Search - Johannes Brahms, Sergey Prokofiev, Dimitri Mitropoulos :: William Kapell in Performance: Brahms & Prokofiev Piano Concertos

Don't miss this one, before it goes out of print.

05/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the greatest tragedies in the world of 20th Century music was the untimely death of William Kapell in a plane crash in 1953. How current Gramophone and Penguin CD guides fail to include this recording of Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto by one of the greatest pianists of all time is a sin. Not only does this performance with Stokowski and the Philharmonic at Carneige Hall exceed Kapell's other performance with Dorati and the Dallas Orchestra on the Philips set, but sets a virtuoso performance level that served as a model for Van Cliburn and many others. The Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Mitropoulis, recorded shortly before Kapell's death is equally beautiful and moving. And, given that these are "live", concert hall recordings from the '40s & '50s, the sound quality is remarkably good. If that doesn't tempt you, the price tag ... ought to."

Ravishing Brahms and unforgettable Prokoviev !

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 10/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The genius of Kapell will always be shinning every time you listen him. Mitropoulus and the New York Philarmonic established with Kapell an inmediat rapport and gave one of the most fascinating readings of this inmensely difficult concert .



Kapell once more made a tour de force performance combining his sforzandos , arpegios and pianissimos with absolute musicality, lyricism and magnetism.



The Prokoviev Third Piano Concert has in my persnal opinion four colossal versions . Two of these four belong to Kapell: Stokowski and the other Kapell - Dorati.



The difference between these two performances is the mature shown by Kapell in this one . Even the first movement has a faster tempo than the first of Dorati , keeps however that dark poetry and fierce intensity demanded for the composer .



The other two versions I recommend are one of Samson Francois and the other is with Horacio Guti?rrez, a superb cuban pianist in a live recording given in Caracas in the Alma Mater of the UCV in 1980 . Fortunately I got a copy in cassette and I will make the digital transfer.



I am a hard fan of William Kapell . Believe me: he was gifted with the Midas King touch . All that he played it was pure gold. There is not any fault in any recording you get. And October is particularly a sad month to me due this cause. The deserved glory was just beginning for him. He had plans to make a tour in Europe in 1954 and he thought to play Mozart and Beethoven piano sonatas .



The musical world remained ORPHAN since he left us . If you know about Kapell, it is useless to you describe his dimension , but if you are a new listener or if you have never listened him, please do it because we are talking about another level of pianism absolutely missied in these days.



That is the original headline published that unhappy day October 30th of 1953:



Half Moon Bay October 29th 1953 United Press International.



The known concert pianist born in New York (31) died today when the airplane in which flght from Sidney to San Francisco crashed just three minutes for landing.



Kapell was considered as the best pianist of his generation and the greatest one among those who were born in the United States.



The throne of William Kapell is simply empty .



And the rest is silence!



"

Kapell in superlative form and very good sound for the time

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This superb CD is one of the gems in the Kapell discography -- it's refurbished sound alone makes it stand out above the often rough and patchy sonics found in RCA's extensive Kapell Edition. The Brahms D minor Concerto dates from an April, 1953 concert in Carnegie Hall with Dmitri Mitropoulos and the NY Phil. The program notes tell us that this was the last major work that Kapell played with orchestra before his death, at 31, in a freak plane crash outside San Francisco six months later. The loss was considered incalculable. Kapell had modeled himself early on Horowitz, an influence displayed in some exploding octave passages in the first movement. But he had turned to Artur Schnabel for lessons and performed with Casals and Serkin, indicating a change towards a more considered and deeper musical style. That, too, is reflected in a reading of the Brahms that manages to be poised, serene, and galvanizing by turns.



What strikes me so forcefully, however, is the variety of phrasing and mood that Kapell extracts from the first movement, which is technically so demanding that most virtuosos turn it into a pounded-out marathon in which the lyrical second subject comes as a welcome respite. Kapell's version is never exhausting,and it never trudges. Even the most strenuous writing manages to come across without a sense of effort. There's still enormous struggle written into the solo part; that's part of the concerto's identity. But between them Mitropoulos and Kapell find an initial tempo that swings. The Adagio that follows is forthright but sensitive, without undue rubato or sentimental lingering. The finale is taken at a clip but with engaging change-ups in the rhythm on Kapell's part. The sound is amazingly well balanced, which is a decided benefit given that the dynamic range is necessarily limited. No thumping timpani screechy strings, or clangy piano, blessedly, and there is microphone overload only in the loudest exposed passages.



Kapell put himself on the map as a young pianist with recordings of Chopin and the Prokofiev Third Cto., which became a signature work of sorts. Music and Arts has bypassed the commercial RCA recording for another Carnegie Hall concert with the Philharmonic, this time under Stokowski. It dates from Feb., 1949, a month after the studio sessions. Close as the two may be, Kapell delivers a more powerful, spontaneous, and mercurial reading here. The orchestral sound is closer and perhaps a degree or two fuller. The microphone has been shoved down the piano's throat, but this doesn't result in distortion; there is a certain dullness to the upper keys, however. You will look far to find a reading this alive, and once again Kapell takes pains to make the difficult passages sound light and easy. Gary Graffman would later record the Prokofiev third under Szell with even more crystalline precision. That recording, reissued on Sony, is a marvel, but Stokowski has more fun with the orchestral part and manages to find a good deal more variety than Szell.



In all, both recordings are dazzlers. They sound as good as any commercial recording from the period (Horowitz sometimes received worse), and therefore are a good place to begin for anyone who wants to learn why William Kapell's name is honored six decades after his untimely death."