Maurizio Pollini – Anton Webern: Variations Op. 27; Pierre Boulez: Second Piano Sonata

THE 90th ANNIVERSARY OF PIERRE BOULEZ'S BIRTH

★★★★★

   Pierre Boulez born March 26, 1925 in Montbrison, Loire is one of the greatest composers of contemporary music. He is also great interpreter of 19th and 20th century, especially big forms of late romantic music, well known for inspired recordings of symphonies of Mahler and Bruckner and Wagner’s operas and great collection of 20th century classics, Debussy, Stravinsky, Bartok, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Varese. He was a student of Olivier Messiaen where he had learned twelve-tone technique and later continued his experiments being considered as one of post-webernian serial style composers. Creative activity of Pierre Boulez continues from 1940’s. He composed numerous works – giving his contribution in integral serialism, aleatoric music and electronic music, he created one of the best collections of contemporary music of seven decades.
   Second Sonata for Piano by Pierre Boulez, finished in 1948 when he was 23 years old, is famous as consequently creative and extremely difficult piano piece. The main composer’s idea was to give the twelve-tone series “a functional meaning, a motivic and thematic meaning in relation to certain functions which they had to assume in the work”. He merged techniques of serialism with his own idea of developing series of intervals into linked motives. This idea of evanescent thematism is the base for first movement Extrêmement rapide (Extremely fast). Second movement Lent (Slow) is a variation form on very large scale of changing elements and sustained material. Third movement Modéré, presque vif (Moderate, almost lively) is merging elements of variation and scherzo. Fourth movement Vif (Lively) is constructed in two parts – a slow fugue distracting in abstract formulas and fast part which in decided motives find formal balance without closing thematic material.

Pollini – Webern Variations, Boulez Piano Sonata No. 2 (1978)

   The whole Second Sonata for Piano in composer’s own words was an attempt of destroying the classical form. Pierre Boulez wrote it was his only work related to a historic form, noticing: “I have always found a form which was conceived along with the idea itself”. It’s interesting from the point of view of musical forms history, how creativity was defined by relation to the forms. In great album of Maurizio Pollini Second Sonata for Piano has been paired with Variations for Piano Solo, Op. 27 by Anton Webern. This short, three-part, six-minute only composition is an example of emerging serialism. Composed between October 1935 and November 1936 Variations reveal transition to late period of Webern’s creative work. This compact, tight and consequent work is based on one series, contrapuctal canonic work and clear methods of manipulating the series, its inversion and retrograde. Its complex and concise form was a model for whole generation of composers after war.
   These two works, Variations Op. 27 by Anton Webern and Piano Sonata No. 2 by Pierre Boulez are substantial for serialistic music. These two works were finished in span of 12 years. Those years comprised 2nd world war, Holocaust and atomic bomb first use. It was crucial moment not only for 20th century music. Both are significant as the formal method and as esthetic tendency. Recorded in virtuoso, perfectly interpreted and played performance of Maurizio Pollini it was published by Deutsche Grammophon in 1978 (2530 803). It is one of the best albums in collection of contemporary classics. And complete five stars is only a small justice for Pollini’s renditions of these works. 

Maurizio Pollini – Beethoven’s Piano Concerto G Major

There are dozens of great renditions of every one from Beethoven’s cycle of five piano concertos. This is natural consequence of qualities inserted to this traditional formal construction by the last of the three greatest composers of classical Vienna school. Due to the extraordinary economy of resources and an unprecedented wealth of musical content, all five piano concertos are groundbreaking creations. Every one of his concerti as well as any work in other form is different and in its individual way full of significant features. It’s worth to notice, Beethoven’s music is always consistent on formal level, but still most of references point directly to emotional spheres of musical meaning.
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 G Major op. 58 admittedly is one of very best piano concertos in the whole history of this form. The outward appearance of this concert is typical for its time – three part concerto construction with tonal change in middle movement (E minor in Andante as relative key to G major of first and last movements) and a Beethovenian usual cast of symphonic orchestra (flute, double winds, dual horns and trumpets, timpani and strings) – it looks like it was common work of late Classical Era. Piano introduction opening Allegro moderato, enchanting impression in Andante con moto and lively rhythmic Rondo, all this makes Concerto No. 4 the major effect of creative impulse. This is common characteristics of Beethoven’s oeuvres and maybe this is the reason for great respect which surrounds his music.

Pollini and Böhm in Beethoven's Piano Concerti (Eterna 1982)

Every record collector has personal choice of almost any great musical works best renditions. There is the real crowd on the shelf with excellent recordings of Beethoven’s piano concertos. But still it is hard to omit among them the Deutsche Grammophon series of LPs featuring Maurizio Pollini along with the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Karl Böhm. This collection of three records included only three of five Beethoven piano concertos – 3rd, 4th and 5th – which are definitely more essential and more appreciated by the public than first two. This 1976 DGG edition was awarded by music lovers with the Grand prix des discophiles. In 1982 series of records has been released as a oficial license edition by Eterna company in GDR, and than became widely recognized in Eastern Europe.
Recording Concerto No. 4, Maurizio Pollini gave great performance both on technical and on esthetic level. His piano sounds firmly and stylish, tempi are based on phrases formed the way as set by Beethoven. Such prudent approach along with original composer’s cadenzas makes this interpretation absolute perfect picture of this work. Orchestra of Viennese Philharmonic sounds deep in dynamics and perfectly in articulation. This recording is founded upon qualities giving Piano Concerto No. 4 G Major op. 58 mark of one of the best symphonic works and overall form of piano concerto the parallel position to Beethoven’s symphonies.

Maurizio Pollini – Chopin 24 Preludes Op. 28 – studio recording

Winning Chopin’s Piano Competition in 1960 Maurizio Pollini has an opportunity to instantly became a prodigy of world’s piano artistry. After Warsaw triumph he played Chopin’s Concerto E Minor in La Scala with Sergiu Celibidache. But he was still very young, so he focused on developing his technical and musical skills under supervision of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. In sixties he increasingly performed contemporary music. His succesive appearances in London and Berlin (1963) were important but it was his debut in Carnegie Hall Nov. 1st, 1968 became the second turning point in his career. Next year he recorded his first album for Deutsche Grammophon with Three Movements from Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Prokofiev’s Sonata No 7.

Fourteen years after he won Grand Prix in Chopin’s Competition, 1975 Maurizio Pollini recorded in studio complete cycle of Chopin’s 24 Preludes Op. 28. It was his second Chopin album for Polydor and the Deutsche Grammophon label (2530550) and in the series of recordings published with clear intention to contain complete composer’s output. Before Preludes Pollini recorded Etudes (1972) and after this the same company issued Polonaises (1976) Sonata B-flat Minor (1986), Ballades (1999) and Nocturnes (2005). In 1976 LP edition of 24 Preludes played by Maurizio Pollini has been awarded Grand Prix du disque in Paris.

Maurizio Pollini – Chopin 24 Preludes Op. 28

Despite his unquestionable art of sound he is still proceeding the perfection in creating his modern vision of reading historical works and attempted to balance of intellect and emotions in ideal musical interpretation. Perfect articulation and time discipline were the basis for whole series of absolute performances. He was one of the very few artists who were equally good in carrying out music of past and presenting deeply intellectual interpretations of contemporary works. Thus he became well known and esteemed performer of wide spectrum of piano music by Chopin as well as Stockhausen. One of highly appreciated and awarded recordings was Complete Piano Works by Arnold Schoenberg (1975 for DGG, Gran premio del disco „Ritmo”).

In conversation with Carsten Dürer, the editor in chief of PIANONews, Maurizio Pollini pointed the „incomprehensible greatness of the Preludes: each of them has its own character, and yet as a cycle they are inconceivably self-contained in terms of their overall message”. In 1960 Pollini gave well balanced performance in Warsaw which was live-recorded and published 20 years later. In the 1975 recording every piece of the cycle has been perfectly set as an element of the bigger whole and simultaneously closed in it’s individual form and character. Every phrase and every note serve as vehicle for emotions much deeper than pure exaltation. Pollini’s  rendition of 24 Preludes is the phenomenon comparable in it’s meaning to historical recording of Goldberg Variations by Glen Gould.

Maurizio Pollini - Chopin 24 Preludes Op. 28 - live recording

Maurizio Pollini was born in Milan in 1942 in family of the famous modern architect Gino Pollini. Until he was 13 he was studying in the class of Prof. Carlo Lonati, and as 17-year-old in 1959 he finished studies in class Prof. Carlo Vidusso in piano department of Milan Conservatoire. The same year he won the second prize of International Music Competition in Geneva (1st was not awarded). Next year he became the winner of Grand Prix in Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. Later he continued the master studies with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.

Recorded live in Warsaw during Chopin Competition auditions, the cycle of 24 Preludes Op. 28 has been published in 1980 by Polskie Nagrania (SX 1896) as an archival footage. Performance presented in Warsaw was great achievement of young pianist. Being eighteen, he had surprisingly mature style and deeply intellectual rendition of each prelude and the cycle as a whole. Artur Rubinstein, one of best interpreters of Chopin’s music and the honorary chairman of the jury said about Maurizio Pollini „that boy can play the piano better than any of us”.

Pollini plays Chopin 24 Preludes Op. 28

Pollini played Chopin’s Opus 28th in the manner of Twentieth Century modern esthetics with full intellectual control of every perimeter like it was Webern or Nono. It is like uncovering the construction and matter of every Prelude. Pure and straight emotions and perfect balance of every piece. Collecting the cycle of 24 Preludes Maurizio Pollini made this appearance legendary. Measure of his artistic responsibility is the dozen years of distance to the studio recording of Chopin’s Preludes. Until his next performance of this cycle, Warsaw live recording was one of the most conscious-controlled recording of Chopin's work in the history of music.