We are not short on reportages about the vinyl revival of our time. The discussion, however, tends towards the quality of the recorded sound, from trend-following crowd buying into the “scratchy” and the “crackle” to the fanatics investing north of six-digit figures into Burmester and Aesthetix and TechDAS assortments. Back to earth: can we just enjoy the music?
In this Fall issue of “Ernest’s Picks” you will have a peek at what’s currently spinning on my ‘table, three solo-piano discs that I simply and truly love.
Etched into these three discs, is pianism that transports you to another era. Virtuosity is apparent, no doubt, but there is nothing on the forefront about virtuosity but style, eland, and character. The playing is personal, intimate at times, and subtle. There is a cozy feeling with this playing that connects you to the pianist as though they are in the same room, with long, unbroken phrases and finely controlled dynamics. There is no grittiness or theatrics, and even in the most virtuosic passages the playing was light and effortless. The impact is immediate: an overpowering awe for the music and not for the mechanics.
Gyorgy Cziffra: Paraphrases, Transcriptions and Improvisations
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
- Paraphrase on “Flight of the Bumblebee”, from The Tsar Saltan
- Johannes Brahms
- Hungarian Dance No. 5 (Transcription)
- Franz von Vecsey
- Valse Triste (Transcription)
- Aram Khachaturian
- Paraphrase on Sabre Dance, from Gayaneh
- Gyorgy Cziffra
- Roumanian Fantasy
- Gioachino Rossini
- Improvisation on Themes from William Tell
- Johann Strauss II
- Paraphrase on Tritsch-Tratsch Polka Op. 214
- Paraphrase on The Blue Danube Waltz Op. 314
Recorded at the Salle Wagram, Paris, on 18 November 1956 (1-5 & 7-8), and 24 October 1957 (6)
La Voix de son Maitre FALP 501
His Master’s Voice ALP 1604
Angel 35610
Erato 9029672924 (“The Complete Studio Recordings 1956-1986”, 41CD box set)
Cziffra’s Liszt and Chopin interpretations boast an equal number of fans and foes. His pyrotechnics are, however, shifted to the backseat in this album, with listener’s interest and curiosity piqued at his ability to recreate new works from overly familiar tunes. The results are stunning, as they are not simply virtuosic works styled after Liszt but genuinely novel ideas that explore new sounds and effects. With most of these beyond the finger athletics of even seasoned pianists, Cziffra seemed to toss them off without much laboriousness. His carefree spirit is apparent not only in the writing, shining most in his treatment of tempi and rubatos. Look out his rendition of Vecsey’s Valse Triste and the spectacular Rumanian Fantasy.
Incidentally, the reverse side of the Angel Records issue – shown below – features seven newspaper review clippings of his concerts in Los Angeles, Chicago, and London.
“My most important desire and wish was to one day give my experience with the piano over to each pianist, and future young performer. But I have never seen myself as a teacher in the general meaning of the word. Rather I have seen in myself someone who sheds light, one who directs with a small lamp those similar to himself. My intentions may appear presumptuous to some, but it is what I have found my calling to be.”
-Gyorgy Cziffra
Brazilian piano music is often looked upon as a cultural descendent of its European parent. Nationalism is one aspect that swept Europe in the late 19th century, and its prevailing ideology blew over to the Latin continent shortly after. These Latin composers, however, had their own ideas in blending music across cultures: nationalist music consists not only folk elements but also borrows heavily from popular culture. This Odeon album introduces piano music of Eduardo Souto (1882 – 1942), under the sensitive and subtle shadings of Brazil’s own Clara Sverner. The music calls upon the tradition of Chopin in its waltz treatments but also borrows heavily from Brazilian choros and serenades from the popular genre. Sverner’s playing here is elegant, well-balanced, refined, with subtle tones and phrasing.
Clara Sverner plays Eduardo Souto
- O despertar da montanha (The mountain’s awakening)
- Carinhosa (Kind lady)
- Paraty-dançante (Dancing Paraty; Paraty is a city in Brazil)
- Visão do pierrot (Pierrot’s vision)
- Isto é bom (This is good)
- O pranto do fadista (The fado singer’s lament)
- Não mexa comigo, seu Honorato (Don’t mess with me, Mr. Honorato)
- Do sorriso da mulher nasceram as flores (Flowers were born from the woman’s smile)
- O puladinho (A little jump)
- Saudade da cachopa (Missing my girl)
- Tristeza (Sadness)
- Viradinho (Brazilian dish made of beans, eggs, and fried pieces of pork skin)
- Outono* (Autumn)
- No mundo da lua (In the moon’s world, meaning absent-minded, distracted, alienated)
Angel Records (Brazil) 31C 064 422910. Never re-issued on CD.
Liner notes by Brazilian writer João Máximo, with a postscript by famed record producer Maurício Quadrio. The cover art shows the title page of ‘O despertar da montanha’.
Victor Bunin plays Schumann, Liszt, Alexandrov, and Scriabin
- Robert Schumann
- Arabeske Op. 18
- Allegro in B minor Op. 8
- Franz Liszt
- Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat Major
- Anatoly Alexandrov
- Piano Sonata No. 14 in E Major Op. 97
- Alexander Scriabin
- Etude No. 11 in B-flat Minor Op. 8
- Etude No. 12 in D-sharp Minor Op. 8
recorded in Moscow circa 1976.
Melodiya 33 С 10—06793-4. Never re-issued on CD.
Liner notes: detailed notes on each work, in Russian only.
Cover art: youthful photo of Victor Bunin
Bunin is a cut above the rest in my book. At first hearing, particularly on familiar repertoire, he might seem colder and more distant than most – but that’s when vinyl collecting reaps its profits: the subtlety of his dynamics are sometimes lost in digital transfers and dumbed-down audio uploads but appears in their full glory under the needle. This is particularly apparent in the recording of his teacher’s work, the Alexandrov Sonata No. 14, which is one of the rarest sonatas of the period. Its sometimes dense harmonic language (believe it or not, this is actually one of the easier sonatas of Alexandrov) warrants repeated listening, and it is here that Bunin’s art is shown in its full glory: from satanic expressions to angelic innocence, a full spectrum of colors and tones. Look out for the second movement of this sonata, which is a set of Variations. I had better secure a second copy of this LP before I wear it down to a piece of tracing paper.