Most aspiring pianists will have
met Carl Czerny. Whether it is the ‘elementary’ Practical Method for Beginners on the Pianoforte (op.599), The Art of Finger Dexterity op.740 or The School of Velocity op.299 they will
have struggled through at least some of these ‘exercises.’ Often regarded as
being unmusical, they are/were used for overcoming various technical challenges
and resolving common faults in playing. I have found some of them quite
attractive and feel that they would benefit from being given slightly more
imaginative titles than ‘exercises in passage playing.’
All this means that to most
musicians Czerny is simply a pedant, often dry as dust, and lacking any
potential for enjoyment. Wrong! As I hope that listeners to this new CD from
Naxos will discover.
A few notes about the composer
will help. Carl Czerny was born in Leopoldstad, Vienna on 21 February 1791. He
was such a promising student that Beethoven took him on when aged only nine
years. Czerny’s first composition was published some five years later. Other teachers included Muzio Clementi and
Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Over succeeding years, he achieved recognition
throughout Europe as a composer and a virtuoso pianist. However, it was as a
teacher he became highly regarded. Franz Liszt was his most prestigious pupil.
Other ‘students’ included Stephen Heller, Theodor Kullak and Sigismund Thalberg
Czerny wrote more than 1000
works, many of which contained several discrete pieces. His opus was not
limited to technical exercises, but included masses, requiems, nine symphonies,
concertos, sonatas, quartets, songs, arrangements of operas. He did not
actually compose an original opera! Carl Czerny died in his hometown on 15 July
1857.
Czerny’s Introduzione e
Rondo Brillant in B flat major, op.233 was written around 1833. The actual date
is unknown. The work opens with a grave ‘introduction’ in the minor key. This
sometimes ‘Chopinesque’ mood does not last for long before the piano presents a
‘presto’ cadenza leading into the Rondo. This is a delightfully satisfying romp
which, as the liner notes suggest, ‘is full of mischief.’ The listener cannot
but be impressed with the twists and turns of Czerny’s development of his
favourite ‘rondo’ form. The technical challenges appear huge, but Rosemary Tuck
is equal to them with this bravura performance. This is a hugely enjoyable
piece that one thinks would be a pleasing crowd-puller at any concert.
The
Piano Concerto in D minor is long, weighing in at just over 40 minutes. Much as
I enjoyed this work, I did wonder if it overstayed its welcome. It was composed
between 1811-12 when the composer was 20 years old and was his first essay in
this form. The general critical impression is that Czerny had Beethoven’s Piano
Concerto No.3 (1803) on his mind at the time.
The opening movement is a long 25 minutes and is a surprisingly complex
balance between ‘darkness and foreboding’ and a more ‘congenial’ mood. Rosemary
Tuck and Alan Jones provided the cadenza.
The
‘adagio’ opens with a lovely horn passage before developing into a ‘pastoral’
mediation. This lasts for only a few minutes before the ‘finale’ takes over.
The listener is at the hunt, with lively horn calls and galloping melodies.
There are some lovely moments of repose, but mostly this is vivacious ‘brio’
music. If anything, this concerto is
just a little unbalanced with movement durations, however, based on the
wonderful musical invention throughout, the composer can be forgiven. It is
stunningly played.
The Introduction, Variations and
Rondo on Weber’s ‘Hunting Chorus’ from the opera ‘Euryanthe’, Op. 60 was
published in June 1824. Czerny has devised a
considerable work playing for over 23 minutes. The liner notes suggest
that this virtuosic piece was written shortly after the premiere of Carl Maria
von Weber’s opera Euryanthe at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna on 25 October 1823.
After a strong ‘introduction’
which balances stirring chords with some gorgeous, slow figurations, the intricate
variations which follow feature much interplay of between the piano and
orchestra before the delightful rondo brings the work to a sparkling close. It is a splendid work that is like a piano
concerto in scale. Listeners who know Euryanthe
and the ‘Huntsman’s Chorus’ from Act III Scene V will hear some elaborate
re-presentations of Weber’s music that seems to wander far from the ‘chorus.’ In
fact, it often sounds more like Beethoven’s Emperor
Concerto (1811) than Weber. This is an exciting
and dynamic performance and is a ‘world premiere recording.’
I
do wish that a little more analytical information had been given in the liner
notes, as two of these three works are first performances. There is little
background information on any of them available on the ‘web.’ I was unable to
find the scores in the digital libraries.
The
recording of these work was perfect. Australian pianist Rosemary Tuck’s gives
an ideal performance that often bends to towards the classical rather than the
romantic. That said, she handles the
Weber and Chopin ‘nods’ with great skill and imagination. The English Chamber
Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge is always sympathetic.
Track Listing:
Carl CZERNY (1791-1857)
Introduzione e Rondo Brillant in B flat major, op.233
(c.1833)
First Piano Concerto, in D minor (1811-12)
Introduction, Variations and Rondo on Weber’s Hunting Chorus
from the opera ‘Euryanthe’, op.60 (1824)
Rosemary Tuck (piano)
English Chamber Orchestra/Richard Bonynge
Rec. 14-16 December 2016, St Silas Church, Kentish Town,
London
NAXOS 8.573688
With thanks to MusicWeb
International where this review was first published.
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