Another Personable Concerto from Britten

 

He is full of them!

Britten's concertos are full of such personality and wit, perhaps an angle of the composer whilst in the US.

Before I get too far, I should mention my enjoyment of the Paul Bunyan Overture. The opening lumbering fanfares, the twitterings of nature, and the surging strings at the end fill me with great delight. Granted the overture is not part of the opera proper anymore, but as a separate piece, it stands well on its own, and is always a pleasure to hear.

The rushing bastion of joy which opens Britten's Piano Concerto reminds me so much of Francis Poulenc and his collection piano concertante works. Smiles and sparkling piano gestures inhabit the first movement, a hook for this listener, for sure.

What follows are more character pieces than typical concerto movements. The second-movement Waltz provides the listener a full gamut of waltz styles; from the surging Tchaikovsky-ian waltz, to the twee delicate ballet waltz, across the wry, sardonic, mocking waltz, the heavy-footed symphonic waltz, not to mention the slow-to-get-off Viennese dance, Britten spins us through many settings.

Britten apparently wrote two third movements to the Piano Concerto. The revised Impromptu bears a heavy, melancholic, dragging feel, much different than the title indicates. I much prefer the original third-movement Recitative and Aria, which sounds almost bluesy to my ears, generally much more satisfying as a musical statement, if not a touch too lengthy. 

While there are obvious attributes in the final March, the ensemble never arrives at a full-on march statement until near the end, which inexorably builds throughout its 8 minutes. I like Joanna MacGregor's way with Britten's music; very clean and precise at the keyboard, allowing the orchestra to underscore the personality of each movement, yet relishing the character of the music throughout.

Johnson Over Jordan was music written to accompany a stage play, later arranged into a concert suite by Paul Hindmarsh. We know we are in Britten's era of film and incidental music when the saxophone makes such a blatant appearance as it does in The Spider and The Fly, alongside a heavy use of jazz. It also doesn't take long to realize the Incinerator's Ballet theme is also used in the composer's other piano concerto Diversions, adding to the strong musical ideas contained within this suite.

Steuart Bedford with the English Chamber Orchestra are always fine interpreters of Britten's music. I daresay, after exploring Britten's own recordings, Bedford is next to authoritative, and offers perceptive readings of his music scores across the board. These three performances were culled from the Collins Classics back catalog and reissued on Naxos.

 

 

 

 

Works
Paul Bunyan: Overture (5.07)
Piano Concerto (42.55)
Johnson Over Jordan: Suite (15.39)

Soloists
Joanna MacGregor, piano

Performers
English Chamber Orchestra
Steuart Bedford, conductor

Label: Naxos
Year: 1990-91; 2005
Total Timing: 63.43

 

 

 

 

I think my love of this recording lies more in its program, which features Britten during his time in the US.

His music certainly has more wit and unusual jazzy colors which I don't hear from the composer later on in his life.

Steuart Bedford is, as ever, an ardent supporter of the music from Britten.