Einar Englund: Complete Music for Solo Piano
Einar Englund (1916–99) was not only one of Finland’s major symphonists; he was also one of his country’s most important pianists and was destined for a career as a virtuoso until, as a soldier, he damaged a finger in a battle against the invading Russians. He wrote surprisingly little for his own instrument, but the works he did produce glitter with a Prokofievan steely strength and textural clarity, animated with the ironic humour that was typical of the composer himself.
Laura Mikkola, piano
Listen To This Recording:
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Prelude and Fughetta:
- Hommage a Bach: Prelude
- Hommage a Bach: Fughetta
- I Allegro con brio
- II Andante
- III Vivace
- Prelude
- Pavane: Adagio
- Toccata: Allegro marcato
- Humoresque
- Little Toccata
- Sicilienne
- What the Hens Tell
- The Goblin
- Scherzino
- Prelude I (Notturno)
- I Allegro con brio
- II Sicilienne
- III Scherzo-Finale
- No. 1 Dance of Sinuhe
- No. 2 Dance of Nefer
- No. 3 Sinuhe and Nefer-Nefer
- No. 4 Dance of Kaptah and the Girls
- No. 5 The War Dance of Horemheb
- Introduzione
- Toccata
- I Introduzione ed allegro
- II Notturno
- III Scherzo-Finale
- The Lauttasaari Rotary Club Festive March
Sonatina No. 2, The Parisian:
Pavane e Toccata:
Sonatina No. 1 in D minor:
Sinuhe:
Introduzione e Toccata:
Piano Sonata No. 1:
MusicWeb International :
‘The Piano Sonata is a quite imposing and taxing piece of music, and clearly the work of a master who managed to say much in the most economical way. […]
It is always a real pleasure to hear any new disc of Laura Mikkola who was a brilliant and well-loved finalist of the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in 1995 when she was awarded the second prize and the public prize which says much of the impact she exerted on the audiences. She plays superbly throughout and the recording is excellent. Full marks too to Christian Holmqvist’s excellent and well-informed notes from which I have unashamedly quote.’
—Hubert Culot, MusicWeb International
Klassisk Musikk :
”Hovedverket er klaversonaten (1978), optimistisk kalt nr. 1 – det kom ikke flere – og er det eneste verket som varer mer enn ti minutter. Det er et ypperlig og levende eksempel på hans sene stil, basert på Sjostakovitsj og Stravinskys neoklassisisme, men forfinet med nordisk følsomhet. Laura Mikkolas slående virtuose fremførelse er litt raskere en Eero Heinonens første innspilling på BIS i 1985 (på et album kalt Complete Piano Music: Toccata Classics plate har syv flere verk, og dobler dermed totalen!). Hun er også raskere i de to andre store verkene, Introduzione e Toccata (1950 — hans mest kjente klaververk, noen YouTube-fremførelser er nesten to minutter lengre) og Pavane e Toccata (tilegnet hans avdøde katt, 1983). Ikke i noe stykke virker det som om pianisten har hastverk, artikulasjonen hennes er ren, klar og presis.
Mikkolas evne til å formidle en komponists intensjoner på klaviaturet er velkjent fra hennes fremførelser av David Matthews musikk (på samme platemerke), Sibelius, Rautavaara, Brahms og andre. Hennes evne til å følge Englunds kameleon-lignende uttrykksmessige reise, vises tydelig i de mindre verkene, enten det gjelder den eksotiske førsteakten av hans ufullendte ballett Sinuhe (1953), didaktiske stykker som de to sonatinene (1966 og 1984) og de tre miniatyrene fra en antologi, The Keyboard Tells (1955). Hele albumet er en fryd fra begynnelsen til den overraskende slutten, The Lauttasaari Rotary Club Festive March (1957), som minner oss om at Englund tjente til livets opphold som pianist i en jazzklubb i mange år. Veldig bra lyd også.’
English translation:
‘The main work is the Piano Sonata (1978), optimistically called No. 1 – there were no more – and is the only work that lasts more than ten minutes. It is a superb and vivid example of his late style, based on the neoclassicism of Shostakovich and Stravinsky, but refined with Nordic sensitivity. Laura Mikkola’s striking virtuoso performance is slightly faster than Eero Heinonen’s first recording at BIS in 1985 (on an album called Complete Piano Music: Toccata Classics the disc has seven more works, thus doubling the total!). She is also faster in the other two major works, Introduzione e Toccata (1950 – his best-known piano work, some YouTube performances are almost two minutes longer) and Pavane e Toccata (dedicated to his late cat, 1983). In no piece does the pianist seem to be in a hurry, her articulation is clean, clear and precise.
Mikkola’s ability to convey a composer’s intentions on the keyboard is well known from her performances of the music of David Matthews (on the same label), Sibelius, Rautavaara, Brahms and others. Her ability to follow Englund’s chameleon-like expressive journey is clearly demonstrated in the smaller works, whether it is the exotic first act of his unfinished ballet Sinuhe (1953), didactic pieces such as the two sonatinas (1966 and 1984) and the three miniatures from an anthology, The Keyboard Tells (1955). The whole album is a delight from the beginning to the surprising end, The Lauttasaari Rotary Club Festive March (1957), which reminds us that Englund earned his living as a pianist in a jazz club for many years. Very good sound, too.’
—Guy Rickards, Klassisk Musikk