Tournament for Twenty Fingers: British Piano Duets

The concept behind this CD is to present the “complete” works for piano duet (four hands, one piano) by four British composers. Not included are any pieces written for two pianos. 

Lennox Berkeley’s Palm Court Waltz, op.81, no.2a for piano duet dates from 1971. It was originally devised for orchestra and called the Diana and Actaeon Waltz. The liner notes do not mention that it was written at the request of Richard Buckle for The Greatest Show on Earth, held in aid of the “Save the Titian” fund.

It is difficult to know if this is a pastiche of the Viennese valse or just a bit of fun. Erik Satie’s Je te veux may be another model. After an overblown introduction, the rather Poulenc-ian main waltz theme is introduced. A characteristic of this number is the tendency for the progress of the work to suggest that the performers have “lost their way” or are going back to the beginning of the score – yet the steady 3/4 time is never lost for a moment. (Liner notes)

In 1954, Alec Rowley succinctly summed up Lennox Berkeley’s Sonatina for piano/four hands, op.39. He notes “a minimum of notes, [and] refinement of taste…in texture, it is a true Sonatina, and in appearance, ingenuous and stark in outline.” (Musical Times, December 1954). Yet, this bleakness becomes less fearsome on repeated hearings. In fact, there is significant warmth and elegance in much of this refreshing music. The three movements are well contrasted featuring lively syncopation in the opening Allegro moderato, well-considered lyricism in the Andante and concluding with a definite nod to Poulenc in the Allegro finale.

It is the first time I have consciously listened to Berkeley’s Theme and Variations for piano duet, op.73. It was completed in 1968 and dedicated to Annie Alt and Gerald Stofsky. For many years it remained unpublished. Stylistically, this is a serial composition that never quite avoids a sense of tonality. For some tastes, the harmonies will be considered “astringent” but the “Gallic sensibility of Ravel and Poulenc is still very much in evidence.”  (Liner Notes). This is serious music, which is also infused with a sense of humour. There are seven contrasting variations following, based on a largely “in key” arpeggio Theme.

This disc includes the premiere recording of Richard Arnell’s Sonatina for piano duet, op.61. Not mentioned in the liner notes or track listing, this was composed in 1950. Like many other Sonatinas for piano (Ireland, Ravel) this is not technically easy: it was not designed for pianists learning their trade. There are four short, concentrated movements. It would be easy to define this work as neo-classical. Yet there are moments of romance in these pages. The booklet suggest the influence of Prokofiev and Stravinsky, but the overall impact is very much of Arnell’s own devising.

The clever thing about Stephen Dodgson’s Tournament for Twenty Finger (1952, 1954) is that it sounds more difficult than it is! It is written in two parts (volumes), with Part One majoring on a selection of dances which include a Gavotte, a Romance, the Fantasia in C minor, a Cradle Song and the unusually titled Hill-Billy. Despite this latter term being nowadays derogatory, no offence was meant by Dodgson. Part Two also has a Cradle Song, preceded by a brief Allegretto. It concludes with A Bohemian Entertainment which is inscribed “To the memory of Antonín Dvořák.” It is certainly a celebration of Czech music, which as the liner notes explain, was particularly important to the composer.

I found Dodgson’s Sonata for piano duet (1949) rewarding. This single movement work is constructed as a central Allegro moderato framed by two Maestoso sections. There is much of interest here. It is not a particularly dissonant piece, but one that is extremely flexible in tonality and making much use of chromaticism. The entire Sonata is always entertaining. It reflects Hugo Cole’s opinion that Dodgson’s music was “designed to divert and charm, rather than edify or promulgate great truths.” (Quoted Liner Notes).

The final offering is Constant Lambert’s crossover Trois Pièces nègres pour les touches blanches. This work was commissioned by the London Contemporary Music Centre and was dedicated to that organisation’s president, Edward Clark. The premiere was given by Mary and Geraldine Peppin on 17 May 1949. The three movements are entitled Aubade, Siesta and Nocturne. Various influences seem to appear. This includes Lambert’s own jazz cantata The Rio Grande (1929) and the cool pianism of Dave Brubeck. Strangely, the gorgeous Siesta nods more to Francis Poulenc rather than to any bop musician. The work’s title may seem inappropriate in the 21^st century. To be sure Lambert’s use of the word nègres would seem to embrace Afro-Caribbean and Latin-American cultures. Then, there is the conceit of “Black” music played on the “White” keys only. This was one of the last pieces that Constant Lambert had written before his early death in 1951. It is surely one of his most characteristic.

The performances by Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins are thoroughly enjoyable, committed, and technically sound. The BIS recording is excellent. Analytical notes are authored by Stephen Johnson, with an introduction by Julian Perkins. There are brief bios of the two performers. It would have been helpful if the dates of all the pieces had been given in the track listing. The booklet is printed in English, German and French. I appreciated the humorous cover design, based on illustrations by Dresden artist Friedrich Martin von Reibisch, realised by David Kornfield.

I suggest a careful exploration of this CD. Each work is worthy of due attention and concentration. I guess that few of these duets will ever become “popular,” however they are all important contributions to the genre. All deserve to be in the repertoire of piano duet players.

Track Listing:
Lennox Berkeley (1903-89)
Palm Court Waltz, op.81 no.2 (1971)
Sonatina in E flat major for piano four hands, op.39 (1954)
Theme and Variations for piano four hands, op.73 (1968)
Richard Arnell (1917-2009)
Sonatina for piano duet, op.61 (1950)
Stephen Dodgson (1924-2013)
Tournament for Twenty Fingers (1952, 1954)
Sonata for piano duet (1949)
Constant Lambert (1905-51)
Trois Pièces nègres pour les touches blanches (1949)
Emma Abbate, Julian Perkins (piano)
rec. 16-17 November 2020, St George’s Bristol, England
BIS BIS-2578 SACD

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.