Search - Frederic Chopin, Wilhelm Kempff :: Wilhelm Kempff plays Chopin

Inimitable Chopin by an Aristocrat of Art...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 02/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Disc features a virtually "best of" re-release of Kempff's refined Chopin recordings made in London, 24-28 Feb. 1958.

(The Second and Third Sonatas are excluded, and due to CD techne time constraints the Second and Third Impromptus [F#, Gb] and the Third Nocturne [B] are unfortunately not included.)



Wilhelm Kempff (b. 1895) was a gentleman-artist of great spiritual and intellectual nobility. He came from a family of north German Protestant church musicians. He was a man of faith, serene disposition, wide culture, warm heart, and enormous artistic technical excellence.

Kempff possessed a rare cognitive ability to understand and completely realise the overall architectonic scheme of a musical score.

Alfred Brendel said something to the effect that, when at his best, Kempff was better than anyone.



By the age of fourteen Kempff had mastered all 32 of Beethoven's Sonatas. He is also highly regarded for his Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms. Mozart, Bach, Liszt, Scarlatti, and Chopin formed a second tier of his repertoire.

Kempff's Chopin exercises a special fascination.

For here Kempff's essential artistic characteristics are fully on display: his cantabile lyricism, genteel charm, and balanced phrasing are especially evident in Chopin's intimate poetry: this is great art of supple subtle synthesis.

At these sessions, Kempff wanted to record as much material as possible, so he wasted little time listening to playbacks. Instead, he treated these sessions as virtual concerts: therefore these are largely one-take realisations: the real proof of Kempff's artistry.



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A note on this issue: Kempff lived in Italy for many years, and this issue by the Istituto Discografico Italiano is obviously an homage of love and respect. However, it must be disclosed that the included little eight-page booklet contains no notes whatsoever. It does, however, feature two nice photographs of Kempff. The recordings for this issue were digitally remastered at Milano in July 2008: withal, the sound IS noticeably sharper and clearer than the original Decca/London cuts--which were satisfactory in any case. The track timings for this issue are +:02 (seconds); the timings below are for the original Decca/London issue. Also, the original recording date is mislisted as March [sic] 1958.

Disc TT [72'02"].

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Ballade (No. 3), Ab-major, Op. 47

Kempff [06'56"]

Katsaris [07'13"]

Vásáry [07'05"]

Zimerman [07'26"]



Andante spianato et Grand polonaise brillante, Eb-major, Op. 22

Kempff [13'29"]

Katsaris [12'44"]

Ohlsson [14'07"]



Fantasie, f-minor/Ab-major, Op. 49

Kempff [12'13"]

Zimerman [13'59"]

Ohlsson [11'30"]



Polonaise-fantaisie, Ab-major, Op. 61

Kempff [11'33"]

Katsaris [12'36"]

Cherkassky [12'11"]

Ohlsson [14'00"]



Berceuse, Db-major, Op. 57

Kempff [04'38"]

Pollini [04'29"]

Vásáry [05'16"]

Barenboim [04'42"]



Fantaisie-Impromptu (No. 4), c#-minor, Op. 66

Kempff [04'35"]

Vásáry [04'52"]

Ashkenazy [04'54"]

Anievas [05'16"]



Impromptu (No. 1), Ab-major, Op. 29

Kempff [03'46"]

Vásáry [03'54"]

Ashkenazy [03'59"]

Anievas [04'11"]



Scherzo (No. 3), c#-minor, Op. 39

Kempff [06'58"]

Katsaris [07'21"]

Pollini [07'25"]

Vásáry [07'33"]



Barcarolle, F#-major, Op. 60

Kempff [07'52"]

Pollini [08'36"]

Zimerman [08'54"]

Ohlsson [08'15"]

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Chopin Recital (W/DVD)

Chopin: Ballades Nos. 1-4; Scherzos Nos. 1-4

Chopin: 4 Ballades/Barcarolle, Op.60/Fantasie in F

Chopin: Polonaises / Maurizio Pollini

Chopin: 4 Ballades; Fantaisie, Op. 49; Prelude, Op. 45

Chopin: 4 Scherzi/Berceuse/Barcarolle

Complete Polonaises, The (pollini, Argerich)

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