Customer Reviews

Joplin: Piano Rags, Vol. 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have often listened to the music of Scott Joplin, and find the new CD by Alexander Peskanov to be both innovative and compelling. Peskanov's performance of "Original Rags" is playful and titillating. "Maple Leaf" is played with energy and verve, while "Easy Winners" boasts an elegant style. Peskanov's playing is filled with color and phrases are beautifully shaped. His tone quality is never percussive, and he is able to maintain expressiveness even in the softest passages. Peskanov's double notes - 3rds, 6ths and octaves, will be appreciated by any fine keyboard player. I find his improvisational style to be very carefully crafted, preserving the melodic line and harmonic structure. His respect for Joplin's music is evident in each and every rag.

Today in our western society, we sometimes hear from self-proclaimed critics who profess that they are aware of the composer's intentions and dismiss any original approach to music. Peskanov's interpretation of Scott Joplin's music elevates these fine works from the dance halls and movie theaters, and brings them to the concert stage. His musical efforts add to the great legacy of Scott Joplin.

A conservative approach that leaves no room for artistic freedom makes music dull and turns it into a dying art! Joplin's music belongs to the whole world - not just to those who choose to read about his style from a book!

People who wish to start their day in a happy mood should rush to order this CD! Peskanov has shown us once again how gifted he is regardless of the style of music he chooses to perform.Listen to his previously released Naxos CD of the Brahms Violin and Piano Sonatas as an example.
In the Joplin CD he treats the slower rags with his gift of melodic interpretation and the faster ones with his outstanding rhythmic energy.
I feel certain Joplin himself would have enjoyed Peskanov's fresh and delightful rendition!

For someone who considers Joshua Rifkin's 1970s recordings of Joplin's rags to be the gold standard of their performance, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy this CD. Peskanov is obviously an accomplished pianist, so there's no lack of technique here, but the fun of this CD comes in how he embellishes each rag to make it his own. Sometimes said embellishment goes over the top (I don't think Elite Syncopations really needed that third repeat of the last strain), but in general these performances inject a lot of levity into a form of music whose formulaic structure can turn it stolid upon repeated listenings. Interestingly enough, after his hell-for-leather "Maple Leaf Rag," Peskanov relaxes the tempi and the mood of many of the rest of the selections on this CD. In a lot of instances, they actually sound more mellow than the aforementioned Rifkin recordings. This isn't profound Joplin by any means, but it's the kind of Joplin the pianist at the bar might be playing as you took your seat - relaxing and fun.

All that said, I want to second what other reviewers have mentioned: This CD does NOT represent a historically accurate rendition of Joplin's music, and as such it should not be your first or only recording of these pieces. The fun comes at the expense of breaking several conventions Joplin was very clear on: Don't play ragtime fast, play it exactly as written, etc. I'd recommend this CD only if you already own a more definitive recording of these works, such as the aforementioned Rifkin (on the Nonesuch label, ASIN B000005IYF). I've also been very pleased with Richard Zimmerman's Joplin recordings - he embellishes beyond Joplin's stated intentions as well, but he nonetheless stays truer to the original spirit of these works.

Bottom line is, this CD is thickly frosted cake, and while we all love cake, you need to have your meat and potatoes first. However, as long as you've heard a "truer" recording of these pieces, go ahead and indulge in Peskanov's interpretations. At this price, it's hardly a risk.

I have to agree with every said by Vladimir Pavlov.

This is a very fine Joplin CD. Peskanov plays Joplin's music "as wrote", but beautifully phrased and with occasional, entirely appropriate, small embellishments.

Peskanov brigns out all the beauty in the music. It isn't wrong to do so - Joplin put it in there. The performances here have both vigour and elegance, from a pianist evidently completely technically competent, and manifestly enjoying and respecting the music.

The rendition of Solace here is the finest I've heard.

It's worth mentioning too that the piano used is top-notch, and very nicely tuned and voiced. Nice to see that the technician, Ted Campbell, gets credit on the rear cover.

This is as fine a treatment as Joplin could have wished for his music, and it is what it deserves.

Rifkin, Hyman, Albright and other good Joplin perfomers notwithstanding, (not forgetting the fine new comprehensive set from Guido Nielson on the Basta label) this is surely the finest single-CD Joplin recording out.

This past week, I heard Alexander Peskanov perform Scott Joplin's "Pleasant Moments" on WUOT 91.9. I heard Peskanov performing his own concerto for two pianos live - what a crowd-pleaser! But I never knew that he had an interest in Joplin's rags. I was pleasantly surprised to hear his expertise in this genre, and immediately decided to order the CD. Can't wait to hear this one!!

Some time ago, I purchased "Spirits of the Wind" by Alexander Peskanov, and was impressed with his gifts as a composer and pianist. I am also a lover of Scott Joplin's music and was intrigued when I read Gramophone's review of Peskanov's Joplin recording: "In this warmly recorded selection, Peskanov approaches Joplin with the sophisticated mien of the classically trained. Uniquely evocative of their time and place, these piano rags, the playing tells us, are the American equivalents of Chopin mazurkas and Strauss waltzes."Peskanov's interpretation of Joplin is refreshing and full of depth. Hearing such pianism in a Joplin CD is not common. His voicing, pedaling and clarity really make these American gems shine - almost as if these works have been given new life. My two favorites are "Solace" and "Bethena". Through Peskanov's interpretation, it's evident that Joplin was classically trained and obviously influenced by the great composers. Peskanov's rubatos are reminiscent of Schubert, and his tempo remains consistent throughout. I am impressed with what Peskanov brings to Joplin - even if he is a Russian! I look forward to more recordings by this talented artist!

Reviews of these perfomances seem to divide into those who decry Peskanov's alleged lack of authenticity, and those who appreciate his fresh and original approach to these pieces. I grew up with the Rifkin performances, which remain "standard," but Alexander Peskanov tranforms these pieces to the deepest art. The performance of Solace evokes the pathos of Chopin and the melodic invention of Schubert. I agree with David Boyce that it surely is the finest of all recorded versions of this haunting piece.
Of course one isn't going to agree with every tempo choice, but one cannot deny the thought and integrity of the interpretations--one hears new things with each performance. Just as one can prefer Rubinstein to Horowitz in Chopin (or Serkin to Perahia or Uchida in Schubert), one learns and hears something new and different in each interpretation. We are fortunate to have a range of interpreters.
Peskanov brings a new depth and creative energy to these pieces, infusing them with poetic beauty redolent of the Romantics, but uniquely American at the same time. Let's give up on the idea of a single "definitive" or "authentic" performance. Peskanov's voicing, his choice of repeats, the sheer warmth of his sound --the sonic quality of this recording dwarfs previous efforts--all deserve the highest praise. Many other recordings sound as if they were recorded on a tinny upright--"authentic" perhaps, but not "definitive"!
Peskanov brings out both the joy and pathos of this music. Rather than the "self-indulgence" criticized by one reviewer, I find a rich and musical sensibility that most music lovers will appreciate and applaud. You will be glad to have this recording. Scott Joplin: Piano Rags

I have just received my CD entitled "Scott Joplin Piano Rags" on the American Classics label, performed by Alexander Peskanov. It is great! I feel like I've taken a trip back in time to the days of Ragtime. Each selection has its own personality...playful, energetic, or even thoughtful and sad. The quality of the recording is truly excellent. When I walk into the living room, I actually expect to see the piano sitting there! This CD provides the listener with a great remembrance of another era. Sincerely, Dottie S. Slaughter, music lover and piano teacher

Call me a purist, but Alexander Peskanov's presentation of Joplin's classics is wayward and self-indulgent. He disregards Joplin's own tempo indications in ways that beggar the imagination. The first band, 'Maple Leaf Rag,' Joplin's most popular composition (at least it was before the explosive popularity of 'The Entertainers' after the movie 'The Sting') is played lickety-split in spite of Joplin's clear indication 'Tempo di marcia' and his well-known concern that his music not be played too fast. It's hard to imagine anyone being able to march to Peskanov's tempi, which I calculate to be about eighth note = 180. Add to that Peskanov's arbitrary use of right-hand tremolos, unwritten grace notes, blind octaves, and strange and sudden Rossinian accelerandos and crescendos towards the ends of some pieces (I guess he was trying an exciting finish), you have clear indication that Peskanov is indulging his own fancies. Then there are the odd variations in dynamics, going from hushed pps to marcato ffs without any such indication whatever in the score. When he plays the softer and lazier pieces, like 'Heliotrope Bouquet,' he pushes and pulls both the tempi and the dynamics enough to make you pull your hair, even as you are admiring his ability to give nuance (if that's what it is; sometimes it comes across as swooning and mooning) to these basically pretty straightforward pieces. Make no mistake, Mr Peskanov is a virtuoso pianist, but he doesn't understand Joplin's style at all. Further, he treats the composer's clear intentions with disrespect. I suppose he thinks he knows better than the composer.

My favorite Joplin rag, one that I've performed many times, is 'Pine Apple Rag.' He plays it too fast in spite of the clear indication marked off in a black-bordered box at the top of the score: "NOTE: Do not play this piece fast. [signed] Composer." Peskanov adds unwritten accents, walking broken-octave basses, abruptly terraced dynamics, rolled chords not in the score. This is only one example out of this 65 minute disc. There are many others.

My own feeling is that if an American pianist did to Rachmaninov what this Russian pianist does to Joplin, knowledgeable Russian music-lovers would be outraged.

Avoid this one unless you simply don't care about fidelity to Joplin's own clearly indicated intentions.

Scott Morrison