Search - Hold, Peter Jacobs :: Hold: Piano Music

HOLDING PATTERN

Melvyn M. Sobel | Freeport (Long Island), New York | 03/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Jacobs, always in the vanguard of superb pianists ready to explore new territory, now gives us, in the fifth installment of Continuum's "The Jacobs Collection," a broad look at the piano music of contemporary British composer, Trevor Hold [born 1939].In the short "suite," Kemp's Nine Daies Wonder [1970], Hold pays musical homage to Elizabethan actor and Shakespeare associate, Will Kemp, whose curious pamphlet of 1600, detailing a nine-day trip from London to Norwich, is the basis. Jazzy, with a mix of upbeat styles, the echoes of Milhaud, Stravinsky and Poulenc are clearly heard.More introverted, and more personal, is The Lilford Owl [1977], which Hold calls his "folk-tune preludes," and "lovingly" dedicates to the "memories" of Grieg and Grainger. Based innovatively on Welsh, Somerset, Northamptonshire and Norfolk tunes, 17th century ballads, folk dance and children's songs, Hold conjures an affectionately melodious glance back, much as Liszt does in nostalgic vignettes he titled, A Christmas Tree.Of greatest interest is Hold's Kaleidoscopes [1989], six longer pieces, variegated and moody, dedicated to Peter Jacobs. From the eerie, Scriabin-like opening "Owl Light," with its "ghostly" figurations, through the two nods to Billy Mayerl ("Marigolds" and "Poppies"), to the "Ballade" and "Musical Clocks," in what seem fond reminiscences of Charles Koechlin (e.g. The Persian Hours), the composer creates his strongest impressions, his artistic maturity noteworthy.An intriguing and intelligent composer, as the three "sets" of compositions show, and although sometimes uneven in his inspiration, Hold is never less than intrepid or musical. The sympathetic playing of pianist Jacobs goes a long way here, and if the pieces as a whole are not particularly memorable, many stand out individually.[Running time: 76:56]"