Boris Berezovsky - Hindemith: Ludus Tonalis & Suite '1922' '2006

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Ludus Tonalis: I Praeludium
02. Ludus Tonalis: II Fuga prima in C major
03. Ludus Tonalis: III Interludium primum
04. Ludus Tonalis: IV Fuga secunda in G major
05. Ludus Tonalis: V Interludium secundum-Pastorale
06. Ludus Tonalis: VI Fuga tertia in F major
07. Ludus Tonalis: VII Interludium tertium
08. Ludus Tonalis: VIII Fuga quarta in A major
09. Ludus Tonalis: IX Interludium quartum
10. Ludus Tonalis: X Fuga quinta in E major
11. Ludus Tonalis: XI Interludium quintum
12. Ludus Tonalis: XII Fuga sexta in E flat major
13. Ludus Tonalis: XIII Interludium sextum
14. Ludus Tonalis: XIV Fuga septima in A flat major
15. Ludus Tonalis: XV Interludium septimum
16. Ludus Tonalis: XVI Fuga octava in D major
17. Ludus Tonalis: XVII Interludium octavum
18. Ludus Tonalis: XVIII Fuga nona in B flat major
19. Ludus Tonalis: XIX Interludium nonum
20. Ludus Tonalis: XX Fuga decima in D flat major
21. Ludus Tonalis: XXI Interludium decimum
22. Ludus Tonalis: XXII Fuga undecima in B major
23. Ludus Tonalis: XXIII Interludium undecima
24. Ludus Tonalis: XXIV Fuga duodecima in F sharp major
25. Ludus Tonalis: XXV Postludium
26. Suite 1922 Op.26: I March
27. Suite 1922 Op.26: II Shimmy
28. Suite 1922 Op.26: III Nachtstück
29. Suite 1922 Op.26: IV Boston
30. Suite 1922 Op.26: V Ragtime

According to conventional wisdom, the adjective that most aptly describes
Hindemith's music is "dry," just about as damning an assessment as exists,
barely a step up from "mind-numbingly dull" or "unlistenable." Who wants to
listen to dry music? Hindemith was remarkably prolific, and it must be admitted
that he perhaps wrote more than his share of dry music, but he also wrote music
of great energy, expressiveness, and wit.
Ludus tonalis - a 50-minute cycle of 12 fugues, one in each of the major keys,
connected by interludes and framed by a prelude and postlude - is clearly
related to the structure of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. As the largest and
most ambitious piano piece by one of the twentieth century's leading composers,
self-consciously modeled on a great monument of keyboard music, it's a work that
demands to be taken seriously. The work's subtitle, "Studies in Counterpoint,
Tonal Organization and Piano Playing," contributes to intimations of
portentousness. The composer, however, deflects an overly serious assessment by
the title he gives it, which can be translated as "Tonal Game," and games should
be fun. Ludus tonalis is not the most consistently engaging of Hindemith's
scores, but the moments that delight and astonish far outnumber the dry.
It's not too broad a judgment to note that, in general, the slow movements hold
less interest than the fast ones. Hindemith's harmonic palette in these works is
fairly narrow, and he's not an outstanding melodist, so some of the slow
movements sound like contrapuntal meandering. A significant element in the most
compelling pieces here is his rhythmic inventiveness, which is considerable, and
is most evident in the more energetic and propulsive fugues and interludes. One
of the charms of these pieces is the wit and quirky sense of humor that
Hindemith displays. A majority of the movements do sound playful, more like
games than chores. Another attractive element is the brevity of the movements,
most of which are under two minutes; they make their point and take their bows
before wearing out their welcome. Several movements that leap out include the
"Interludium tertium," with its faux-Baroque ornamentation, and the
eccentrically bouncy themes of "Fuga quinta" and "Fuga nona."
Hindemith's five-movement Suite "1922," Op. 26, fills out the disc. It's most
notable for its "Ragtime" and the jazz-inspired "Shimmy," which occasionally
sounds like Nancarrow and should be required listening for anyone still holding
onto the cliché that Hindemith is dry.
Boris Berezofsky offers solid performances that emphasize the expressiveness of
the music and give attention to the detail that brings out the individuality of
the movements. His playing has none of the perfunctory, notey quality that can
make performances of Hindemith so deadly. He performs the Suite with abandon and
apparent glee. Ludus tonalis reveals Hindemith in a much more reserved mood, but
it would have been gratifying to hear more of the wildness of Berezofsky's
performance of the Suite brought to some of the quirkier fugues and interludes.

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