Christine Townsend violin
Stephen Robbings piano
DIVINE ART ddx 21121
This is a generously filled double CD of music for violin and piano by Robin Stevens. There are works for violin and piano duo, and well as solo violin and solo piano. The musical language might broadly be described as expressionistic. The formal design of most of the pieces is not immediately apparent to the listener at a first hearing.
One interesting comparison is between the Toccata for solo piano and Stratospheric! for solo violin. The keyboard piece features a staccato single line contrasted with slower smoother writing. Both works use a form of declamatory recitative. The solo violin work has a wider variety of tempi and, as the name suggests, some of the writing is very high.
Perhaps the most immediately appealing work is the Scherzo in Blue for violin and piano. The composer states in his notes that ‘jazz influences often feature in my vocal music, but rarely in my instrumental output.’ Here the idiom is skilfully captured without the slightest hint of pastiche. The only fault one might find is that it leaves the listener wanting more.
The solo piano piece which follows it, Reconciliation?, is described by the composer as ‘a compact contemporary tone-poem’. A number of ideas are presented to the listener, a lyrical opening and two rather more dissonant passages. These are juxtaposed (the composer’s word is ‘intertwined’) culminating in a cadenza.
New contrasting material is presented which is dense and chordal, but with a sense of optimism. Towards the end of the piece, some of the earlier figuration returns undermining this mood, and while the turbulence subsides there is an ambiguity as to whether the opposing forces have found reconciliation. Hence, presumably, the question mark in the title.
As a conspectus of Stevens’ achievement as a composer of chamber music and solo instrumental music, this album represents a wide variety of musical material. It is not particularly easy listening and the two most substantial works, the Fantasy Sonata (in one movement) and Sonata Tempesta are densely wrought pieces which make very little concession to the first-time listener. Yet there is a variety of expression and Stevens has spread his net widely in terms of stylistic influences.
This is an interesting release which provides much food for thought, although I would suggest that the first disc would make a satisfying beginning, followed by the second, perhaps divided into two, tracks one to six followed later, by tracks seven to 15.
Review by Martyn Strachan