Customer Reviews

Tcherepnin: Symphonies 1 & 2/Piano Concerto 5

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

 

 

The first symphony reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. It is "tornado music". It's caustic, terse, and whirling in the first movement. A creative, but misplaced, second movement for percussion only was added to the symphony after it was finished, for the premiere. I made a copy of this disc without it, because the symphony is stronger as it was originally conceived. The first symphony is probably not a piece that will please most classical music listeners, because it's not friendly. But, I like it, and don't feel it sounds immature like some composers' first symphonies, even though Tcherepnin himself apparently distanced himself from the piece, saying his later "interpoint" system is less abstract and more meaningful.

Better than the 1st symphony, indeed a classic, is the 5th concerto. It didn't grab me at first. I felt it was too spare in the piano line, but as with many of the greatest pieces of music, what takes time to appreciate is often that which earns greater appreciation. In other words, while I felt the 6th concerto (on the other disc from this orchestra/conductor/pianist) was superior initially, I now greatly prefer this piece. In fact, out of the six pieces on the two discs I have of Tcherepnin, the 5th concerto trails only the 3rd symphony in my esteem, and not by much. That symphony (on the other disc) is superbly melodic, while this concerto is scintillatingly crystalline. The pianist, orchestra, and conductor are faultless.

I have not warmed up to the 2nd symphony. It's an interesting coincidence that I also haven't warmed up to the 4th symphony (again the last of the three pieces) on the other disc. I don't have much to say about it, because I listen to the concerto primarily and sometimes the first symphony. Similarly, when I put in the other disc, I listen to the 3rd symphony and sometimes the concerto (#6). Neither the 2nd or 4th symphonies are bad. They just don't have the attractive and interesting qualities the others have.

I personally think this disc is a must-buy, along with the other disc, but if you're on a budget, pick the other one up if you like melodic symphonies and pick this one up if you prefer more chomatic piano concertos.

Tcherepnin's compositions are chromatic in nature and rather dry melodically. No memorable tunes to speak of but orchestration is handled well and convetional symphonic forms are used. These works are more listenable than just about anything from the second Viennese school (i.e. Schoenberg, et.al.), most of which I can't stand. As far as I am aware, this is the first appearance of these two synphonies and they make for interesting listening (especially mov. 2 of Sym 1 which is scored for percussion). Performances are excellent all around. The piano concerto has been recorder previously (on Olympia along with the other 5 concertos on 2 CD's) but this performance shows more spirit - something this composition certainly benefits from. The recorded sound is outstanding - typical from BIS.

Alexander Tcherepnin was the most cosmopolitan of composers, having traveled most of the world and having been exposed to influences from Stravinsky, impressionism and Les Six, the music of the Russian Silver Age, the Boulanger generation of American composers, folk music traditions from more or less everywhere in the world and the Second Viennese School, and apparently absorbed them all. And even though the wide variety of influences is audible, the influences are masterfully synthesized and integrated into a personal style which strikes the listener as urban and elegant and not at all eclectic. His music is, in short, always interesting and quite original, even if none of the works on this disc quite reaches the level of masterpieces.

The first symphony starts out rhythmically pungent and in a slightly barbed, impressionistically neo-classical language (think late Roussel). The second movement - which caused something of a stir, apparently, in its time - is for untuned percussion instruments only, before returning to the propulsively forward-moving, harmonically quirky language of the first movement for the last two. It is an interesting, intriguing work - slightly pallid, perhaps, but always engagingly forward-moving and cogent. The second symphony is another polystylistic but scrupulously constructed and well-integrated work, dating from 20 years later, but not very much more harmonically advanced. The fifth piano concerto stems from rather late in Tcherepnin's life and is an extremely attractive work of glittering elegance and harmonic invention.

Overall the performances are excellent. Ogawa plays the solo part of the piano concerto with much color and poetry - unfortunately, it could perhaps need more hard-hitting power and brilliance, but the Singapore Symphony Orchestra acquit themselves impressively under Lan Shui, playing the music with confidence and technical mastery. The sound is demonstration class. Recommended.