William Bolcom - The Complete Rags (Marc-André Hamelin)

Information

Composer: William Bolcom

1. Eubie's Luckey Day 
2. Epithalamium 
3. Three Popular Rags: 2. Tabby Cat Walk 
4. Knockout 'A Rag' 
5. Rag-Tango 
6. The Garden of Eden: 1. Old Adam 
7. The Garden of Eden: 2. The Eternal Feminine 
8. The Garden of Eden: 3. The Serpent's Kiss 
9. The Garden of Eden: 4. Through Eden's Gates 
10. California Porcupine Rag 
11. The Gardenia 
12. The Brooklyn Dodge 
13. Contentment 
14. Three Ghost Rags: 1. Graceful Ghost Rag 
15. Three Ghost Rags: 2. The Poltergeist 
16. Three Ghost Rags: 3. Dream Shadows 
17. Raggin' Rudi 
18. Three Classical Rags: 2. Epitaph for Louis Chauvin 
19. Three Popular Rags: 1. Seabiscuits Rag 
20. Estela 'Rag Latino' 
21. Fields of Flowers 
22. Three Classical Rags: 3. Incineratorag 
23. Knight Hubert 
24. Lost Lady Rag 
25. Three Classical Rags: 1. Glad Rag 
26. Three Popular Rags: 3. Last Rag 
27. Albright: Brass Knuckles 

Marc-André Hamelin, piano

Date: 2022

Label: Hyperion

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Review

Hamelin and Bolcom are old friends on disc and in life. Back in 1987, the young Canadian recorded Twelve New Études as part of his prize for having won the 1985 Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition. (No 8, not incidentally, is entitled ‘Rag infernal (Syncopes apocalyptiques)’, a curious omission from the present collection, though admittedly very different in character to the 27 numbers in this set.) Subsequently, Hamelin coupled Bolcom’s Piano Concerto with Bernstein’s The Age of Anxiety (Hyperion, 11/00); with Jody Applebaum he recorded Bolcom’s Twelve Cabaret Songs as well as his big hit ‘Lime jello marshmallow cottage cheese surprise’ (Music & Arts, and also on their Albany collection ‘Serious Fun!’).

Bolcom’s obsession with rags began in 1967, before the revival of interest in the works of Scott Joplin (headlined by Joshua Rifkin and their use in The Sting), Joseph Lamb, James Scott and others. They fall into two basic categories: breezy two-steps (think Joplin’s The Favourite and Elite Syncopations) and the languorous and melancholy (Eugenia, Solace). His best ones, to my mind, are the earlier ones, those that rely on the classic structure of ragtime and have strong, memorable themes. Without these elements, there is the possibility of one sounding very much like another due to the repetition of the same syncopated patterns. This is largely avoided here, with the numbers being sensibly arranged to provide contrast rather than being ordered chronologically.

Everyone will have their own favourites. Knockout ‘A Rag’ (with knuckles on the fallboard), California Porcupine Rag and the four titles that comprise The Garden of Eden are this listener’s standouts on disc 1, together with the opening pages of Eubie’s Luckey Day (named for the inimitable ‘Eubie’ Blake, whom Bolcom considers to be his ‘last great teacher’), which rather outstays its welcome.

One treasure follows another on disc 2. It is no coincidence that by far the most famous number in the collection, ‘Graceful Ghost Rag’ (the first of Three Ghost Rags), has also the most singable (and touching) of all Bolcom’s melodies; the dissonant Estela ‘Rag Latino’ from 2010, with its echoes of Joplin’s contemporary Ernesto Nazareth, is followed by the haunting Fields of Flowers (1977) and the romping Incineratorag (1967). Good programming. Last Rag (1968), one of the earliest of the canon, is the penultimate track. Good joke. The last rag on the disc is Brass Knuckles (1969), written in collaboration with William Albright, and bears instructions such as ‘brutish’ and ‘loutish’.

Hamelin is a pianist who loves interpreting this kind of instruction. Indeed, Bolcom is lucky in having such a musician to provide him with these authoritative accounts of his music. Individual rags will undoubtedly pop up on recital discs from time to time (at least, they should) but any further ‘Complete Rags’ will be completely redundant. Hamelin’s razor-sharp rhythmic acuity and precise accentuation in tandem with his customary nonchalant dexterity would, on their own, be sufficient for the success of this release, but there are other things: a sophisticated palette, a deep tenderness, a mischievous sense of humour and the chameleon’s ability to convince you that he is not a classical pianist but, first and foremost, a successor to James P Johnson. There is more. I doubt if there’s another pianist on the planet who, after giving us a revelatory two-disc survey of CPE Bach (2/22), could so adroitly turn his attention to late 20th-century ragtime. The man is a miracle. Another Gramophone Award nomination beckons.

— Jeremy Nicholas

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William Bolcom (born 26 May 1938) is an American composer and pianist known for bridging popular and classical music traditions. Educated at the University of Washington, Mills College, the Paris Conservatory and Stanford University, he later served as professor of composition at the University of Michigan. A prolific composer, Bolcom wrote works across genres, including piano études, operas, orchestral music and song cycles, and showed a particular affinity for ragtime. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and multiple Grammy Awards in 2006. Bolcom has also been active as a performer, writer, editor and educator.

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Marc-André Hamelin (born 5 September 1961 in Montreal) is a distinguished Canadian pianist and composer renowned for his exceptional technique and distinctive interpretations of the classical repertoire. Internationally acclaimed, he has earned 11 Grammy Award nominations and has recorded extensively with the Hyperion label. Hamelin is particularly noted for his commitment to exploring and performing works by lesser-known composers, especially from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as pieces by pianist-composers. He has composed several works himself, including a set of piano études in all the minor keys.

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