Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Sergey Rachmaninov :: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2; Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, etc.

Excellent CD of previously unreleased Kapell performances

Dan H. Miller | Houston, TX USA | 07/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent CD of previously unreleased historic performances by the legendary American pianist William Kapell. In my opinion, the most notable selections are the Rachmaninoff and the Schubert. Kapell made a studio recording of the Beethoven piano concerto which has been re-released a number of times, and which, all told, is superior to the outtake version here. The Chopin works are interesting and musical, but not revelatory. The Rachmaninoff Paganini Rhapsody, however, is in some respects superior to Kapell's highly regarded studio recording of the work, with Fritz Reiner and the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra (only recently released on CD for the first time in the US). This is an earlier recording of the work (1945 vs. 1951 for the one with Reiner), but the spontaneity and excitement of a Kapell live performance are captured here, which, when compared to the 1951 recording, render the latter just a little "stiff." The real treasure of this CD is the Schubert songs. Kapell brilliantly balances support for the singer with an intimate pianism which stands on its own. This, along with a few incomparable studio recordings, all made in Kapell's last year, is the only Schubert we have by this great American artist. Precious little, but a treasure nevertheless."

October 29/ 1953 what a sad day!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 10/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For all those listeners, hard audiophiles and truly devoted around the egregious figure of William Kapell, this is a sad day. Fifty three years ago, in a commercial flight who went from Sydney to San Francisco at Half moon Bay, California and just only three minutes for landing, the fatidic designs of a merciless destiny, made the world stood orphan and obviously much more miserable.



Kapell was a passenger in this flight and so at the age of thirty one, he left us. With a lot of piano works, recitals and an impressive concerts schedule. Europe would be his next stage, but as you know, some genius have a life too short.



I was born years after but it has been so honest, expressive and mercurial bequeath, that it's absolutely unthinkable to forget all those gems he recorded for the posterity.



Since I heard this version of Rachmaninov `s Variations on a Paganini' s theme, I simply do not know about any other version that even could to join it.



The magisterial elegance and powerful pianism of Kapell is carved in relief all the way through. This album constitutes another serious album to collect.



It's useless to tell my appreciated reader, I will be make a stop in my quotidian activities listening Kapell, and nothing else,



As the poet said; my voice is sad; and that's why I don't want to sing today

"