RZEWSKI, Frederic: The People United Will Never Be Defeated

$8.99 (CD)

Link to this CD

The People United will never be Defeated (more info)
Composed by: Frederic Rzewski
Ralph van Raat, piano
Recording date: 21-22 April 2007
Produced by: Rawyn Productions


1.   The People United will never be Defeated - 62:35:00


4 North American Ballads: No. 4. Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues (more info)
Composed by: Frederic Rzewski
Ralph van Raat, piano
Recording date: 21-22 April 2007
Produced by: Rawyn Productions


2.   4 North American Ballads: No. 4. Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues - 10:24

Reviews

strap yourself in and enjoy the ride (Jul 1, 2008)
Reviewer:Fred Harrington
This disc comes with a lot of tough composition. Two recording are available from the composer, along with recordings by the dedicatee, one of the top expositors of contemporary piano music and a pianist with the reputation of dispensing the most difficult piano music with the greatest ease. Into this stiff competition comes Ralph van Raat, known only to me through his fine performance of John... This disc comes with a lot of tough composition. Two recording are available from the composer, along with recordings by the dedicatee, one of the top expositors of contemporary piano music and a pianist with the reputation of dispensing the most difficult piano music with the greatest ease. Into this stiff competition comes Ralph van Raat, known only to me through his fine performance of John Adams’ complete piano works (all four of them) released on Naxos a couple of years back. If lacking the authority of the other pianist he is certainly up to the task delivering this multi-faceted work with the proper skill, energy and bravura.

As for the work itself, this set of 36 variations of the famous Chilean revolutionary anthem El Pueblo Unido Jam�s Ser� Vencido! is a landmark piano work of the 20th century. An obvious comparison it to Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, in that it takes a relatively slight melodic theme and put it through the blender of the composer’s genius. I would say Rzewski uses an even broader variety of styles, some jazzy or gospel-like, some with jagged rhythms and counterpoint, even some banging on the lid and sides of the piano, but the tune is never far away. There are even three improvised cadenzas (one reason, I suppose, for owning more than one performance). This is probably the lowest priced and easiest to find, so people whose curiosity is piqued, I would advise snapping this up. Some may complain that the fact the 63 minute piece is presented on one track makes it harder to follow, but I say strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.
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Inspired Variations on a Theme (Mar 30, 2008)
Reviewer:Emma Choi
I have to confess that I approached this disc with a certain amount of trepidation when a friend insisted I give it a spin in my CD player. It consists of two pieces by the composer Frederic Rzewski, one of which, “The People United Will Never Be Defeated,” consists of 36 variations on the famous protest song of that name. I feared that three-dozen variations of any kind of song, based on a... I have to confess that I approached this disc with a certain amount of trepidation when a friend insisted I give it a spin in my CD player. It consists of two pieces by the composer Frederic Rzewski, one of which, “The People United Will Never Be Defeated,” consists of 36 variations on the famous protest song of that name. I feared that three-dozen variations of any kind of song, based on a simple melodic line, lasting 62 minutes, and played solely on the piano to boot, would tend to induce nothing beyond extreme tedium. But as I listened to the unfolding variations, my fears were quickly swept away and my senses became fully engaged. Hats off to Rzewski, who pulls off this feat by subjecting the melody to a variety of styles, among them blues, jazz, folk, martial and modernism; as well incorporating a staggering range of moods, tempos, keys and tonalities. The result is a unified soundscape of astonishing subtlety and power. After a few minutes, I forgot I was listening to music built around a single theme, so rich are varied are the changes Rzewski rings out of it. The variations are evidently intended to evoke various aspects of the universal working class struggle for change, but one need not be tuned into the music’s political subtext to fall under its spell. Kudos also go to pianist Ralph van Raat, a musician of rare sensitivity, who wrings every nuance out of the work while lending it his own stamp of individuality. Van Raat summons up additional interpretive magic in the disc’s companion piece, “Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues.” This is based on another socially conscious song that cotton-mill workers used to sing in the 1930s. Rzewski’s music is meant to evoke the sound of such a mill—harsh and mechanistic. The piece is duly driven by a repetitive and ominous percussive line, to which is gradually introduced a counterpoint passage that seems to represent a human voice struggling to assert primacy over the machinelike rhythm. The “human” piano part eventually wins out and transforms into gentle ragtime figures. Both of these pieces are testament to what truly creative musicians can conjure out of the most basic material. Simple, yet anything but simplistic, they make for a truly enjoyable and inspirational listening experience. (read more)