The Piano Variations part of major workout at Snape

The Piano Variations is a pivotal Copland work. If Appalachian Spring is the crowning glory of his populist idiom then the Piano Variations plays the same role for his modernist works. 20 variations in 12 electrifying minutes. This is lean, austere Copland far removed from the music that he is most famed for.

The Piano Variations is such an important work in Copland’s output that its principle four note motif finds its way into many other pieces – Connotations, Statements, Symphonic Ode. Even the soundtrack to the 1949 movie The Heiress (for which Copland won an Oscar) has a discarded variation used in a critical scene of thwarted love.

However, unlike most of Copland’s modernist works this is unusual in that it gets lots of airplay being well respected by virtuoso pianists. By contrast your average concert goer might struggle with it at first. I did. For a long while I understood its importance but I couldn’t admit to really enjoying it. But this is a Copland piece that really can grow on you and seeing it played in a concert situation is an ideal way to start a love affair.

It is such a physical piece. To see what I mean see the Youtube Documentary below from 16:50 and watch a young Michael Tilson Thomas playing some extracts – it’s truly impressive stuff and requires tremendous skill and brutality all at once. In the most energetic variations the hands have to move so fast that it looks like al 10 fingers are playing notes at the same time. What’s not to like about that? It’s exhilarating to watch and really hard core and almost 90 years later still sounds fresh and new – there is no reason why if you like modern urban music with all its hard edges that you shouldn’t listen to and enjoy this as well.

I’ve been fortunate to see some great pianists play the Piano Variations: Joanna MacGregor, Marc Andre Hamelin, Nathan Williamson and today Tamara Stefanovich at the Aldeburgh Festival. This performance was part of a recital including Bach, Bartok, Messiaen and Ives. Lots of robust action here and moments of great delicacy too. It didn’t disappoint.

All the pieces except the Variations were new to me. I was impressed with the stamina she showed. The Piano Variations require the keys to be hit hard and the Messiaen is such a perfect follow on piece that possibly some might have thought they were joined at the hip. Doing these pieces back to back required great athleticism – for me it was 25 minutes of absolutely incredible hairs standing on end music that brought the first half to a rousing, breathless finale.

The Ives Sonata was as one would expect monumental with so much going on. A tough, albeit rewarding piece for the pianist and the audience alike. I wasn’t at all surprised that there was no encore after the 37 minute second half. Firstly it would have been hard to follow and secondly after such a workout it would surely have been hard to continue!