Customer Reviews

Works by Fine, Menotti, Ruggles & Shapero

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Michael Boriskin has collected six delightful American piano works, all of which were composed during the first half of the 20th century. The three piano sonatas of Harold Shapero, all composed in 1944, are probably the simplest of the works collected here. Each one consists of three or four totally diatonic movements, all of them rather brief (the longest is barely in excess of five minutes.) None is of great import, but all are fun.

Somewhat more involved is Irving Fine's Music for Piano. While it is of the same general style as Shapero's music, the themes are rather more worked out. Particularly in the slow movement, he takes time to develop and vary the themes in more detail than does Shapero in his music.

Evocations, by Carl Ruggles, is the knottiest piece on the CD. Boriskin's program notes on this piece say that Ruggles's music "combines grandeur, raw power, mystery, and longing." All of these elements are present in these four chants; they provide the most thoughtful moments of the CD.

The Ricercare and Toccata by Menotti are two ways of varying a theme that he first wrote for his opera "The Old Maid and the Thief". The Ricercare reminds me of baroque pieces of the same title. Not so the Toccata, which closes the CD; this takes the same theme and turns it into a delightful perpetual motion whirligig. Cut of the same cloth as Prokofiev's Toccata, op. 11 (although Menotti's piece is much more upbeat), this makes for a rousing end to this CD.

I don't have scores to check, but Boriskin's performances sound vigorous and first rate to me. This is highly recommended to those whose taste includes rather conservative 20th century solo piano music.

I heard Shapero's first sonata on the radio, and had to stay in the car to listen. Sounds like a combination of Copland and Poulenc, if you can imagine. Boriskin's playing is really, really, excellent -- electric staccatos, lyrical phrases, great variety of colors. It almost kills me to say this, but I even enjoyed the Menotti.

It's a terrific CD. Congrats to everyone involved.