Bax enthusiasts will appreciate this rewarding set
jsa | San Diego, CA United States | 06/12/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This four disc box set replaces the Bax piano music discs issued individually by Chandos, now discontinued by the manufacturer: Piano Music of Arnold Bax; Volume 1, The Piano Music of Arnold Bax, Vol. 2, Arnold Bax: The Piano Music of Arnold Bax Volume Three, Bax: Piano Music, Vol.4. For the Bax enthusiast, this set is a real treasure. Although he never made a career of it, Bax himself was a superb pianist and wrote extensively for his instrument; and his long affair with pianist Harriet Cohen inspired even more compositions. The result is an extensive catalog of works, many of them short and whimsical, but also four substantial sonatas. As Christopher Palmer observes in his liner notes, the various shorter pieces "may be (relatively) small in dimension, but they are large in conception and always the expression of a deep poetic nature." Although the titles of many of the pieces make them sound like trifles ("The Slave Girl," "Apple Blossom Time," "Sleepy Head" are representative), they are instead brief journeys into the Baxian world of creative imagination.
There's no question of the sonatas being anything but serious in intent - they are to Bax's piano music what his symphonies are to his orchestral works. In fact, the sonatas have a symphonic feel to them and their structure is typically Baxian, which is to say that they are rhapsodic and epic but not especially melodic. The first two sonatas have a number of Russian influences: here and there you can detect Scriabin or Rachmaninoff, but the music is not derivative; everything bears the distinctive mark of Bax. The first sonata especially reflects Russian influence whereas the second is more typically Baxian and introspective, but with numerous episodes of pianistic exposition - once you pick up the theme you appreciate that this is a strong piece of music. The third sonata is the longest and also the one that requires the most hearings to get a sense of. The first movement is dramatic, the second movement both idyllic and turbulent, and the finale, which returns to the mood of the first movement, concludes with a flourish reminiscent of Chopin's B flat major sonata. The fourth sonata is immediately accessible, with dance-like rhythms that are very appealing.
My only reservation about this set is the sound, especially on the first two discs which were recorded over a three day period in 1985. The piano, a Bosendorfer, was recorded from a distance and the overall ambience is somewhat empty and cold. Discs three and four were recorded in 1988 and 1991/1996 respectively at different locations and while the instrument used isn't specified, the overall sound picture is better.
Eric Parkin, an accomplished interpretor of British piano music, is probably best known for his recordings of the works of John Ireland (he worked with Ireland and twice recorded his complete music for solo piano). Warmly recommended.
"
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1