Kenneth Hamilton Plays Ronald Stevenson, Volume 2 Part 2

Little Jazz Variations on Purcell’s “New Scotch Tune” is a delightful piece that should be in the repertoire of every Scottish pianist: it would make a splendid encore. Based on a jazz-inspired transformation of Purcell’s melody, this music is a moody, smoky little work that captures our attention. Stevenson wrote this in 1974 but has tinkered with it over the years.

In the same vein is the A Threepenny Sonatina: Homage to Kurt Weill based on popular tunes from Kurt Weill’s legendary The Threepenny Opera. The main tune used is ‘Mac the Knife’, but other numbers from the opera (‘Pirate Jenny’, ‘Shadow March’) and contemporary German dance band effects filter across the pages of this score. Kenneth Hamilton, in the liner notes, suggests that this is a whimsical work. I disagree. I feel that it sometimes sad, occasionally humorous, but typically ironic and sometimes sarcastic I tone.

Everyone seems to have written a work on DSCH. Not least Ronald Stevenson himself, who made his massive, 85-minute-long Passacaglia on DSCH. Here he is at it again with a short Recitative and Air destined for Shostakovich’s 70th Birthday ‘festschrift’ in 1976. Alas, the Russian died during August 1975, not quite making the ‘big 7-O’. It is a lugubrious piece, that nods towards Bach at several points.

The transcription of Bach’s Komm, süsser Tod (Come sweet death) BWV 478 is perfect. It was created in 1991 to celebrate the ‘birthday’ of Ferruccio Busoni on 1 April 1866. Stevenson takes Leopold Stokowski’s ‘hyper-romantic’ orchestral version and makes a quixotic setting, whilst retaining the depth of the original tune. 

The ‘Hornpipe’ conflates two pieces of that title by Purcell. The ‘hard edged harmonies’ of this piece pushes it far from the composer’s original intention.  Forty years later, the Three Grounds (after Purcell) appeared. The originals were for string consort. Stevenson has made a captivating transcription here. It is as if they were created for the modern piano. The tunes are introspective and quite moody. The middle number (in Eb minor) is timeless: it is a truly gorgeous miniature. The concluding ‘allegretto’ is wistful rather than profound. Purcell fans will be aghast, but I would rather listen to Stevenson’s transcription of these ‘Grounds’ than the originals…

The Purcell/Stevenson ‘Toccata’ was an early work, written in 1955. The composer has modestly[!] described it as ‘a very fine transcription which is respectful and newly individual; traditional and exploratory ... musicological ... and inventive – Yes! It works well.’ The original music may or may not be by Purcell. It was once thought to have come from Bach’s pen. Whatever, it is a vibrant piece is ideally suited to the concert grand. 

The final Purcell transcription (and work on this CD) is the gorgeous The Queen’s Dolour (A Farewell) taken from the opera Dido and Aeneas. Stevenson has recast this utterly romantic piece with ‘spread chords’ and subtle inner voices perfectly complementing the unforgettably beautiful original melody.

I have given the titles as presented in Ronald Stevenson: The Man and his Music (ed. Scott-Sutherland, Toccata Press, 2005). I notice that there are several discrepancies between these catalogue entries and the liner notes track listings. I have also included the dates of each work, derived from this catalogue and the Ronald Stevenson webpage, where appropriate. I am disappointed that this information is not always included. Certainly, a few are given in the text, but I would expect to see them all. Not everyone will have Scott-Sutherland’s Symposium to hand. And I guess that the titles of each work should be standardised. For example, it is important to know (at a glance) that the first and third tracks are from Stevenson’s important collection A Scottish Triptych. I accept that this is cited in the text, if not the track listing.

The liner notes include a ten-page essay by the pianist, Kenneth Hamilton. There is a short biography of the performer and notes about each work. For some reason this is not in order of performance. The booklet and CD features a moody picture of ‘somewhere’ (probably Scotland, but it doesn’t say). The pages of my booklet were badly cut, with the print very nearly disappearing off the top of the page.

I cannot fault the wonderful performance by Kenneth Hamilton of these works. The recording is always clear and bright. The entire programme is a subtle balance between original music and arrangements which well-reflects Stevenson’s achievement.

This is the second volume of piano music released by Prima Facie. I had the privilege of reviewing the first volume for MusicWeb International during the spring of 2017. I stated there that I hoped this was the start of a major edition of Ronald Stevenson’s piano music (original and arrangements). It has been 18 months. A glance at catalogue included in the above-mentioned Symposium indicates that there is still much to do. Listeners ought to note the ‘competing’ survey of Stevenson’s piano music played by Christopher Guild on the Toccata (TOCC0272 and TOCC0388 - review). I have not heard Volume 1 of this release. Add to this is Murray McLachlan’s three-CD survey on Divine Arts DDA21372 (review) (review).There is now beginning to be a little bit of overlap in recorded repertoire. That is not a problem, but I hope that one of these pianists finishes the job! And that right soon: none of us are getting any younger!

Concluded.

Track Listings:

Ronald STEVENSON (1928-2015)

A Scottish Triptych: Keening Sang for a Makar: In memoriam Francis George Scott (1959)

Norse Elegy for Ella Nygaard (1976-79)

A Scottish Triptych: Chorale Pibroch for Sorley Maclean (1967)

Toccata-Reel “The High Road to Linton” (includes a Coda by John Fritzell) (1978)

Barra Flyting Toccata (1980)

Frank MERRICK (1886-1981) /Ronald STEVENSON: Hebridean Seascape (c.1936? /1986)

Little Jazz Variations on Purcell’s “New Scotch Tune” (1964/75)

A Threepenny Sonatina: Homage to Kurt Weill [Sonatina no.5] (1987/88)

Recitative and Air: In Memoriam Shostakovich (1974)

J.S. BACH (1685-1750)/Leopold STOKOWSKI (1882-1977)/Ronald STEVENSON: ‘Komm, süsser Tod’ BWV 478 (1991)

Henry PURCELL (1659-95)/ Ronald STEVENSON:

Hornpipe (1995)

Three Grounds: Ground in C minor (1955); Ground in E minor, transcribed as Ground in E flat minor, (1957); Ground in D minor (1958)

Toccata (1955)

The Queen’s Dolour- A Farewell (1959)

Kenneth Hamilton (piano)

Rec. No date/location given.

PRIMA FACIE PFCD 107