Search - Kaikhosru Sorabji, Tellef Johnson :: Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji: Piano Sonata No. 2

Impossible to Describe

John Carey | America | 04/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Every once in awhile, you listen to a piece that is absolutely impossible to describe. This may be for a number of reasons. But the reason for why Sorabji's Piano Sonata No.2 is impossible to describe is impossible to describe itself. The piece is, in a word, confusing. Do I like it? I can't say, but I will attempt to review this piece the best I can:



First of all, you really do have to appreciate modern music to understand this piece. And I'm not referring to Prokofiev, Scriabin, Stravinsky, etc.. This takes modern dissonance a step further. Whether this was Sorabji's intention or not, (in many of his letters and correspondence, he claimed to have wanted the complete opposite) that is how this piece comes across according to Mr. Johnson's interpretation. It doesn't seem to have the same logic that some of Sorabji's other large works have (Opus Clavicembalisticum, for instance). One minute, it will be very calm, and then suddenly erupt into another frenzied expolosion of notes. The overall mood of the piece is nightmarish. So it isn't the type of music that is going to cheer you up after a hard day at the office.



As far as the performance goes, Mr. Johnson is a very fine pianist. He really nailed the jittery unstable feeling to this piece. What really blew me away, though, was the fact that this was a live perfomance (like G.D.Madge's sickening performance of the O.C.), and as far as I can tell by studying the score, he hits most of the right notes, which is absolutely amazing, as anybody who has "witnessed" a Sorabji score would know.



As for the piece itself, it is definitely not one of my favorites by the composer. I would recommend the Fantasia Espagnole or Le Jardin Parfume. This piece has not quite sunk in yet for me, though I might eventually find myself liking it more. I suggest this album to any Sorabji fan, and I will let you judge it for yourself. After all, the "greatness" of music is all very subjective, and I would never give a piece a low rating based on whether *I* like it or not. So go on, buy it, and see for yourself. You may understand it better than I did."

One of Sorabji's more accessable works.

Tom Furgas | Youngstown, OH United States | 01/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The sprawling Piano Sonata No. 2 by Sorabji is, despite it's continuous length of over 52 minutes, one of Sorabji's more graspable, accessable works. The work unfolds in continuous invention, veering from straightforwardly tonal to nearly atonal in harmonic idiom. If there is motivic development it is shrouded in the ongoing motion of harmonic and rhythmic expression. But the work is still actually quite engaging and not as demanding upon the ears and mind as is, say, much of "Opus Clavicembalisticum". This is a much earlier work, and shows Sorabji just as he was beginning to develop his idiom of continuous inventiveness and intricacy. Pianist Tellef Johnson does the work proud with his unflagging and very finely wrought pianism. This recording is the US premiere in a live performance, and the quality of the recording is just a shade less than ideal, with the piano sounding a bit less than full-bodied in timbre (hence the 4 stars rather than 5). But don't let that dissuade you from buying this recording, as it is one of Sorabji's best works and a very worthy addition to any piano music library."