The Piano Concerto is in the traditional three movements and a fast-slow-fast form, but the titles of the movements give some idea of the nature of the work. The first movement, Polyharmony, features simple polyharmonic writing in the orchestra, against which the pianist plays fortissimo tone clusters running up and down the keyboard. The more extended slow movement, Tone Cluster, alternates tensely lyrical orchestral music with piano clusters against more spiky orchestral writing. The finale, Counter Rhythm, is an essay in multiply clashing rhythms, with, once again, tone clusters prominent in the piano part.
The Irish Jig emulates Irish folk dances, only with the piano regularly bursting into tone clusters; Domnu, the Mother of Waters, adds tone clusters to a hymnic melody, with the sustaining pedal constantly held down, creating a dark harmonic haze. Similar are the Three Legends: The Tides of Manaunaun takes a simple, atmospheric melody and once again adds piled-up tone clusters, The Hero Sun alternates misterioso writing with more clusters while The Voice of Lir builds from rumblings in the bass to a chordal climax.
The Four Irish Tales were arranged for piano and orchestra in 1940 from a variety of solo piano pieces. This suite begins with an orchestrated version of The Tides of Manaunaun. Exultation is a simple, rhythmic dance, garlanded with clusters. Probably the most deeply felt of the pieces is The Harp of Life, whose chorale-like melody is supported by rumblings from piano and percussion. The piano returns to the foreground in the vigorous closing dance, The Lilt of the Reel.
The Sinfonietta, completed in 1928, was in fact arranged from earlier pieces. The expansive first movement is slow-moving, polyphonic and dissonant. It is followed by two shorter, livelier movements: a light-hearted scherzo and a freewheeling, rhapsodic finale.
The Concerto Piccolo, for piano and orchestra, began life in 1941 as a five-movement suite for piano and strings, but was then rewritten as a three-movement concerto for piano and band. The version for full orchestra dates from 1945. The music is based on American folk tunes, but with the typically Cowellian tone-cluster writing in the piano part. The vigorous first movement is followed by a slow movement that sets solos for string instruments against strumming directly on the piano strings. The finale counterpoints stomping rhythms in the orchestra against clusters on the piano.
This disc provides a good survey of the strengths and weaknesses of Cowell's tone-cluster music (which has more than a little in common with Charles Ives, though it is not as consistently impressive). I've sometimes been critical of Stefan Litwin's piano playing in the past (he recorded a notoriously dismal reading of the Barraqué sonata) but I can have nothing but praise for it here. Michael Stern directs clean performances from the Saarbrücken orchestra that complement Litwin's efforts well.
