Customer Reviews

MacDowell: Piano Works

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I am a student of Alan Mandel, and had the privilege of assisting in the recording of this album.

Though I have been seriously studying classical music since I was six, I had not been well acquainted with the music of MacDowell before I was invited to turn pages at Professor Mandel's recording sessions. Upon first hearing the music I was thoroughly shocked by both its emotional depth and stunning virtuosity. Macdowell's four sonatas are truly masterpieces, stunningly difficult and strikingly original. The "Woodland Sketches" and "Sea Pieces," though not as technically demanding as the sonatas are nonetheless gorgeous. They require an unaffected interpretation and the careful handling afforded a delicate flower, lest their simple beauty be destroyed.

Professor Mandel's recording of these works is astounding. Most surprising to me was the short time it took him to record such an enormous amount of music. The four sonatas are some of the most difficult music I have ever encountered, yet Professor Mandel recorded them with ease. Striving for utter perfection, he even included the subcontra G required by one of the sonatas. Since this note is not on the modern concert grand piano, we had a piano tuner on hand to put the piano out of tune for this splice and then to restore it (a subcontra A is written only a few measures after the G so there is no way around the splice) !

You will not be disappointed by this wonderful two disc set. Discover a brilliant American composer in this definitive recording by Alan Mandel.

I've listened to Barbagallo's and Mandel's recordings, and while both are worthy efforts, the Mandel stands out. Firstly, on "To a Wild Rose," Barbagallo moves along swiftly, which I don't find appropriate to the piece. Mandel goes slowly, with gradual ritards, a tempo, crescendo, decrescendo, etc. The rest of the Woodland Sketches, Sea Pieces, and sonatas seem more to find the emotional potential of MacDowell's style. This is a great cd.

This CD is quite lovely. Alan Mandel plays in a strongly Romantic tradition. He is fully up to the challenges of the four sonatas. Don't take if for granted that MacDowell wrote simple piano music. The simplicity of Woodland Sketches does not carry forth even into the Sea Pieces. Mr. Mandel retains MacDowell's published tempo markings (The Naxos pianist, James Barbagallo, takes faster tempi.) Mandel doesn't do this due to technical limitations. He grabs each piece and gives it the atmosphere it requires. Barbagallo's tone may be slightly more singing, and his Sea Pieces benefit from a more varied touch. But Mandel's technical display is matched by his musical probing. The 4 Sonatas are great monuments to the 19th century demand for virtuoso playing. While others have recorded Sonatas and 4, the first two are seldom performed. They are difficult and not light listening. But Mandel does wonders with them.

This release shows something perhaps Mandel didn't even intend to show: There is a lot more literature that we never hear out there, literature that is more than worthy of attention. How wonderful to hear it here. The Naxos series includes many other early and later pieces by MacDowell (and sonatas 3 and 4). Together with this release, you can get a far better idea of MacDowell's accomplishments beyond Woodland Sketches and Piano Concerto #2.