December 7, 2016

  • Preludes Old and New

     

    The Preludes Project
    Holly Roadfeldt, piano
    Ravello Records 7947
    Disc One Total Time:  43:23
    Disc Two Total Time: 48:57
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    Pianist Holly Roadfeldt became fascinated by the expressive qualities within the miniature form of the “prelude” when asked to perform Chopin’s set of preludes as part of a dance ensemble piece.  This led her to embark on a further exploration of this miniature art form by further commissioning additional pieces of this type.

    The first disc is an exploration of Chopin’s Preludes, Op. 28, themselves inspired in part by Bach’s preludes.  There are twelve preludes in major and their relative minor paired throughout the set composed between 1836-1839.  For many budding pianists, the preludes eventually come across their studies with the relative technique of the slower preludes tending to be mastered first.  In those cases, though, it does take some experience to be able to nuance the music of these often minor key reflections with the sort of subtle touches needed to add a Chopinesque romanticism.  The major key works tend to be those of technical brilliance, but also need a careful eye to pedaling and expression.  Everyone has their personal favorite recording of these pieces.  Roadfeldt’s are equally fine interpretations demonstrating her excellent expressive abilities and technique.  The sound itself is quite stellar.  Often these are paired with other Chopin pieces and tend to be overshadowed as a result.   Here the listener can sit back and explore these often beautiful works.  There are some exquisite moments throughout this performance.

    The Chopin is the carrot perhaps for those tentative about exploring new music.  The second disc here features a complete set of 26 preludes which Roadfeldt commissioned from Kirk O’Riordan. O’Riordan teaches at Lafayette College where he is noted for his programming as the Director of the college’s concert band.  The pieces here were composed between 2013-2014 and premiered in November, 2014.  The formal organization here is a bit different then using different key centers.  For this work, O’Riordan uses a musical idea, or “thread”, that becomes transformed as the set proceeds often with these lines coming together.  The result is a more large-scale connected cycle of pieces that should hold up well on repeated listening.  The style which opens this set may feel more like a  minimalist flurry of arpeggios, but the music does not stay on a pitch level.  The accessible language lands firmly in a sort of post-romantic tradition with open intervals which makes some of the dissonant moments rather easy to appreciate.  The energy of the first prelude flows into the second only to be brought to a rather stunning stop in the mysterious third prelude.  These shifts of mood create a unique sense of drama in the piece as a whole helping to see some of the larger connections as the work unfolds.  The set is an important addition to the literature with the same sort of requirements for subtlety and technique found in the Chopin.  Some of the slower moments have an almost impressionist quality, hearkening perhaps to another famous set of piano preludes, those by Debussy.  As the set progresses, the lines become slightly more angular settling in to a more contemporary sound.  Therein lies the additional appeal both of this set of pieces and Roadfeldt’s project exploring this particular piano art form.

    At the cost of a single CD, this Ravello set will certainly be worth tracking down for fans of contemporary piano music with the bonus of hearing Roadfeldt’s interpretations of the Chopin being equally worthy of consideration.  Certainly, hearing her explore additional repertoire heard in her concert performances would be a welcome addition to the discography.