Customer Reviews

Bolcom - Piano Rags

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Despite the origins of ragtime being a century ago, ragtime still thrives today. It is considered a legitimate classical music form. It is even more delightful to have contemporary rags get published and performed - especially when the performance captures the nuance of the composer's intentions. William Bolcom's finely crafted rags come to life under pianist John Murphy's hands. From the delicate, thoughtful Ghost Rags to the slammin' variations in the Garden of Eden, Bolcom combines the energy of turn-of-the-century ragtime with refined classical sensibility. This CD set should be a part of any and every ragtime anthology - from casual listeners to classroom teachers.

William Bolcom is undoubtedly one of America's most important living composers and musicians. Without sacrificing one iota of his stylistic integrity or musical personality, he has done much to bridge the gap between so-called serious music and the popular idioms that most people think of when the phrase "American music" is uttered: ragtime, jazz and music-hall styles. His albums of popular music from the turn of the 20th century with his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris, remain classics of their kind.

John Murphy, who plays all of Bolcom's piano rags on this collection, is a personal friend of the composer and presumably has his seal of approval. It's good to have all of this enjoyable music in one place; still, I can't muster as much enthusiasm for this album as I would like. Murphy's technique, though serviceable, seems taxed by the more demanding moments in these frequently virtuosic pieces, and the resulting lack of rhythmic precision, in particular, frequently robs the music of its full effect. He also applies the pedal more liberally than I personally like. Nevertheless, the chances of anyone else recording all of Bolcom's 29 rags (including seven unpublished pieces) in the near future is remote, so this is an album fans of this composer ought to have.

Better to buy the sheet music to go along with this to realize how complicated these are to play. Murphy has that special 'bent' to play the details - there are no shortcuts in this set..

I have been a Huge fan of William Bolcom for over 30 years now. I play some 10 of these rags. His harmonies and voicings are modern and fun. Almost "Groovy". Too much fun to play and as much fun to listen to. This is the best recording of them all that I've found to date. Until I make mine of course. Great Fun.

Herbie James

It's a matter of taste whether one likes ragtime in its "saloon" or "salon" form. Personally I prefer the former, because ragtime was originally performed in saloons and brothels in two of the main centers of early 20th Century popular music -- New Orleans and Sedalia, Missouri. In other words, it was popular entertainment for a popular audience. Admittedly, Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb (among others) had higher aspirations --- nevertheless, the music's main appeal was the sheer, high-energy "charge" of the music. That's what I find largely missing in more classically-oriented pianists like John Murphy, who, like Joshua Rifkin and John Arpin before him, seem intent on turning the music into something appropriate for a staid Carnegie Hall audience. Not that there aren't fine rags here that occasionally capture the flavor of raw Bohemianism --- pieces like "Eubie's Lucky Day," "Raggin' Rudi," "California Porcupine Rag," and "The Serpent's Kiss" all have their moments. But even on these, the dead weight of Murphy's genteel hand takes a lot of the "dance" out of the music. The concert-hall "echo" effect contributes even more to the annoyingly sanitized quality. Paradoxically, from my point of view, the best piece on the entire set is the slow drag called "The Eternal Feminine," since it's a deliberately laid-back composition to begin with, much like the famous "Heliotrope Bouquet" of Louis Chauvin. For those, however, who want Rags to Really Dance To, I'd recommend Richard Zimmerman's Complete Joplin Rags, some of "Perfessor" Bill Edwards's solo ragtime discs, or, best of all, almost any of the piano rag discs performed by Scott Kirby or David Thomas Roberts. Best single "saloon" disc ever? Track down Roberts's compilation of "The Collected Brun Campbell." Now THERE'S real ragtime!!!"

I bought the CD and the book containing the same titles so I could hear how these modern rags were to supposed to sound, should I decide to play them on my piano. The CD has the added advantage of allowing the player to preview the songs rather than just looking over the notation to get an idea of how the rags go. While any competent pianist can play music he has never heard before, it's always easier to play a piece that is somewhat familiar. And life is too short not to take shortcuts; get all the help available.