Piano Music, Vol. 2 (Incls 12 Preludes)

"Economy of means, searching expression and communicative flair are the hallmarks of William Alwyn's Twelve Preludes, a 25-minute cycle composed between April and June 1958 which shares a strong stylistic kinship with his powerful Third and Fourth Symphonies from the same period…[Ashley Wass's] exquisite keyboard finesse and abundant musicality give heaps of pleasure.

The Contes barbares (1930-33) had to wait until March 1940 for their private premiere by Alwyn's close friend, Clifford Curzon. These vividly illustrative pieces draw their inspiration from paintings and woodblocks by the French artist Paul Gaugin and, intriguingly, exist in two versions (you can programme the disc accordingly). More impressive still is Movements: completed in September 1961 and dedicated to composer Doreen Carwithen (who became Alwyn's second wife), it's an uncommonly gripping 15-minute triptych, full of bold contrasts and technically challenging, not least in the headlong thrust of the concluding "The Devil's Reel".

Teaching pieces make up the remainder: both Hunter's Moon (comprising three miniatures from 1932) and the Two Irish Pieces (1926) contain more than their fair share of winsome invention, while the reflective Cinderella and Water Lilies (two of nine pieces composed in 1952 for Lengnick's album series entitled Five by Ten) form a particularly fetching diptych. Wass gives outstandingly sympathetic performances throughout and he has been granted eminently ripe and realistic sound. All in all, a most enjoyable CD."
--Review by Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone

"Ashley Wass's earlier championship of the piano music of Bax and Bridge is here extended to a composer who could conjure up palpable atmosphere in a perfectly formed piece. The 12 Preludes (1958) and Contes Barbares (1933) encapsulate a range of mood from the nostalgic to the darkly foreboding and rhythmically and tonally turbulent that lends the whole disc its enticing variety."
The Daily Telegraph

Alwyn's approach to writing for the piano was essentially that of a romantic, born out of the tradition exemplified by Liszt and Rachmaninov, through to the impressionism inherent in the music of Debussy and Ravel. Influences aside, however, Alwyn found his own individual way in writing for the piano, as can be heard from the works presented here. His intuitive writing for the instrument resulted not just in virtuoso pieces for the concert hall, but also sensitive miniatures of a highly expressive nature, along with many educational pieces for examination purposes. As with the previous volume of piano music (8.570359) examples of all these will be found on this recording.