MUSICAL OPINION:
This is a welcome re-issue of performances previously available on the Athene-Minerva label, which fits very well into Divine Art’s Diversions label series. William Mathias is the better known composer and is represented here by his two Sonatas, each quite different from the other, both exceptionally well written for the instrument. Those who regard Mathias as essentially an urbane composer may well be surprised at the force and tenacity of this music, especially the Second Sonata

John Pickard’s are more challenging in many respects, but both are profoundly impressive and deeply musical from start to finish, especially the Sonata from 1987. Pickard’s Sonata is, on this showing, a really important composition, and the composer, who provides occasionally combative booklet notes for all the music on the disc, is rewarded with a stunning performance from Raymond Clarke. A Starlit Dome is a fascinating piece of neo-Impressionism, but with a steely core. One of the main attractions of this CD is the intense quality of Clarke’s performances, the hallmark of a pianist who believes deeply in the music he plays and who has that rare communicative gift to transcend the medium. The recording is excellent.
Robert Matthew-Walker

MUSICWEB:
William Mathias' early works are somewhat more rewarding than some of his later ones when he developed his 'recessional music' where his music no longer developed or worked towards expected climaxes.

He was an excellent pianist having studied with Peter Katin and his understanding of the piano is assured. The Piano Sonata No 1, Op 23 is individual, strong and expertly laid out for the piano. It has a brilliance that is not that uncomfortable dazzling white light that blinds because it is always at the top of the piano, but a rugged brilliance. It teems with energy. It may not have the swaggering gait of the Piano Concerto No 3 but it is impressive. The slow movement is worth getting to know. It has a beauty and simplicity that defies its depth. The final toccata is full of vitality and athletic leaps.

The Sonata No 2, Op 46 dates from 1969 and is one of many piano sonatas that have employed the terrific Liszt Sonata as their model. Humphrey Searle did this first in 1951 in accordance with the precise instruction of the body commissioning this sonata for the 140th anniversary of Liszt's birth. The Mathias is in the slow-fast-slow format. The opening is uneasy and listless and then the music suddenly releases a tremendous blast and internal energy. And how well Raymond Clarke performs it and how splendidly the recording engineer captures this high drama. This is good, old-fashioned exciting piano music full of suspense, tension and exhilaration. The final section explores wonderful harmonies and arabesque figures and eventually leads to a quiet ending.

John Pickard was born in Lancashire in 1963 and studied with William Mathias. His orchestral piece The Flight of Icarus was included in the 1996 BBC Promenade Concerts and was very well received. He has written three symphonies, a Trombone Concerto and four string quartets. He is a composer to watch.

A Starlit Dome dates from 1995 and lasts about eleven minutes. It is an extended nocturne which reveals the composer's interest in astronomy. He has called the piece an 'astronomical nocturne'. It is a piece that begins and progresses mysteriously and quietly (and yet the music is never uninteresting). But an underlying agitation becomes apparent and the work heads towards a conclusion of tremendous and satisfying energy. It is a good piece.

Pickard's Piano Sonata of 1987 is a massive work in two parts, slow and fast. It has a brief and powerful start and the exemplary playing and excellent recording enhance this quality music. The composer may say that he wrote it in a comparative hurry and yet every aspect of the work shows evidence of careful and detailed planning. Although the first part of this sonata is slow it is strong and rugged and is itself in two halves each with a long theme with four variations. Any introspection is never a dreamy sentimental wallow although the music sometimes has the feel of a solemn occasion such as a cortege. But it is powerful music often reminding me of Liszt's Funerailles. Slow music does not have to be boringly soft and tedious; it can be powerful and strong like this. The composer speaks of the work's ferocity of expression and in the sleeve-note makes a political statement, to which he is, of course, entitled but I hope it does not serve to threaten or hinder his career. He is a composer with a very positive musical ability.

The second half of part one hints at Chopin's revolutionary study. Again the music is very strong and absolutely fascinating. Even something simple like the progression of chords has a great interest in their harmonic content particularly in the final pages.

Part two has a relentless onward drive with toccatas and ostinati. And, if I may display a hobby-horse again, this is a real fast movement. The tempo remains a fierce allegro and lasts about ten minutes. It is angry music, perhaps young man's music ... exciting and percussive and very stirring. The piece is a revelation. The recording is spell-binding; the performances are staggering. Clarke is in complete control ... absolutely astonishing. And the CD booklet contains a picture of Raymond Clarke with his cat. It completed a wonderful hour of music.
David Wright

MUSICWEB (2):
I have always been an enthusiast of William Mathias’s music ever since I heard the organ piece ‘Jubilate’ played in Llandudno’s Ebenezer Methodist Church over thirty years ago. Of course back in those days there was little available on LP. However there was an edition of the complete organ works which I listened to often, lent to a friend and subsequently lost. There were also a few orchestral works on a number of compilations.  It was not until Nimbus issued the three Symphonies that I heard a major work. And of course the Lyrita CDs available from Harold Moores Records add considerably to the Mathias catalogue. However I had never heard the Piano Sonatas until this present review copy landed on my doorstep. 

Apparently, although Mathias was an excellent pianist he did not compose much for the piano (for this purpose we will not include the three concertos!) I have been unable to see a complete works list, so I do not know what other pieces are hidden in the detail. However, according to the programme notes there are only four pieces – the two sonatas given here and a couple of miniatures.  Which leads me to my one and only criticism of this CD. It last a good 66 minutes, but surely the producers could have squeezed these ‘minor’ works on to give us a complete review of the composer’s piano repertoire.  

William Mathias’s Sonata No. 1 was composed in 1963. The model for this work is usually regarded as Michael Tippett’s Second Sonata (1962); however there is no question of cribbing or pastiche. This is very much Mathias’s own music. The programme notes quote the musicologist Malcolm Boyd saying that this is ‘a work of tremendous power and sinew – one of the most masculine of all Mathias’s pieces.’ He goes on to add that the contrast between the aggressive energy of the first and third movement and the dreamy rhapsodising of the central one ‘illustrates the two facets of Mathias’s dual musical personality – the fervent Welshman and the urbane cosmopolitan.’ It is this contrast which makes the piece for me. The closing pages refer back to the opening and provide the unity of purpose which makes this an extremely convincing work. A fine addition to the superb (but largely unknown) corpus of British Piano Sonatas. 

The Second Sonata is composed in the Lisztian model of a single movement. The idea being that the traditional exposition, development and recapitulation of classical sonata form are largely equated with the equally classical three movements.  Mathias writes a slow-fast–slow structure that allows the opening theme to be restated in the closing pages. There has been criticism that this work alludes to harmonic language of Messiaen. But the reality is that this is a work of its time. Any references to the French composer (or anyone else) are incidental. This is very much Mathias’s own music and as such it is a masterpiece. One only has to think back to the late sixties and early seventies to think of some of the stuff that passed as music to thank goodness that Mathias wrote in an approachable, if somewhat challenging style. This music, like much of Messiaen, is timeless. There can be no better recommendation. 

By Mr John Pickard’s own words his Piano Sonata is overtly political. It was composed in 1987 as an ‘attempt to give voice to my fury’ against Margaret Thatcher. Yet the main problem it causes is that it ‘dates’ the work and ties it to a particular milieu. If I was Pickard I would be inclined to dump the ‘programme’ and allow people to judge this work as absolute music.  If we are allowed to do this we find that this is actually a fine example of late 20 th century piano music that beats much of the opposition for technical difficulty, interest and sheer power and energy.  The work is conveniently divided into two parts – the first being predominantly slow and the second fast.  Part 2 is slightly shorter in length and is a concatenation of three toccatas. Much use is made of ostinato motifs and complex technical figurations. The work finishes in a blaze of colour in A major. Perhaps, as a pendant to this work, Pickard ought to write a piece praising the achievements of Gordon, Tony and New Labour? 

A Starlit Dome is a completely different kettle of fish. This work was written in response to a commission from the Criccieth Festival in 1995. Pickard writes, rather glibly in his programme notes that the quotation from W. B. Yeats’ Byzantium sums ups the essence of the Universe:-

A starlit or a moonlit dome disdains
All that man is
All mere complexities.
The fury and the mire of human veins.  

Would that 4000 years of cosmological effort had found it so easy! The music is a ‘nocturne’ although rather different to Field or Chopin! It is a particularly beautiful work that displays a confident but restrained pianistic writing.  Once again the programme notes elaborate a metaphysical ‘programme’ for this work that would be better forgotten. However, a very attractive piece, that deserves to be played. 

I must confess I had not heard of Raymond Clarke. And this I find surprising when one considers his sheer ability as proved on this disc.  A look at the record catalogue shows that he has been quite busy – he has some 10 CDs to his credit. These include some major contributions to 20th century music. This includes the complete piano works of Havergal Brian and Robert Simpson, recordings of essential works by Copland and Szymanowski and Andrzej Panufnik.  On the concert circuit he has been active in Wales with a performance of the rarely heard Hoddinott First Piano Concerto. He commissioned the fine 10th Piano Sonata from this composer. 

The playing is stunning on this present CD. None of these works are easy – in fact they are all virtuosic pieces. There is no doubt that this repertoire is totally agreeable to Raymond Clarke. He plays this music with sympathy and technical aplomb. 

This is an important contribution to 20th century British Music. The Mathias sonatas are stunning examples of the genre and deserve a solid place in the repertoire.  
John France 

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE:
William Mathias (1934-92) was an English (actually Welsh) composer with a large catalog of concertos, chamber music, and vocal works, as well as three symphonies, an opera or two, and some dramatic pieces. His output for solo piano is rather small, limited to the two sonatas on this program and a few other short items. Mathias quickly gained popularity in his homeland, and much of his music has been recorded. It' s easy to understand why. He writes in a modern but tradition-based and easily approachable style that combines sensuous appeal, virtuosity, verve, idiomatic understanding of the instruments, and fine craftsmanship. Shimmering pol ytonal harmonies arrayed in bright, airy textures add hedonic luster but are stabilized by strong tonic anch ors and never obscure the music' s clear formal outlines. As Jack Sullivan described Mathias' s chamber pieces on Koch 7326 (Jan/Feb 1996), they are .full of color and melodic invention. They also have a quality in short supply today: charm. His forms are tight and precise; no piece goes on too long. Echoes of Prokofieff, Poulenc, and Bartok, especially in the piano writing, do not interfere with a distinct and engaging voice.

Mathias' s First Sonata, from 1963, lasts 15 minutes and is cast in three movements that follow the expec ted fast-slow-fast pattern. It's a splendid piece, with big, bold gestures perfectly designed for the piano that draw the listener in at once. The outer allegros bound along with lots of exhilarating drive and dazzle but never feel frenetic or strained, even in the thrilling toccata finale, where jouncy additive rhythms torque up the energy to a positively galvanic level of excitement. The central andante is both misty and dignified, with the slow lilt and faintly archaic air of a sarabande. Pianists looking for works of comparable bravura demands and audience allure to, say, Prokofieff's Seventh or Ginastera' s First should investigate this sonata. It would make a stunning effect in performance.

Mathias' s Second Sonata (1969) uses similar materials but structures them quite differently, and for very different aesthetic purposes. It is a single 15-minute span that contrasts brilliant, tumultuous cascades with slow, floridly rhapsodic episodes; and it is much more volatile, astringent, fervent, and searching than its predecessor, and for all its glittering ferocity, far more introspective. The slower sections are especially enigmatic and atmospheric, with a sort of wintry mystery that recalls Frank Bridge and John Ireland in their somber, runic evocations of ancient Celtic legends and rites. This mood prevails, and the work ends quietly, in shrouded, dreamlike irresolution.

John Pickard was born 1963 and, like Mathias, studied in Wales. The musical language of his 11-minute nocturnal fantasy from 1995, A Starlit Dome , and 25-minute 1987 Piano Sonata, might be described as picking up not far from where Mathias' s Second Sonata ends, though Pickard is “heavier” - sounding, and his strenuous, sometimes relentless musical argument and thick velvet curtains of sound can become tiring. He neither has, nor aims for, a light touch, and in fact (as he explains) his music is inspired by distinctly ambitious and serious subjects. A Starlit Dome i s an expression of the composer' s awe at the unfathomable riddle of the cosmos, his sonata a lament for and protest of the social injustices of this world. Both are too dense and lacking in the variety of mood and of sound needed to sust ain interest. I noted Pickard's tendency to fixate on tough, angry, timbrally impoverished ideas in his three string quartets on Dutton 7117 (Sept/Oct 2002), but those works are redeemed by moments of touching elegiac tenderness that don' t appear here. Listeners more attuned to pianistic fire and fury may enjoy them more than I do.

Raymond Clarke plays this very demanding program with spirit and dexterity but too mu ch pedal; and the recording isn' t as detailed and sharp as it should be, blurring articulations and making fortes clangorous. Despite these flaws, Mathias' s music makes a strong and satisfying impression and is well worth seeking out.
Lehman

Following reviews (extracts) on original issue (Athene CD15)

CLASSIC CD, September 1998:
“Both composers’ music is brilliantly played by Raymond Clarke, a pianist who combines an emotional commitment to the music with a prodigious technique. The whole disc is enthralling. It is music-making of the first order of magnificent new music that I would recommend all other serious music-lovers to investigate. Intelligent and passionate music performed with great insight.”
Roderick Swanston

GRAMOPHONE, September 1998:
“Mathias’s Tippettian sonatas, the thorny No.2 in particular, make rewarding listening. John Pickard’s A Starlit Dome is an ‘astronomical nocturne’ of real imaginative resource; his sonata, whether in the smouldering intensity of Part 1’s closing variations, or Part 2’s sustained emotional energy, is the equal of any large-scale piano work this last quarter-century. Clarke’s playing combines passion and control to potent effect.”
Richard Whitehouse

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE, October 1998:
“The furious toccata-like conclusion [of John Pickard’s Sonata] is quite an experience, especially played as well as here … Raymond Clarke, for whom the Sonata was composed, plays both these taxing and profoundly thought pieces with dedication and virtuosic flair … First-rate recording: an excellent disc of contemporary British piano music.”
Calum MacDonald

MUSICWEB, January 1999:
“Raymond Clarke’s superb performances are given a very fine recording perfectly suited to this highly idiomatic piano writing. Unreservedly recommended.”
Hubert Culot

FANFARE, March/April 1999:
“This is music of severe technical demands that should be labelled ‘Warning. Professional stunt pianist used. Do not try playing these works in your home.’ That pianist is Raymond Clarke, dedicatee of Pickard’s Sonata and conqueror of Ronald Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH among other recorded accomplishments. This CD is almost unthinkable without his expertise and persistence; the rhythms have to be acutely etched to keep the high-strung tensions tight and rewarding. Clarke is the man here.”
Stephen Ellis

TEMPO, 1998:
“It is seriousness of purpose that informs both of his [John Pickard’s] piano pieces included in Raymond Clarke’s latest CD for Athene (ATH CD15, following the excellent programme of the complete Brian piano music last year, ATH CD12) … Clarke – the Sonata’s dedicatee – plays both magnificently, as he does the two fine sonatas by Pickard’s former teacher, William Mathias, with which the CD begins.”
Guy Rickards