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Great pianists in the lump, for a bargain price

Anton Zimmerling | Moscow, Russia | 12/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 10 CD set offers 11 live recitals given by 10 famous pianists in Switzerland from 1953 to 1994. Each pianist is credited by a single CD. Only Backhaus CD contains fragments from two different programs (1953 and 1960), all the other pianists are represented by a single program. The liner notes are absent, and it is impossible to establish, whether some pieces actually played were omitted on the CD or not.

The Aura/Documents is a label, which does not undertake any restoring job. That means that if original sources are fine, you get a fine sound, otherwise not. Keeping in mind the price of this set, its sound quality, the program and the interpretative value of these recordings, I can rate it with some four stars - five stars for program and the interpretations, five stars for the price, three stars for the sound and for the lack of information.

Of course, not all pianists from this compilation were equally great, but they represent different piano schools, and everyone is worth hearing. The high points are: 1) CD 2. Backhaus Lugano 1953 recital w. Chopin Studies from Op. 25 and the D flat Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2; 2) CD 8. Cziffra 1963 -Liszt, Rhapsodie espagnole, Polonaise No. 2 and Rhapsody No. 6; 3) CD 7. Anda 1965 - Schubert, Sonata No. 13; 4) CD 1. Gulda 1968 - Mozart, Sonata No. 8 KV 308; 5) Serkin 1957 - Schubert, Impromptu in F minor, Op. 142, No. 1. Some other items are less successful - I guess that the pianists themselves probably would like to draw them back if they could.

The program of these 11 recitals is excellent: it ranges from Haydn and Mozart to Alban Berg and Stravinsky, via Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. It is also nice that in some cases a listener can compare two different approaches to the same work: `Apassionata' (Serkin vs Malcuzinsky), Haydn's Andante con variazoni (Gulda vs Backhaus), Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso (Cherkassky vs Serkin), Chopin Etudes from Op. 25 (Backhaus vs Anda).

I am not specially collecting the pianists from this set, except for Backhaus, Anda and Cherkassky, but I'll possibly look for more Cziffra and Serkin CDs after hearing these recitals.

The overall quality is high, and most pianists are playing on the level of their reputation. However, I noticed an unpleasant effect during the performance of two complete cycles: Anda and Gulda play the first half of Chopin, Etudes Op. 25 and Schubert, Impromptus Op. 90 for the music, while the second half of these cycles is played for the public - as a result Anda's and Gulda's attractive touch occasionally becomes rude. In this respect no reproach can be made to Backhaus, Gilels or Cherkassky - they hold the reigns and don't change their manner after an enthusiastic reaction.

Some details about each CD from the reviewed set.

CD 2. Backhaus - Lugano 11.6.1953 and Lugano 18.5.1960. The earlier Lugano recital is a treasure. The only caveat is that it is included in every second Backhaus CD. Chopin's D flat Nocturne Op. 27.2 and Etudes from Op. 25 are among the best versions on record. There exist a 1927 studio variant of all Chopin studies with Backhaus and a studio Chopin selection from 1950/53. All these versions are great, but the D flat Nocturne was recorded only at this recital.

CD 9. Cziffra - Ascona 27.09.1963. All major Liszt works - Polonaise in E major, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 and Rhapsodie Espagnole are electryfing. Chopin's 2nd Sonata is not successful, but the F minor Fantasy Op. 49 is fine.

CD 7. Anda - Ascona 16.09.1965. Anda is playing Chopin's studies Op. 25, Schumann's Davidsbuendler dances Op. 6 and Schubert, Sonata No. 13 in A, D.644. There is a studio version of Op. 25 - one of the best in the discography of these pieces. The first half cycle in this live variant is fine. Schumann, Op. 6 was recorded by Anda in studio in the same year (DG); the studio version is better, but this one is fine, too. The real stunner is Schubert' sonata D. 644 - Anda did not record it in studio (at least I am not aware of it).

CD 1. Gulda - Lugano 19.01.1968. Gulda is a great Mozart pianist: his version of Sonata in A minor, KV 310 stands a comparison with Lipatti or Gieseking. Other items are weaker, but Gulda's fans will like them.

CD 3. Serkin - Lugano 22.5.1957. I was enthralled by Schubert's Impromptu in F minor (track 1). Everything else is convincing, too, though Serkin's pianism is a bit limited: in more difficult places, as in the final movement of Beethoven, Op. 57 he sounds not that clean. I prefer his account of Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14, to Cherkassky (CD 4), despite he could not show up such a pyrotechnics in the coda, as Cherkassky.

CD 4. Cherkassky - Lugano 5.12.1963. The program includes Berg's Sonata, Stravinsky's Petrouchka, Poulenc's Toccata, along with Mendelssohn and Schumann. Cherkassky's sound is beautiful and he is a true virtuoso. But on that day his playing was uninvolved.

CD 6. Gilels - Lugano 25.09.1984. In this case, both the sound is good and the piano idol was in an inspired mood. It is a matter of your taste, whether you approve Gilels' approach to the composers he chose for that recital. I think that his method of playing ruins Scarlatti's music (7 sonatas), but Debussy's `Pour le piano' is very effective: it is *not* performed in a French style, but I enjoy the textures here, be it Debussy or something else. Schumann's Symphonic Studies Op. 13 get a grand performance, but this is not my personal favorite.

CD 5 Berman - Lugano 28.11.1989 & CD 8 Malcuzynski - Locarno 13.03.1963. The program of these pianists is more fine than their interpretation, which I found mainstream. Berman performed 5 Schubert-Liszt transcription's and Rachmaninov's 6 Moments musicaux, Op. 16. Malcuzynski started the program with Brahms intermezzo, Op. 118.6 and concluded it with Chopin's `Revolutionary' Study, with `Apassionata' in between. The touch is disappointing, especially after Backhaus, Gilels or Cherkassky. Personally, I wouldn't return to this compilation because of Malcuzynski. But his CDs are very rare, so it is perhaps not a bad idea to get him in a box-set.

CD 10. Canino - Lugano 17.01.1993. Canino performs J.S.Bach' Goldberg-variations. This is a good CD - if you enjoy Bach on a piano and wish to have an extra piano version, in addition to Gould.



Surely my reactions were different, if I were present at any of these live recitals in Switzerland. But I am just describing the impressions of a listener who had not had such an opportunity - and is rather tolerant to the sound quality of vintage recordings.



Recommended for the pianophils.

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Great set at great price

Laurentiu Cristofor | 06/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, a warning: if you are an audiophile, you should know that the sound on these recordings is mono - most are from the 60s, a couple are from the 80s and one is from the 90s. That being said, they are consistently well recorded and the sound here is much better than in other aura/documents boxes - like Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Vol. 2 [Germany], for example. I went through 7 of the CDs so far and I couldn't hear one poor recording.



I am very happy with this set. I got this because of the bargain price and because it offered the opportunity of listening to 10 different pianists in recital. This box should be enjoyed for what it is - of course, you could find better interpretations of most pieces in better sound, but that's not the point - the point is that you can enjoy listening to 10 great pianists in live recitals for the price of one premium CD. I wish I would see more such bargains from aura/documents.



CD1: Friedrich Gulda - Lugano, 19.1.1968

Haydn - Andante con variazioni

Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 8

Schubert - Impromptus Op. 90

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 21



CD2: Wilhelm Backhaus - Lugano, 18.5.1960, 11.6.1953

Haydn - Piano Sonata Hob XVI-52, Andante con variazioni, Fantasia

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 17

Chopin - Studies Op. 25 (excerpts), Nocturne Op. 27/2, Waltz Op. 18



CD3: Rudolf Serkin - Lugano, 22.5.1957

Schubert - Impromptu Op. 142/4

Bach - Capriccio

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 23

Brahms - Variations on Theme of Handel

Mendelssohn - Rondo capriccioso



CD4: Shura Cherkassky - Lugano, 5.12.1963

Mendelssohn - Rondo capriccioso

Schumann - Piano Sonata No. 1

Berg - Piano Sonata No. 1

Debussy - L'Isle joyeuse

Stravinsky - Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

Poulenc - Toccata



CD5: Lazar Berman - Lugano, 28.11.1989

Scriabin - Fantasia in B minor

Liszt - 5 Schubert Transcriptions, Funerailles

Rachmaninov - Six Moments Musicaux



CD6: Emil Gilels - Lugano, 25.09.1984

Scarlatti - Sonatas

Debussy - Pour le piano

Schumann - Etudes Symphoniques



CD7: Geza Anda - Ascona, 16.09.1965

Chopin - 12 Etudes Op.25

Schumann - Die Davidsbundlertanze

Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 13



CD8: Witold Malcuzynski - Locarno, 13.03.1963

Brahms - Intermezzo Op. 118/6, Rhapsody Op. 79/2

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 23

Chopin - Nocturne No. 13, Ballade No. 3, Mazurkas Nos. 15, 17, 45, Scherzo No. 3, Valze Op. 70/1, Etude Op. 10/12



CD9: Georges Cziffra - Ascone, 27.09.1963

Chopin - Fantasie Op. 49, Scherzo No. 2, Piano Sonata No. 2

Liszt - Rhapsodie espagnole, Liebestraum No. 2, Polonaise No. 2, Grand Galop Chromatique, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6



CD10: Bruno Canino - Lugano, 17.01.1993

Bach - Goldberg Variations





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