Hänssler Classics
have initiated a rather extensive series
of budget-priced recordings that seem
to cover a wide range of repertoire,
and several decades of recorded history.
In this installment we hear a young
Wilhelm Kempff in very fine readings
of the last two of Beethoven’s piano
concerti. Kempff, in his latter years
was known the world over for his passionate,
stately and expressive Beethoven sonata
recordings. It is clear from these performances
that the poetry that the elder musician
came to express was already being studied
and developed at an early stage in his
career.
Hänssler’s engineers
have made excellent transfers, which
minimize surface noise as much as possible
without taking away the depth of the
tone. I am always amazed by just how
much sonic information was stored in
the grooves of records from this period,
now nearly seventy years past. On the
whole, the piano sound is clear and
warm, although on occasion I found the
upper register to be a bit thin and
clanky. Of course, there is not a huge
bloom to the string sound, but with
some imagination, the mind can fill
in what the early recording technology
was unable to capture.
As for the performances,
there is little that needs to be said
critically of them, they have already
well stood the test of time. As a description
though, Kempff’s playing is fleet and
elegant, and right from the opening
flourish of the Emperor, the
delights in store are evident. Of particular
merit is the tenderly played and beautifully
"sung" adagio. Slow, but never
labored, by the end of it I found myself
on the edge of my seat in anticipation
of the jolly rondo, and was not at all
disappointed. The same qualities hold
true of the fourth concerto, which is
played with equal rightness of tempo,
clarity of passagework and cantabile
in the slow movement.
Both orchestras are
of the first order, although it is a
bit difficult to judge more than the
intonation and precision of the ensembles
due to the limitations of the recordings.
Again, the attentive imagination should
be able to fill in the sonic gaps, thus
rendering the performances more than
satisfactory.
Hänssler have
come forth with a rather interesting
presentation for this series that I
am not exactly sure I like. Instead
of providing program notes, the buyer
is directed to the company’s web site,
where downloadable program notes for
all of the discs in the series are supposedly
available. When I surfed over to check
out the goods, I found that the program
note feature would not be available
until late February, so I was unable
to glean any information about either
music or performers. Of course, most
folk are familiar with the Beethoven
concertos, but this seems to be a cheap
shortcut that is a misuse of technology.
It surely cannot increase the production
costs, especially since the recordings
are public domain, to include notes
on the music and artists with the disc.
I am sure that there is a sizable enough
audience without ready Internet access
and computer savvy that would be left
out in the cold by having booklet information
available only in cyberspace. It is
a clever idea on the face of it, but
in the end, an idea that does not hold
up well under a strong light.
In short, fine performances
by a master in his youth, well worth
a listen as an historical document.
This is a good supplemental item for
any library.
Kevin Sutton
Wilhelm Kempff, piano 
