Search - Liszt, Arrau, Ormandy :: Piano Concerto 1 / Hungarian Fantasy

Titanic playing from Arrau

jsa | San Diego, CA United States | 01/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a pupil of Martin Krause, who was himself a pupil of Franz Liszt, Claudio Arrau had a special connection to the music of Liszt. It is no surprise then, that among Arrau's earliest recorded repertoire (1928-33) could be found various pieces of Liszt, including some of the etudes, Fountains at the Villa D'este, & the Spanish Rhapsody. In 1937 he recorded Harmonies du soir & Sonetto del Petrarca but did not record Liszt again until the fall of 1951 when he embarked on the recordings included on this Columbia disc. During this time he recorded very little (Arrau lived in Germany until 1941, then had to establish himself in America after his emigration); however, he had followed Martin Krause's advice not to become identified as a specialist in the music of any one composer. Indeed, his reputation as a universalist was established through a series of recitals undertaken in Berlin where he played all of the sonatas of Beethoven & Mozart, then the complete keyboard works of Bach among others. As it turns out, after recording the pieces collected on this disc (1951-2) it wasn't until relatively late in his career that Arrau once again recorded the music of Liszt, beginning in 1969 with the first of his seminal discs for Philips.



This Sony reissue opens with the E-flat major concerto, which was made when Arrau was forty-nine & which captures the pianist at his stunning best. According to Arrau's long-time manager, Friede Rothe, the concerto was recorded in one uninterrupted take after which Eugene Ormandy said "We're done. It can't be better than this." Arrau, ever the perfectionist in the studio, apparently agreed, for this is a performance that convinces in every detail - from the reflective elements of the first three movements which have a serenity and beauty that are hallmarks of this great pianist, to the kaleidoscopic whirlwind of the fourth movement where Arrau unleashes cascades of glittering notes.



The Hungarian Fantasy, which was the companion piece recorded for the original LP release & is included on this cd, receives a fine performance; however, it's too bad Arrau didn't record the A Major concerto instead, because his live performances demonstrate that he was truly a great interpreter of this concerto. His 1943 concert with Mitropoulos (Music & Arts) is representative, but the more expansive 1953 traversal with Guido Cantelli & the NY Philharmonic (Archipel) is unforgettable.



In 1951, Arrau began recording a complete cycle of the Hungarian Rhapsodies, however, after setting down the five rhapsodies included on this disc the project was dropped. While the rhapsodies are often played for effect, that is not the case here where the Hungarian folk elements are given a full airing out in a musically sympathetic, but understated way. His declamatory approach is very fitting, especially in the better-known ninth rhapsody (Pesht Carnival), combining extravagance with riveting technical proficiency. Interestingly, Arrau seems to find cubist patterns in this music, with some phrases being shaped into geometric blocks of sound. I find the interpretations fascinating, reflecting a 19th century way of playing (Arrau's incredible rolling chords are romantic flourishes that no one could get away with today) along with elements of modernism.



While the performances of all of the rhapsodies are outstanding, the thirteenth is in a category by itself: the first section is a wrenching emotional statement where Arrau practically makes the piano weep, whereas the finale is delivered in a controlled frenzy that is simply awesome.



In summary, this is Liszt playing in the grand manner with all of the scope and nuances that only Claudio Arrau, a direct inheritor of the Liszt tradition, could bring to the keyboard."