A Divine Performance On A Unique Instrument With A Divine Hi
Octavius | United States | 10/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Siena Pianoforte is a one-of-a-kind historical instrument that sounds nothing like its typical counterparts. It has a long and troubled history and this is the only performance ever recorded with it played here to perfection by reknown pianist Charles Rosen. This is definitely a great and unique addition to one's classical collection.
The Siena pianoforte was built in Italy with, according to legend, the cedars of the Temple of Solomon which were brought back to Italy by the Romans after the suppression of the Jewish Revolt by Vespasian c.70 A.D. Many prominent musicians played it during the 19th century foremost among them being Franz Liszt who praised the instrument as being simply divine. Switching owners various times, it was during WWII ignorantly taken by Italian and German soldiers to North Africa to be played as a saloon piano. Ravaged by the elements and the war, the piano was discovered in the early 50s almost in pieces by an antiquarian in a Tel Aviv dump. The piano was identified and restored to mint condition and finally performed by Rosen in 1955. One would think this would be the end of it but the recording reel itself has a similar history of almost catastrophic misfortune and miraculous recovery. The reels for this recording were essentially lost shortly after they were produced and remained in obscurity until the Northridge Earthquake in 1993. Although almost all of the reels in the studio wharehouse were destroyed, an employee found the unmarked reel for this recording on the floor and intact. Restored, the master reel was able to produce various copies of this album for distribution.
This is an absolutely spectacular recording and the Siena Pino Forte is essentially the singular Stradivarius of piano fortes. No other piano forte sounds like it. Here you can hear how Mozart's sonatas would have actually sounded during his time. The pieces by Scarlatti are also very nice. The sound quality on this album is impeccable as it was recorded on 35mm film and so it has not one flaw in the sound quality. Rosen is a highly respected pianist recognized around the world in musical academies and among professional musicians. There is simply no comparison to this performance as this is the only recording of this instrument anywhere.
This is a divine but unfortunately obscure album that is a great addition to anyone's classical collection. There is no album like this in the world as there is no instrument like the Siena Piano Forte. Even if you think you've heard spectacular piano forte performances by groups such as Gardiner's, they simply can't compare with the Siena Piano Forte just as much as there's no comparison between a performance on a Stradivarius and those on other violins from that period. This is great buy!"
King David's Harp?
RICK RIEKERT | 06/25/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although I share Octavius' enthusiasm for these performances on the splendid Siena Piano, I believe they can be strongly recommended without having to claim divine inspiration for Mr Rosen or agree with the reviewer's hyperbolic characterization of the temporary loss and discovery of the original recording tape as a "catastrophic misfortune and miraculous recovery". A more sober assessment was given by Time magazine when the disc first appeared in 1955- "Although the piano's origin is closer to Mozart's day than Scarlatti's, the gem-pure Scarlatti pieces are more effectively unveiled. Through Pianist Rosen's subtle fingers--and the piano's remarkable characteristics--the piquant upper lines take on the diamond-point clarity of a harpsichord, while the sonatas' lower notes emerge with something like a modern piano's warmer, darker mass of tone. The total effect is a fusion of contrasting elements into a near-perfect whole." According to Octavius, this is how Mozart's sonatas would have sounded during his time. But if it is true as Octavius contends that the Siena Piano is unique and "sounds nothing like its typical counterparts", then insofar as Mozart's sonatas were not played on the Siena Piano during his time, they certainly would not have sounded like this. Besides, as any number of recordings clearly show, the fortepianos of Mozart's day sound quite unlike the Siena Piano. One further note: Octavius claims that "this is the only performance ever recorded" on the Siena Piano. There were to my knowledge at least 4 other discs in the series, including one of Bach's music wonderfully played by the undeservedly forgotten Russian-born pianist Anatole Kitain."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1