Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sunday Classics: Mastering the fine art of Edvard Grieg

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Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982),
at about the time of our recording

by Ken

As I explained last night, we've circled back to spend some more time with Grieg's wonderful little Lyric Pieces. On our first visit I picked out a few pieces I'm particularly fond of, and we heard those along with one complete "book," the six pieces of Op. 54 (Book V of the ten), which happens also -- by sheerest coincidence, of course -- to be the set Grieg participated in orchestrating almost all of. (We also heard all five orchestral versions, including the four that form into the orchestral Lyric Suite, which we also heard.)

For performances of the original piano versions, I depended primarily on the beautiful complete recording made by the English pianist Peter Katin for Unicorn-Kanchana in the final days of 1989. However, I threw in two performances by the great Arthur Rubinstein, which I happened to have because they had been plunked onto a CD in the "RCA Victor Basic 100" series, in between Rubinstein's 1961 recording of the Grieg A minor Concerto with Alfred Wallenstein and his 1967 recording of the Schumann Concerto with Carlo Maria Giulini.

I guessed that those Lyric Pieces, "Shepherd Boy" and the ever-popular "Trolls' March" (also known as the "March of the Dwarves") were from Rubinstein's 1953 all-Grieg LP, which constitutes the whole of the pianist's solo Grieg discography. To give you a glimmer of how these posts play into and out of my musical preoccupations, I was so taken with those two Rubinstein Lyric Pieces that I became really curious about the rest of that Grieg LP. It turns out that all of it was dumped onto a CD, along with Rubinstein's first recording of the Grieg Piano Concerto -- from 1942, with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra -- as Vol. 13 of BMG's grand Rubinstein Collection, and reasonably priced copies aren't hard to find. So naturally I ordered it.

When it arrived, I was delighted to discover that the notes for this volume are by my friend Harris Goldsmith. I still haven't seen by any means all the volumes of the Rubinstein Collection, but even in the limited space allotted for liner notes, the gap between Harris's notes and even the best of the other writers engaged for the project is enormous. (As to the worst of them . . . no, let's not go there.)

Here, for example, is what Harris has to say about that 1942 recording of the Piano Concerto: "A comparison . . . with the subsequent versions reveals an attractive dramatic freshness and vitality that over the years eased into ever-increasing lyricism and expansiveness." Of course if he'd been given the space, Harris could have provided a detailed comparison of the Rubinstein Grieg Concerto recordings that would have left us filled with new insight into Rubinstein as an artist and the expressive possibilities built into the piece, but for one sentence that's pretty darned good, and I wish I'd had it to offer when we heard three of Rubinstein's four audio recordings (the 1942, 1949, and 1961) and saw the finale of the 1975 video recording.

Since the BMG transfer really does sound better than the one I used (from an Ormandy anthology), with more believably musical textures, why don't we listen to the performance again?

GRIEG: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16

i. Allegro molto moderato

[By the way, don't ask me what exactly Grieg means by that tempo marking. The "molto" would normally be taken as an exhortation to really jack up the "allegro," so about the last thing you'd expect here is a moderating "moderato." The idea appears to be a not-all-that-molto allegro.]

ii. Adagio


followed without pause by:
iii. Allegro moderato molto e marcato; Quasi presto; Andante maestoso

[Here, you'll note, we've got "moderato" and "molto" reversed, which is even less clear to me.]

Arthur Rubinstein, piano; Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond. RCA/BMG, recorded 1942

At this point feel free to go back and listen to the other Rubinstein Grieg Concerto recordings (here's the link again), in particular the beautiful 1961 one that he declared himself so pleased with.


RETURNING TO THE LYRIC PIECES

By the time Rubinstein made his second recording of the Grieg Concerto, with Antal Dorati in 1949, as Harris suggests, the evolution in this piece from "dramatic freshness and vitality" to "ever-increasing lyricism and expansiveness" was already in progress. The 1953 solo Grieg LP, however, harks back to the earlier style. As Harris notes, the Lyric Pieces and the rest are "rendered with a sophistication and lack of artifice (which are quintessential Rubinstein) and with a sec clarity (atypical of the well-loved artist's more copiously pedaled work at actual concerts)."

"Sec" rather than "dry," you'll note, because "dry" has connotations of aridity, where "sec" may suggest something more like bracingly crisp. Listen, for example, to Rubinstein play the rippling runs in "Papillon," as compared with all our other pianists.

What we're going to do now is pretty straightforward: go through the 11 Lyric Pieces Rubinstein recorded, in the order they appear on the CD, which I'm assuming is carried over from the LP (which I don't have) and therefore represents a sequence that if not planned by was at least approved by the artist, played first by Rubinstein, then by Peter Katin (whose performances, as I've said, hold up amazingly well -- you don't get blinding insight, but you do get beautiful sound, animated rhythm, and an unfailingly sound sense of proportion), and then in some cases by one or more "guest artists." To maintain the sequence, I've folded in the two pieces we already heard in the Katin and Rubinstein performances.

I should add that Rubinstein has the advantage of playing on "home field"; these are the pieces he chose, and he undoubtedly chose them for good reasons. I should also say that I'm not a fanatical Lyric Pieces collector, and I'm in no position to offer these as the best or most interesting performances. These are performances I either had or had access to, which illustrate basic performance issues in this music.

"At the Cradle," Book IX (Op. 68), No. 5


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Emil Gilels, piano. DG, recorded June 1974


Leif Ove Andsnes, piano. EMI, recorded December 2001

It would be interesting to know for sure that it was Rubinstein's choice to lead off his group of Lyric Pieces with this actively flowing lullaby, because this is probably his gentlest, softest-grained playing here. And still his performance is more streamlined than the others' -- his cradle rocks a good deal more steadily'. Gilels's pace is positively languorous, which I guess is appropriate for a cradle song, but will it hold baby's attention? Andsnes seems determined not to make any unexpected noises that might awaken baby.


"Spring Dance," Book IV (Op. 47), No. 6


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Einar Steen-Nokleberg, piano. Naxos, recorded December 1993

It's interesting to note how many of these simple folksongs and dances Rubinstein pulled out of the set, music that a lot of big-name pianists seem to consider unworthy of their attention. But listen to the way he animates the rhythm of this "Spring Dance"! It's kind of unfair to set Katin's and Steen-Nokleberg's performances against this standard, because they both play the little piece with winning boldness and grace.


"Cradle Song," Book II (Op. 38), No. 1


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Emil Gilels, piano. DG, recorded June 1974


Mikhail Pletnev, piano. DG, recorded November 1999

Again Rubinstein seems more concerned than the others (except perhaps Pletnev, but see below) with maintaining a sense of movement in the rocking of his cradle. Of course, when you can produce piano sound as beautiful as Gilels does playing softly and slowly, you're going to want opportunities to show it off. Pletnev's idea seems to be keep baby off guard by fiddling constantly with the tempo and never settling into a predictable rhythm. Katin avoids all the traps and makes quite a lovely thing of the piece.


"Folk Song," Book II (Op. 38), No. 2


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Einar Steen-Nokleberg, piano. Naxos, recorded December 1993

Again, I would be quite happy with both Katin and Steen-Nokleberg if they weren't facing off against the ripe wisdom and humanity of Rubinstein in this piquant folksong.


"Papillon" ("Butterfly"), Book III (Op. 43), No. 1


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Josef Hofmann, piano. Columbia/IPA/VAI, recorded Oct. 13, 1916


Sviatoslav Richter, piano. Live performance, recorded 1993?

"Papillon" is the most popular of the Lyric Pieces among big-time pianists, and it's easy to hear the appeal of its cascading seeming-improvisations. That Rubinstein manages it without any Impressionistic wash seems to me quite remarkable, but Katin gives a beautiful account too. It's not fair to judge Hofmann directly, given the 1916 sound (remarkably good for its time, though), but you can hear a pianist who believes he's not earning his fee if he isn't constantly futzing with the music. Richter takes an exploratory approach too, but he's just -- to my ears -- a way more coherent musical thinker.


"Spring Dance," Book II (Op. 38), No. 5


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Einar Steen-Nokleberg, piano. Naxos, recorded December 1993

Again Rubinstein shows us why he was attracted to these spritely dances. He just packs more life into his rhythms than a normal pianist. By more human standards, Katin does a beautiful job, and Steen-Nokleberg is perfectly credible.


"Shepherd Boy," Book V (Op. 54), No. 1


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Leif Ove Andsnes, piano. Virgin Classics, recorded October 1992

Katin does a remarkable job of sustaining this plaintive shepherd's wandering at a broad pace. Rubinstein's impulse to speed things up makes a lot of sense. Andsnes seems to like attempting interpretive introspection, and it's quite pretty, but I'm not sure he sustains the movement of the piece.


"Little Bird," Book III (Op. 43), No. 4


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Leif Ove Andsnes, piano. Virgin Classics, recorded October 1992

Katin can't quite manage the snap Rubinstein gets into the birdie's trill-like sound. Andsnes goes a different route, treating the music in softer-grained fashion -- quite effective, but it doesn't leave the lingering impression of the others.


"Folk Song," Book I (Op. 12), No. 5


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Leif Ove Andsnes, piano. EMI, recorded December 2001

Rubinstein seems to think that this folksong is Polish -- he digs into it as if it was a mazurka, and a driving one at that. It's unfair to ask Katin to compete with that. Again Andsnes takes himself out of the competition with a gentler approach, and again it's quite pretty but rather forgettable.


"Elfin Dance," Book I (Op. 12), No. 4


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Sviatoslav Richter, piano. Live perfomance, recorded 1993?

Three really lovely performances, with each pianist doing what he does best. Rubinstein incorporates unmatched rhythmic energy (not to be confused with raw speed) in this breathless little dance; Katin takes it straight down the middle, missing nothing along the way; and Richter manages in under a minute to explore some eerie, tingly, fascinating byways.


"Trolls' March," Book V (Op. 54), No. 3


Arthur Rubinstein, piano. RCA/BMG, recorded 1953


Peter Katin, piano. Unicorn-Kanchana, recorded Dec. 27-31, 1989


Leif Ove Andsnes, piano. EMI, recorded December 2001

Again, it would be interesting to know for sure that Rubinstein planned his selection of Lyric Pieces to culminate in the drolly rousing "Trolls' March," with its ineffably lyric central section. I'm not sure that the "fast" sections really need to be taken this fast to convey driving motion, and think Andsnes might have been better advised to try to generate momentum with intensity rather than speed -- he doesn't articulate all that well. But he does produce one heckuva crescendo in the opening section (and again in the repeat, where it packs a wallop again even though we're expecting it now). In the lyrical central section his playing is once again pretty but without a whole lot of character.


LET'S THROW IN GRIEG'S STRING QUARTET

There used to be "a" Grieg String Quartet. Now, to distinguish it from the "other," not quite finished quartet, it has become "No. 1."


GRIEG: String Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 27

i. Un poco andante; Allegro molto ed agitato


ii. Romanze: Andantino; Allegro agitato


iii. Intermezzo: Allegro molto marcato; PiĆ¹ vivo e scherzando


iv. Finale: Lento; Presto al saltarello


Chilingirian Quartet (Levon Chilingirian and Charles Sewart, violins; Asdis Valdimarsdottir, viola; Philip de Groote, cello). Hyperion, recorded Dec. 8-10, 1998


SUNDAY CLASSICS POSTS

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5 Comments:

At 3:02 PM, Anonymous Bil said...

VERY lovely.

And I am thinking I made a BIG mistake... I used to play JUST like THAT but then I discovered sex, drugs and rock and roll- all at about the same time and didn't play the keys anymore.

I'm wondering if it is too late to brush up and do some covers for the old silent movies? KenI?

 
At 5:53 PM, Blogger KenInNY said...

You know, Bil, in olden days -- and we're not talking all that long ago -- hotshot pianists had all the action they could handle, and our Arthur seems to have led himself one merry existence before he settled down later in life. Nowadays you have to hope not so much. It's unnerving to think of Manny "The Butcher" Ax or Mitsuko "Dr. Death" Uchida getting any (even apart from the mayhem they commit at the keyboard, come to think of it).

In my college days, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we had a pianist-organist who was enormously skilled at accompanying silent movies, which was a treat when our Film Society showed silent movies. There might still be some market for stuff that hasn't been loaded onto DVD yet, but I suspect as a career opportunity there wouldn't be much prospect of either money or sex.

Of course if you bought your own drugs . . .

Cheers,
Ken

 
At 8:38 PM, Anonymous Bil said...

Yup, interesting times, and NOW Everybody has drugs, prescriptions even. A lot more fun when only the hipsters had em.

As usual, not afraid to parade my ignorance and questionable sense of humor, NOW that I have FINISHED this slightly-less-daunting assignment, I REALLY seriously liked the Grieg String thing at the end. AND believe it to be far superior to the previous as regards talkies, Lassie Come Home, and really classy porn. (although one of the links didn't work for me -Romanze: Andantino; Allegro agitato- human err here likely...

BUT if that was a test AND I WON! (again), you may send me your usual prize, Howie has my address.

Happy trailz.

 
At 7:36 PM, Blogger KenInNY said...

Thanks for reporting the problem with the audio of the Romanze of the Grieg Quartet, Bil. I'm not having any trouble with it, so I have no way of fixing it, but (general note) I really appreciate knowing about problems people have with these files.

(There were so many files in this seemingly simple post that I have to believe I've screwed up at least one of them. Hey, I'd be thrilled if it was just one.)

Cheers,
Ken

 
At 7:19 PM, Anonymous Bil said...

It was working the next day...or whatever was on my end was out of the way...

 

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