The Piano Music of Arnold Bax (mp3)
Eric Parkin, piano

VOL #1
Lullaby
Country Tune
Sonata No.1
Winter Waters
Sonata No. 2

VOL #2
Sonata No. 3 in G sharp major
Water Music
A Hill Tune
In A Vodka Shop
Sonata No. 4 in G

VOL #3
Nocturne
Gopak
The Maiden with the daffodil
The Princess Rose Garden
Apple blossom time
On a May evening
Wimpel does donkeys
Nereid
Sleepy-head
A romance
Burlesque

VOL #4
Whirligig
What the minstrel told us
Legend
Dream in exile
A mountain mood
Mediterranean
Serpent Dance
Ceremonial Dance
The slave girl
In the night
Toccata
Paen on wimpel


Symphonic Variations for piano & orchestra
Margaret Fingerhut, piano

ONE
1-the theme
2-youth
3-Nocturne
4-strife

TWO
5-the temple
6-play
7-enchantment
8-triumph

9 Morning Song (Maytime in Sussex)
(booklet enclosed)

Winter Legends for piano & orchestra
Margaret Fingerhut, piano

1-Allegro
2-Lento
3-Molto moderato
4-Epilogue

5 Saga Fragment
(booklet enclosed)

BONUS: Ralph Vaughan Williams' Concerto for Two Pianos
1-Toccata
2-Romanza
3-Fuga chromatica
4-Finale


British 20th century composers seem sadly lacking when it comes to the solo piano. The one exception is Arnold Bax. While I find his symphonies incomprehensible, his work for orchestra anchored by the piano and solo piano work is intoxicating. The third piano sonata is filled with deep pensive rumblings and feels as if completely improvised (something to listen to on a rainy day). The solo piano pieces have evocative titles that clearly indicate folksy merriment as well as a labyrinth of late night dreams.

Bax left his wife and children for the pianist Harriet Cohen. She must have been hot stuff between the sheets since so much of his music was written for her- and ironically she wasn't as hot at the piano. He gave her ownership of many compositions and she kept them close until her death.

Winter Legends is an absolute RIOT of exciting orchestration. Symphonic Variations remains a mystery composition (with a gorgeous nocturne). The enclosed booklets can offer better detail.

The bonus is Vaughan Williams beautiful concerto for two pianos that is positively percussive (I would think many a piano suffered during performance) with a 'romance' that will make you melt.

If interested, *YOU* get to PM little old *ME* for the links.... then write glorious things in this thread about the glorious music.

The Piano Music of Arnold Bax









Arnold Bax: Symphonic Variations



Arnold Bax: Winter Legends for piano & orchestra

Amazing thread!
The seven albums you posted are excellent!
This is glorious music indeed.
Thank you for your great work, little old Phideas1.

Lil' Ol' Phiddy went through a Bax phase many years ago and spent many big bucks collecting lots of his work. The symphonies were a major disappointment and were dumped. There are those whom enjoy the symphonies- but even Adrian Boult once said he hadn't a clue what they were about and he conducted them.

But the piano works... Winter Legends (what legend?) is filled with such extravagant longing and romance and yet orchestra bravado. The piano sections lull you into the depths of a loving embrace and suddenly the orchestra catapults you into the stratosphere (colliding with many a perplexed angel that had been listening drowsily on a cloud). Track 1 at 9:47 is an example of piano & orchestra really having a terrific mix up. For me Symphonic Variations is a kind of old world longing, fading into the composer's surrealistic dream of another time & place when the world was young and yet unsullied by any reality. And again the immense irony of Harriet being his muse to create such work and at the same time she wasn't up to playing it. During her lifetime many cuts were made in order to accommodate her limited talents. All has been restored in these recordings.

The Vaughan Williams piece.... oh I waited decades for this particular recording to show up on compact disc. Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic with Vitya Vronsky & Victor Babin at the pianos has yet to be beat. The music is played without a break and when you slide ever so delicately into the loving embrace of that warm nocturne.... your heart goes all a flutter and your eyes fill with a multitude of magic fairies. LOOK! I see one now! FIRST DIBS!!!!

Personally, I love the symphonies, as well as the concertante works, and the piano music (look forward to hearing CD #4). But perhaps his best work is in the symphonic poems.

I have a few discs of his tone poems... some nice stuff there. But I kept this to the piano work. And yes, some people do love the symphonies. I REALLY TRIED.

Please send me a link. Thanks!