Aaron Copland - Piano Sonata; Piano Fantasy; Piano Variations (Benjamin Pasternack)

Information

Composer: Aaron Copland

• Piano Fantasy
• Piano Sonata
• Piano Variations

Benjamin Pasternack, piano

Date: 2005

Label: Naxos

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Review

Aaron Copland’s three major piano works span the most productive decades of his life, taking us from the austere rigour of the 1930 Variations to the Sonata’s lyric introspection and the epic visionary scale of the 1957 Fantasy.

Benjamin Pasternack shows a clear ease and affinity. In the Variations he brings out the tensile angular beauty and surely assays the shifts from withdrawn solace to rhythmic swagger. Though the bravura sections are rendered more as a toccata-like scherzo than with high-flying virtuosity, he plays with command and force. The close balance emphasises the shallow piano but provides a keen, edgy brilliance, suiting Copland’s preference for a sound that is ‘lean, percussive and rather harmonically severe’.

Pasternack is also in sync with the Sonata’s taut poetry, moving fluidly from cool austerity to bursts of agitated virtuosity. Some of his Molto moderato seems literal and unfocused, yet the ensuing acceleration goes with plenty of syncopated verve. He shows fine sensitivity in the searching Andante finale, though the brusque fractional impatience doesn’t relax enough to convey the hopeful expectancy so key to Copland’s world. The Fantasy originated in sketches for a second concerto planned for William Kapell. Again, the nostalgic pages could benefit from a lighter touch and more spacious approach, yet Pasternack keeps firm forward momentum and interest aloft over the long span.

On the whole, Pasternack’s brawny performances have the requisite fire and responsiveness and this Naxos disc offers a notable and economical way of picking up all three fascinating Copland works.

— Lawrence Johnson

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Aaron Copland (14 November 1900 – 2 December 1990) was an American composer. Born in New York City, he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger before returning to the United States, where he absorbed influences ranging from jazz and neoclassicism to folk traditions. Seeking a broader audience, Copland simplified his musical language in the 1930s and achieved international fame with works such as Billy the Kid, Rodeo and Appalachian Spring. He also composed film scores, orchestral and choral works, and later experimented with serialism. Beyond composing, Copland was an influential teacher, writer and conductor.

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Benjamin Pasternack is an American pianist. Born in Philadelphia, he studied at the Curtis Institute with Mieczyslaw Horszowski and Rudolf Serkin, and gained international recognition after winning top prizes at the 1988 Busoni Competition. Pasternack has performed extensively as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician across four continents, appearing with major orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and collaborating with distinguished conductors. As an educator, he has served on the faculty of Boston University and the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

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