Rzewski: The People United Will Never Be Defeated!—Ursula Oppens/Cedille Records
Do I feel stupid.
Rzewski? Who? The People United Will Never Be Defeated! What?
It turns out, Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated! is one of the major piano works of the late 20th century (written in 1975). The piece is a monumental set of variations on a Chilean revolutionary song (a beautiful and poignant ear worm) and often compared in the same breath as the two masterpieces of the form, Bach’s Goldberg Variations and 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120 by Beethoven, more commonly known as the ‘Diabelli Variations’.
Frederic Rzewski (1938 – 2021) died Monday, June 21, aged 83 of a heart attack in Montiano, Italy.
Harvard and Princeton trained, American composer Frederic Rzewski is considered one of the greatest American composers of his time. Photo credit: Boston Globe
Rzewski’s works have received many fine recordings and performances, none more so than Igor Levit on Sony Records. In fact, it was this recording, with the Rzewski work ‘tacked on’ the end, following the Goldbergs and Diabellis where I first noticed the composer’s name
Let’s go back to the genesis of the work.
It was written for Ursula Oppens, who delivers a knockout performance on boutique Cedille Records (a non profit, Chicago-based company) and the subject of this review. And a very fine recording it is, too. This is Oppens’ 2nd recording of the work and may be purchased on the Cedille website or streamed in lossless on Apple Music (my review version).
Audiophilia has no financial affiliation with Cedille.
The dedicatee of the work, American pianist Ursula Oppens (b 1944). Oppens also commissioned the work. This is her second recording. Her first, on Vanguard, won a Grammy. Photo credit: Colbert Artists Management.
The theme of the work is diatonic and very melodious and the following 36 variations (ending with a recap of the theme) are brilliantly individual with a style for every taste. A few hint at inspirations—Variation 1 is reminiscent of Boulez at his most delicate and astringent, strident Beethoven appears in Variation 2, a few martial variations look back at Berg (Variation 26) and a few to Gershwin (Variation 13) and Bill Evans (Variation 14). Both Debussy and Webern poke their heads in at times. But, this is no hodge podge. No trip down 20th century memory lane. While these inspirations are real and heart felt, each variation shows a wildly imaginative character.
Rzewski loves using the entire compass of the instrument in florid, concave and convex lines to great effect. You are swept up in the waves. And when not keeping your head above water, Rzewski is making you dizzy with brilliant toccata passages.
Oh yes, then there’s the whistling, singing and the crying out!
I would recommend following the score on YouTube (Rzewski is the pianist).
Because of my lack of knowledge of Rzewski, his music, his style, I became a little obsessed about ‘The People’. As such, I listened to all the recordings I could find, including the composer’s recordings (he is a very fine pianist). Happily, there are no duds. I think you could choose from the aforementioned Levit, Quebec virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin on Hyperion and BC’s Corey Hamm on Redshift Records as prime examples. All are wonderful, as are Rzewski’s own recordings.
Yet, you should opt for Oppens. I have not heard her Grammy-winning Vanguard recording (1978); it has a very fine reputation. But I don’t believe it could top this stunning Cedille release.
Technically, Oppens is flawless. And viewing the score on YouTube, you will appreciate the huge technical and musical demands this masterpiece makes on the performer. She even compares well to the great Hamelin, the vaunted Quebecker known for his giant chops. Musically, she matches the very sensitive Levit and the tonal grandeur heard in the composer’s recordings. And if those comparisons were not impressive enough, the recording from Cedille is unmatched. So, a perfect trifecta of work, performance and recording.
The composer gives the opportunity for an ‘optional improvisation; may last anywhere up to 5 minutes or so’ cadenza. Hamelin is pretty formidable here and Levit is the most formal and musically coherent, but Oppens gives a good account and does not gild the lily.
The recording, engineered by Judith Sherman, is splendid in capturing the myriad of colours written in the score including the aforementioned vocal effects and percussive piano/pedal sounds.
So, a first choice for me. If you don’t have a streaming service, check out the several recordings of live performances on YouTube to hear what I hope will be as revelatory for you as it was for me. Then treat yourself to a real live hard copy and get the CD from Cedille. It may be a lonely CD on the shelf these days, but what a great artistic document you’ll have to hand.
And with the happy bonus of Four Hands, a jaunty, multi-faceted gem with the additional capable two hands of Juilliard faculty member, Jerome Lowenthal. The work was commissioned by Oppens and Lowenthal. A video of the artists playing the work may be found here.
Total Time: 66:48
Producer/Engineer: Judith Sherman
Engineering and Editing Assistant: Jeanne Velonis
Steinway Piano Technicians: Li Li Dong and Joel Bernache
Recorded: December 11, 12, 13, and 15, 2014, at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York
Graphic Design: Nancy Bieschke
Cover Art: Colorful Hands Frame (Pingebat/Getty Images)
CDR 90000 158
