Russian Variations
John Field (1782-1837)
Variations on a Russian folk song (pub.1818)
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Theme and variations, Op 72 (1900)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Six morceaux composés sur un seul thème, Op 21 (1873)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Variations on a theme of Chopin, Op 22 (1902-3)
Piers Lane (piano)
rec. 2023, Potton Hall, Dunwich, UK
Hyperion CDA68428 [81]
Four sets of variations by four Russian giants or at least three Russians and an adopted son. John Field, Irish born pianist and composer was a pupil of Muzio Clementi and toured extensively, giving recitals while simultaneously promoting the pianos from Clementi’s piano firm. It seems likely that this was what took him and his teacher to St. Petersburg in 1802 and finding the atmosphere of the city to his liking he decided to stay and it was there that he wrote the series of nocturnes that his name will forever be associated with. His first compositions in his new homeland however were sets of variations and it was in 1818 that the Variations on a Russian folk song were published. The folk song in question was the vigorous in the garden taken from the very first collected edition of Russian folksongs though in Field’s variations it as rather stately and reserved. You will find no variation one, variation two etc. written here; the chordal theme plays for eight bars then is played with a flowing semiquaver accompaniment, decoration that soon segues into dotted rhythms, triplets and then fast runs. You are two minutes in before you realise you are on the fifth or sixth ‘variation’ in a slowly metamorphosing and utterly engaging sequence. The booklet describes the work as more of a fantasy and this is more obvious in the later sections where Field breaks away from this ever evolving series of decoration, bringing in new textures and keys. It is a delightful and very stylish work that stands apart from many of the fatuous variations sets that appeared by the bucket full in the early years of the 19th century.
Tchaikowsky adopted an alternative approach to variation form in his Six morceaux composés sur un seul thème. He had written a conventional and quite decent theme and variations for piano in around 1864 but in the Six morceaux he wrote works that could be played complete in themselves without knowledge of the others. Indeed the work’s dedicatee Anton Rubinstein would go on to play selected pieces in the years after he gave the premiere. Tchaikowsky’s intent was to show that he could give them such different characters that only the most attentive listeners could discern the common thread. Thus in the austere but also rather beautiful Prélude and fugue à 4 voix the outline of the theme is presented in an almost improvisatory style before becoming a fugue subject; the opening of the fugue reminds me a little in style of the nostalgic opening bars of Balakirev’s glorious B flat minor sonata. The stylistic and rhythmic changes in the impromptu with its halting triplets over a jaunty striding left hand are quite dramatic though the melodic shape is clear when glancing at the score. The triplets over the theme distinguish the following Funeral march from the common stock and with some sly chromatic accompanying features it makes for a somewhat unusual cortège. The spirited and heroic central section keeps the doom and gloom at bay even when Tchaikowsky borrows the familiar dies ire motif so favoured by the final composer on this disc. The mazurka features a rather eastern take on the rustic polish dance and is full of Tchaikovsky’s signature rhythmic devices as is the final scherzo with its wonderful syncopated writing.
The Theme and variations must be Alexander Glazunov’s most successful large scale piano piece, tighter in form and more richly varied than the occasionally waffling sonatas, much as I enjoy those two works. The theme itself is unidentified though clues suggest it may be a Finnish folksong that Glazunov heard on one of his visits to the country. Be that as it may this is all very Russian with the distinct peal of bells ringing through many of the variations, most obviously in the quasi campanelli of the delicate ninth variation but also in the downward octaves and semiquavers of variations five, six, ten, thirteen and fourteen. There is huge variety in texture and though there is plenty of Glazunov’s characteristically rich writing there is great delicacy and clarity in much of the figuration notably the delicious trickling figuration of variation two or the aforementioned variation nine whose passionate heart reminds me of the wonderful variation finale of his first piano concerto. This all contrasts with some wonderful virtuoso writing like the octaves of variation thirteen, the playful counterpoint of variation seven, the tarantelle variation eight and the broad lyricism found in variations five and fourteen.
Rachmaninov’s early Variations on a theme of Chopin are longer than his more familiar Corelli variations, not surprisingly considering Rachmaninov preferred a more condensed style as he matured though they are every bit as marvellously written for the piano and fiercely difficult. His compositional confidence may have been rekindled, to which the C minor concerto, cello Sonata and early op.23 preludes all testify but he was still prone to doubt and he would trim the Corelli variations down as he played them in concert in response to the amount of audience coughing he heard; in a similar manner the score of the Chopin variations gives the option for several variations and the virtuoso coda to be omitted. Nowadays pianists don’t tend to omit anything but at least one champion of the work, Robert Goldsand left quite a chunk out in his performances (Marston Record 53026). Piers Lane plays it here complete in all its glory. Rachmaninov acknowledges the influence that Bach had on Chopin’s writing in the very first variation, a single chromatic line that brilliantly encapsulates the essence of Chopin’s prelude. That he goes on to use that line as a fast left hand counterpoint to a pared down version of the melody in variation two is just genius and that growing complexity of counterpoint continues in the next variations. By variation four it is all Rachmaninov and the beautiful fifth and sixth variations are testament to this; the cross rhythms of the Schumannesque sixth develop an inner voice that is such a trademark of Rachmaninov’s. The writing of the études-tableaux is evident in the next few variations with the treacherous tenth an echo of Paganini from Schumann’s Carneval. The slow and sinuous eleventh variation, a study in legato double note playing, introduces a major key tonality but tempered with a myriad of chromatic writing and though the contrapuntal variation twelve opens as Bach it soon segues into Rachmaninov. A gorgeously harmonised and ethereal funeral march gives way to a Mendelssohnian scherzo which leads to another more intense and lugubrious funeral march. A huge chordal variation that segues into a whirlwind presto variation seems to presage the grand finale but Rachmaninov finds space for one more achingly beautiful variation that treats Chopin’s melody as one of his own heart-wrenching creations and it is from this moment of tranquillity that he winds up proceedings with an impish scherzo and a grand all guns blazing finish. Grand indeed but for me the weakest page in the piece – I wonder if Rachmaninov would have excised this and opted for the peaceful ending that he suggests in the footnotes had he returned to the piece.
Hyperion have done their part with a rich, warm sound and each variation given its own track – 46 tracks on this packed disc. Piers Lane is on phenomenal form and there really is some astonishing virtuosity here both technically and poetically. The programme is imaginative and very welcome; like much of his piano music the Tchaikowsky is seldom heard and whilst the Glazunov and Rachmaninov are not exactly rare they do tend to lose out in the concert hall to more famous sets. Then there is the Field, completely new to me and a delightful work. A winning recital that will not disappoint.
Rob Challinor
Previous review: Nick Barnard (May 2024)
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