November 18-24, 2004

music

The Caine Variations

Photo By: Bill Douthart

Philly's famous pianist gives classical masters the jazz treatment.

by Peter Burwasser

Not too long ago in the history of mankind, there were no boundaries in human expression, no real distinctions between popular and high art. Beethoven was deeply attached to German folk music, even as he turned out elaborately sophisticated sonatas and string quartets. Based on his great fame as a fiery piano improviser, it is easy to speculate that, were he alive today, he might have been one hell of a jazz musician. As it turns out, a concert this weekend by Orchestra 2001 showcases that very premise.

It is not Uri Caine's intention to present Beethoven as a modern-day Art Tatum. Caine, a Philadelphia native, is a highly respected jazz pianist who also loves the music of Beethoven, Mahler, Brahms and many other classical giants. When, in such a work as his orchestration and improvisation on Beethoven's "Diabelli" Variations, he happens to impart some erudition and insight to his listeners, this is merely a side benefit. The main thing is to make good music, or as Caine puts it, "to put the stuff across."

It follows that Caine is not interested in the idea of crossover music. Although his venue can shift from concert hall to nightclub, "I don't necessarily try to make the distinction. It might seem strange to think of the Diabelli waltz as a standard, but it makes sense. There is a tradition in jazz of repeating a harmonic pattern over and over again, and something like that happens in the "Diabelli' Variations. Beethoven began writing the music as a series of parodies. He ends up as a reflection of Bach, with intense counterpoint. It becomes transcendent. What I've made is a parody of a parody."

Caine's classically inspired concoctions combine a daring sense of imagination with formidable technique in a way that can evoke strong reactions from his audiences. It is common to see people laughing out loud at the sheer audacity of his ideas, or gasping at some particularly beautiful turn of a phrase. On the other hand, reports Caine, "Some people in Germany said I should be arrested for doing what I did to Beethoven."

The original "Diabelli" Variations were written for piano solo. Caine made his version after receiving a commission from the acclaimed period instrument ensemble Musica Antiqua Köln, and the subsequent recording was, remarkably, all period instruments, including Caine's part, which he plays on a fortepiano from Beethoven's time. Caine will play a modern instrument with Orchestra 2001 this weekend, but there are still big challenges for the ensemble. "I'm improvising, and everyone else is playing from a score."

When Caine returned to his hometown last season to play with Relâche, the situation was somewhat more fluid. Many of those players have jazz chops and naturally followed Caine's style. Traditional musicians are not so predictable, as he found out when he performed the "Diabelli" Variations with an orchestra recently. "I'm surprised at how things can go. The orchestra is this massive thing, and we ended up playing against each other. In the end it was great; the conductor was very open-minded and conveyed that attitude to the players."

Caine, whose home base is now New York City, developed his style in the cauldron of imagination and mystery that we know as Philadelphia. His primary jazz instructor was Bernard Peiffer, a French-born musician who taught out of his home. By the time Caine was in high school (Akiba), he was sitting in with such local notables as Philly Joe Jones, Hank Mobley, Johnny Coles, Mickey Roker, Odean Pope, Jymmie Merritt and Grover Washington. When college loomed in the late 1970s, Caine was attracted to Penn in order to study with George Rochberg. Caine was already an experienced performing musician by this time, but Professor Rochberg treated him as any other new student. "The only way he would teach me was from the beginning. I studied Bach chorales, harmony, counterpoint." Caine bristled at the academic rigor of this regimen at the time, but when asked if the experience benefited him in the long run, he quickly and emphatically responds, "Absolutely."

The Penn years also added a special perspective to Caine's sense as a musician that shaped his direction in a profound way. George Rochberg was one of the first academic composers to break from the serialist avant-garde tradition, which was, ironically, at least a generation old (and, therefore, hardly avant-garde). He caught holy hell from the establishment for his sins of tonality. "I had a strong feeling when I saw what he was going through. It was ridiculous that music that was tonal or had a groove was considered bad. It was the very music that I was going crazy for."

The Orchestra 2001 concert will also include two other piano concertos—a world premiere of the Concerto for Piano, Strings and Timpani, with the composer, Charles Abramovic, at the keyboard and a local premiere of Moses: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by David Finko, with Marcantonio Barone as soloist.

Orchestra 2001 Piano Summit, Fri., Nov. 19, 8 p.m., Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce sts., Sun., Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m., Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College, $10-$30, 215-922-2190.