Works by Fine, Menotti, Ruggles & Shapero

1. Sonata No. 1 for piano
Composed by Harold Samuel Shapero
with Michael Boriskin

2. Music for piano
Composed by Irving Fine
with Michael Boriskin

3. Sonata No. 2 for piano
Composed by Harold Samuel Shapero
with Michael Boriskin

4. Evocations, for piano "Four Chants"
Composed by Carl Sprague Ruggles
with Michael Boriskin

5. Sonata No. 3 for piano
Composed by Harold Samuel Shapero
with Michael Boriskin

6. Ricercare and Toccata on a Theme from The Old Maid and the Thief, for piano
Composed by Gian Carlo Menotti
with Michael Boriskin

Works by Fine, Menotti, Ruggles & Shapero,Irving Fine,Gian Carlo Menotti,Carl Sprague Ruggles,Harold Samuel Shapero,Michael Boriskin,New World Records,20th/21st Century Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard,Chamber Music & Recitals,Classical,Classical Music,Keyboard,Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title,Music for Keyboard,Toccata for Keyboard

Average customer rating: Delightful, accessible collection of American piano works

Works by Fine, Menotti, Ruggles & Shapero Manufacturer: New World Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Fine, Irving | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Menotti | Menotti, Gian Carlo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000030GO Release Date: 1992-12-08

Tracks:

1. Sonata No. 1: Allegro preciso
2. Sonata No. 1: Poco adagio
3. Sonata No. 1: MInuetto (allegretto)
4. Sonata No. 1: Presto
5. Music For Piano: Prelude
6. Music For Piano: Waltz-Gavotte
7. Music For Piano: Variations
8. Music For Piano: Interlude-Finale
9. Sonata No. 2: Allegro di molto
10. Sonata No. 2: Adagio
11. Sonata No. 2: Con brio
12. Evocations: 1. Largo
13. Evocations: 2. Andante con fantasia
14. Evocations: 3. Moderato appassionato
15. Evocations: 4. Adagio sostenuto
16. Sonata No. 3: Allegro marcato
17. Sonata No. 3: Presto lirico
18. Sonata No. 3: Andante
19. Sonata No. 3: Energico
20. Ricercare and Toccata on a theme from 'The Old Maid and the Thief': Ricercare
21. Ricercare and Toccata on a theme from 'The Old Maid and the Thief': Toccata

Customer Reviews:

Delightful, accessible collection of American piano works.......1998-12-15

Michael Boriskin has collected six delightful American piano works, all of which were composed during the first half of the 20th century. The three piano sonatas of Harold Shapero, all composed in 1944, are probably the simplest of the works collected here. Each one consists of three or four totally diatonic movements, all of them rather brief (the longest is barely in excess of five minutes.) None is of great import, but all are fun.

Somewhat more involved is Irving Fine's Music for Piano. While it is of the same general style as Shapero's music, the themes are rather more worked out. Particularly in the slow movement, he takes time to develop and vary the themes in more detail than does Shapero in his music.

Evocations, by Carl Ruggles, is the knottiest piece on the CD. Boriskin's program notes on this piece say that Ruggles's music "combines grandeur, raw power, mystery, and longing." All of these elements are present in these four chants; they provide the most thoughtful moments of the CD.

The Ricercare and Toccata by Menotti are two ways of varying a theme that he first wrote for his opera "The Old Maid and the Thief". The Ricercare reminds me of baroque pieces of the same title. Not so the Toccata, which closes the CD; this takes the same theme and turns it into a delightful perpetual motion whirligig. Cut of the same cloth as Prokofiev's Toccata, op. 11 (although Menotti's piece is much more upbeat), this makes for a rousing end to this CD.

I don't have scores to check, but Boriskin's performances sound vigorous and first rate to me. This is highly recommended to those whose taste includes rather conservative 20th century solo piano music.

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