Lennox Berkeley isn't that well-known outside of Great Britain, and even when he is known, he is thought of a lightweight composer. As far as mid-twentieth century piano music goes, his is not as "challenging" as many other contemporary composers' works, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting. His works are more polytonal than atonal; his harmonies are similar to those of the Impressionists and the neo-Classicists; and his textures are generally translucent. What really infuses his music is a sense of character in his melodies, particularly in the shorter works like the Preludes, Op. 23, something
Margaret Fingerhut brings out wonderfully.
Fingerhut also brings out a sweetness in the slower works, such as the "Berceuse" of Three Pieces, Op. 2, and Paysage. The Mazurkas, an homage to
Chopin, are very much like
Chopin's, but without the ornamentation and with sunnier, or at least less doleful, moods.
Fingerhut is extremely sympathetic to Berkeley's use of thematic material, always projecting the melody, but also finding countermelodies effortlessly. This use of themes and counter-themes is what makes the Sonata, the most complex piece here, notable. It also shows off his sense of significant contrast -- between moods, dynamics, rhythms -- both within a movement and between movements. And in many ways, Strange Meeting, by Berkeley's son Michael, which rounds out the disc, is similar to that Sonata. The second movement of Strange Meeting is so multi-dimensionally varied, it really gets your attention. It is then contrasted with a movement that is almost completely opposite: quiet, steady, stable. His music is a little more atonal than his father's, but otherwise, this piece fits quite well with the rest of the disc.
Fingerhut has given us a nice introduction to the music of an overlooked composer.