{"product_id":"the-piano-music-of-frank-bridge-vol-2","title":"The Piano Music of Frank Bridge, Vol. 2","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eBRIDGE \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eA Fairy Tale Suite. In Autumn. Miniature Pastorals, Set 1. Étude rhapsodique. Graziella. Dramatic Fantasia. 3 Pieces. A Sea Idyll. Miniature Suite. Characteristic Pieces \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Mark Bebbington (pn) \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e SOMM 82 (77:26) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eI wonder when Frank Bridge was first led astray by Scriabin, forsaking the Lisztian bravado of the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDramatic Fantasia\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e for the dark, sensuous tendrils of \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eGraziella\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e and the lascivious impressionism of the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eCharacteristic Pieces.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e Mark Bebbington’s second volume of Bridge piano works stresses the later achievements, from 1917 on, leading up to and away from the big Piano Sonata of 1924. Ravel is a strong presence in the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eFairy Tale Suite \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eand elsewhere, but the themes, early and late, are all Bridge, and mostly memorable. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eWhatever its roots, whether outrage at the Great War or more personal passions, the best of these miniatures are very good indeed, and demand the very best players. The works, like the Sonata, are simply not well enough known yet, and they need a broader performing tradition. I hope Russian pianists start to pick up on \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eIn Autumn, Graziella\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, and the other late works. Bebbington, like Ashley Wass and Kathryn Stott, has gone far beyond the “mere” technical problems, which are not small, and the competing Bridge cycles complement each other. If you are going to get just one, then I’d go with Wass on Naxos, whose piano I also just prefer in the upper octaves. But Bebbington conveys most of Bridge’s range, and he’s especially good in the mini-\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDante Sonata\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, which is the Fantasia, and in the 1921 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eMiniature Suite\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, with its Prokofievisms. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eIdeally, I’d like to hear a hypersensitive Slavic Scriabin interpreter have a tilt at \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eGraziella \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eand “Water Nymphs” from the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eCharacteristic Pieces.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e But all the pianists I’m thinking of are dead. Maybe Tharaud for “Fragrance” and “Bitter Sweet” from the same Ravelian late set. As you’ll gather, the serious competition for Bebbington and Wass is imaginary. The recommendation is real enough, though. Some of the music in this volume is more British and interesting than it is moving, but more than half of it is top-notch. Wass edges it for feel and expressive range, but Bebbington’s runs, trills, graded dynamics, and sweep are no disappointment. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Paul Ingram \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"SOMM Recordings","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49602433024280,"sku":"748871308220","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1495142_325f3aaa-fba3-44be-9b4b-0743a280ff9a.jpg?v=1777657779","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/the-piano-music-of-frank-bridge-vol-2","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}