"Certainly he has written for the piano, and more beautifull
Hexameron | 05/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was the answer Wilhelm von Lenz gave Liszt, who asked if Weber had composed piano music. Lenz was a musical "amateur" in the best sense of the word, and it was von Lenz, who upon meeting the twenty year old Liszt, decided to expose him to the piano works of Weber. There are some fascinating anecdotes about Liszt's reception to Weber in von Lenz's The Great Piano Virtuosos of Our Time: A Classic Account of Studies with Liszt, Chopin, Tausig & Henselt. Although Weber's great operas tend to overshadow his piano music, the Classical era piano oeuvre would be poorer without them. Thankfully, Naxos seeks to give Weber's keyboard compositions its own platform, and with the help of Alexander Paley, they are a success.
Among the Weber pieces von Lenz introduced to Liszt was the Sonata No. 2 in A flat major, Op. 39. To quote von Lenz, the Sonata "... is in many respects the composer's masterpiece among the works he wrote for the piano." Sir Julius Benedict, one of Weber's pupils, called the work "the grandest and most complete composition of the master... containing so many fascinating melodies, such a continuous flow of noble ideas alternating with bursts of passion, and, one might say, musical eloquence of the highest order." I don't know if I agree with von Lenz's assessment of the Second Sonata as his greatest (I think the First and Fourth Sonatas are equally worthy and innovative). But Julius Benedict sums up the Second Sonata quite well: it is grand, noble and mellifluous, but also dramatic, with virtuosic brushstrokes and emotional content galore. The first movement is a highly Romantic Allegro with lyricism and strength; the Andante is of operatic beauty until it reaches a smashing virtuosic march. Liszt even remarked, "I can imagine how the piano-hussars will charge through it!" In the third movement, Weber is in the mood for humor and presents some infectious and irresistible themes. And then in the Rondo, we find traces of Beethoven with Weber's own dashing Romanticism. On the whole, this is an exquisite work of depth, humor, virtuosic display, and beauty; it's got it all, really.
Naxos is keen on recording many of Weber's sets of Variations, and thus two sets are featured here. Weber was seventeen years old when he composed his Six Variations on Vogler's "Samori". These Variations tread on two grounds: Mozart's light-hearted and ornamented style and Beethoven's somber expressions. The aria theme is indeed Mozartean, and Weber's treatment is rather homogenous and only slightly altered. Considering the whopping 18 minute length of these Variations, Weber risks monotony with his restrained and decorated re-wrappings of the theme. But in the fifth Variation, Weber reveals his most ingenious variation which takes a life (or death) of its own: a funeral march quite reminiscent of Beethoven. Weber's funeral march is of such power that it consumes the frivolous mood of this work completely. In the next set of Variations on a Gypsy Song, which were written in 1817, Weber plays it safe, at least emotionally. His variations are pleasant enough but not as striking as we might hope an older Weber could produce. However, the last work on this recording, the mighty Grande Polonaise Op. 21 is a different thing. It starts off dramatic and dark, which betrays the cheery dance that soon takes over. Throughout its seven minute duration this piece exhibits brilliant passagework and unexpected turns; I think it's one of Weber's better piano creations.
Bottom line: Weber's Sonata No. 2 in A flat major is a superb example of Weber's talent and proto-Romantic style. Some consider it his best Sonata and Alexander Paley adds to that impression with his passionate and rigorous delivery. The two sets of Variations may be trifles, but the funeral march that devours the Op. 6 is just stupendous. Collectively, these pieces are engaging enough, but Alexander Paley's powerful interpretations truly warrant a 5-star rating."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1