CD REVIEW -
WALTZES
PETER DONOHOE
SOMM SOMMCD 0690
[81:30]
If you are a
devotee of light music, you will
undoubtably warm to the waltz. It
would not be surprising if some
of you may also appreciate the
celebrated Polish composer and
pianist, Frédéric Chopin
(1810-49). Actually, I have on my
shelves a no longer available
album of Robert Farnon
arrangements that include pieces
by Chopin and Debussy.
One of the great
Romantics who lived much of his
too short life in Paris, Chopin
wrote over 230 compositions of
mainly brilliant and beautiful
piano music including ballades,
études, impromptus, mazurkas,
nocturnes, polonaises, preludes,
scherzi and sonatas. But he is
best known and loved for his
waltzes. So here is the perfect
match: 14 of the genre carefully
curated and played by Peter
Donohoe (b 1953), acclaimed as
one of the foremost pianists of
our time. A joyful 52-minute
listening experience.
Esteemed for his
own piano music and a great
admirer of Chopin, the album is
opened by the German composer and
pianist, Robert Schumann
(1810-56), with his melodious Abegg
Variations. This was
published while he was a student
and recognized as his Opus 1. It
is suggested that it refers to
Pauline von Abegg, whom he met
when he was 20-years-old and
dedicated the work to her.
French composer,
Maurice Ravel (1905-58), also
wrote some fine piano music,
considered amongst the best
written for the instrument. Here
we have his Valses nobles et
sentimentales, which he
later orchestrated for a ballet.
Writer of piano
music that was labelled
impressionist, denied by him,
another French composer, Claude
Debussy (1862-1918), completes
the album with La plus que
lente (The more than slow).
It is a masterly final
three-in-a-bar dance, ie waltz of
under five minutes duration
undeservedly omitted from the
front cover of the booklet, which
includes five-and-a-bit pages of
helpful programme notes by Robert
Matthew-Walker, an English
writer, editor, marketer,
producer, broadcaster and
composer.
The album is not a
reissue but a newly minted
first-rate sounding recording
made at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke
d’Abernon, Surrey, in
November 2023. It was produced by
Siva Oke and the engineer was our
friend Paul Arden-Taylor. I am
delighted to add it to my CD
collection, and even if you are
only vaguely interested, please
sample it on the excellent SOMM website.
©
Peter Burt, August 2024
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