Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky :: Emil Gilels in Prague

Legendary Debussy and Stravinsky

SwissDave | Switzerland | 02/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was tempted to detract a star for the Mozart performances contained here, but then, half an hour of music-making for the ages on a mid-priced CD will do: the same live in Prague (May 24, 1973) Debussy Images Book I and Stravinsky 3 Fragements/Movements from Petrushka once included in the Gilels sets in Philips' Great Pianists of the 20th Century series, newly remastered (and with applause). What, you own and love the Orfeo disc of Gilels's Salzburg (August 17, 1972) recital where Gilels played the same repertoire? No matter. The only reason not to want this would be that you also own both of those GPOC sets. The Debussy and Stravinsky performances here are true alternatives to Michelangeli's (and Moravec's) and Pollini's reference (studio) recordings, if not technically, then interpretatively, musically, coloristically - and not least because they're live performances, and as such wondrously spontaneous.



The Mozart Allegro and Andante in F major K.533 plus Rondo K.494 (elsewhere referred to as Piano Sonata No. 18 K.533/494) from the same recital is less convincing than Gilels's Salzburg 1972 performance (FWIW, my favourite recording at this point would be Brendel's 2002 recording on Philips). Why Supraphon decided not to give us the complete 1973 Prague recital (Gilels also played Brahms's 7 Fantasias Op. 116 that day, or at least Nos. 5 & 6 as encores), but instead include a 1953 studio recording (albeit at the same venue, the Dvorák Hall of the Rudolfinum) of Mozart's Sonata K.570, is a mystery to me - back then, Gilels still (mis)treated the latter as a fast and furious virtuoso piece...



Greetings from Switzerland, David."