Piano Variations on Jesus Christ Superstar

Whether or not we admit it, the music that makes an impression upon us as teens remains an important part of our lives. Italian pianist, composer, writer, and broadcaster Stefano Bollani is no different. Born in 1972, he was too young to have encountered the excitement and controversy surrounding the 1970 recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rices Jesus Christ Superstar. Deep Purples Ian Gillan sang as Jesus, Yvonne Elliman was Mary Magdalene, and Murray Head was Judas, all accompanied by a rock band alongside a symphony orchestra. It was deemed so radical that the BBC banned it from airplay straightaway. At 14, Bollani saw Norman Jewisons cinematic adaptation of the work and was so blown away, he bought the original album, learned all its parts, musical and vocal, and has studied it ever since. To commemorate the original recordings 50th anniversary, Bollani cut these deeply intuitive solo piano versions of each tune in the production. He performs these songs with a jazzmans sense of rhythm, swing, and improvisational embellishment, without remotely sacrificing their melodic essences. They are recorded as if he were playing for himself, and reflect joy, humor, empathy, warmth, and reverence for the composers achievement. These songs are delivered with the pianists requisite sense of mischievous curiosity and bountiful creativity. In the Prelude overture, he illustrates Webbers use of Stravinskys Firebird, plain. He melds Scott Joplin and Horace Silver in a funky, rag-style approach to Whats the Buzz, complete with a staggering solo. An insistent meld of swing and stride fuels Heaven on Their Minds. The brief Strange Thing Mystifying weds country, gospel, and the blues, while acknowledging the contribution of Keith Jarrett. Everythings Alright relishes its unusual time signature for pop/rock (5/4) as a platform for melodic improvisation before turning into a jazz waltz. Bollanis embellishments illustrate the sophistication in Webbers tender melody. The pianist approaches I Don’t Know How to Love Him as Bill Evans might; he dives deep into its lyric building blocks to reveal a universe of harmonic and rhythmic connections between pop, classical, and jazz while displaying authority and vulnerability simultaneously. King Herod’s Song is the only track composed before the musical was conceived -- Webber wrote it as Try It and See, a pop single for Italian singer Rita Pavone. This swaggering stride take underscores Bollanis love for Fats Waller. The deeply moving lyric impressionism in Pilates Dream and Last Supper both recall the intimate beauty in Michel Legrands best film scores. The only vocal is on the theme Superstar, where Bollani rhythmically sing-speaks a la Ben Sidran, then delivers swinging bop fills and comps. A small, informal chorus of family and friends sings the refrain in closing. Despite Bollanis award-winning work with orchestras, singers, and jazz ensembles large and small, this lovingly presented solo set examines these accessible compositions as enduring works ripe for reinvention and deserving of their enduring place in Western pop culture. Ultimately, Piano Variations on Jesus Christ Superstar is a small, intimate wonder. ~ Thom Jurek