Who
was Ronald Center? A few biographical notes may be of interest to the reader.
He was born in Aberdeen on 2 April 1913. Center studied organ and piano in his
home city. Aged 30, he took up the post of music master at Huntly Gordon
School, which he held for six years. After this time, he gave private lessons
and devoted himself to composition. The entry in Grove’s Dictionary explains
that Center was self-taught as a composer: this resulted in self-consciousness
and led to a struggle with insecurity, frustration and fears of rejection.
Center’s catalogue of works seems to be small. However, I have not had a chance
to examine the Catalogue of Music of Ronald Center lodged in the
National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh. Important compositions include the
Symphony No.1, a Sinfonietta, the tone-poem The Coming of Cuchulainn,
three string quartets, a Violin Sonata and the considerable quantity of piano
music. Of this latter section, it would seem about half has been recorded on
this present CD. Stylistically, it has been well said that Bela Bartók,
Benjamin Britten, Ferruccio Busoni and Ralph Vaughan Williams were, in effect, the
composition teachers Center never had.
Ronald
Center died in Huntly on 18 April 1973, aged only 60 years.
I
am beholden to the excellent liner notes by Dr James Reid Baxter for my comments
and thoughts on all this music. Only the ‘Bagatelles’ (once) and the ‘Piano
Sonata’ (three times) have been recorded before. I have not heard any of these
earlier releases.
A
point to recall: The liner notes explain that most of Ronald Center’s scores
are ‘undated and undatable.’ The order of pieces on this CD is not
chronological. It is clearly a problem that may be addressed by scholars in the
future.
I
began with a miniature. The ‘Larghetto’
came as a delightful surprise: I was all psyched up for pounding Bartok and got
nearly three minutes of gentle Debussy meets Ravel with a definite Spanish
twist. The hushed central section is particularly beautiful. This is a rare
treat. I would love to see the score for
this piece: I think I might even manage to play it! A change of mood comes with the lively Pantomime.
I guess that the three movements could be a short sonatina: certainly, that
would appear to be the formal structure. This untroubled music echoes the activities
of Commedia dell'arte characters given in the titles of each movement: Pantaloon,
Columbine and Pierrot. Whether the comedy of Scaramouche is present in these
pages is up to the listener to decide. I think that the sound of Bartok does preside
over this Pantomime. The short
piece ‘Hommage’ does not carry a dedication, so we do not know who it is giving
tribute to. Stylistically, it could easily be the 25th ‘Prélude’ of Debussy’s
eponymous Two Books of Twelve. It has all the musical hallmarks of the French
master. Interestingly, the liner notes mention Ronald Center’s devotion to
Debussy: his cat was called Chouchou (which was the ‘pet’ name of Debussy’s
daughter Claude Emma.
I
turned to the ‘Impromptu’. Readers will know that this word describes a work
that is formally free and has a definite sense of improvisation. Famous
examples include those by Schubert, Chopin and Scriabin. Center’s take largely
follows tradition. The basic mood of the piece is one of innocence with a
troubled moment about a third of the way through. The remainder of the piece is
an attempt at recapturing the simplicity of the opening. Once again, I hear
Debussy in these pages. It is quite perfect.
It
is suggested that the ‘Air’ and the ‘Sarabande’ were written relatively late in
Center’s career. They may have been a part of his Mary Queen of Scots
project. This was either a ballet or a ‘singspiel’ (light opera) which was left
incomplete at the composer’s death. Along with the thoughtful little ‘Andante’
these pieces are hardly ground-breaking but offer an insight into the deeply
lyrical side of Center’s achievement.
Next
up on my exploration were the six Bagatelles. I listened to these before
reading the programme notes. My first thought was that these are much more than
the title implies: ‘short pieces of not great worth’. I was glad to see that
Christopher Guild agreed with me!! In fact, he states that these six pieces are
a ‘veritable showcase of Center’s art.’ Here we contrast quiet musing in the
first Bagatelle, with the motoric no.2. The third is disturbing. It opens
quietly, dreamlike, but then explodes into horror, before drifting back to
sleep in the arms of Morpheus. Bagatelle no. 4 is wildly exuberant with not a
care in the world. It is a rhythmically diverse little toccata. The penultimate
number opens and closes wistfully, with the expected mood swing during the
‘middle eight.’ The innocence of life is reclaimed in the idyllic final
Bagatelle. Guild sees it as ‘a child running in a sunlit landscape’. I see it
as an adult resolution of internal conflict. This set of Bagatelles is a little
masterpiece that deserves much greater exposure.
The
Three Études are definite showpieces. Once again, it could almost be construed
as a sonatina. The progress of the movements is fast-slow-fast. This is placid
music that has no ‘central catastrophe’ that often reveals itself somewhere in
contrasting sections of Ronald Center’s music.
The
‘Three Movements’ are not just trifles, as the somewhat ambiguous title may
imply. These short numbers cover a wide range of sentiment and pianistic
endeavour. The opening ‘Prelude’ is dance-like in places. The ‘poco adagio’ is
frankly depressing insofar as this is dark, introverted music without a spark
of warmth. The finale, a Prokofievian ‘Toccata’, comes nearest in this
conspectus of Center’s piano music to declaim his Scottish inheritance. It is
not ‘tartanry’ by any stretch of the imagination but does seem to have the
drive and vigour of Caledonian fiddle music, if not the exact rhythms and
figurations.
Finally,
I turned to the Sonatina and the Sonata. The former is an interesting little
work. Most importantly, it is hardly a light-hearted little didactic piece. The
musical language nods to Bartok and Prokofiev. The bouncy opening ‘allegro’ theme
contrasts with the very short ‘second subject.’ The middle movement is a darkly
hued nocturne, with little illumination, and a truly aggressive and disturbing
middle section. The ‘vivace’ finale does little to relax the tension. Like so
many ‘Sonatinas’ the title belies the emotional content of the music.
The
Sonata is the main event on this CD. It stands first in the batting order,
although I have chosen to review it last. This work was composed/published around
1958. Yet, the Sonata was not premiered until 1979, when the Anglo/Scottish
composer and pianist Ronald Stevenson played it at the Mitchell Hall, Aberdeen.
In 1990 Murray McLachlan recorded the Piano Sonata along with the Six
Bagatelles.
The
liner notes suggest that several of Ronald Center’s piano pieces on this CD are
‘preparatory sketches’ for the Sonata, I do feel that this could belittle the
worth of these ‘lesser’ works. On the other hand, it appears that the Sonata is
a kind of ‘summa of Center’s pianism.’
Ronald Stevenson has provided an interpretive scheme for this Sonata.
The opening movement reflects the excitement and vigour of childhood, this is
followed by the second movement’s meditation on the ‘anguish of young love’
then the third, trouble and strife and eventually level-headedness in one’s
middle years leading, finally, to a renewed childlike spirit of old age and
possible rebirth. The liner notes give a detailed analysis of the Sonata which
bears study. My thoughts are that this large-scale piece (not necessarily by
length) is powerful, dynamic and profound. It is small wonder that it was
Ronald Center’s personal favourite. One reviewer has put their finger on the
Sonata’s ultimate success: this is a concise work, but one that feels ‘big in
both sound and scale, encompassing considerably substance and variety.’
All
this music is played by Scottish pianist Christopher Guild. It is a superb
performance from start to finish. He captures the imaginative style of Ronald
Center’s music, especially in the contrasting ‘catastrophe’ section. The sound
quality is ideal.
I
enjoyed every piece on this CD. I do not know why I missed this release back in
2013 but am exceptionally glad to have caught up with it in the dying days of
2019. The cover of the CD states that this is Volume 1 of Ronald Center’s ‘Instrumental
and Chamber Music’: seven years later, we are still awaiting Volume 2. Roll on…
Track Listing:
Ronald CENTER (1913-1963)
Instrumental and Chamber Music - Volume 1: Music for Solo Piano
Piano Sonata (1958); Six Bagatelles (1955); Andante; Sarabande; Air; Pantomime; Larghetto; Sonatine; Hommage; Three Etudes; Impromptu; Three Movements
Christopher Guild (piano)
Rec. 26-27 April 2013, Potton Hall, Suffolk
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC 0179
Ronald CENTER (1913-1963)
Instrumental and Chamber Music - Volume 1: Music for Solo Piano
Piano Sonata (1958); Six Bagatelles (1955); Andante; Sarabande; Air; Pantomime; Larghetto; Sonatine; Hommage; Three Etudes; Impromptu; Three Movements
Christopher Guild (piano)
Rec. 26-27 April 2013, Potton Hall, Suffolk
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC 0179
No comments:
Post a Comment