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Bolcom: Piano Music / Finehouse, Olevsky, Oppens, Taylor
Naxos

Bolcom: Piano Music / Finehouse, Olevsky, Oppens, Taylor

$17.99
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Details

Composer
BOLCOM, WILLIAM
Artist
Oppens, Taylor, Finehouse, Olevsky
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Dec 01, 2017
Catalog #
8559832-34
UPC
636943983225

About

William Bolcom was awarded the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his 12 New Etudes for piano, and his music has always revolved around works for the instrument on which he still performs as a soloist and accompanist. This collection of mostly premiere recordings reveals student pieces that negotiate twentieth century musical battles between the avant-garde influences of Boulez and Messiaen and Bolcom’s love of Schumann, as well as later work that embraces the 1960s ragtime revival and draws inspiration from friends and colleagues in every phase of his distinguished six-decade career. Elegantly performed by friends of the composer, this wide-ranging program is summed up by Bolcom as ‘cleaning house’ in the Charles Ives tradition.

REVIEW:

Anyone suitably provoked should accordingly investigate this set, each of whose discs is well planned as a standalone sequence. Piano tone is clear but never clinical and Bolcom’s own notes, informative and laconic, complement his music unerringly.

-- Gramophone

This extremely useful set gathers together all of Bolcom’s piano music that you don’t already have in your collection. There are many delights here, and some fascinating revelations about the development of this most versatile pianist-composer who has always resolutely refused to respect musical genre boundaries. …There are two delicious rags, separated by almost forty years, student pieces that show the composer coming to terms with the avant-garde polemics of the 1950s and 60s, and a concert paraphrase of an operatic aria in the popular ‘Neapolitan Song’ style.

-- Records International

What was originally mooted, by Klaus Heymann of Naxos, as a complete retrospective of the piano music of William Bolcom, eventually materialized as this 3-CD collection of works not easily available elsewhere. The compositions span 1956-2012, with music from his teen years to the present day, so you get a good overview of works from all periods of his career. Four pianists were engaged for the task, all with connections to the composer. Most of the recordings were set down in New York in 2014.

The music has been beautifully recorded with an attractively clear piano sound in each case. The excellent accompanying liner notes provide personal reflections and background to the pieces played, by the composer himself. On my first encounter with Bolcom’s music, I would offer a warm recommendation for this most enjoyable release.

-- MusicWeb International

Tracklist 51 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 New York Lights, Concert Paraphrase 03:32
    Track
    1
    Title
    New York Lights, Concert Paraphrase
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  3. 2 I. Maestoso, ma non largo 08:10
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Maestoso, ma non largo
    Duration
    08:10
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  4. 3 II. Burlesque: Allegro, very rhythmic 02:58
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Burlesque: Allegro, very rhythmic
    Duration
    02:58
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  5. 4 III. Andante, cantando ed un poco misterioso - Variations - Andante 08:51
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Andante, cantando ed un poco misterioso - Variations - Andante
    Duration
    08:51
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  6. 5 IV. Finale: Burlesqued Variations and coda 05:09
    Track
    5
    Title
    IV. Finale: Burlesqued Variations and coda
    Duration
    05:09
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  7. 6 No. 1. The Dead Moth Tango 04:56
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 1. The Dead Moth Tango
    Duration
    04:56
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  8. 7 No. 2. Knock-Stück 04:13
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 2. Knock-Stück
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  9. 8 No. 3. Abbacadabra 04:21
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 3. Abbacadabra
    Duration
    04:21
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  10. 9 No. 1. Lively 01:56
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 1. Lively
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  11. 10 No. 2. Slow and contemplative 01:38
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 2. Slow and contemplative
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  12. 11 No. 3. Clowns: Fast and with humor 01:34
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 3. Clowns: Fast and with humor
    Duration
    01:34
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  13. 12 No. 4. Cantabile 02:09
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 4. Cantabile
    Duration
    02:09
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  14. Disc 2
  15. 1 Book 1: No. 1. Slowly, mysteriously 02:13
    Track
    1
    Title
    Book 1: No. 1. Slowly, mysteriously
    Duration
    02:13
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  16. 2 Book 1: No. 2. Flowing, underground 01:38
    Track
    2
    Title
    Book 1: No. 2. Flowing, underground
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  17. 3 Book 1: No. 3. Sonorously, moderato 01:26
    Track
    3
    Title
    Book 1: No. 3. Sonorously, moderato
    Duration
    01:26
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  18. 4 Book 1: No. 4. With constrained expression 02:40
    Track
    4
    Title
    Book 1: No. 4. With constrained expression
    Duration
    02:40
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  19. 5 Book 2: No. 5. Tranquil, mystic 03:05
    Track
    5
    Title
    Book 2: No. 5. Tranquil, mystic
    Duration
    03:05
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  20. 6 Book 2: No. 6. Scherzino - Variations 01:05
    Track
    6
    Title
    Book 2: No. 6. Scherzino - Variations
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  21. 7 Book 2: No. 7. Fast and declamatory; Ferociously; Scherzando 03:29
    Track
    7
    Title
    Book 2: No. 7. Fast and declamatory; Ferociously; Scherzando
    Duration
    03:29
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  22. 8 Book 2: No. 8. Softly, very slowly 03:37
    Track
    8
    Title
    Book 2: No. 8. Softly, very slowly
    Duration
    03:37
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  23. 9 Book 3: No. 9. Tremolando 01:59
    Track
    9
    Title
    Book 3: No. 9. Tremolando
    Duration
    01:59
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  24. 10 Book 3: No. 10. Gestures 03:11
    Track
    10
    Title
    Book 3: No. 10. Gestures
    Duration
    03:11
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  25. 11 Book 3: No. 11. Very rhythmic, light 01:26
    Track
    11
    Title
    Book 3: No. 11. Very rhythmic, light
    Duration
    01:26
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  26. 12 Book 3: No. 12. Apotheosis: Slowly, with majesty 09:40
    Track
    12
    Title
    Book 3: No. 12. Apotheosis: Slowly, with majesty
    Duration
    09:40
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  27. 13 No. 1. Andante 01:30
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 1. Andante
    Duration
    01:30
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  28. 14 No. 2. quarter note = 86 00:32
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 2. quarter note = 86
    Duration
    00:32
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  29. 15 No. 3. Sostenuto 01:35
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 3. Sostenuto
    Duration
    01:35
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  30. 16 No. 4. quarter note = 92 01:38
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 4. quarter note = 92
    Duration
    01:38
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  31. 17 No. 5. Largo 01:58
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 5. Largo
    Duration
    01:58
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens
  32. 18 No. 1. Molto allegro 00:47
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 1. Molto allegro
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  33. 19 No. 2. Moderato, comodo 00:44
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 2. Moderato, comodo
    Duration
    00:44
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  34. 20 No. 3. Presto 00:27
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 3. Presto
    Duration
    00:27
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  35. 21 No. 4. Andantino. Più lento 00:49
    Track
    21
    Title
    No. 4. Andantino. Più lento
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  36. 22 No. 5. Allegro risoluto 00:20
    Track
    22
    Title
    No. 5. Allegro risoluto
    Duration
    00:20
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  37. 23 No. 6. Andante maestoso 01:02
    Track
    23
    Title
    No. 6. Andante maestoso
    Duration
    01:02
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  38. 24 Estela: Rag Latino 05:18
    Track
    24
    Title
    Estela: Rag Latino
    Duration
    05:18
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Estela Olevsky
  39. 25 No. 1. Moderato 02:38
    Track
    25
    Title
    No. 1. Moderato
    Duration
    02:38
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  40. 26 No. 2. Cantabile 02:02
    Track
    26
    Title
    No. 2. Cantabile
    Duration
    02:02
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  41. 27 No. 3. Lively - Misterioso 02:43
    Track
    27
    Title
    No. 3. Lively - Misterioso
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  42. 28 No. 4. Calmo, moderato 01:19
    Track
    28
    Title
    No. 4. Calmo, moderato
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  43. Disc 3
  44. 1 No. 1. Andantino 01:25
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Andantino
    Duration
    01:25
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  45. 2 No. 2. Allegro grazioso 01:19
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Allegro grazioso
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  46. 3 No. 3. Lento sostenuto 04:02
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Lento sostenuto
    Duration
    04:02
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  47. 4 No. 4. Presto ma non troppo 05:03
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Presto ma non troppo
    Duration
    05:03
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  48. 5 No. 5. Andante grazioso e piacevole 04:19
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Andante grazioso e piacevole
    Duration
    04:19
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  49. 6 No. 6. Chorale 02:21
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Chorale
    Duration
    02:21
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  50. 7 No. 7. Allegretto 06:09
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 7. Allegretto
    Duration
    06:09
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  51. 8 The Brooklyn Dodge 05:43
    Track
    8
    Title
    The Brooklyn Dodge
    Duration
    05:43
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  52. 9 Variations on a Theme by George Rochberg 08:17
    Track
    9
    Title
    Variations on a Theme by George Rochberg
    Duration
    08:17
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Constantine Finehouse
  53. 10 Dream Music No. 1 11:11
    Track
    10
    Title
    Dream Music No. 1
    Duration
    11:11
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Christopher Taylor
  54. 11 Ballade 13:09
    Track
    11
    Title
    Ballade
    Duration
    13:09
    Composer
    William Bolcom
    Performer
    Ursula Oppens