Search - Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart :: Great Pianists 56

Broud and Resounding Music-Making!! From another world.

jsa | 06/02/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cortot and Kempff are the two piano-poets of the century, though their musical conceptions are very different. Kempff revolves around Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Bach and Schumann, whereas Cortot is associated primarily with Chopin and Schumann. Cortot's playing is soaring, free-spirited, energetic, and poetic, whereas Kempff plays more purely. His interpretations are almost ethereal- other-wordly. But speaking specifically of this disc, two gems I had not known before are now revealed. Strangely enough, the two Liszt Legends recorded in 1950- unusual repertoire for Kempff- are the only "miraculous" interpretaions I have ever heard. Nyireghyazi's is wonderful as well, but Kempff's ability to resonate sound and broaden the musical idea makes these two Legends truly legendary. In the St. Francis Walking on the Waters legend, his waves are never percussive- they are full, broad, and unmenacing. He succeeds in capturing the miracle, putting virtuosity in the background- concentrating on the spirituality of the music. He comes closer than anyone here in reproducing Liszt's conception of the "fullness of piano sound". Other pianists in this series whom I recommend are Alfred Cortot, Claudio Arrau, Maria Yudina, Paderewki, Friedman, Rosalyn Tureck, and of course Horowitz, the super-human bard who reduces all other musicians to cocroaches with his crashing sound."

Buy it while copies are still available

jsa | San Diego, CA United States | 11/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though this set is no longer available from the manufacturer, it's well worth seeking out a used copy if only to have the Liszt performances which come from Kempff's classic 1950 Decca recording. (These pieces hadn't seen the light of day since their appearance on a Vox Turnabout LP, which I added to my collection in the early 1970's.) Kempff was an unlikely Lisztian, but the rare solo effort included here has stood the test of time - almost sixty years later the playing of some of these pieces remain unparalleled. Indeed, Alfred Brendel, who selected the repertory for this set, regarded Kempff's recordings for Decca the best Liszt ever set down on record. Whether or not they are the "best," they certainly rank among the greatest. Kempff's readings of Eglogue & Au lac de Wallenstadt from the Annees de pelerinage (Suisse) are perfectly paced, shimmering with beauty, as is Gondoliera, one of the supplemental pieces from Venezia e Napoli. While the Sonetto del Petrarca nos. 104 & 123 may not match Arrau's sublime readings on Philips, they are still very fine. The two St. Francis Legends, which open the Liszt segment, are definitely in another category. Kempff's reading of the first Legend, St Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds, is absolutely mesmerizing. After a few moments of quiet, Kempff moves into the second Legend, St Francis of Paola Walking on the Water, which is played with tremendous passion, the surging left-hand patterns overwhelming in their intensity. Just unforgettable.



There's plenty more to savor in this 2-cd set, which is a fine representation of Kempff's pianistic art. The first disc opens with Schubert, one of Kempff's specialties. The sonata in A minor D. 845 receives a taut reading & the recording, made in 1953, is finely detailed. The remainder of the disc is filled out with Beethoven's two movement sonata op. 90 taken from Kempff's 1960's stereo cycle & Mozart's A major piano concerto (no. 23) with Leitner.



My only quibble about this set is the arrangement of the tracks on the second disc: the program should have closed with the Liszt Legends, not opened with them. The three Bach transcriptions which follow sound insignificant after Kempff's titantic reading of St Francis of Paola Walking on the Water. In fact, anything would sound insignificant after this.



Very highly recommended.

"