Few associate Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) with piano music. The Czech composer is almost exclusively known for orchestral and chamber music, in addition to the opera “Rusalka”. But Dvořák actually wrote a significant number of works for piano. Among these we find one of the most extensive and distinctive works from the composer’s hand at all: the piano cycle “Poetic Tone Pictures” (“Poetické Nálady”) from 1889. FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE: Leif Ove Andsnes talks about Dvořák’s “Poetic Tone Pictures”. Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes is no more blunt than that he refers to “Poetic Tone Pictures” as “the great forgotten piano cycle from the 19th century”. His new recording has the potential to bring this both charming and poignant music to where it deserves to be: as an obvious supplement to great works for piano by composers such as Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt and Modest Mussorgsky. Journey through memories and moods Dvořák wrote “Poetic Tone Pictures” in the spring of 1889, at a time when he was about to achieve international fame. From the same period comes the famous “Dumky Trio” for piano, violin and cello, as well as the three orchestral works “I naturens rike”, “Carnival” and “Othello”. ROMANTIC: Dvořák’s “Poetic tone pictures” opens with a depiction of a journey into the darkness of night. All these works have in common a new orientation towards music that romantically portrays something extra-musical. “Here I am a poet as much as a musician”, wrote the composer in a letter. “Poetic Tone Pictures” consists of 13 individual pieces, and in Andsnes’ version measures just over 56 minutes. Single titles such as “Spring Song”, “Peasant’s Ballad” and “Sorrowful Reverie” may possibly be associated with Grieg’s “Lyric Pieces”. But Dvořák himself emphasized the importance of performing “Poetic Tone Pictures” as a coherent cycle, and not as a collection of independent individual pieces à la Grieg. “Only in this way can the listener form a correct image of what I have had in mind”, writes Dvořák. POWERFUL: The closing piece “On the Holy Moutain” conveys a sense of sublimity. Now it is admittedly not entirely clear what this whole consists of. Here there are no thematic cross-connections between the pieces, and no clear “narrative” either. At best, one can perhaps say that the pieces together form a kind of kaleidoscopic image of a “Czech Republic” which, in Dvořák’s time, was not yet an independent nation-state. The powerful ending with the two movements “At a Hero’s Grave” and “On the Holy Mountain” also gives a clear experience of arriving at a more elevated level, both mentally and physically. Like a sparkling autumn day TIDY FIRE: As an interpreter, Andsnes prefers to point to something other than himself. Photo: Helge Hansen / Sony How does this music sound when Andsnes takes it on? Once again, words like “clarity” and “purity” appear when describing this piano playing. Andsnes does not come out of the closet as a demonic romantic or a flashy postmodernist. As an interpreter, Andsnes is still a neat guy who prefers to point to something other than himself. This in no way means that Andsnes’ game lacks distinctiveness. On the contrary, this music under Andsnes’ fingers sounds distinctly different from that of his predecessors. REFRESHING: “Peasant’s Ballad” is a striking example of the nature of lightness and flight that characterizes Andsnes’ interpretation of Dvořák’s “Poetic Tone Pictures” A natural reference is the Czech pianist Radoslav Kvapil, who recorded the work in the late 1960s as part of a complete recording of Dvořák’s piano music. Andsnes himself singles out Kvapil’s recording as a guide into this repertoire in his youth (in addition to his teacher at the Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norwegian-Czech Jiří Hlinka). Kvapil possibly has a clearer view of the nostalgic and emotionally ambiguous nature of some of these pieces (perhaps not so strange for a musician in Prague circa 1968). In return, Andsnes makes this music shine in a way I have not heard from any other pianist before. It’s a bit like moving from fog-heavy Czech forests to Hardangervidda on a sparkling autumn day. Andsnes’ playing has a lightness and flight that is experienced as refreshing. The pianist who opens the door This is not the first time Andsnes has made the world aware of music it didn’t know it wanted. Andsnes’ international debut record from 1991 was dedicated to the piano music of Leôs Janácek, a composer who at the time was rarely played outside the Czech Republic. LOOKING FOR THE UNKNOWN: Andsnes often thrive off the beaten track. Photo: Helge Hansen / Sony After that, Andsnes has contributed to bringing to light the piano music of both Danish Carl Nielsen and Finnish Jean Sibelius. Both composers who, like Dvořák, are mainly regarded as symphonists. In my opinion, Andsnes is often at his best when he steps forward as an ambassador for the unknown. I experience a greater freedom and playfulness in him when the interpretation tradition does not weigh so heavily. With his latest album, Andsnes once again sheds new light on a composer we thought we knew all too well. I hope he continues to do that. news reviewer Photo: Helge Hansen / Sony MUSICIAN: Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) WORK: Antonín Dvořák: “Poetické Nálady” (“Poetic Tone Pictures”), Op. 85 (1889) RECORDED: Olavshallen, Trondheim 24–28 April 2021 SOUND PRODUCER: John Fraser RECORD COMPANY: Sony Classical RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2022 Recommended alternative recordings by “Poetic Tone Pictures”: Radoslav Kvapil: “Dvořák. Complete Piano Works”, Supraphon 2010 (recorded 1967-70) Inna Poroshina: “Dvořák. Complete Piano Works”, Brilliant Classics 2010 (recorded 1997-98)
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Poetic Tone Pictures” – Reviews and recommendations
