Search - Edward MacDowell, James Barbagallo :: Edward MacDowell: Piano Music, Vol. 4

Fantastic bargain at the price

F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 09/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We all have heard of the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, NH; but how many of us have heard a good deal of MacDowell's music other than "To a Wild Rose" during music appreciation classes or possibly his "Indian Suite" back in the old LP days over the radio? Noted mostly for his piano music, MacDowell has left a legacy that is pretty much in the European tradition in which he studied but still a good deal of which was inspired by the sights and sounds of New England. Now that Naxos (the best of the budget records) has just issued its 4th volume in a series devoted to MacDowell's I think I should let you know something about what is now available for lovers of the piano and beautiful music in general. For lack of space, I will simply list what each volume contains: Vol. 1 (8. 55910): Woodland Sketches, Op. 51; Sea Pieces, Op. 55; Fireside Tales, Op. 61; New England Idylls, Op. 62. Vol. 2 (8.559011): First Modern Suite, Op. 10; In Lilting Rhythm, Op. 2; Six Idyls After Goethe, Op. 28; Sonata No. 3 "Norse," Op. 57. Vol. 3 (8.559019): Sonata No. 4 "Keltic," Op. 59; Forgotten Fairy Tales, Op. 4; Six Poems After Heine, Op. 31; Twelve Vituoso Studies, Op. 46. Vol. 4 (8.559030): Etude Concert, Op. 36; Second Modern Suite, Op. 14; Serenata, Op. 16; Two Fantasy Pieces, Op. 17; Twelve Etudes, Op. 39. Granted that some of these are familiar to piano teachers and advanced students and that not all that many match Chopin or Mendelssohn at their best (who does?), but MacDowell knew what he was about; and while he did not try for anything very very new, he began to compose in a voice of his own, especially in the late opus numbers. The pianist on these CDs is the noted James Barbagallo and all of these renderings are also available on Marco Polo label at twice the price! So Naxos is to be doubly thanked for making these sets available as part of their recent American Classics series. I suggest that more casual listeners start with Volume 1 with its 34 tracks of delightful short tone poems that start with the familiar "To a Wild Rose," take us through "A Deserted Farm" and "A Haunted House" right up to "In Deep Woods" and "The Joy of Autumn.""

Good ideas, but still lacking

F. Behrens | 03/30/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The piano music of MacDowell is some of the greatest ever written. Performance of his music requires deep interpretation, and Mr. Barbagallo unfortunately provides little. He treats the music rather gingerly, and doesn't give it the strength it needs. Interpretation notwithstanding, even the technique could be better. Take, for example, the 12th etude, "Hungarian." In the runs, there are many mistakes. I like the Naxos label, but I always find the volume level to be a little diminished, and the sound just isn't as "live" as other labels."