Ronald Center: Instrumental and Chamber Music - Volume 1: Music for Solo Piano

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