The ‘premiere’ performance of Theme
and Variations was given by Moeran during the 469th concert of
the Oxford and Cambridge Musical Club held on 27 May 1920. One interesting
aside is an entry into the Club’s Suggestion Book that ‘it should be possible
for members to buy tobacco at the club’ It is signed by the composer. Moeran
had taken up pipe-smoking in his army days and continued until the end of his
life. (Maxwell, 2014). The Club did not take him up on the proposition.
The first ‘public’ performance of
the Theme and Variations was advertised in The Times on 10
October 1921. Miss Dorothea Vincent was billed to play the work at the Wigmore
Hall on Friday 14 October at 3:15 pm.
The concert included three Sonatas by Scarlatti, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata
No.27 in E minor, op.90 and Cyril Scott’s massive ‘Introduction and Fugue’ from
his Suite No.1 for piano, op.75 (1910) Reporting on the concert, the unsigned
critic in The Times (15 October 1921) felt that:
'we did not quite make out Mr Moeran’s music.
It seemed as if it demanded the orchestra; for when the seven diatonic notes
are sounded together it is obvious that some of them are substantive and
intended, therefore, to be louder than others which are passing notes, and this
distinction is easy for the orchestra, but difficult for fingers to make.
Still, that the effect was a little ‘muddy’ did not seem to be any fault of the
player; on the contrary, one was surprised that it came out as clearly as it
did.'
The Daily Telegraph (15
October 1921) reported that ‘by way of novelty, Miss Vincent gave us a Theme
and Variations in F minor by E.J. Moeran, a composer with whose name the
writer is unfamiliar.’ The reviewer felt
that:
‘The theme itself is quite a good
one for its purpose, and the elaborations evolved from it are fanciful enough,
without ever becoming ‘free’ to the point of completely disguising their
origin. The work is written in a modern harmonic idiom [and] was played with
plenty of skill and sympathy by Miss Vincent.’
The Theme and Variations
was published by Schott and Co. in 1923. In Volume 2 of the collected edition of
Moeran’s piano music (Thames Publishing, 1998) John Talbot explains that
despite the composer’s ‘often-avowed dislike’ of Robert Schumann’s music, there
is a definite nod towards the German composer’s Études Symphoniques, op.13. This is more to do
with mood and technique rather than duration.
Another possible work impacting on Moeran’s Theme and Variations
is Gabriel Fauré’s
eponymous op.73. Neither does it take much imagination to hear the influence of
Moeran’s teacher John Ireland. In fact, the theme itself seems to echo the Holy
Boy (1913). In the same year as the Theme and Variations were
completed, Ireland composed his magisterial Piano Sonata and concluded his well-loved
Three London Pieces: ‘Chelsea Reach’, ‘Ragamuffin’ and ‘Soho Forenoons’.
R.J. McNeil (1982) understands
that in this work, Moeran ‘demonstrates a command of pianistic devices and
effects throughout six variations and a virtuoso finale.’ McNeil does point out
that ‘some might think that the finale is weakened by a predominance of
technical effects which do not seem to proceed naturally from the development
of the theme.’
Geoffrey Self (1986) was not
impressed with Moeran’s Theme and Variations: he thinks that the theme,
‘while of haunting beauty’ offers too few opportunities for variation, which
appear to him to be ‘uneven in quality.’ Again, Self considers that the finale
is ‘not entirely successful.’ He does not give a reason, but it is possibly that
the quality of the piano writing is sometimes less than convincing. He states
that the third variation, the ‘march’ is ‘uncouth in texture’. The only
positive element of the piece for Self is the 5th variation with its
alteration between ‘violent declamatory octaves’ and the quiet ‘withdrawn
chordal passages’. Here, there is a
‘glimpse of Moeran’s deeper self and…his latent power.’
Despite the misgivings of some
critics both ‘then and now’, Moeran’s Theme and Variations is an appealing
work that provides the listener with considerable musical interest, highlighting
a wide range of emotion and textures. There is both vivacity and reflection in
these pages in what is a typically Moeran-esque composition, despite a few
pianistically awkward moments. For me, this is music that speaks of the Norfolk
and the Irish landscape without ever descending into ‘Pastoral’ or ‘Irish’
clichés.
Bibliography
McNeill,
R. J., A critical study of the life and
works of E. J. Moeran. PhD thesis, Faculty of Music, The University of
Melbourne (1982)
Maxwell,
Ian, The Importance of Being Ernest John:
Challenging the Misconceptions about the Life and Works of E. J. Moeran, Doctoral
theses, Durham University, 2014
Self, Geoffrey, The
Music of E.J. Moeran, Toccata Press, 1986
Ed. Talbot, John, E.J. Moeran: The Collected Solo Piano
Music, Volume 2 Thames Publishing, 1998
Discography:
E.J. Moeran & Gordon Jacob
Piano Music/Iris Loveridge Lyrita REAM.1103: original LP release Moeran Piano
Music, RCS3 (1959/2008)
E.J. Moeran: Complete Piano
Works/ Eric Parkin JMSCD 2 (1994)
E.J. Moeran: The Complete Solo
Piano Music/Una Hunt ASV CD DCA 1138 (2003)
E.J. Moeran: The Complete Solo
Piano Music + works by his English and Irish contemporaries/Duncan
Honeybourne EM Records 0012-13 (2013)
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