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Intriguing Impromptus, Incongruous Coupling

Jed Distler

Artistic Quality:

Sound Quality:

Thomas Osborne’s cycle of four impromptus entitled The Ends of the Earth draws from traditional Indonesian music, Japanese court traditions, and other eastern influences. The first piece, Terra Incognita, leisurely unfolds in a succession of repeated notes, and there are sequences where the pianist plays on the strings and the frame, often with mallets. No. 2, Mare Incognitum, features passages with terse proclamatory chords, long stretches of stop/start ostinatos against a melody, and a closing sequence that could well be a note-for-note Gamelan transcription.

No. 3, Terra Pericolosa, begins with a theme consisting of repeated pedaled notes and slow sustained bass-register chords. The casual listener may find it hard to discern the composer’s variation form, yet still will be able to perceive how these elements evolve and develop into a convincing and cohesive narrative. Lastly, No. 4, Terra Nullius, is a stark, slow-motion, and highly concentrated piece that incorporates an incomplete Schubert song and a Hawaiian protest song “Kaulana Na Pua”. Although the four pieces appear to have been conceived as a cycle, each would make a stronger impact if programmed individually. Derek Kealii Polischuk’s interpretations bask in the music’s resonant fallout, and appear to convey the composer’s intentions with authority and care.

The pianist persuades less in Schubert’s D. 935 Impromptus, despite admirable moments. Polischuk shapes No. 1’s high-lying soft passages sensitively, effecting transitions with astute timing and lovely tonal gradations. However, No. 2 is slow, stately, static, square, and straight-jacketed. While Polischuk is unquestionably attuned to the No. 3 Theme and Variations’ lyrical invention, his frequent tenutos and ritards at phrase endings grow tiresome and predictable. No. 4 isn’t quite “scherzando” enough, yet the left-hand cross-rhythmic writing is well articulated. But why that awkward and gauche ritard over the accent at measures 22 and 30 and in similar spots? Aside from the fact that the Schubert and Osborne works are both sets of impromptus, they have nothing significant in common and make for an incongruous coupling. In short, Polischuk’s Schubert faces stiff catalog competition, but the intriguing Osborne impromptus deserve attention.


Recording Details:

Album Title: Terra Incognita
Reference Recording: Schubert D. 935: Pires (DG), Lupu (Decca)

    Soloists: Derek Kealii Polischuk (piano)

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