Soundscape
Philip Glass (b. 1937)
Metamorphosis I (1988)
Metamorphosis II (1988)
John Corigliano (b. 1938)
Fantasia on an Ostinato (1985)
Etude Fantasy (1976)
Brian Field (b. 1967)
Three Passions for our Tortured Planet (2021)
Kay Kyung Eun Kim (piano)
rec. 2023, Bucheon Art Centre, South Korea 
Steinway & Sons STNS 30230 [55]

This disc is the first release from Steinway and Sons of what one assumes is a new venture and not a one-off. The programme presents an intriguing, though not easy, juxtaposition of three American composers, each with his own distinct musical language.

Philip Glass is one of the most performed living composers and his Five Metamorphoses grew out of music for a stage production of Kafka’s famous novella The Metamorphosis. The two played here are emblematic of the set and convey a sense of timeless melancholy. The second is probably the most famous and has found its way into all sorts of soundtracks. Out of a simple, rocking left hand, the right plays a simple though not simplistic melody which is basically a descending scale. How the composer creates such poetry from such simple material is extraordinary. Faster material in the middle section adds contrast before the slow material returns to end the work. I think Ms Kim could have phrased the simple left-hand pattern with more elegance and poetry.

The sound world of John Corigliano – who is of the same generation as Glass – could not be more different. His fame rests on his highly successful inclusion of some of the Polish avant-garde techniques from the sixties into a fundamentally melodic style. In his orchestral works there are often passages which call for improvisation, free duration passages and cluster style harmony; his Piano Concerto (1968) takes Bartok and Ginastera one step further. The Fantasia on an Ostinato is one of his most popular works and is in the repertoire of such distinguished pianists as Hélène Grimaud and Daniil Trifonov. It is easy to see why, as it is an emotionally charged work which uses as its source the repetitive material from the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No 7. This was Corigliano’s first foray into using minimalist techniques and while there are passages in which the performer can choose the number of repeats, the harmonies are certainly more complex than one finds in minimalist music generally. Around the Beethovenian ostinato, Corigliano uses the whole range of the keyboard to paint Expressionist patterns of colour. Ms Kim makes the most of her choices and the major/minor chord sequences sound well, as do the gradually more and more ornate patterns. The performance has a real sense of architectural strength about it and her musicality and imagination are one with the composer.

The Etude Fantasy is actually five separate studies, all unified by similar musical material used in different ways. There seems to be some confusion on the part of the CD producers as to the work’s name and year of composition. On the case, it is Etude Fantasy, while in the liner notes it is Etude Fantasies 1-5.  The notes also state the date of composition as 1979-85, while Corigliano’s publisher has the date as 1976.  As it was premiered by James Tocco on 9^th October 1976, I think the publisher is correct.  Each of the movements places considerable challenges on the pianist. No 1 is for left hand alone, in which, like Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, the writing tries to make us forget that there are not two hands being used – and succeeds in doing so. Some wonderful fingering and careful use of the third pedal allow multiple lines to sound cleanly. It must be a tremendously athletic work to see in performance. It seamlessly moves into the calm of Etude No 2 where both hands slowly float downward as a constant crossing of contrapuntal lines provides melodic interest. The sustaining of sound as well as the clarity of the crossing voices are perfectly captured. Etude No 3 sounds like twentieth century Alkan, so extreme are the demands on the pianist’s technique in playing very fast all over the keyboard in double thirds and fifths. I have heard performances where this work comes across as a mad scramble, but Ms Kim faces all of its pianistic horrors with a tremendous calm and close attention to dynamic markings. In her hands, it sounds like poetry. Once again, we are led seamlessly into the next etude, which is a study of all manner of ornaments. Trills, grace notes, tremolos and glissandos elaborate and ornament the opening material of Etude No I. The first four notes of Etude No 3 are developed into a barbaric scherzo with pounding clusters in the left hand and a demonic dance in the right. In Ms Kim’s hands, it is all perfectly controlled and sounds like music, not noise. Etude No 5 is in a relaxed tempo with soft dynamics, though there is no chance for relaxation as the pianist has to be at the top of her game – which she is – in controlling the melodic line and lush harmonies.

The CD ends with Brian Field’s three-movement suite Three Passions for our Tortured Planet, which is dedicated to Ms Kim. Mr Field is one of a growing number of classical musicians who, through their music, are trying to draw are attention to dangers of global climate change. The work has proved a success for the composer winning several awards including, in 2023, the Platinum Prize in the Beethoven International Music Competition and First Prize at the Golden Keys Piano Festival.

It is an engaging work, expertly written for the piano and expertly played by its dedicatee. However, to my ear, the outer movements depicting a wildfire then a hurricane/tornado are just too jolly to suggest their stated events. Both sound influenced by Glass, but he has shown many times in music that minimalist works can be disturbing and terrifying; these are not.  Only the middle movement captures the terrifying majesty of a natural phenomenon being disrupted by human intervention. The slow-moving chords conveying the image of gigantic masses of ice are sporadically interrupted by rapidly descending episodes depicting a calving glacier.  Ms Kim demonstrates exceptional control of tone in contrasting the two events. It is easily the most evocative movement in the suite.

This is an interesting start to what could be a valuable series.  The piano sound is well captured, and Ms Kim proves herself more than up to the works’ challenges.  More than that, her clear musical intelligence shapes the disparate elements effectively.

Paul RW Jackson