Geoffrey Burleson - Vincent Persichetti: Complete Piano Sonatas (2008)

Tracklist

CD1
01. Sonata No. 1, Op.3: I. Allegro moderato
02. Sonata No. 1, Op.3: II. Adagio
03. Sonata No. 1, Op.3: III. Vivace
04. Sonata No. 1, Op.3: IV. Passacaglia
05. Sonata No. 2, Op. 6: I. Moderato
06. Sonata No. 2, Op. 6: II. Sostenuto
07. Sonata No. 2, Op. 6: III. Allegretto
08. Sonata No. 2, Op. 6: IV. Allegro
09. Sonata No. 3, Op. 22: I. Declaration
10. Sonata No. 3, Op. 22: II. Episode
11. Sonata No. 3, Op. 22: III. Psalm
12. Sonata No. 4, Op. 36: I. Broad
13. Sonata No. 4, Op. 36: II. Moderately
14. Sonata No. 4, Op. 36: III. Plaintively - Briskly
15. Sonata No. 5, Op. 37: I. With Motion
16. Sonata No. 5, Op. 37: II. Tenderly
17. Sonata No. 5, Op. 37: III. Briskly
18. Sonata No. 6, Op. 39: I. Lightly
19. Sonata No. 6, Op. 39: II. Slowly
20. Sonata No. 6, Op. 39: III. Blandly
21. Sonata No. 6, Op. 39: IV. Fast

CD2
01. Sonata No. 7, Op. 40: I. Moderato
02. Sonata No. 7, Op. 40: II. Andante
03. Sonata No. 7, Op. 40: III. Vivo
04. Sonata No. 8, Op. 41: I. Lightly
05. Sonata No. 8, Op. 41: II. Quietly
06. Sonata No. 8, Op. 41: III. Fast
07. Sonata No. 9, Op. 58: I. Moderato
08. Sonata No. 9, Op. 58: II. Allegro agilite
09. Sonata No. 9, Op. 58: III. Larghetto
10. Sonata No. 9, Op. 58: IV. Allegro risoluto
11. Sonata No. 10, Op. 67: I. Adagio
12. Sonata No. 10, Op. 67: II. Presto
13. Sonata No. 10, Op. 67: III. Andante
14. Sonata No. 10, Op. 67: IV. Vivace
15. Sonata No. 11, Op. 101: I. Risoluto
16. Sonata No. 11, Op. 101: II. Articolato
17. Sonata No. 11, Op. 101: III. Sostenuto
18. Sonata No. 11, Op. 101: IV. Leggero
19. Sonata No. 11, Op. 101: V. Conclusivo
20. Sonata No. 12, Op. 145: I. Sostenuto - Risoluto
21. Sonata No. 12, Op. 145: II. Amabile
22. Sonata No. 12, Op. 145: III. Scherzoso
23. Sonata No. 12, Op. 145: IV. Brioso

Vincent Persichetti's reputation as a composer, theorist, and educator has seemingly grown in inverse proportion to the dwindling number of recordings of his music that have appeared since his death in 1987; this paradox suggests that his works are perhaps more respected than enjoyed, or at any rate, that they have somewhat fallen out of fashion. This is peculiar, since much of Persichetti's oeuvre is quite tonal, only mildly dissonant, melodious, and fully approachable, and should appeal to a wider audience, especially considering the change to more conservative tastes at the turn of the century. However, there are qualities in his music that may explain its unfair neglect. Its cerebral nature and strong neo-Classical orientation may partly be to blame, and the dry, academic quality that pervades even his most accessible music can make Persichetti seem too much like Paul Hindemith, another great composer whose works are similarly underappreciated. The 12 Piano Sonatas, composed between 1939 and 1982, form a consistent body of work typified by intellectual rigor and controlled explorations of forms and counterpoint, though there are many lovely and haunting lyrical passages in these works that give them delicacy and a certain poignancy -- still more characteristics that should endear them to new listeners. Add to this the sympathetic playing of Geoffrey Burleson, who has addressed the lack of recordings of the keyboard music of Arthur Berger and Brian Banks, and performs the same admirable service for Persichetti; indeed, six of the 12 Sonatas receive their world-premiere recordings here. Burleson exploits the pieces' dramatic possibilities through robust, even explosive, playing, though this boldness is balanced with transparency of tone, clarity of phrasing, and where necessary, lightness of touch. New World's reproduction is crisp and lucid, though there is sufficient resonance to lend the piano an attractive luster.

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