Monday 22 March 2010

Variations OnThat Key Motif

It is probably fair to call this a historic recording since originally it was just released on two long playing vinyl albums in a limited edition of only 100 in 1964 and now makes a first appearance on disk. Passacaglia on DSCH for piano by Ronald Stevenson is certainly a gruelling test for any pianist and is possibly the longest continuous movement in the repertoire for solo piano, clocking in here as played by the composer at close on 75 minutes. It weaves continuous variations over an unvarying ground bass made up of the key Shostakovich DSCH motif. The motif will be immediately familiar to those who know the output of Shostakovich but Stevenson imparts so much of himself into this work which invites comparison with Shostakovich's own 24 preludes and fugues, as well as the more venerable Diabelli and Goldberg variations by Beethoven and Bach. Stevenson conjures an extraordinary range of colour and texture from the piano, it really can be said to mimic an orchestra and the piece runs a gamut from tempestuous to peaceful. Various techniques such as plucking and strumming the internal strings of the piano are used sparingly and in no way feel at all gimmmicky, everything here is in service of the music. Shostakovich received a bound copy of the score but sadly his reaction to the music doesn't appear to have been documented.

Sunday 21 March 2010

You Are Quite Correct Sir

It could be argued that Damn Right, I've Got The Blues, made several decades into an illustrious career, is the first real Buddy Guy album and perhaps to this day still the best. Although acknowledged by white blues rock musicians as a major influence and inspiration, record companies had been careless in their recording of him with too many time constraints and novelty crossover attempts. The often indisciplined and erratic live performances hadn't helped the cause either. But finally with this album, the resources were made available to record an extended and thought through project of undistilled Chicago blues in state of the art sound. There are the obligatory guest appearances from such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck and both contribute characteristic solos to the two tracks they appear on but the spotlight is firmly on Guy and his mainly white backing band who offer tight and funky support. Neil Hubbard's guitar contributions are more important than those of the two superstars since they underpin the sound and allow Buddy Guy the freedom to demonstrate his genius. The piano of Pete Wingfield and soulful organ of the erstwhile Wynder K Frog ( Mick Weaver ) are also important and Little Feat's Richie Hayward makes the ideal drummer. But the album is rightly and firmly Buddy Guy's. His underrated voice is allowed to show how heartfelt and interpretative it can be but the real joy is to have a document of the blistering electric guitar tradition of which he is now one of the last remaining true exponents.

Tuesday 2 March 2010

I'd Prefer The Real Thing Thanks

The latest free cover disk with BBC Music magazine has the title Great American Classics and features pieces by Bernstein, Gershwin, Grofe and Ellington. On the whole it isn't really repertoire that grabs me. The Bernstein piece is Chichester Psalms with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Choirs of Scotland and Great Britain, the Rodolfus choir, boy treble Sam Adams Nye and conductor Martin Brabbins. It is a performance from the BBC Proms of 2006. The work is a curious mix of the Jewish cantor tradition and Broadway with some more traditional sacred music gestures thrown in. It is followed by Gershwin's Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra, played by soloist Peter Jablonski with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Eric Stern. Jablonski does the piece proud but it tends to come across as like the more famous Rhapsody in Blue but without the tunes. That rhapsody was orchestrated by Ferde Grofe since Gershwin was struggling with the time scale of the commission and Grofe is represented on this disk by his Mississippi Suite played by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Keith Lockhart. This is really light music with risible native American pastiches and watered down jazz. The disk cloese with Duke Ellington's Harlem, again from a BBC Proms of 2008 and again with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales this time conducted by Kristjan Jarvi. An early attempt by Ellington to create orchestral jazz and gain credibility with classical audiences and players, I think he succeeded more later in his career. The piece works best when it is more or less full on jazz such as in the closing percussion section. This disk has been enthusiastically received in some quarters, it is simply the case that it is not the kind of thing that floats my boat.