Search - Edward Elgar, Peter Pettinger :: Elgar: Piano Music

PRETTY......UNESSENTIAL ELGAR

Melvyn M. Sobel | Freeport (Long Island), New York | 08/03/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Initially I found this CD quite enjoyable when I bought it some five years ago and, well, rather a novelty--- since it purported to be as "complete" a collection of Sir Edward's piano music as one could get at the time (and still is).



Unfortunately, recent listenings have proved to me that although fairly pleasing, the music is a tad vacuous, routine and too often simply cloying in the manner so typical of the 19th century parlor. It doesn't wear well and, after awhile, just seems labored. (It is fairly common knowledge that the piano was not Elgar's favorite mode of musical expression; he found it confining, and it shows.)



The majority of the music here is actual Elgarian material written for the piano. However, a few pieces, such as "Rosemary," "May Song," and "Carissima," you may recognize from their original arrangement for violin and piano; another, "Dream Children," for example, is a tidy piano reduction of the orchestral score by Sir Ed, himself. It all happens to work well and unless you knew the origins, you would never guess that the music wasn't written for the piano, first.



And, of course, this is not to say, naturally, that you will not find some very pretty pieces here. The "Serenade" and "Adieu" are lovely works, as are "Rosemary" and "Dream Children." But since Elgar (1857-1934) was not really in his element here, you may find a certain similarity running through his piano music that becomes a wee bit repetitive and wearisome in its "charm."



No aspersions, however, are cast on pianist and annotator Peter Pettinger. His research, collection and playing of these sixteen pieces is obviously a labor of love, and laudable, and kudos to Chandos for allowing him to record same.



[Running time: 62:45]"