Rare Works for Two Pianos And Orchestra: Pierre Max Dubois Concerto italien, Roy Harris Concerto for Two Pianos, Arthur Benjamin North American Square Dance Suite. Joshua Pierce & Dorothy Jonas, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava, Kirk Trevor. 1 Kleos Classics KL5129 (2004) barcode 060550512927
Recorded 25-26 (Harris), 29-30 (Benjamin), 30-31 (Dubois) May 2000
The indefatigable explorers Pierce and Jonas score a new winner
Originally posted on Amazon.com, 30 January 2008
I had enjoyed a previous Pierce and Jonas disc devoted to compositions for two pianos and orchestra by Walter Piston, Quincy Porter and Morton Gould on Helicon Records HE 1044 (“American Music for Two Pianos and Orchestra” (link will open new tab to my review), and I am very much into the music of Roy Harris these days, so this was the obvious next step. As it turns out the duet of indefatigable discoverers, have scored a new winner, at least with Dubois and Harris.
Pierre Max Dubois (1930-1995), though a prolific composer, is an obscure figure of the 20th Century music world, even in his native country France. When, after the war, composers of his generations launched themselves with a vengeance in the explorations of new music paths, he was content to remain in a tonal idiom, true to his master Milhaud. To him music was first and foremost entertainment. Within those limits his Two-Piano Concerto (“Italian Concerto”) is a highly enjoyable work and a fine discovery. The outer movements have the dynamic boisterousness of Poulenc and rich and dynamic interplay between both solo instruments, and there is a touching wistfulness and simplicity in the second movement.
The music of Roy Harris is a fairly recent discovery to me (see my reviews of Symphony No. 6 “Gettysburgh” on Varèse Sarabande VCD-47245, with Copland’s Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson, Symphony 1933; Symphony No. 5; Concerto for Violin and Orchestra with the Louisville Orchestra on Albany First Edition Series AR012, and Concerto for Piano & Strings and other works on Bay Cities BCD-1002), and I love it (links will open new tabs to my reiews on Discophage.com. For more, see my Roy Harris introductory page). I recognize the formulas – the dynamic exuberance of the outer movements, the triumphant perorations, the simple harmonic progressions, the quasi-chorales of scorching lyrical intensity, the solemn dialogues of strings and brass: take a Harris Symphony, add two pianos, and you have the Two Piano Concerto from 1946 – but that’s what they call “a style” with other composers, so why not with Harris, as long as the style is as appealing and as uniquely personal as Harris’? The Two-Piano Concerto is a great work.
Arthur Benjamin’s North American Square Dance Suite (1950) is not so memorable a composition. Its title describes it. It aims at entertainment – a little too much so for my taste: Broadway music for Two Pianos and orchestra, which may appeal to many listeners, but seems as nourishing as cotton candy to me.
Still, for Dubois and even more for Harris, this is a great discovery. Good sound, TT an acceptable 55′.