Search - Friedrich Gulda :: Gulda-Recital Montpellier 1993

The genius of Friedrich Gulda captured in a live recital

Abel | Hong Kong | 04/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

""CD1 :Claude DEBUSSY : Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir. Ludwig van BEETHOVEN : Sonata in A flat major Op. 110. Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART : Fantasia in B minor K475. Sonata in B minor K457.

CD2 : MOZART arr.Mozart : Recitative & Susanna's aria from Act 4 of 'The Marriage of Figaro'. Robert SCHUMANN : In der Nacht from Fantasiestucke Op. 12. Franz SCHUBERT : Impromptu in G flat D899. Frideryk CHOPIN : Nocturne Op. 15/2. Barcarolle Op. 60. DEBUSSY : La serenade interrompue. La Puerta del vino. Georges BIZET arr. Gulda : 'La fleur que tu m'avais jetee' from 'Carmen'. Friedrich GULDA : Prelude & Fugue. Johann STRAUSS arr. Gulda : Fantasy on 'Die Fledermaus'. Trad. Arr. Gulda : Fiakkerlied. Die Rehblaus. Johannes BRAHMS : Berceuse 'Guten Abend'. GULDA; Aria. Friedrich Gulda (pf. ).

For many years Friedrich Gulda has been one of the music world's most talented mavericks, and while critics have sometimes been sniffy there is no doubt of his ability to captivate a live audience. This double CD offers a faithful record of one such event in 1993 in Montpellier".



The above are details of the album.

In 1993, less than 7 years before Friedrich Gulda's death, this live recital in France evidenced what 'sniffy' critics have costed the musical world.

Gulda is undoubtedly the greatest pianist of his generation - and his generation included celebrated personnels as Alfred Brendel, Ingrid Haebler, Vladimir Ashkenazy, among many others. In many respects, his genius matched that of Dinu Lipatti, especially in his interpretations of the baroque-classical works of J S Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven - the Viennesse school. His high criticised affinity with Jazz, coupled with his 'falling out' with the 'Tsar' of classical music Herbert von Karajan, have robbed the musical world enormous opportunity to hear great stuff by this genius.

I would only say that even for one CD alone (i.e. that part of the recital programme on Mozart and Beethoven) would have been astonishing to the harshest critic. The pianism and interpretive power of Gulda in those works surpassed any of his previous studio recordings, although one would say that accoustic wise, this outdoor concert is by no means perfect.

But who cares for accoustics if the performance itself weighs so heavily towards the sublimal?"