Tansman; Malipiero; Lopatnikoff - Concertos for 2 Pianos (Joshua Pierce; Dorothy Jonas)

Information

Composer: Alexandre Tansman; Gian Francesco Malipiero; Nikolai Lopatnikoff

• Lopatnikoff - Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
• Tansman - Suite for Two Pianos and Orchestra
• Malipiero - Dialoghi VII (Concerto) for Two Pianos and Orchestra

Joshua Pierce & Dorothy Jonas, pianos

Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

David Amos, conductor

Date: 1996

Label: Centaur

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Review

Centaur have always had an enterprising catalogue. Collections of this type are not exactly common and it is to Centaur's credit that this exists at all.

The Lopatnikoff is brittle and acidic but not without romantic pith. This is a combination recalling Walton with a Stravinskian twist. Melodic vigour abounds in this slightly tart confection. Lightly spiced note clashes draw in memories of Finzi's Grand Fantasia and Toccata. The music is ruminative in the andante second movement but howls in the finale showering off piano shrapnel like welding torch sparks. This music has certain overlaps with Walton and Shostakovich but lacks Walton's humanity. The Oldham composer's convulsive pulse and nervy accents are certainly evident.

The Tansman has the accent of a Gershwin but this is crossbred with gritty dissonance and neo-classicism. Along the way we encounter a tune of simple nobility tastily served up, a Tom and Jerry scherzo joyously uncorked, a chaotically Graingerian medley and a Bachian fugue.

The Malipiero does not impress: clangorous, thornily dysjunct, aimless and smeared.

These are world premiere recordings set down in up-front style (a touch of mild congestion sometimes) with extensive English only notes by composer, Eric Salzman. The notes are only spoilt by their tendency to describe the music in technical terms.

— Rob Barnett

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Alexander Tansman (12 June 1897 – 15 November 1986) was a Polish-born French composer. Born in Łódź to Jewish parents, he studied piano, composition and conducting before earning a law degree from Warsaw University. After moving to Paris in 1919, he gained recognition as a pianist and composer, influenced particularly by Stravinsky and Ravel. His international career included performances and tours across Europe, Asia and America. During World War II, he fled to Los Angeles with his family. Although he continued composing prolifically after returning to Paris, his neo-Classical style gradually fell out of favor.

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Gian Francesco Malipiero (18 March 1882 – 1 August 1973) was an Italian composer and music scholar. Educated in Vienna, Venice and Bologna, he was later influenced by modernist trends in Paris. A key figure in 20th-century Italian music alongside Alfredo Casella, Malipiero rejected verismo and revived interest in pre-Romantic Italian music. His major works include operas, symphonies, chamber music and cantatas. As a scholar, he edited the complete works of Monteverdi and contributed to editions of Vivaldi, Corelli and Frescobaldi, significantly shaping the modern understanding of early Italian music.

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Nikolai Lopatnikoff (16 March 1903 - 7 October 1976) was a Russian-American composer. Born in Tallin, he initially studied at the St. Petersburg and Helsinki conservatories, and later pursued civil engineering in Karlsruhe while studying composition with Ernst Toch. A turning point came in 1927 when Aaron Copland introduced Lopatnikoff's mechanical-piano pieces to Serge Koussevitzky, leading to commissions, performances and publication opportunities. Lopatnikoff immigrated to the United States in 1939. He later taught composition at several institutions, notably Carnegie Institute of Technology.

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