Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
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BIS-CD-1306 STEREO D D D Total playing time: 67'51 RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937), transcribed by SORABJI, Kaikhosru Shapurji (1892-1988) Rapsodie espagnole* (1907/08, transcribed 1945) (M/s) 18'05 1 Prélude à la nuit 5'00 2 Malagueña 2'27 3 Habanera 2'16 4 Feria 8'15 SORABJI, Kaikhosru Shapurji (1892-1988) Passeggiata Veneziana* (1956) (M/s) 21'33 Based on the Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann (1877-1880) by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) 5 [Introduction] 2'20 6 Barcarola. Dolcemente languido 5'40 7 Tarantella. Vivo 4'05 8 Notturnino. Sonnolento, languidamente voluttuoso. Sonorità sempre piena e calorosa 6'46 9 Cadenzetta. Briosissimo 0'56 10 Ripresa. Con disinvoltura graziosa ed elegante 1'31 11 Variation 56 from Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra* 2'41 (solo piano version) (1935-37) (M/s) Based on the finale of the Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 (1839) by Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) Sotto voce, inquieto e presto sempre. Minacciosamente mormorando 2 12 Quasi habanera*, Op. 8 (1917) (Sorabji Music Archive, ed. M-A. Roberge) 4'59 Dans un rythme languide et indolent BACH, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750), transcribed by SORABJI, Kaikhosru Shapurji (1892-1988) Transcription in the Light of Harpsichord Technique for the Modern Piano of the Chromatic Fantasia of J.S. Bach, Followed by a Fugue* (1940) (M/s) 15'23 13 Chromatic Fantasia (BWV 903; 1720) 9'36 14 Fugue (BWV 948; 1720) 5'19 CHOPIN, Fryderyk (1810-1849), transcribed by SORABJI, Kaikhosru Shapurji (1892-1988) 15 Pasticcio capriccioso sopra Op. 64 No. 1 dello Chopin (1933) (M/s) 4'13 Based on the Valse, Op. 64, No. 1, ‘Minute Waltz’, by Fryderyk Chopin Michael Habermann, piano * = World Première Recording This recording is dedicated to the memory of Donald M. Garvelmann. 3 he English-Parsee composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1894-1988) will prob- ably always be remembered for his pursuit of extremes: dazzling difficulties of Texecution in works of mammoth dimensions. The long, unique ban he imposed upon public performance of his works, too, will not be forgotten. But these are only exter- nal characteristics, secondary to the music itself. The interaction of imaginative rhythms, melodies, harmonies and textures in his music is fascinating – perhaps even awe-inspiring. Moods are varied. The nocturnal pieces explore mystical trance states. His transcriptions often bring grandeur and dignity to their themes; at other times parody is the intent. The energetic pieces grab the listener by their sheer obstinacy and determination, and massive climaxes encompass the entire arsenal of the piano (and pianist). Sorabji’s piano output is large, and he also wrote much orchestral and chamber music (a complete list appears in Sorabji: A Critical Celebration, edited by Paul Rapoport; Hamp- shire, England, 1992). Leaving aside his insurmountably challenging Piano Symphonies, Toccatas, Variations and the famous four-hour-long Opus Clavicembalisticum (1930), I find the ‘shorter’ works (those not exceeding a half hour in length) to be of great interest. His transcriptions, in particular, are particularly persuasive. All of the works on this record- ing were learned from copies of the manuscripts. Sorabji was no mere arranger. He was, instead, a commentator who imbued his trans- formations with brilliant ideas of his own. In chapter 27 of his first book, Around Music (1932), he praises Liszt’s operatic fantasies. Likewise, in his second book, Mi Contra Fa, The Immoralisings of a Machiavellian Musician (1947), he lavishes praise upon another arranger, Leopold Godowsky. Sorabji’s own efforts in this field, therefore, should be viewed as belonging to the post-Lisztian tradition of Szanto, Busoni and Godowsky. He sought to translate colourful originals into equally vivid piano versions. Ravel/Sorabji: Rapsodie espagnole Composed in less than a month, Maurice Ravel’s first published work for orchestra, Rapsodie espagnole, established him as a master. Indeed, its genuinely Spanish character was con- firmed by no less than Manuel de Falla. This quality and the rhapsodic, exotic melodies attracted Sorabji (whose mother was Spanish-Sicilian, and who showed a life-long interest 4 in Hispanic culture) to the work. The work is filled with ostinati which range from a languorous mood in the opening nocturnal section to glitter in the festive last section. Ravel stated: ‘The Habanera, with its ostinato pedal point and its chords with multiple appoggiaturas, contained the germ of sev- eral elements which were to predominate in my later compositions.’ The final section, Feria, evokes the bustle of a Spanish fair. In a letter to me dated 1st August 1979, Sorabji wrote: ‘The transcriptions of the Ravel Rapsodie espagnole and of the Strauss Closing Scene of Salome are in manuscript only… they were done for my own amusement with no thought of public performance.’ I must confess that after I studied the Ravel, though, I could not resist the powerful urge to tackle Sorabji’s considerable difficulties in order for others to experience this beautiful setting, and gave its world première performance on 21st March 1998 in Stockholm. Sorabji’s transcription of this work remains mostly true to the original, although in a few passages the textural and harmonic deviations are striking. The opening of the Prélude features the ostinato in semiquavers instead of quavers, and the straightforward seconds (A flat-B flat and A-B) of the orchestral version are expanded into a tricky figuration for the right hand spanning several registers. The cadenzas have been rewritten, both rhythmi- cally and harmonically. In the Malagueña, textures that are transparent in the orchestral ver- sion have, in the arrangement, become very elaborate, sounding almost like two pianists play- ing simultaneously. Sorabji has removed some redundant repetitions in the Habanera. But the most arresting rewriting takes place in Feria, where Sorabji fully exploits the three-hand effect (a device first introduced by Sigismund Thalberg, and employed widely by Liszt). Offenbach/Sorabji: Passeggiata Veneziana The Venetian Promenade was dedicated to York Bowen, as ‘a trifling tribute of respect and admiration’. But this work is no trifling matter to play or to comprehend. It is the most challenging of the transcriptions in that the original material serves as a springboard for fantastic escapades rather than as a formal framework for pianistic decoration. The other-worldly introduction is itself a fantasia spanning several pages. The Barca- rola is structured in this manner: a theme that lasts 16 bars, followed by a variation cul- minating in a stormy climax, followed by two more variations and a short coda. At the final 5 climax, Sorabji introduces a phrase from Chopin’s ‘Minute Waltz’, Op. 64 No. 1, in the left hand. The Tarantella presents Offenbach’s melody at higher speed and, as in many other energetic perpetual motions by Sorabji, the basic scheme – a crescendo in dynamics, tex- ture and harmonic dissonance – generates much excitement. The ending is cataclysmic. Gathering pieces, as it were, after the cosmic explosion of the coda of the Tarantella, the Notturnino gradually proceeds from amorphousness to clarity. Extremely varied poly- rhythms cradled in a languid tempo and sinuous melodic fragments conjure up memories of earlier Sorabji nocturnes such as Gulistan (1940). One of the most touching moments in this section is the appearance of the Barcarola theme in long note values over an austere accompaniment. This is followed by a chilling, ghostly passage which brings the ‘little’ nocturne to a conclusion. The Cadenzetta has the character of a toccata, and serves as a link to the Ripresa. The charming melody is initially placid but here, too, it culminates in a passionate climax. The work ends in a mystical trance – peacefully, and ethereally. This is one of Sorabji’s greatest compositions. Chopin/Sorabji: Variation 56 from Symphonic Variations (based on the finale of Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35) The inclusion of a free paraphrase of the finale from Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in this mam- moth set of variations (484 pages long) is partially owing to the fact that this work was apparently a favourite of Edward Clarke Ashworth, the dedicatee of the work. The motto theme from the Symphonic Variations appears in long, accented tones as counterpoint to the swift running passages. Prominent use of the notes E, C, and A (the initials of the dedi- catee’s name) is made in the work. This is a transformation rather than a transcription of the finale from Chopin’s Sonata No. 2. As is the case in Sorabji’s pieces in a motoric vein, the texture grows from unison at the opening to the polychordal combinations at the climax. The chords are generally triadic major and minor, though the ear understands otherwise, as these appear in rapid succession and combination between the hands. I gave the world première performance of this work on 28th May 2000 in Baltimore. 6 Sorabji: Quasi habanera One of Sorabji’s earliest original piano works, Quasi habanera (dedicated to Norman Peterkin) is the first to employ Hispanic motifs and rhythms. From the beginning the dis- tinctive Sorabji sound is evident. Listen for the added-note harmony, free use of embroi- dery, leisurely mood and tonal scheme, as well as a structure that alternates between melo- dy and cadenzas – all leading to a striking apotheosis. This work has not been superseded by other habaneras that Sorabji wrote later (in Fantasia espagnole, Fantasia ispanica and as one of the Transcendental Studies). As the work progresses, it alternates between areas highly melodic and those phrases more impro- visatory and florid in nature. This generates an ebb and flow in tension, and a sense of anti- cipation which is finally satisfied in the powerful peak of expression on the last page.