Dernier amour 'Étude de concert', RO73 Op 62 (Gottschalk) - from CDA67536 - Hyperion Records

Reviews

‘Quite early in the 14-year period that covers these eight volumes the Dublin-born pianist matured into becoming the pre-eminent Gottschalk interpreter. He understands exactly his stylistic range, from the mellifluous Italianate melody of the salon to sheer virtuosity, but without any exaggeration’ (Gramophone)

‘These are sympathetic performances, glowingly recorded’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Another neglected area of the 19th-century repertoire has been thoroughly explored and superbly championed by Martin’ (The Guardian)

‘Effective performance of this music requires striking a series of delicate balances: between the learned and the popular, between the progressive and the traditional, between the sensual and the self-conscious. And if you've been following this series, you'll know that no current Gottschalkian catches these special ambiguities more consistently than Philip Martin’ (International Record Review)

‘A beautifully produced disc that is impossible to play without smiling’ (The Times)

‘This is one of the great piano recordings of recent years. Not since the exquisitely chiseled, delicately nuanced playing of such past greats as Wilhelm Kempff, Stefan Askenase, and Walter Gieseking have I heard anything so hypnotically well performed. This release leaves no doubt that Martin is one of today's finest keyboard artists’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Martin plays every piece with such conviction that value judgements on this music's qualities seem almost churlish … the recording itself is of the very highest standards with superb presence, as we expect from Hyperion’ (International Piano)

As noted in CD 4 of this series (Pensée poétique), Gottschalk spent the whole of January 1868 in the then desolate little town of Las Conchas, some thirty kilometres north of Buenos Aires. Cholera and leprosy surrounded him and he himself suffered from various boils and a tumour on his arms and thighs. Dernier amour was, however improbably, penned during this time. Based on a beguilingly languorous tango-like theme, the last seven of its ten pages are devoted to an exacting rapid repeated-note decoration of the melody marked piano throughout its course: an étude that mimics a musical box. The piece is dedicated ‘à mon ami Charles G Pond de New York’.

Comme nous l’avons vu dans le CD 4 de cette série (Pensée poétique), Gottschalk passa tout le mois de janvier 1868 dans la bourgade alors désolée de Las Conchas, à une trentaine de kilomètres au nord de Buenos Aires. Le choléra et la lèpre sévissaient alentour et lui-même souffrit de furoncles, assortis de tumeurs aux bras et aux cuisses. Aussi improbable que cela paraisse, Dernier amour date de cette période. Fondées sur un thème d’une langueur envoûtante, à la manière d’un tango, ses sept dernières pages (sur un total de dix) sont vouées à une astreignante décoration, en rapides notes répétées, de la mélodie marquée piano sur toute sa longueur: une étude qui imite une boîte à musique. La pièce est dédiée «à mon ami Charles G. Pond de New York».

extrait des notes rédigées par Jeremy Nicholas © 2005
Français: Hypérion

Wie schon im Begleitheft zur vierten CD in dieser Reihe (Pensée poétique) hingewiesen wurde, verbrachte Gottschalk den ganzen Januar 1868 in der trostlosen kleinen Stadt Las Conchas, ungefähr 30 km nördlich von Buenos Aires. Er war von Cholera und Lepra umgeben und litt selbst an diversen Eiterbeulen und Geschwüren auf seinen Armen und Oberschenkeln. Wie unwahrscheinlich es auch klingen mag, Dernier amour entstand zu jener Zeit. Das Stück beruht auf einem betörend schmelzenden tangoartigen Thema. Der Verlauf der letzten sieben des aus zehn Seiten bestehenden Stückes wird von einer anspruchsvollen Verzierung der Melodie aus schnellen Tonwiederholungen im piano geprägt: eine Etüde, die eine Spieldose nachahmt. Das Stück ist „à mon ami Charles G. Pond de New York“ gewidmet.
aus dem Begleittext von Jeremy Nicholas © 2005
Deutsch: Elke Hockings

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Gottschalk: The Complete Solo Piano Music

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CDS44451/88CDs Boxed set (at a special price) — Download only

With his idiomatic and graceful style, pianist Philip Martin has established himself as the foremost exponent of Gottschalk. The composer had a unique spontaneity and individuality which Martin’s performances bring vividly to the fore. The complet ...» More

Recording details: December 2004
All Saints' Church, East Finchley, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Martin Compton
Engineered by Julian Millard
Release date: September 2005
Total duration: 6 minutes 41 seconds