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Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 9 in C Major; Four Studies, Op. 2; Things In Themselves, Op 45; Divertissement, Op. 43bis.
Recommended recording:
Boris Berman (Chandos CHAN 9211)
In his Ninth Piano Sonata Prokofiev turned away from the violence of his frenetic Sixth and Seventh Sonatas, from the morbidity of his anguished Eighth, and altogether from the complexity permeating this wartime trilogy. He produced instead a serene, rather simplistic work which some felt augured a new direction in the composer's style. His incomplete Tenth Sonata, however, in its mere one-and-a-half pages (Prokofiev died shortly after starting the work, prompting one to wonder about that accursed number nine again) seems headed toward a middle ground between the agitated language of the War Sonata Trilogy and the disarming naiveté of the Ninth. In any event, in his last-completed piano work Prokofiev proved ever-resourceful, displaying his ability to produce fresh, melodic music, free of device, and unencumbered by extravagant virtuosic demands.
The Ninth Sonata is cast in four movements, each ending with a heralding of the next movement's opening theme, and the Finale closing with a recalling of the first's main theme. Some have called this the perfect form: a composition whose cyclic effect is the suggestion of no beginning and no end, almost as if the composer were hinting the piece could start and end at any point as long as four consecutive movements are played. A rather revolutionary notion in so simple and seemingly unambitious a piece! Prokofiev's far-reaching musical thought was not limited even by relatively modest modes of expression.
In the early Four Studies we hear the composer already sounding much like his mature pianistic/compositional self in these technically challenging, enjoyable pieces. Well-crafted without aspiring to the lofty musical goals of his late sonatas or even of the Visions Fugitives, these pieces offer a sardonic, clever Prokofiev displaying his unique musical audacity. The two pieces comprising Things In Themselves are on a higher artistic plane and find the composer in his cosmopolitan phase, with echoes and vague hints of the Parisian music world of the day. There is more than a bit of the flavor of the Fifth Piano Concerto here, with the air of emotional indifference hovering amidst typical Prokofievian harmonies and somewhat arid, atypical themes. The Divertissement is a rather literal transcription of the work by the same title (alternately called Divertimento) for orchestra (see its review elsewhere at this site.) The music fits the piano quite well, and one hopes that this recording (the work's first in the piano version) might well spawn enough interest among pianists to allow this piece the occasional performance it rightly deserves.
Boris Berman offers playing here in this the eighth of the nine volumes in his complete cycle of Prokofiev's piano music for Chandos that has typified his playing throughout the series: subtly refined coloration, well-gauged dynamics, and consistently intelligent phrasing. As a rule, Berman eschews virtuosic display and thus naturally possesses the perfect temperament for the unassuming Ninth. His handling of the work's abundant lyricism is as fluent and heartfelt as in any recording of the piece I've heard. Note his sensitively-phrased opening and, for that matter, his playing throughout of the main theme, with its curious hesitant inflections never sounding quirky or awkward in his hands. Hear, also, Berman's rendering of the third movement's main theme, how he adroitly captures its charm and innocence. But he doesn't slight the levity and sardonic wit in the second and fourth movements, either, pointing up these traits in splendidly colorful style, never understating, never exaggerating. His performances of the Op. 2 pieces, if a bit restrained, are rhythmically alive, with delicious inner detail emerging to heighten the tension. Berman's reading of Things In Themselves is revelatory, capturing these curious utterances with just the right blend of wistfulness, subtlety, and urgency. And his convincing account of Divertissement makes you wonder if the piano version is preferable to the original!
Chandos provides excellent notes and fine sound. Highly recommended.
Written by Robert Cummings
Copyright © 1996 Robert Cumming (rcumming@csrlink.net)
