Lara Downes, piano, with guests. Rising Sun Music 616908742333.
By John J. Puccio
Remarkably, this is the ninth album I’ve reviewed by American pianist Lara Downes. I suppose that is a reflection of the great admiration I have of Ms. Downes’s talent. I’ve also appreciated her continued championing of little-known composers, minority composers, women composers, and, as here with Scott Joplin, composers whose popularity peaked, waned, peaked, and waned again. Let me explain the latter.
Joplin’s popularity skyrocketed in the late nineteenth century, at which time audiences crowned him the “King of Ragtime.” But like so many composers before and after him, the fashion for his syncopated rhythms diminished steadily after his death in 1917, with jazz, blues, bebop, swing, rhythm-and-blues, rock ’n’ roll, and the like coming into their own. Then something funny happened. In the early 1970’s Joplin’s music came back into vogue with a best-selling record album by pianist Joshua Rifkin, followed by the success of the Paul Newman/Robert Redford film The Sting, which featured pianist/composer Marvin Hamlisch doing Joplin tunes on the soundtrack. This was doubly ironic since the movie was set in the midst of the Great Depression, decades after the decline in popularity of Joplin’s ragtime. Yet the music fit the mood of the film, so it worked, and helped to create a new Joplin Renaissance, with a slew of new Joplin records appearing from practically everybody. My own favorites have long been EMI discs from The New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble and another from pianist and conductor Andre Previn and violinist supreme Itzhak Perlman. Still, as happened before, the rage for Joplin’s music subsided once again. Maybe Ms. Downes’s new album, “Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered,” will prompt yet another renewal in the man’s music. I hope so.
Anyway, for those of you who don’t know her, Lara Downes is a Steinway artist whose work always exhibits an exceptionally poetic and dramatic presence. Born in San Francisco of Caribbean and Russian heritage, Ms. Downes began piano lessons at age four. Since making concert debuts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the Salle Gaveau, Ms. Downes continues to perform on the world’s leading stages, including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center.
In thinking of what to say about Ms. Downes’s talents, I went back and read over my previous reviews of her performances. These lines from some years back probably sum up her work best: “To say that Lara Downes plays the piano is the same as saying Claude Monet painted landscapes. The French impressionist artist Monet’s use of color and light created pictures not only of rare beauty but of rare insight. In a similar fashion, American pianist Lara Downes creates poetic musical sketches of times, places, and people that transcend mere notes and draw us into a world of nuanced sounds and feelings. She forces us to see and hear old tunes in a new light.” Such is the case with this Scott Joplin album.
Here’s a rundown of the program:
1. Prelude from Treemonisha
2. Weeping Willow
3. Peacherine Rag
4. Maple Leaf Rag
5. The Chrysanthemum
6. Bethena
7. The Entertainer
8. Reflection Rag
9. Magnetic Rag
10. A Picture of Her Face
11. Euphonic Sounds
12. Solace
13. Heliotrope Bouquet
14. Eugenia
15. Elite Syncopations
16. Swipesy
17. A Read Slow Drag
Accompanying Ms. Downes on some of these selections are guest artists Will Liverman, baritone; Joe Brent, mandolin and vihuela; Adam Abeshouse, violin; the Brooklyn Youth Chorus; and a small ensemble she calls The Band. Naturally, Ms. Downes makes everything sound new again, yet without in any way distorting the music. Most important, she appears to be thoroughly enjoying these tunes, and it shines through every note. The music almost literally sings. On the tracks where she has accompaniment, the other players are never intrusive. Every selection is a delight.
Ms. Downes sums up Joplin’s tunes best: “There’s a multi-faceted, timeless beauty to this music--a world of emotions and expression waiting to be experienced and embraced. I’m profoundly moved by Joplin’s innovative creative vision, the depth of his blended musical roots, and the breadth of what grew from them.”
Producer and engineer Adam Abeshouse recorded most of the music in 2021, with Jeremy Kinney producing and engineering the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Mr. Abeshouse miked the piano at an ideal distance, not too close so as to make the instrument stretch across the entire soundstage and not so distant that it might sound soft or fuzzy. Articulation is crisp, clean, smooth, and lifelike; you get a real piano in your living room.
JJP
By John J. Puccio
Joplin’s popularity skyrocketed in the late nineteenth century, at which time audiences crowned him the “King of Ragtime.” But like so many composers before and after him, the fashion for his syncopated rhythms diminished steadily after his death in 1917, with jazz, blues, bebop, swing, rhythm-and-blues, rock ’n’ roll, and the like coming into their own. Then something funny happened. In the early 1970’s Joplin’s music came back into vogue with a best-selling record album by pianist Joshua Rifkin, followed by the success of the Paul Newman/Robert Redford film The Sting, which featured pianist/composer Marvin Hamlisch doing Joplin tunes on the soundtrack. This was doubly ironic since the movie was set in the midst of the Great Depression, decades after the decline in popularity of Joplin’s ragtime. Yet the music fit the mood of the film, so it worked, and helped to create a new Joplin Renaissance, with a slew of new Joplin records appearing from practically everybody. My own favorites have long been EMI discs from The New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble and another from pianist and conductor Andre Previn and violinist supreme Itzhak Perlman. Still, as happened before, the rage for Joplin’s music subsided once again. Maybe Ms. Downes’s new album, “Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered,” will prompt yet another renewal in the man’s music. I hope so.
In thinking of what to say about Ms. Downes’s talents, I went back and read over my previous reviews of her performances. These lines from some years back probably sum up her work best: “To say that Lara Downes plays the piano is the same as saying Claude Monet painted landscapes. The French impressionist artist Monet’s use of color and light created pictures not only of rare beauty but of rare insight. In a similar fashion, American pianist Lara Downes creates poetic musical sketches of times, places, and people that transcend mere notes and draw us into a world of nuanced sounds and feelings. She forces us to see and hear old tunes in a new light.” Such is the case with this Scott Joplin album.
Here’s a rundown of the program:
1. Prelude from Treemonisha
2. Weeping Willow
3. Peacherine Rag
4. Maple Leaf Rag
5. The Chrysanthemum
6. Bethena
7. The Entertainer
8. Reflection Rag
9. Magnetic Rag
10. A Picture of Her Face
11. Euphonic Sounds
12. Solace
13. Heliotrope Bouquet
14. Eugenia
15. Elite Syncopations
16. Swipesy
17. A Read Slow Drag
Accompanying Ms. Downes on some of these selections are guest artists Will Liverman, baritone; Joe Brent, mandolin and vihuela; Adam Abeshouse, violin; the Brooklyn Youth Chorus; and a small ensemble she calls The Band. Naturally, Ms. Downes makes everything sound new again, yet without in any way distorting the music. Most important, she appears to be thoroughly enjoying these tunes, and it shines through every note. The music almost literally sings. On the tracks where she has accompaniment, the other players are never intrusive. Every selection is a delight.
Ms. Downes sums up Joplin’s tunes best: “There’s a multi-faceted, timeless beauty to this music--a world of emotions and expression waiting to be experienced and embraced. I’m profoundly moved by Joplin’s innovative creative vision, the depth of his blended musical roots, and the breadth of what grew from them.”
Producer and engineer Adam Abeshouse recorded most of the music in 2021, with Jeremy Kinney producing and engineering the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Mr. Abeshouse miked the piano at an ideal distance, not too close so as to make the instrument stretch across the entire soundstage and not so distant that it might sound soft or fuzzy. Articulation is crisp, clean, smooth, and lifelike; you get a real piano in your living room.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
Heard Bethena on the radio yesterday - so moving. More familiar with just piano or violin. Learned it was composed by Joplin soon after the death of his young wife only a few weeks after their wedding. I am grieving the untimely death of our son a few months ago and just now realized why Bethena feels so right.
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