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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fine collection of rare american chamber music,
By
This review is from: Piston : Chamber Music (Audio CD)
Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and Roy Harris seem to epitomise american music. Their music, if not often performed in british concert halls, is at least readily avaibable on CD. Walter Piston, though a name often mentioned, like Ned Rorem, remained just that, a name. Searches of the record catalogues revealed a few recordings. One could not get any real idea of what their music was like. Piston seemed destined to remain the composer of 'The Incredible Flautist' and nothing else. Now there are recordings of his violin concertos, though his symphonic output has been sadly neglected. Piston studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. His music has a gallic refinement, a lightness of construction. The music is highly inventive and there is no doubt that here is a composer of stature. His music becomes more dissonant with time but only in the way that it adds some chilli to the palette. If he does not sound particularly 'american', that is because he is being Piston and not Roy Harris, Copland or Barber. Naxos have given us, at a small outlay, many wonderful previously unaccessible works. Here they do it again. This is fascinating music. The performances and recording are excellent. If you are familiar with late 20th century tonal music with a fairly high level of dissonance, give this a try. Some of our american friends might have heard one or two of these works but in Europe, this is unknown territory. Now we have the opportunity to hear them over and over again. I do not think they will be found lacking.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars for the Performances, Four for the Music,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Piston : Chamber Music (Audio CD)
Walter Piston's chamber music isn't as well known as his symphonic works, and this disc tells us why. Though these pieces share with the orchestral music Piston's hallmarks--an easy melodiousness that is very American, flexible rhythmic patterns and driving cross rhythms, and a motoric energy especially in finales--for the most part they are less memorable, Piston perhaps lavishing his best ideas on the orchestra.For one thing, the String Sextet and Piano Quartet, both written in 1964, are much more chromatic than is typical of Piston and sound almost atonal in spots, with the lack of developmental focus that seems to imply. Often, the two pieces seem to meander along without any particular place to go. But then the finales have the usual elan and drive that Piston luckily couldn't forgo in his last movements. The Energico last movement of the Sextet is especially infectious. But then the other works are vintage Piston. The earliest piece on the disc, the Flute Quintet of 1942, has a pastoral langor that seems just right for this instrumental combination, except, that is, in the bouncing fugato of the scherzo and in the fleet first theme of the finale. The gentle dialogs among the instruments have the air of good conversation. A very pleasant work indeed. The Piano Quartet, equally fine, is equally unabashedly Romantic, taking as its models the great quintets of the 19th century: Schumann, Brahms, and especially Dvorak. A balletic finale of real charm crowns the work. The host of players in this project include familiar names such as James Buswell and Theodore Kuchar, and all play with evident relish, as well a high sense of ensemble. Naxos' Down Under recording team provide sound that is warm and wonderfully immediate. Another winning bargain from Naxos. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do yourself a favor...,
By rustic - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Piston : Chamber Music (Audio CD)
...and buy this cd. Then check out other Piston cds. Piston was accussed of being too academic with his compositions. Oh you critics. I hope you're not responsible for the vast array of Pistonless concerts.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine music in overall good performances,
By G.D. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Piston : Chamber Music (Audio CD)
Naxos has released several fine issues of orchestral works by Walter Piston, and this release of chamber works is very welcome - but I will immediately add that the music here is not as immediately attractive as his orchestral works. Most of Piston's chamber music is relatively late and consists of generally romantically introspective works which don't yield up their qualities very easily. The flute quintet is an exception on both scores. Dating from 1942, it is a tuneful, generally spirited, somewhat neo-classical work - not very profound, but very appealing and excellently written for the instruments, featuring the flute both as soloist and part of the general textures.
The piano quartet dates from 1964, and is introverted and does, despite its agreeable themes and interesting ideas, come across as a little belabored. The string sextet from the same year is more ebullient, but also more dissonant - slightly craggy but also full-bodied and intensely contrapuntal. The first movement is brooding and dark, the scherzo brisk and the dramatic finale seems to attempt a reconciliation, not entirely successfully but not without interest either. The piano quintet dates from 1949 and is the most romantic work here - even genuinely Brahmsian at times. It is inventive and variegated but doesn't quite manage to hold the listeners interest, except in the jaunty, bright finale with its two interwoven, strong themes and clever developments. The performances are overall good, if lacking a little in intensity in the later works (the flute quintet is the most successful performancewise as well). The sound quality is a little recessive but perfectly fine. Overall this disk deserves a firm recommendation for fans of the composers, but newcomers are promptly directed toward Piston's orchestral works, perhaps in particular the violin concertos. |
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