MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

CD REVIEW



Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger



alternatively AmazonUK   AmazonUS

 

 

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat, K. 271 [30:26]
Piano Concerto No. 19 in F, K. 459 [26:13]
Nine Variations on a Menuet by Duport K. 573 [10:38]
Clara Haskil, (piano)
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra/Otto Ackermann (K. 271); Ferenc Fricsay (K. 459)
rec. Funkhaus Saal, WDR Cologne, 11 June 1954 (K. 271); 30 May 1952 (K. 459); Besançon Festival, 7 September 1956 (K. 573)
MEDICI ARTS MM004-2 [67:58] 

 


Charles Chaplin declared that he had met only three geniuses in his life: Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Clara Haskil. Practically worshipped in her later years, Ms. Haskil suffered for most of her life from everything from a painful spinal condition to crippling self-doubt. Fellow Rumanian Dinu Lipatti was her ardent champion. His early death left Haskil grief-stricken - she was secretly in love with him - and without a mentor. In spite of all these negative circumstances, Haskil would go down in history as a goddess amongst pianists; a woman capable of a musical passion and elegance practically unequalled by her peers and a classicist of the highest refinement. 

Such plaudits are well in evidence in these 1950s vintage recordings of Mozart. This is playing of such pristine clarity that in spite of the somewhat muddy monaural sound, the listener is instantly drawn in and held captive. Passage work is perfect, each note a pearl on a strand. Phrases are nuanced to marble smoothness. 

Neither is Haskil afraid of a little drama. More turbulent passages are played with flare. Ms. Haskil always has the reins well in hand though, never letting emotion get the better of a firm sense of classical order and discipline. Slow movements are played with love and tenderness, but there is never the slightest hint of overt romanticism. Each melody evokes the rising of the sun in the morning; each cadence is perfectly placed. It is as though she composed each phrase herself, first sketching her thoughts, then carefully revising and refining her ideas, and then committing them to the page only when they had been perfected. 

Both Otto Ackermann and Ferenc Fricsay provide well-balanced and sensitive accompaniments, but it is in the sound of the orchestra that the inferior sound quality becomes most obvious. Textures are blurred by the less that clear sound and at times the boxiness becomes a bit tiring. Nonetheless, these are performances of such grace and beauty from the soloist that I have found myself returning to these performances again and again, not only for enjoyment, but also for instruction. 

This is a series that seems to be more about the performers than the music itself, and as such the booklet note by the always able Bryce Morrison is somewhat skimpy on information about the works at hand. No matter, really. His compassionate yet honest assessment of Haskil as a person and artist is insightful and lends even more enjoyment to her nearly flawless playing. 

There are really not enough superlatives for this recording. Any music-lover at any level should find something at which to marvel here. 

Kevin Sutton

see also Review by Christopher Howell 

 

 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.