The Great Pianists
CD1
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major played by Edwin Fischer (1186-1960)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Sonata in C Sharp Minor, Op.27, No.2 "Moonlight"
played by Ignaz Friedman (1882-1948)
Peter Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso (1st.movement from
Piano Concerto No.1)
Played by Vladimir Horowitz (1904-1989)
Johann STRAUSS (1793-1866)
Blue Danube Waltz played by Joseph Lhevinne (1874-1944)
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Allegro vivace (3rd.movement from Piano Concerto in
A Minor)
Played by Dame Myra Hess (1890-1965)
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op.3, No.2 played by William Kapell
(1922-1953)
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907)
Allegro molto moderato (1st movement of Piano Concerto
in A Minor)
played by Benno Moseiwitsch (1890-1963)
CD2
Sergei RACHMANINOV
Adagio sostenuto (2nd.movement of Piano Concerto No.2)
played by Sergei Rachmaninov
Frederyk CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Nocturne in E Minor, Op.72, No.1 played by Artur Rubinstein (1887-1982)
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Adagio (2nd.movement of Piano Concerto No.1)
played by Wilhelm Backhaus (1884-1969)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Vivace (3rd.movement of Piano Concerto No.4, Op.58)
Played by Artur Schnabel (1882-1951)
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Sonata No.5 in G Major, K283 played by Claudio Arrau (1903-1991)
Frederyk CHOPIN
Larghetto (2nd.movement of Piano Concerto No.2, Op.21)
Played by Alfred Cortot (1877-1962)
Johannes BRAHMS
Rhapsody in B Minor, Op.79, No.1: Agitato played by Egon Petri
(1881-1962)
Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Andante-Allegro (1st.movement of Piano Concerto No.3
in C)
Played by Sergei Prokofiev
NAXOS HISTORICAL
8.110783-84 [76:55+68:49]
I have an extremely emotional response to discs
like these that enable us to hear the great artists of the past
and I feel humbled by the experience. The result is that I find
it hard to be too critical of such musicians who are no longer
around to defend themselves. I have no problem with discussing
whether or not I enjoyed listening but am loath to be nit-picking
about the specifics of performances. Having got this out of the
way at the outset let’s have a look at what these two discs have
for us.
First offering on CD1 is a delightful performance
of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No.1 in C Major, played by Edwin Fischer,
in a recording made in the 1930s. Fischer (1886-1960), whose pupils
included Alfred Brendel and Paul Badura-Skoda, was a renowned
interpreter of Bach as well as many other composers, both romantic
and contemporary, within his extensive repertoire.
Next is Ignaz Friedman who was born in Podgorze,
Poland in 1882. The son of pianist Wolfgand Freudman (Ignaz changed
the spelling of his name later in life, as well as his first names
which were Soloman Isaac) was a pupil, and later assistant, of
the great teacher Leschetizky. He made his debut in 1904, and
lived in many places in Europe before finally settling in Australia.
He was considered a particularly fine exponent of Chopin and made
this recording of Beethoven’s "Moonlight" sonata in
1926. Soon after the beginning you are able to ignore the scratchy
sound as Friedman’s playing holds you in its spell. Though a little
faster that I prefer it played it nevertheless holds up well against
modern interpretations.
Friedman is followed by the great Vladimir Horowitz
with a movement from Tchaikovky’s first piano concerto with an
orchestra under the baton of his redoubtable father-in-law, Arturo
Toscanini. It is a committed performance that, though rather heavy
in its delivery, left me frustrated that this 1941 recording was
incomplete.
Next in line in this "champions league"
comes Joseph Lhevinne who studied at the Moscow Conservatoire
with fellow pupils Rachmaninov and Scriabin, and who later taught
both Van Cliburn and James Levine (no relation), at the Juilliard
School in New York. He is represented by his best-known ‘encore’
piece, Adolf Schulz-Evler’s transcription of the Blue Danube waltz.
It a scintillating performance that belies the fact that it was
recorded in 1928.
One of wartime Britain’s favourite people comes
next in a performance of the third movement of Schumann’s piano
concerto. Dame Myra Hess deservedly won huge admiration among
concert-goers for organising the lunch-hour concerts at the National
Gallery following the closure of concert halls during the second
world war. The recording presented here dates from 1937 and has
that distinctly antiquated orchestral sound that appears so strange
when set against a piano sound that has worn so much better and
which still sounds fresh and appealing.
William Kapell the American pianist, whose promising
career was so cruelly cut short at the age of 31 when he was killed
in a plane crash on the way home from a tour of Australia, is
represented in this collection by Rachmaninov’s famous Prelude
in C Sharp Minor, recorded in 1945. It is particularly sad that
this is one of the relatively small number of recordings he left
behind. Such is the power and majesty of this performance that
I was left yearning for more.
The first disc of this fascinating set is completed
by the first movement of Grieg’s piano concerto played superbly
by Benno Moseiwitsch, who was born in Odessa in 1890, and whose
concert debut was in London in 1908. His friends included Rachmaninov
and Medtner, whose music he was a noted interpreter of. The orchestra
in this extract sounds less dated than in Myra Hess’s, though
it was recorded, in Manchester only four years later in 1941.
As with all the extracts from longer pieces, it would be wonderful
to have the complete works and so be able to form a view on the
complete performance.
One of the most fascinating and exciting aspects
of historical recordings like these are those where composers
play their own music and there are two examples of that on this
set, both on the second disc, which begins with Rachmaninov playing
the second movement of his second piano concerto. Recorded in
1929 it is a beautifully measured performance, full of pathos,
and which in no way sounds 74 years old. It has encouraged me
to want to get hold of his complete recordings of all his concertos,
also, I believe, available on Naxos. Whilst it is true that composers
do not necessarily make the best interpreters of their own music,
whether as soloists or conductors, this is an example in which
the composer reveals new insights into the music. It is well known
that he is said to be one of the greatest pianists who ever lived
– how lucky then that we are able to make our own judgement on
that with recordings like this. Having left Russia after the revolution
he was forced to devote a great deal of time to performance rather
than composition but how thrilling it must have been for those
fortunate enough to have heard him play!
Chopin’s Nocturne in E Minor is the offering
representing Rubinstein’s art. He was particularly known for his
interpretations of Chopin, and this 1937 recording is an eloquent
example as to why. He was 50 when it was made and amazingly he
had almost another 40 years of performing life ahead of him, and
those lucky enough to have seen him play will never forget the
experience.
Wilhelm Backhaus, like all these pianists, was
a name from my parents’ generation and they told me of the thrill
they felt when they saw him at one of his over 4,000 concerts.
His first recordings were made in 1907 but the one on this disc,
mercifully, dates from 1932, and is of the second movement of
Brahms’ first concerto. The art involved in cleaning up original
recordings is shown here to perfection, as it sounds remarkably
hiss free for a performance from over 70 years ago and, once again,
I was left wishing I could hear the entire work.
Next comes Artur Schnabel with a movement from
Beethoven’s 4th concerto with Malcolm Sargent conducting
the LPO in 1934 – seven years after playing in Berlin to mark
the centenary of Beethoven’s death. It is fresh and exciting performance
that demonstrates why Schnabel’s name was so closely associated
with interpretations of Beethoven’s music.
The great Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau plays
Mozart’s 5th sonata made in 1941, the year I was born
and whilst I’m definitely beginning to feel my age this recording
still sounds lively and delightful.
The name of Alfred Cortot is connected in my
mind mainly with the famous trio founded in the 1930s, with Jacques
Thibaud and Pablo Casals, whose records my parents had many of,
and which are among my earliest musical memories. I hadn’t heard
many of his recordings as a soloist and this 1935 performance
of the second movement of Chopin’s 2nd. piano concerto
made me want to compare the 68 year old recording of the then
58 year old pianist with my 19 year old recording of Evgeni Kissin’s
Moscow Conservatoire debut performance at the tender age of 121/2.
It showed how well the old recording fared as well as being an
illuminating demonstration of the precocious talent of the schoolboy
pianist.
Egon Petri, the Dutch born pianist and son of
a pupil of the great Joseph Joachim, for whom Brahms wrote his
violin concerto, studied piano with no less a musician than Busoni.
His recording of Brahms' Rhapsody in B Minor, made in New York
in 1940, is full blooded though the sound is rather muddy with
more bass than I care to hear, which looses some of the definition
a touch more treble would have given.
The final offering on this 2 disc set is of Prokofiev
performing the first movement of his 3rd piano concerto,
recorded in 1932. Although he was apparently a rather recalcitrant
pupil, this extract shows that his talent was substantial and
my disc with Michel Béroff as soloist is no more enjoyable
than this historic recording.
To sum up, this set is a wonderful compilation
of fabulous talent from musical history and such a valuable document
for study, as well as for pure enjoyment, and comes at an incredible
give-away price of £4.99 (around $6). This once again highlights
Naxos’s commitment to providing the widest possible public with
quality discs. I recommend it unreservedly.
Steve Arloff
