Australia's leading impressionist, the Re-Composingly featured Roy Agnew was very familiar with the miniature, with several sets and suites under his belt by the time of his death. The beginning of the 20th century revolutionized the piano miniature as the premier workshop medium for modern music, as they didn't take up too much time and one performer could manage a considerable range of colors and moods with little time and effort. 1927 saw Agnew well into his mature style, and his 3 Lyrics featured some highly sophisticated and many-colored music - though only one leaf, perhaps his lone leaf.
(Click for larger view)
The textures of Winter were exploited by a whole host of impressionists, and perhaps following in Debussy's footsteps Agnew illuminates snow's ability to mute the world. The pulsing pedal note (note held beneath shifting upper harmonies) has long been a fascination of piano composers since Chopin, and what floats above Agnew's E is among his most enchanting, Scriabin-esque harmonies. Even the most abstruse composers employ an internal logic in their writing, and Agnew's approach to pan-tonality appeals both to pianistic chord construction and stepwise horizontal movement - a reminder that seemingly predictable paths can lead to surprising destinations. The Falling Snow also adheres to starkly simple motivic development, so logical as to be almost primeval. As the frozen months approach these pieces will become more and more invaluable for singing the psyche, and if I've got the time I'll make a better effort to record The Falling Snow a bit better than the performance below - though to be fair the performer appears to be quite young. It's such a lovely piece that it deserves better than that, but for now we'll have to do - thankfully it's only October.
~PNK
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