Album

Raymond Clarke plays the larger and more important of Aaron Copland's piano works on this disc with remarkable strength and skillfulness. Putting the pieces in chronological order, as they are here, gives insight into Copland's evolution as a composer. He was able to move away from strict tonality in these pieces because they were not necessarily meant to appeal to a wider audience, as his ballets were. He also moved toward clearer textures, with less forward movement and more exploration of the piano's tonal capabilities. Copland's piano music may not be as melodic or obviously tonal as his more popular orchestral works, but these are unmistakably by Copland. His characteristic use of spiky passages immediately followed by lyric passages and of anchoring chords held under lighter, higher motifs is found throughout most of these works. Clarke's strength works well for Copland's spikiness and percussive use of the piano, particularly in the Piano Sonata and Piano Fantasy. Clarke creates crashing waves of chords in the Passacaglia and is able to display his dexterity in the more virtuosic moments of the Fantasy. He has a keen sense of the types of sounds Copland was after in these works.

© Patsy Morita, All Music Guide

CD 1
Aaron Copland Composer Passacaglia Work Raymond Clarke Piano
1	Passacaglia	7:17			$0.99
Aaron Copland Composer Piano Variations Work Raymond Clarke Piano
2	Piano Variations	11:23			$0.99
Aaron Copland Composer Piano Sonata Work 24:48 Raymond Clarke Piano
3	1.Molto moderato	8:27			$0.99
4	2.Vivace	4:34			$0.99
5	3.Andante sostenuto	11:47			$0.99
Aaron Copland Composer Piano Fantasy Work Raymond Clarke Piano
6	Piano Fantasy	33:20			$0.99