Franz Reizenstein is an honorary
English composer – and perhaps one of that large band of unjustly neglected
masters. Many years ago, I did a little straw poll amongst a few of my musical
friends. None of them had heard his name – never mind any of his music. Yet, I
am prepared to stick my head above the parapet and state that the Piano Sonata in B is one of the finest
essays of this form in the literature. The work was composed in 1944 and was
dedicated to William Walton. It is a
considerable piece that lasts for nearly half an hour and explores a wide range
of emotions and ‘imagination.’ Contemporary
reviewers were a little mixed in their reviews. On the one hand, there was a
recognition of the work’s undoubted inspiration and ‘more-than-competence’ in
the technical layout of the music. Yet, there was a direct criticism of the
composer’s use of ‘unassimilated styles’ throughout this three-movement work. It
is easy to find references or nods to a range of composers – Hindemith for one
and, perhaps, Alan Rawsthorne. Interestingly, Reizenstein studied with Vaughan
Williams’s but there appears to be virtually no influence from that direction.
Listening to this work some 75
years after its publication provides a fine opportunity to put to one side any
suggestion of cribbing, lack of originality or confusion of styles. Surely this
work must be regarded as the masterpiece that it surely is – from the technical,
as well as the aesthetic, point of view. But I doubt that it will ever become
popular in the recitals: I guess the reason why, is that it more of a cerebral
work than one of sheer virtuosic display. However, there is nothing in this
work that should deter the listener: it is written in a language that is both
appealing and satisfying.
The Legend is a good introduction to Franz Reizenstein’s music. It presents
a relatively straightforward ‘cantabile melody’ that is subjected to several
interesting metamorphoses. There is a darker and more intense middle section,
before the main tune is reprised and the original mood is restored. The Scherzo
Fantastique is a long piece and makes considerable demands on the soloist.
It would be easy to suggest that Chopin was the model here – both for the
construction of the work and the pianistic figurations. Yet this piece was
written in 1950 and has several features that were more prevalent to that time
than Chopin’s. Without the score I cannot decide if there is a ‘series’ present
in this piece: certainly, the melodic structure sounds as if there is an
emphasis on atonality rather than a defined key.
The last two pieces on this
conspectus of Reizenstein’s music show various aspects of the composer’s craft.
The programme notes state that the Impromptu
is ‘without technical difficulties’ – yet the listener will be impressed by the
variety of moods and pianism that are the hallmark of this lovely piece. Just
now and again, I was reminded of John Ireland in this number, however I am sure
there is no conscious reference. The final
work on this LP is the Scherzo in A.
This is full of life, excitement and exhilaration – exactly as a scherzo should
be. It is well written and has an abundance of invention: musical ideas seem to
tumble over each other as the work progresses. This Scherzo would make a fine recital piece, if only pianists would be
brave enough to explore this repertoire in the concert hall.
The original vinyl album was released
in 1960 with the composer playing the piano. The music having been recorded two
years previously. Eric Wetherell provided the erudite sleeve notes. In 2008 this
album was remastered by Lyrita for compact disc and issued on REAM 2105. The
repertoire was identical, but the added value was the coupling with the early
LP of piano music composed and played by York Bowen (RCS 17).
Since writing this review, Franz
Reizenstein has been served by several CDs celebrating his piano music. Most
significant is the three-volume set of the virtually all the composer’s piano
music recorded by Martin Jones on Lyrita SRCD 2342 and the same pianist’s edition
of Reizenstein’s Piano Music for Children SRCD 347. Philip Martin issued
a fine selection of Reizenstein’s music on Continuum (Continuum CCD1007): this
is now only available on download. I note that Kolja Lessing released an album
(EDA Edition Abseits EDA20) including the violin and viola sonatas as well as
the Sonata No.1 for piano. As a soloist playing both violin and piano, he
‘double-tracked’ the two-former works. I have not heard this disc.
Yet in this present LP/CD it is
surely enough to have recordings made by the Franz Reizenstein himself - and
playing it with such technical skill, aplomb and panache!
Track Listing:
Franz REIZENSTEIN (1911-1968) Piano Sonata in B Op. 19 (1944)
Legend Op. 24 (1949)
Scherzo Fantastique Op. 26 (1950)
Impromptu Op. 14 (1939)
Scherzo in A Op. 21 (1945)
Franz Reizenstein (piano)
rec. mono, May 1960 (Bowen); October 1958 (Reizenstein). ADD
LYRITA RCS 19 (Reissued on REAM 2105, 2008)
No comments:
Post a Comment