There is always a place even in a crowded historical market place
for Schnabel’s Mozart performances, especially when they receive
top quality transfers as here.
The Rondo is a post-War
recording made in London in 1946. It’s a powerful example of
sublimated expressive control, phrased with great purpose and
refinement and leaving a considerable impression. It’s intelligently
programmed as the solo centrepiece of an otherwise concerto
disc.
K595 was recorded
with Barbirolli and the LSO in May 1934. This was one of many
concerto accompaniments that Barbirolli left in the early to
mid thirties that so impressed the international virtuosi with
whom he performed – Schnabel of course prominent among them.
The list included Kreisler, Heifetz and Rubinstein. In truth
his accompaniment here is not quite on the exalted level he
furnished elsewhere. I’m probably one of the world’s indulgent
admirers of the art of the portamento but even I began to baulk
at the pervasive queasiness of the LSO string section’s mass
use of it in the opening paragraphs of the work. I wish Willie
Reed had not indulged it and that Barbirolli had not tolerated
it so easily. A small point of performance style. Otherwise
there is a fine balance between piano and orchestra even though
the original recording was somewhat ‘cloudy’ and not ideal in
that respect. Schnabel’s trills are occasionally rather uneven
and he rushes, as he so often did, some of the passagework but
this instability is not so disruptive and his direct and unmannered
playing proves infinitely communicative and winning. The occasional
orchestral untidiness in the slow movement is subservient to
the soloist’s refined phrasing; the finale is spirited and engaging.
Barbirolli recorded this concerto again when he went to New
York with Casadesus but apart from the improved playing of the
NYPSO over the LSO there’s less to recommend the later soloist
over Schnabel.
The Concerto for
two pianos sees Schnabel father and son together, this time
with Adrian Boult taking time off from his BBC orchestra to
direct the LSO. In the late 30s collectors had a choice between
the Schnabels, the Iturbis and duo specialists Vronsky and Babin
in this work. The Iturbis’ performance tended to be written
off as rather superficial which is not something I found when
I came to review its reissue on Ivory Classics. The Vronsky-Babin
set, which I’ve not heard, was labelled ‘suave’ which in the
context was pretty damning. If you’d plumped for the Schnabels,
then, or indeed now, you’d find a well co-ordinated, fluent
and finely textured performance well directed by Boult. Perhaps
at the helm of his BBC band things would have been orchestrally
tighter – the LSO was just past its best by this period.
Jonathan Summers’s
notes are, once more, an asset and with those fine transfers
this is a safe bet purchase.
Jonathan Woolf
Artur Schnabel
(piano) 
