Vaughn Williams' Piano Concerto

Listening to a performance of Vaughn Williams' Piano Concerto, one wonders about its curious history. Given its first performance in 1932 by Harriet Cohen, it promptly fell into obscurity, until being revived in the 1940's in a revised version. Its always fun to hear the English version of the name Ralph...which comes out Raffe..If you say that over here in the USA everyone stares at you. Anyway, it is Sir Raffe Richardson, Raffe Fiennes, goes on and on. Oh what a time I had with names when I first went to England.

All these English piano concerti..Vaughn Williams, Ireland, Bax, ...exhibit a curious companionship in that they never follow the Continental manner. Usually there is this fascination with the piano as a coloristic contributor in a wider orchestral framework. That is what I am hearing here. Of the lot, I much prefer the John Ireland Piano Concerto.

I met Harriet Cohen as a student in London, about 1960. She was a colorful person, with a rather darker side.One had a certain sympathy for her, as she cut her finger on a broken glass, and that put an end to playing. Also, her home was bombed in the Second World War, so she had lost everything. She never quite reached the prominence of say, Dame Myra Hess, or Moura Lympany. But she did have a knack for giving first performances of important English compositions. My teacher Hilda Dederich was promised the first performance of the Piano Concerto by Sir Arnold Bax, but found out to her dismay that it had been given to Harriet Cohen instead. For a bit of gossip, it was generally known in music circles in London at the time that La Cohen was a rather free spirit. Guirne Van Zuylen, a contemporary and fine pianist and composer, told me of having visited in the homes of both Vaughn Williams and Sir Arnold Bax. Prominently displayed were similar photos of Harriet, both inscribed." to Dear Ralph, with all my Love"....and "to Dear Arnold, with all my Love'. I must say I was not attracted to La Cohen, finding her self absorbed and acerbic. She did give a Medal...the Harriet Cohen Medal...which always attracted note. I didn't get one.

Following through with the use of English folksong in many of these works, I always get more of the "folk" and less of the "song". When the composition is over I can rarely hum the tune. Perhaps that is a rather good indicator on the likeability scale.Pianist Ashley Wass did a fine job with a tiger of a piece. Certainly Vaughn Williams is having a good airing on these Proms this season.