Copland’s Piano Concerto – A masterclass by Paul Lewis, Domingo Hindoyan & the Liverpool Philharmonic – Review

It’s really difficult but needs to sound as if it’s easy. So, it sounds effortless like 1920s jazz”.

This fended off my one minor criticism. The second movement is so much fun that I would have loved to have seen more smiles on the faces of the orchestra. Certainly, Hindoyan and Lewis were enjoying themselves. In retrospect, perhaps the lack of the reflection of the animation in the music on the faces of the orchestra can be excused by the fact that it was the first night of the season, a new work to most and one so technically demanding. Hindoyan said that he felt “150-200% connected” when he is working with the Liverpool Philharmonic and certainly that commitment came out in the full ensemble playing across both nights.

Hindoyan is a class act. Such dynamism, charisma and presence. All I can say is that there must be something in the air in Venezuela! The Liverpool Phil regulars know only too well that they have lucked out and since Hindoyan has just recently signed a 5-year extension, they’ll have this special talent until 2028. Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a bit of levelling up and to have such an orchestra and conductor regularly plying their trade from Bristol?

Suprising nuances revealed

By giving myself the liberty of properly listening to Copland’s Piano Concerto, I finally found all the nuances that I have previously missed. At Philharmonic Hall I was sitting in a box to the left of the stage. This was perfect positioning as I got a great view of the alto/soprano saxophonist Robert Buckland, the six strong percussionists (who were busy in all the pieces) and the celesta player Ian Buckle. Who knew that there was a celesta featured in Copland’s Piano Concerto? It’s only a small part but as you would expect, it lends an ethereal quality to the piano blues. I’ll make sure I listen out for that in future. I was also impressed by the romantic sweep of the strings not unlike that achieved in the Clarinet Concerto– that was a real surprise.

I was also struck just how Ivesian some of the music is towards the end of the first movement. It seems like there are three independent tunes going on at the same time but with different time signatures. The piece was written in 1926, some years before Copland was aware of Ives but is one of those moments when you can certainly hear the influence of Stravinsky.

In the Q&A Hindoyan threw in something else that I hadn’t really considered – Bernstein’s debt to Copland’s Piano Concerto in his own West Side Story. I certainly hear echoes in the fast, rumbunctious orchestral playing. Listen from 10:15 to 10:40 in the Copland / Bernstein YouTube version below. But more jaw dropping is his assertion that Bernstein got the idea for the tune for Maria from Copland’s Piano Concerto! I need a bit more convincing on that one, but I will be all ears in future listens.

Comedy Shorts

And what about the Tom and Jerry comparison? I still think it’s very apt and have come around to the grown-up realisation that there is no shame for Copland if he was amongst those composers who provided some of the inspiration for this cartoon’s soundtrack which wasn’t created until 1940 (14 years after the Piano Concerto was composed).

It has got me thinking though. Wouldn’t this music be absolutely perfect as accompaniment to an animated feature or jaunty silent comedy? Copland painted brilliant pictures in his music, and you can definitely conjure up images of Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, the Keystone Cops, bustling sidewalks and traffic jams, skyscrapers and the odd banana skin tumble!

In a similar vein, Copland’s false ending puts me in mind of the Laurel and Hardy short Brats. In this film the protagonists are desperately trying to get kid versions of themselves to fall asleep only to inadvertently keep waking them up. The Piano Concerto seems to come to an end (with serenity Like Appalachian Spring, Quiet City or Music for the Theatre) only to start again just like those mischievous brats taking their hapless parents to breaking point.

Shortly afterwards there’s another great Copland ending which is akin to a toppling down the stairs mishap with all the plates shattering to smithereens. You can almost hear the march of Mammy Two Shoes and the shriek “Thomassssss!”

The Crowd Pleasers

There were other works played. All done wonderfully well but these were more traditional favourites. Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story was done superbly. They performed this at the Proms, which proves that practice makes perfect. Great timing for me as I am lucky enough to be taking the family to Paris in a months’ time to see the musical – I can’t wait! A special mention here for harpist Elizabeth McNulty. At Philharmonic Hall, I was in the perfect spot for watching her elegant work during the Somewhere sequence. And how about that trumpet (Russell Bennett or Richard Cowen?) – it was spine tingling brilliance.

If Copland’s Piano Concerto is now akin to a long-lost friend, George Geshwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (as well as West Side Story) is definitely one of those friends for life! (In this case the friend lives in the next street and therefore you see them on a much more regular basis!). I was struck by just how different the soloists fingering is compared to the Copland. There is so much cross hands playing in the Gershwin and none in the Copland. Perhaps this was Copland’s intention – to put stylistic clear water between himself and his Brooklyn rival? Or perhaps it was Copland just making it more simple for himself and others to play? Who knows?

The biggest cheers came for Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. Sergei Rachmaninov is of course celebrating his 15oth Birithday this year[3]. I love this piece. It’s 20 minutes of incredible music. The only snag is, that the full work is 35 minutes long! Copland didn’t have much time for Rachmaninov’s self-pity and Nadia Boulanger could hardly hide her disgust for his music. I’d certainly take a pair of scissors to some of the string music in this work but those horns in the first movement and that incredible nerve-jangling finale are absolutely up there with the best that music has to offer.

As a frequent attender of rare Copland concerts, I am used to picking up on a fluffed note here and there and simply accepting that as par for the course. But this was in another league – exceptional playing by all concerned.

Both nights were brilliant. In Liverpool it was a sell out whereas there were plenty of spaces at the Glasshouse which was a shame. I’d made a bit of a mess up with my seat selection for that concert (I was to the right of the piano, which goes to show that you shouldn’t buy a ticket late at night) and simply had to move to one of the spare seats back in the stalls before the Copland. However, this was not the only incident of musical chairs. Unfortunately, someone in the admin team made an error on the programme which suggested that the interval came after the Copland. As a result, numerous people left the auditorium at this point and had to slink back in when they realised that the band was already playing Rhapsody in Blue. That had a bit of a Laurel and Hardy feel as well! Even Domingo Hindoyan looked around at one point to see what was going on.

This was the only hitch over two great nights, in two great cities with Liverpool’s very own Northern Lights!

Footnotes:

[1] At the post concert Q&A I made the statement that the last time that Copland’s Piano Concerto was played in the UK was at the Centenary Concert at the Barbican in 2000. I was wrong! It’s been played three further times – Manchester (2000), Cardiff and London (both 2013). It you are interested in doing searches on past concerts like this then try the Boosey and Hawkes Performance Search.

[2] I am eternally grateful to the former girlfriend who likened Copland’s Piano Concerto to Tom and Jerry music. She not only introduced me to the music of Arvo Pärt and Nitin Sawhney but after we had split up, she invited me along as a friend to a party hosted by my future wife!

[3] It’s also Gershwin’s 125th birthday this year. Orchestras around the world please take note – 2024 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Charles Ives and 2025 is Copland’s 125th. A great opportunity to showcase even more brilliant and woefully underplayed music from these two giants.