CD Review – Evgeny Ukhanov Performs Griffiths - Introspection for Piano Vol 1, reviewed by Clinton White
Self-taught Australian composer, Alan Griffiths, can rightly
be proud of the debut album of his music.
And he can be proud on two counts: first that the Ukrainian-Australian
pianist, Evgeny Ukhanov, has done a very nice job of interpreting the music
and, second that the music is very accessible and perfectly suited to the album
title, Introspection.
The composition styles vary quite remarkably through the
programme. There are new age styles,
pieces that could be for a film soundtrack, others that evoke piano studies and
still others that can calm the soul or lead the listener into a flight of
fantasy.
Then there are the influences. Griffiths’ bio notes acknowledge that many
great composers over the last 150 years have been his guide. Still, Griffiths really has developed his own
style. There are the occasional hints of
the influences, but he can be confident in calling all of his compositions uniquely
his own. Even the quite strong Rachmaninov stylings in the “Motif and
Variations” serve more
to underscore the writing than dominate it.
Whilst, on the whole, the works are not overly technically
difficult, Ukhanov has taken them and put a great deal of soul into them,
turning the notes on the page into truly beautiful and sensitive musical interpretations
cleverly nuanced with a tiny tenuto
here, a subtle ritardando there, or perhaps
a delicate accelerando somewhere else,
just to give the music his personal touch and add that extra little bit of
personality.
The titles of the works are largely descriptive of their
technical nature rather than of the story behind them or their source of
inspiration. There would be some value
in giving the titles a little more personality, even if it’s just by way of
nicknames, to add to the charm of the music they produce.
If I had one tiny gripe, it is the closeness of the
recording. A close listening (I reviewed
the album using a pair of Sennheiser HD 600 headphones) will reveal a subtle thud
of the keys hitting the strings particularly in the upper registers. I would have preferred a slightly more
expansive sound to give a better spread and balance across the instrument. It’s almost as if the piano is “bottled up”,
unable to escape.
But others will appreciate the very clearly defined
registers of the piano, which, in fact, are nicely and faithfully captured in
the recording process.
The presentation of the album is nicely done, with good
liner notes about the composer and the artist as well as the “personality”
behind the works.
On hearing the first few bars of music on Introspection, the listener might be
tempted to think it is one of those albums you can put on and then drift
off. But it’s not long before the
listener becomes aware of music and playing that demands just that: listening.
