When I reviewed the first volume of what is now Philip Martin's renowned Gottschalk series it was necessary to explain who Gottschalk was. Now the proud American virtuoso from New Orleans has taken his place as a composer of some of the most colourful and charming romantic piano music - thanks largely to Martin's advocacy in these immaculately produced Hyperion releases. Having enjoyed his first three CDs so much (9/91; 10/94; 6/97), I was fascinated to see what he could assemble for a fourth volume. Compared with Gottschalk's syncopated masterpieces such as Souvenir de Porto Rico, which ends Volume 1, this collection may be slighter, but every track is still a delight. Further, Martin's feeling for this music is so totally convincing and the recorded sound so ideal that even the more trivial pieces are a joy to listen to - Gottschalk appears as a real melodist. A superficial crowd-pleaser such as Apotheose is good for a laugh. But Morte!! is moving in its simplicity with, as elsewhere, more staccato than Gottschalk specified. At times this makes the piano texture sound like Satie but it is particularly effective in the funeral bell sections (3'35''; 4'27'') of this lamentation.
I went back to Martin's earlier recordings in order to compare his performances with those Alan Marks recorded in 1984, now reissued by Nimbus. Marks certainly had a fantastic technique, especially in repeated notes - the Tournament Galop is a wow - but he never puts Martin in the shade. And, maddeningly, Marks was not always faithful to the score. For example, there was no point in adding repeated chords at the end of Union - there were enough anyway - and he makes clumsy cuts in Le mancenillier. Martin, taking this piece slightly faster (Vol 1), makes it all work as written. In the meditative pieces, such as The Last Hope (Martin's Vol 3), I prefer the serenity of Martin to Marks.
Incidentally, this piece should never be written off as a 'tear-jerker' - its highly original chromatic chord sequence anticipated Wagner's Tristan by a decade. The piano duet versions on the two-disc set from Nimbus are a really attractive feature filling a gap in the catalogue. The magnificent team of Marks and Barrett, well recorded, sparkles throughout in infectious enjoyment of this vivid music. Try the enchanting Cuban syncopations of tracks 1 and 11. The Nimbus CD notes needed bringing up to date - and the writer is Wilfrid Mellers (not Mellors) - whereas the informative Hyperion booklet, again by Jeremy Nicholas, takes advantage of two new monographs on Gottschalk.
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