Landmark recordings by a master
06/21/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the smartest things Philips did in preparing its Great Pianists of the Century series was to devote a 2-CD set to pre-World War II recordings by Walter Gieseking. These earlier renditions of Debussy's two books of Preludes are both tautly organized and drenched in atmosphere; no one since (including Gieseking himself after the war) has matched him. "Demonic possession" is the phrase that comes to mind while listening to Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit", the opening section of which was recorded when Ravel was still alive. Gieseking doesn't worry a whole lot about wrong notes in Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata, as if something is compelling him forward. The sound isn't bad for the Thirties and the playing burns right through it."
Fantastic pianist but poor Beethoven recordings.
Augustus Caesar, Ph.D. | Eugene, Oregon United States | 08/19/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Walter Gieseking (1895-1956) was one of the most gifted and unusual pianists of his time (or any time, for that matter). He was playing the piano at 4, made his debut a few years later and, at 15, played a six-concert series of the complete Beethoven sonatas. Blessed with absolute pitch, natural skills at the keyboard and one of the most frightening sight-reading gifts of the century (shaming even Horowitz, Richter or Saint-Saens), he was recognized early on as a remarkable musician. He studied under Karl Leimer, who passed on his visualization technique to Gieseking. This technique, which involved memorization by reading the score and imagining the physical aspects of playing before actually executing the music at the piano, helped Gieseking (who already had perhaps the most formidable memory in 20th century pianism) to practice relatively little. Gieseking was a supreme colorist, whose unparalleled pedal technique was ideally suited to Debussy and Ravel, the composers with whom he is most often associated. He was also, until the advent of Artur Schnabel, widely acknowledged as the finest Mozart pianist of the era. Gieseking's final years were clouded by his pandering to the Nazis, and his wife was killed in a bus accident (in which he was also grievously injured) shortly before his death in London. Whenever Gieseking is mentioned, you always hear that he lost his magic after the war, and this is, unfortunately, true. While his playing retained its finish and technical mastery, the incandescence and sparkle that was Gieseking at his finest were gone forever, and he seemed to be merely going through the pianistic motions. Fortunately, he made many fine recordings before the war, and these are included here.Even today, Gieseking is the mark by which all other Debussy players measure themselves. The reasons for this are evident in his 1939 recording of the "Preludes." With a dynamic control and mesmerizing sonority that is beyond description, Gieseking lures the listener into Debussy's world. His recording of Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit" is equally dazzling, perhaps unrivalled with the exception of Michelangeli's rendition. The Mozart is elegant in execution and shows a player with unique insight and identification with the music. My one reservation, however, is the inclusion of the two Beethoven sonatas. Gieseking was never a particularly distinguished Beethovenist, and these are eccentric interpretations to say the least (the "Appasionata" is played at such a breakneck tempo it seems as if the pianist had to pee). Perhaps more Mozart should have been included instead of the Beethoven; either way, I have to give this set only four stars because of this misstep."
Is an Enchanting Thing
Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 01/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The best introduction I can imagine to the artistry of Walter Gieseking (1895 -- 1956) is the following unforgettable opening stanza by the American poet Marianne Moore:
"The Mind is an Enchanting Thing
is an enchanted thing
like the glaze on a
katydid-wing
subdivided by sun
till the nettings are legion.
Like Gieseking playing Scarlatti;"
Althought there is no Scarlatti on the CD I am discussing, Ms. Moore's poetry captures, as little else can, the quirky, shimmering and prismatic character of Gieseking's pianism. This is a two-CD set in the ambitious "Great Pianists of the 20th Century Series" issued about five years ago. Unfortunately, many CDs in this retrospective are already becoming difficult to find.
The enchanted character of Gieseking's playing is nowhere better shown than in his performances of Debussy. It is fitting that Debussy be included in a 20th Century retrospective because he is almost surely the greatest composer of that century for the piano -- certainly his works have been accepted into the repertory to a far greater and universal degree than the piano compositions of any other 20th Century composer.
Gieseking's performance of Debussy's two books of Preludes, composed in 1910 and 1913, is justly renowned,and it forms the centerpiece of this collection. The 24 Preludes show Debussy at the height of his powers in writing for the piano in his own inimitable voice. Unlike much music of the past century, the Preludes can be enjoyed by most listeners at a very basic level but also reward detailed musical study. The Preludes are full of unusual harmonies, shifts of tempo and melody, long glissandos, arpeggios, and trills, and wry humor. Each of the Preludes has a name, but they shouldn't be regarded as programmatic. Debussy placed the title for each work at the end, rather than at the beginning, so that the listener and the performer could respond for themselves. These works are much more introspective -- capturing moods and responses -- in character than they are tone-paintings of objects. I have heard the Preludes performed live both in selections of three or four, the approach Debussy himself preferred, and in their entirety, as Gieseking does here. The Preludes demand great contol of phrasing, texture, volume, and pedalling. There is no better introduction to these works that Gieseking's on this compilation. Debussy is known for his use of the whole-tone scale, but his compositions generally shift in and out of various types of scales and modes. Those listeners wanting to hear a piece almost entirely written in the whole-tone scale might start with "Voiles", the second prelude in Book I. In addition to the Preludes, this CD includes Gieseking's performance of a slightly earlier work of Debussy's, the three-movement "Estampes" which is full of color.
I find the piano music of Ravel more externally focused than that of Debussy. Gieseking performs Ravel's most famous solo composition, "Gaspard de la Nuit" with the virtuosity and flamboyance it demands. Gaspard is a setting of three romantic, diabolical poems by Aloysius Bertrand. The opening movement describes a water-sprite named Odine and can instructively be compared with Debussy's "Odine" Prelude in Book II. The second movement describes a hanged man swinging back and forth on the rope while the third notoriously difficult movement describes a menacing, evil spirit named Scarbo.
It is sometimes forgotten that Gieseking was a renowned performer of Beethoven and Mozart. He performed the Beethoven sonata cycle as a young man and recorded the Mozart sonatas in their entirety. His performance of Beethoven's Waldstein sonata on this CD is electrifying. Gieseking takes the outer movements at high speed (a more than appropriate approach for the opening movement, a debatable approach for the finale); and this works well for the vigorous, confident, and forward-moving character of this heroic sonata. He does less well with the "Appassionata" sonata primarily because, as do many pianists, he disregards Beethoven's markings in the finale and takes the movement at great speed. Gieseking gives a romantic reading to Mozart's C-minor sonata, K.457, which I find works best in the lyrical second movement. One of the great virtues of this "Great Pianists" series is the opportunity it affords to hear different performance styles of inexhaustible works of music.
We don't have "Gieseking playing Scarlatti" here, but this CD shows the creative power of the human mind celebrated by Debussy, Ravel, Mozart, and Beethoven and by the poem of Marianne Moore.
Robin Friedman
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Track Listings (27) - Disc #1