Album

York Bowen was a British pianist/composer of the early and middle twentieth century—a fairly uncommon combination in that time and place. The otherwise fine booklet notes make the claim that he was the first pianist to record Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, which may well be true but is a startling enough claim to require specifics that are not provided. He was sometimes called "the English Rachmaninoff," and his piano music is full of technical minefields. A conservative, almost forgotten since the onset of modernist repression in the 1950s, he is being championed by Dutch pianist Joop Celis; this is the second in what is apparently an ongoing series of discs covering Bowen's roughly 160 compositions. The results are mixed. The Chandos label's publicity for this release touts Bowen's "fusion" style, pointing to French neo-Classic elements—and there's a good deal of English academic absorption of Brahmsian models as well. But it's less a fusion than a hodgepodge of imperfectly digested samples. The mixture of Russian and French was characteristic of Rachmaninoff himself, but it's hard to pin down ways in which Bowen went beyond what had already been done other than some obligatory muddying of the harmonic language. This said, the music, even if it doesn't resound in the head, is pretty exciting in the way that Rachmaninoff's is—it tames the beast that is the modern grand piano. The smaller works, especially the Four Bagatelles, Op. 147, are the most successful, featuring subtle explorations of dense pianistic effects. The three-movement Piano Sonata No. 5 is rather ponderous, but does allow Celis to display the full range of his considerable skills. Not a lot of English piano music of this period is much played now, and this disc will fill some holes on the shelf for lovers of English music.

© James Manheim, All Music Guide

CD 1
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Piano Sonata No.5 in F-, Op.72 Work 22:09 Joop Celis Piano
1	1.Moderato - Allegro moderato - Meno mosso - Poco a poco accelerando - Tempo 1 - Meno moso - Poco	8:42			$1.49
2	2.Andante semplice	4:50			$0.99
3	3.Finale. Allegro con fuoco - Poco sostenuto - Poco accelerando - Tempo 1 - Più moderato - Poco ac	8:37			$1.49
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Nocturne for piano in Ab, Op.78 Work Joop Celis Piano
4	Nocturne for piano in Ab, Op.78	5:04			$0.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Ripples (A Short Sketch), scherzando for piano in F, Op.100, No.1 Work Joop Celis Piano
5	Ripples (A Short Sketch), scherzando for piano in F, Op.100, No.1	2:26			$0.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Prelude No.1 for piano in G- Work Joop Celis Piano
6	Prelude No.1 for piano in G-	3:48			$0.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Prelude No.2 in D, Op.100, No.2 ("Shadows") Work Joop Celis Piano
7	Prelude No.2 in D, Op.100, No.2 ("Shadows")	3:36			$0.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Fantasia for piano in G-, Op.132 Work Joop Celis Piano
8	Fantasia for piano in G-, Op.132	10:43			$1.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Intermezzi (2), for piano, Op.141 Work 3:43 Joop Celis Piano
9	1.Andantino tranquillo in B-	2:38			$0.99
10	2.Allegro con fuoco in G-	1:05			$0.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Siciliano & Toccatina for piano, Op.128 Work 7:16 Joop Celis Piano
11	Siciliano. Andantino grazioso in F	5:14			$0.99
12	Toccatina. Allegro, quasi presto in A-	2:02			$0.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Bagatelles (4) for piano, Op.147 Work 7:06 Joop Celis Piano
13	1.Andante con moto in A-	1:30			$0.99
14	2.Moderato sostenuto	2:11			$0.99
15	3.Allegretto grazioso in F	1:34			$0.99
16	4.Andantino grazioso in E	1:51			$0.99
(Edwin) York Bowen Composer Evening Calm, nocturne for piano in Bb Work Joop Celis Piano
17	Evening Calm, nocturne for piano in Bb	8:18			$1.49