Field moved to London and became a pupil
of Muzio Clementi. His career as a virtuoso pianist began in the capital and
extended into Europe. In 1803 Field moved to Russia where he gained a
considerable reputation as a teacher and performer. However, his lifestyle led
to loss of finance and bad health. He made his last major tour of European
musical centres between 1832 and 1834, but eventually his health declined. He
died in Moscow on 23 January 1837.
John Field’s compositions include
seven piano concertos, four piano sonatas, 18 Nocturnes and a variety of other
piano pieces.
In recent years, Field’s music
has been rediscovered. Virtually everything he wrote is available on CD in a
variety of versions. For, example, there are currently six recordings of this
present concerto currently available in the Arkiv catalogue.
The Piano Concerto No.3 in E flat
major as originally composed, lacked balance. There were only two movements-
the opening ‘allegro moderato’ and the closing ‘tempo di polacca.’ In his later
years, the composer would have interpolated one of his ‘Nocturnes’ as a slow
movement during performance. In this present recording Michael McHale, has reimagined
the lovely Nocturne in C minor (H.25) into a ‘reflective interlude.’ Interestingly
Míceál O’Rourke in the Chandos recording (CHAN 9495) used the Nocturne in B
flat in a similar manner. There exists an orchestrated version of a variant of
this latter piece by Field himself. Patrick Piggott has suggested that this
concerto may have been composed before the ‘second’. He based this reasoning on
the two-movement form and the ‘relatively unsophisticated texture’ of some of
the piano writing. It is believed that this work may date from 1806 when the
composer was visiting St Petersburg.
The present performance by
Michael McHale is exceptional. There have been critics who have declared that
the opening and closing movements of this concerto outstay their welcome. McHale’s
exploration of these pages proves that Field maybe did get the balance correct.
Not his greatest concerto (No.2 in A flat probably holds that honour) but one
that deserves concentration from the listener.
I have not come across the music
of the Belfast-born (1951) composer Philip Hammond before. As well as a career
composing, he is also a writer, teacher and broadcaster. For several years
Hammond was a Director at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. I depend on the
liner notes for details his music
The Piano Concerto was
commissioned by BBC Radio 3 in 2014. The concerto received its premiere at the
Ulster Hall on 5 January 2015. It was played by the Ulster Orchestra, with the
present soloist and dedicatee, conducted by Nicolas Collon.
The composer has stated that he
began this work during a ‘residency at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris.’
He spent eight months composing the music, and travelled to Croatia, Spain and
Oregon, USA. He does not say if this travel was necessary to the completion of the work, or was incidental to it.
He affirms that the stylistic ethos behind the concerto is one of
‘retro-romanticism’ and that he ‘draws on the Romantic tradition of showy
virtuosity in which the soloist is unashamedly the centre of attention’. Hammond has declared that two sources of inspiration
for this concerto were the twenty-fourth prelude from Bach’s Das Wohltemperierte
Klavier Book1 and the poem ‘Renouveau’ by the French writer Stéphane Mallarmé.
This symbolist poem ‘contrasts springtime and winter.’
The Concerto is presented in three
contrasting movements. The first is signed to be played ‘with drive and dynamic
melodrama.’ This is dark, lugubrious music that has little humour or lightness
of touch. The second movement is ‘slow,
sustained and meditative.’ On the other hand, its contemplative mood does not preclude
some animated moments. The finale, ‘fast, rhythmic and accented’ is a
‘toccata.’ This is powerful, thrusting music that drives towards a powerful
conclusion. There are quotations from the first movement which gives this concerto
a formal satisfaction.
Philip Hammond openly regards
this piano concerto as eclectic. He has reached into the past and has selected several
pianistic devices that the has made his own. To this he has added some piquant
dissonances and innovative orchestration. This is no minimalist meander or
anodyne post-modern ramble. It is up to the listener to decide whether it is
pastiche or a work that is on a trajectory. I feel that Hammond’s thoroughly
enjoyable Concerto owes much to Stravinsky, Bartok, Ravel and the cinematic
piano concertos as evinced by Addinsell, Rota and Hermann. This is no bad
thing.
Michael McHale will be known to
listeners for the fine collection of British
Clarinet Sonatas and The Lyrical
Clarinet, featuring Michael Collins, clarinettist, issued by Chandos. McHale
has performed several piano pieces on a retrospective album of Philip Hammond’s
music. The liner notes, which are informative, without being analytical, are
written by the soloist. The CD is beautifully
recorded, with superb sound and balance. Unfortunately, it is only 57 minutes
long: something else could have been included as a filler.
This splendid CD presents two
widely contrasting piano concertos both written by Irishmen. The playing by the
soloist and orchestral are superb, the sound excellent and the presentation of
the disc is ideal. It deserves to be widely played. I look forward to further
releases from Michael McHale with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and their
guest conductor Courtney Lewis.
Track Listing:
John FIELD (1782-1837)
Piano Concerto No.3 in E flat major, H.32 (1806?)
Philip HAMMOND (b.1951)
Piano Concerto (2014)
Michael McHale (piano) RTÉ National Symphony
Orchestra/Courtney Lewis
RTÉ LYRIC CD150
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first
published.
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