Frederic Chopin: Piano Works

During these even more than usual turbulent times, immersion in the amazing sound world of Frederic Chopin is a badly needed balm and tonic and this six-disc set by the British label Nimbus Records provided six hours of enjoyment and escape.  There are some less-than-flattering reviews out there concerning the quality of the recordings compared to others made with Vlado Perlemuter (1904-2002).

Amazingly, these performances were set down between 1974 and 1992, when the Lithuania-born pianist was between 70 and 88 years old, but, to these untrained ears, they don't sound like the work of someone whose technique or abilities diminished much if at all.  Incredibly, his concert career stretched through three-quarters of a century and, while his earliest recordings were in 1939, he didn't work much in the studio until the mid-Fifties, but did so consistently, including sets for Nimbus of works by Beethoven, Fauré, Liszt, Ravel and others.

An obituary in The Guardian observed that Perlemuter's renderings of Chopin were "more unique and inimitable" than those he did of Ravel, which others prefer, and that his efforts were "simple and conceived of structurally," while "he put line before detail, large patterns before small."  The point seemed to be that the pianist was less concerned with the virtuosity in performing Chopin's works rather than evoking the structural brilliance of the composer and that he prized the left-hand work to reveal the underpinnings of the music.

Another reviewer remarked on the directness of Perlemuter's approach, with clarity and the tonal color employed also of note, while excessive ornamentation was largely eschewed, though some might view this as a colder, more clinical approach to Chopin's work, which many view as requiring an emotive approach.  For this listener, there are qualitative differences between the types of works in terms of what differentiates the Nocturnes from the Mazurkas or the sonatas from the Preludes, these last being some of the earliest Chopin works heard, so they have more memorable resonance.  

In terms of discerning the finer points of performance (touch, tone, tempo, dynamics, etc.) or studio recording quality, none of this substantially determined the enjoyment of the set.  Listening through these six discs several times in the last couple of weeks, Chopin's compositional wonders and Perlemuter's beautiful playing, even if more understated and conservative than other masters shine through, especially with all of negativity in the world right now.

The Best of John Fahey, 1959-1977

There are always musicians that we hear about as worth discovering but that step isn't taken for whatever reasons, often because there are others being followed or because there is only so much time or, more likely, money to spend on this habit/passion.  It may also be that some of these performers are in genres (generally defined arbitrarily) that are unfamiliar or that might be though alien to current tastes.  But, as we evolve, the opportunities may arise for reconsideration or reorientation and those names, brought up long ago, recur and the thought is that maybe it's long past time to give them a listen.

This was certainly the case recently with John Fahey.  It may have been reading an interview with another musician, say, Jimmy Page, or a long-ago album or concert review.  Whatever the dimly recalled source, it was remembered that Fahey was considered an incredible guitarist and composer who never sold a great many records, but was highly respected by fellow musicians.  So, at long last, The Best of John Fahey, 1959-1977, was purchased and, as is so often the case, this led to the question, "why did this take so long?"

The album was released in 1977 on Fahey's Takoma label (named for his Maryland hometown) with 15 tracks selected by him as best representative of his nearly two-decade recording career, though this 2002 CD reissue added two long pieces and a shorter blues, to fill out to the near maximum of the medium.  What a powerful and incredibly entertaining experience this has been and listened to many times since its acquisition.

With "Sunflower River Blues," one can easily hear why Page was so taken by Fahey's mastery (it is obvious in the Led Zeppelin guitarist's acoustic pieces like "Bron-Yr-Aur" from Physical Graffiti, for example).  Moreover, another great guitar player and songwriter who was finally listened to at this time, Leo Kottke, was given his first recording opportunity by Fahey and the kinship obviously shows.  Another like example is John Prine.  This album is full of amazing recordings, so that there really aren't any highlights, just a consistently brilliant set of tunes, all beautifully played, complex and immersive as Fahey called his approach "Bartok with syncopation."

This listener did find the longer-form pieces particularly striking, these being "America" and "Fare Forward Voyages," but the truth is that this nearly 80-minute recording goes by so quickly that picking favorites is just not feasible.  While Fahey long dealt with alcoholism, financial problems, divorces and worsening health in his later years, there was a resurgence near the end of his life as his music was reappraised by so many other musicians.  In the late 90s, he co-founded Revenant Records which issued many remarkable recordings including Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come, Cecil Taylor's famous 1962 Copenhagen concert and the astounding box set, Holy Ghost, of Albert Ayler's music, both of which have been featured here.

It may have taken far too long to get to the point of finally hearing John Fahey's music, but what a revelation this anthology has been and it inspired the belated discovery of Kottke and Prine, both of whom will be highlighted in future posts here.