Hamelin Records Bolcom’s “Complete” Rags

courtesy of 8VA Music Consultancy

Today Hyperion announced the release of its latest album of performances by pianist Marc-André Hamelin. The full title is William Bolcom: The Complete Rags, and it makes for an intriguing and engaging departure from the repertoire that those of us following Hamelin’s work have come to expect. Bolcom has accumulated an impressive catalog that includes operas, symphonies, and concertos; but he has had a long-standing interest in ragtime.

Those of my generation probably recall that, in the early Seventies, Nonesuch Records initiated a revival of interest in ragtime through albums of pianist Joshua Rifkin playing the the music of Scott Joplin. That trend got a boost when Joplin’s music found its way into the 1973 film The Sting. Possibly inspired by Rifkin, Bolcom prepared his own Nonesuch album to inform listeners that Joplin was not the only ragtime composer of his day. For good measure he concluded his album, entitled Heliotrope Bouquet, with a few of his own pieces. Nonesuch released the album in 1971, followed by Pastimes and Piano Rags in 1974.

Since Bolcom is still alive and active as a composer and a performer, one has to wonder whether calling Hamelin’s album “complete” might be premature. Fortunately, Bolcom was kind enough to provide an essay for the album’s booklet. He clearly anticipated that readers would probably have similar doubts about the “complete” adjective. So he concluded his essay with the following paragraph:

Many years ago, as I mentioned above, I wrote a Last Rag [completed in 1968], trying somehow to put a gentle stop to my rag addiction. It was unsuccessful obviously, but when my Complete rags for piano recently came out in print, it seemed the capper had appeared with Estela [composed in 2010 with the subtitle “Rag Latino”]. However, in September 2015 Contentment appeared to me and wouldn’t go away unless I wrote it down. I’m convinced it will really be my last rag—dedicated to Joan Morris, who has brought so much joy and contentment for nearly fifty years of songs and marriage.

Hamelin’s album consists of two CDs with an overall duration of about two and a quarter hours. That makes for a lot of rags. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of diversity across the 27 tracks that fill those two CDs. There is also a fair amount of wit that went into naming each of the tracks. Animals get their due through “Tabby Cat Walk” and “California Porcupine Rag.” My guess is that only those of my generation are likely to recognize the “animal connection” in “Seabiscuits Rag;” but that generation gap will also influence how one reacts to the title “The Brooklyn Dodge.”

Personally, I came away from this album glad to know that Hamelin has a robust sense of humor; and I hope that he turns to Bolcom for encore material the next time he gives a recital performance here in San Francisco.