Thursday 8 December 2022

Bernard Van Dieren: Complete Music for Piano Solo

 

A few words about the composer. There was a time when Bernard Van Dieren was deemed to be at the forefront of the avant-garde in England. In fact, he was taken up as a kind of leader by esteemed names such as Peter Warlock, Cecil Gray and Constant Lambert. At his death, someone wrote: “Mystery Man of Music Dies: Music Genius that Nobody Knew.” 

Hailing from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, he was born on 27 December 1884. Some sources say 1887: the 1911 UK census suggests that he was then 26 years old, favouring the earlier date. He originally trained as a research scientist, before turning to composition. Van Dieren moved to London in 1909, where he was employed as a music correspondent to several continental periodicals. The following year he took British nationality.

His catalogue is small but displays a wide stylistic range. Major works include the powerful Chinese Symphony for voices and orchestra (1912-14), six string quartets, and an opera, The Tailor. Perhaps his most significant contribution are his songs. Van Dieren’s musical language is eclectic, ranging from complex polyphony and dense chromaticism to sheer sentimentality. Exemplars must include Schoenberg and Busoni, but certainly not the English pastoral school. Bernard Van Dieren died at Golders Green, London on 24 April 1936.

I am beholden to the liner notes in the preparation of this review.

The CD begins with the Six Sketches, op.4a completed in 1911. The notes explain that they are “thematically linked,” mainly polyphonic and atonal in style. It is not hard to hear the influence of Schoenberg here, especially his Piano Pieces, op.11 (1909), both in structure and impact. The Sketches balance wide ranging moods and dynamics: from being reflective to violent and from the enigmatic to the acerbic. The atonality leads to a gentle dissonance and a deep chromaticism. For their date they would have been interesting and probably challenging for British audiences. Despite their diverse moods, these are enjoyable and satisfying.

The Toccata bears little resemblance to any 19th /20th century virtuosic organ piece. Finished in 1912, it has similar atonal links with the Six Sketches. The liner notes explain that the “title is a misnomer” but “takes its leave from the Toccata form’s improvisatory roots.” I do not agree with Stephen Plaistow’s opinion that it is “rambling” but do feel it may overstay its welcome at just over 13 minutes (The Gramophone November 1983, p.656). It seems to present an ever evolving development of the opening material, in a subtle and not always obvious manner. There is certainly some imaginative pianism in these pages.

The final work on the first CD is the Tema Con Variazione which was premiered by Van Dieren’s wife Frida at the Wigmore Hall in 1927. It is far removed in style from the Sketches and the Toccata. This piece represents the composer’s later style and depends much more on tonality and traditional structures. The theme is very short and sweet, with 14 equally brief variations following. They are always full of interest. There is some beauty in these pages especially the gorgeous Variation XI “Dolce et distante.” Here and there the listener may find echoes of Debussy and even Delius. The Frenchman is particularly prominent in the concluding Con ultimo rapidita e brilliantemente. The liner notes do not mention that the Tema Con Variazione was dedicated to Arthur Bliss.

The second CD begins with Van Dieren’s Three Studies, which were probably written in the early 1920s. Once again early Schoenberg and Berg seem to be the inspiration. I have not seen the score, but it does seem to be atonal and chromatic, without any sense of serialism. The original liner notes for the BMS edition suggest that these are more likely to be “studies from the composer’s, rather than a performer’s point of view.” Certainly, there is nothing cerebral or pedantic about these three quite lengthy pieces. In fact, they are typically quite relaxed, with only the final presto with “several distinct recurring themes, rushing arpeggios and vigorous octaves” stretching the pianist’s technique to a great extent. The second study is appropriately signed “Sostenuto romanticamente” – it lives up to its dynamic.

A different world is entered when the listener turns to the Netherlands Melodies. These twelve short numbers were written in 1917 and are piano adaptations of tunes heard by the young Van Dieren in Rotterdam. He has admitted there may be a “few bogus ones” such as a “brothel speech song” from Germany! I guess the difficulty with this collection is how to programme it. There is not enough depth to play the complete set at a recital, and I guess that excerpting might not be advisable, as some of the Melodies last for less than a minute.

I like the word “Pralinudettino”: I have never heard of it before. To give it its full title, Piccolo Pralinudettino Fridato was the composer’s last work for piano. It was penned in 1934 in celebration of his wife’s birthday. The sound word is a million miles away from Schoenberg which is difficult to describe, but maybe a kind of slightly surreal cocktail bar music. The present edition was edited by Ronald Stevenson.

The final track presents the Ballade of Villon (1917). This was originally a setting of a poem by François Villon for reciter and string quartet. It was later transcribed by Peter Warlock for speaker and piano solo. The French text of the poem is given - a translation would have been helpful. It is a long, slow meditation on the Virgin Mary.

I was impressed by Christopher Guild’s performance of this piano repertoire. I have not heard Eiluned Davies’s recital on BMS 402 and BMS 405, issued during the 1980s on cassette. However, reading a contemporary review in The Gramophone (November 1983, p.656) suggests that “there may be far more strength in [the music] than Davies brings out.” Furthermore, the Stephen Plaistow felt that this “pianist [Davies] seems to meander through the music, with little differentiation of events.”  His final thought on this early cassette was that the “playing, like the recording, lacked clarity.”

I sensed total coherence in Guild’s performance. This is especially so with the Tema Con Variazione and the Six Sketches. Even the “rambling” Toccata seemed to me to be well balanced, with the sections highly contrasted. Guild brings considerable colour to his performances, as well as rhythmic freedom where required. What’s more, is his ability to create a sense of wonder and magic. Certainly, the performance of the more atonal music here does bring Stefan George’s image of “Air from another planet.”

The liner notes are an update of those prepared by Alastair Chisholm, for the British Music Society cassettes. They provide a good introduction to Van Dieren as well as succinct discussions of each piece. They are essential reading whilst listening to this CD. The sound quality of these two discs is outstanding and is complimentary to the excellent performance.

Was Bernard Van Dieren a genius as some have suggested? I am not sure. Conceivably, he must be put alongside that other enigma of English music, Kaikhosru Sorabji, and await further assessment and evaluation. Meanwhile, it is wonderful to have this survey of all the piano music on one double CD. It is rewarding to listen to and provides a big leap forward in the reassessment of Bernard Van Dieren’s oeuvre.

Track Listing:
Bernard Van Dieren (1884-1936)

CD1
Six Sketches op.4a (1910-11)
Toccata (1912)
Tema con Variazione (1927)
CD2
Three Studies (c. early1920s)
Netherlands Melodies (1917)
Piccolo Pralinudettino Fridato (1934)
Bernard Van Dieren/Peter Warlock (1894-1930)
Ballade of Villon (1917/?) (ed. Christopher Guild)
Christopher Guild (piano), James Reid-Baxter (reader, Villon)
rec. 18-19 October 2021 Old Granary Studios, Beccles, Suffolk, and 16 December 2021 Ledger Recital Room, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
PIANO CLASSICS PCL10241

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

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