Frederic Mompou (1893-1987)
The Sad Smile
Paul Crossley (piano)
rec. 2024, Church of St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood, London
CRD Records 3553 [72]

Paul Crossley has an enviable reputation for the clarity of his playing and the range of his repertoire. Among those who have benefited from his interest is the Catalan composer Frederic Mompou. His music, with its distant effects, hidden emotions and occasional aloofness – hence the disc’s title – would seem to be just right for Crossley.

The long-lived Mompou is known as a Catalan, or Spanish, composer but he actually spent a good deal of his life in Paris. The longer of his two stays there was in 1920-1941. His distinctive style manifested itself early. He concentrated on music for the piano and to a lesser degree on songs. Mompou was an honorary member of Les Six. His early music does show some French influence but more as a formal than a stylistic model. The music on this disc comes from 1911-1967. Many of the works under an individual title, such as Cançons i danses, have multiple dates of composition.

Cançons i danses,composed over a space of almost forty years, are among the most interesting and direct cycles here, although Crossley only plays seven of them. Each one reminded me of water in one way or another, especially the first two. Water is a good description for Mompou’s music in general: evanescent, sometimes almost not there, until it manifests itself by some contrast or other.

Scènes d’enfants are Mompou’s another cycle whose composition stretched over several years. There are traces of Ravel here. It is a worthy entry into the select group of children’s music, some written by Ravel himself. But not all is sunny with these children, witness the threatening fourth piece; the fifth restores the sense of calm.

The four books of what Mompou called Música Callada (Silent Music) are the best summation of his individual style. Of course, one can hear the music, but it demands a meditative, almost reflective approach. At the same time, one must be attentive or one may miss the harmonic and thematic subtleties. This music might be called impressionistic, but this is impressionism very different from that of de Falla or Mompou’s French contemporaries. There is also a frequent use of bell motifs or bell-like sounds. The composer’s grandfather was a bell-maker, and bells were a major element of Mompou’s consciousness.

There are a number of fine recordings of Mompou’s music, including the composer’s own. CRD’s co-director, Emma Pauncefort, points out what is special about this disc in her introduction to Paul Crossley’s extensive notes. She suggests reading the notes in tandem with the music. I found this a good suggestion. If one adds the excellence of the recording, we have proof that the whole really can be more than the sum of the parts.

William Kreindler

Buying this recording via a link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free

Contents
Música Callada
Vol. I. I. Angelico (1954)
Scènes d’enfants (1915-1918)
I. Cris dans la rue
II. Jeux sur la plage, Jeu 1
III. Jeux sur la plage, Jeu 2
IV. Jeux sur la plage, Jeu 3
V. Jeunes filles au Jardin
Impresiones intimas (1911-1914)
V. Planys: Párajo triste
VIII. Planys Secreto
Pessebres (1917)
II. L’Ermita
Charmes Vol. III (1920-1921)
III. …pour inspirer l’amour
Cançons i danses
IV. (1928)
V. (1942)
VI. (1943)
VII. (1944)
VIII. (1946)
IX. (1949)
XII.  (1962)
Preludes
I. (1927)
V. (1930)
IX. (1944)
XII. (1960)
Paisajes
I. La fuente y la campana (1942) 3:19
II. El lago (1947) 4:23
Música Callada
Vol. I. II. Lent (1959)
Vol II. XV. Lento plaintif (Chopiniana) (c.1962)
Vol III. XXII. Calme (1967)