Mompou: M¿¿sica callada

by Stephen Hough

Overview

Federico Mompou's four sets of short piano pieces entitled Musica callada are unlike anything else in the repertory. The title is often translated as "Silent Music," but perhaps "Music That Has Fallen Silent" would be better. There are 28 pieces, as short as 45 seconds long, with none longer than four minutes. At times, one thinks of the bells that Mompou's ancestors manufactured and of the tintinnabulation style of Arvo Paert, but Mompou is no minimalist; the music contains many distinct turns of direction, and the intense concentration, the feeling that each single note has profound implications, may bring Webern to mind. However, this is tonal music, even a bit on the conservative side, although there is a lot of "interference" from non-diatonic notes. The mood is inward and quiet, yet there are explosions of intensity at the most unexpected times. There is nothing terribly difficult technically about these pieces, yet few pianists attempt them, fearful of letting them collapse into a shapeless mass. That is not a problem for pianist Stephen Hough, who is alert to the significance of every detail, and who sustains the remarkable sense that the music inhabits a world of its own. Sample the fifth piece in the "Segundo Cuadro," Lento: plaintif, which refers to Chopin's Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4, but subtly expands its range. Hough strikes the balance here perfectly, and there are many other moments as elegant. Hough has had a long affinity for Mompou's music and has recorded him before, but this outing is a real triumph, with only Hyperion's over-resonant church sound disturbing the perfection. The true mysticism of this music, whose title comes from St. John of the Cross, does not need extra help from the engineers. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	02/03/2023
Label:	HYPERION
UPC:	0034571283623

Tracks

1. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Angelico
2. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Lent
3. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Placide
4. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Afflitto e penoso
5. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. [Quarter Note = 54]
6. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Lento
7. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Lento
8. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Semplice
9. Musica callada~Primer Cuaderno. Lento
10. Musica callada~Segundo Cuaderno. Lento - Cantabile
11. Musica callada~Segundo Cuaderno. Allegretto
12. Musica callada~Segundo Cuaderno. Lento
13. Musica callada~Segundo Cuaderno. Tranquillo - Tr¿¿s calme
14. Musica callada~Segundo Cuaderno. Severo - S¿¿rieux
15. Musica callada~Segundo Cuaderno. Lento - Plaintif
16. Musica callada~Segundo Cuaderno. Calme
17. Musica callada~Tercer Cuaderno. Lento
18. Musica callada~Tercer Cuaderno. Luminoso
19. Musica callada~Tercer Cuaderno. Tranquillo
20. Musica callada~Tercer Cuaderno. Calme
21. Musica callada~Tercer Cuaderno. Lento
22. Musica callada~Cuarto Cuaderno. Molto lento e tranquillo
23. Musica callada~Cuarto Cuaderno. Calme, avec clarté
24. Musica callada~Cuarto Cuaderno. Moderato
25. Musica callada~Cuarto Cuaderno. [Quarter Note = 100]
26. Musica callada~Cuarto Cuaderno. Lento
27. Musica callada~Cuarto Cuaderno. Lento molto
28. Musica callada~Cuarto Cuaderno. Lento

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stephen Hough   Primary Artist,Piano

Technical Credits

Simone Canetty-Clarke   Photography
Simon Perry   Executive Producer
Rachel Smith   Recording Producer
Marie-Stella Paris   Liner Note Translation
David Hinitt   Engineer
Kazuhiko Omaru   Piano Technician
Isabel Baquedano   Illustrations
Federico Mompou   Composer
Todd Harris   Booklet Editor
Viola Scheffel   Liner Note Translation
Philip Clark   Liner Notes