Paul Bowles Complete Piano Works, Vol. 2 (2016)

Paul Bowles In The American Classics Series

It is rare to find a person who excels in two different art forms, as did the eccentric American composer and writer, Paul Bowles. (1910 -- 1999)The Library of America has devoted two large volumes to Bowles' novels, stories, and travel writings. Bowles lived more than 50 years as an American expatriate in Morocco where he became famous for his novel, "The Sheltering Sky". At the time he left the United States, Bowles also had a career as a composer, but his music is not as well-known as his writing. Fortunately, Naxos has released two CDs of the complete piano music of Bowles as part of its "American Classics" series. This series is an outstanding way to get to know the scope of American accomplishment in art music. The release of Bowles' music in the American Classics series will complement the release of his writings in the Library of America series. I reviewed the first of the two CDs earlier here on Amazon and am pleased to have the opportunity to review the second CD, which Naxos kindly has made available to me.

The Russian-trained pianists, Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn, who perform as the Invencia Piano Duo and who teach at Old Dominion University in Norfolk offer sparkling well thought through readings of Bowles' music both as a team and as solo performers. Bowles is a miniaturist in his piano music, even in his multi-movement works. His music captures a variety of feelings and moods. The musical language is clearly modernistic but accessible. It has clear lines, lucidity, and interplay among the voices. It is often tart and astringent. The music shows the influence of Bowles' mentor, Aaron Copland, and draws from American folk and from Latin American idioms, among other sources.

The CD opens with perhaps Bowles' best-known piano work, the "Night Waltz" for two pianos. This is a free-flowing work of about four minutes with pointillistic and melodic sections. With the texture of the two pianos, the separate musical voices are clear. This work is an excellent introduction to the music.

In 1946, Bowles and his friend Tennessee Williams collaborated on a four-song cycle, "Blue Mountain Ballads". Pianist Andrey Kasparov's on the songs for piano, four hands, is a highlight of this CD. The piano arrangement captures the folk-like character of the songs and their shifts in mood and tone. The arrangement works in its own right and moved me to listen to the original cycle with the poetry of Williams.

Another piece I enjoyed was "Tamanar", a work of about six minutes that Bowles composed in the early 1930s but that was lost until the score was discovered in the mid-1990s. "Tamanar" is a craggy, atonal, and dissonant work with sharp edges and imaginative harmonies. In some ways it is atypical of the composer, but it is challenging, visionary music.

The CD includes two three-movement sonatinas both of which are highly compressed. There are a series of miniatures, some of which are as short as 30 seconds, which frequently have a Latin flavor and programme. The CD closes with a short boisterous work for four-hand piano, the "Turkey Trot".

I have enjoyed reading Paul Bowles and was grateful for the opportunity the American Classics series has provided of exploring his music. I hope that the series will include Bowles' compositions in other genres. This CD will interest listeners who want to explore the diversity of American music.

Total Time: 58:42

Robin Friedman