| Label: MEDICI MASTERS
Catalog: MM0172
Format: CD Wholenote Discoveries - November 2009
Walter Gieseking made lots of recordings before, during and after WW2 for Electrola and HMV including versions of the two major works included on a new mono Medici Masters CD, the Beethoven fourth and Schumann piano concerto. Gieseking, born in Lyon in 1896, was a star in the firmament of his generation, particularly lauded for his interpretations of French and German repertoire. His playing on this disc is characteristically crisp and articulate, energetic and secure with not one indecisive moment. Joseph Keilberth conducts the Cologne Radio Symphony in the Beethoven, from September 14, 1953 and everyone involved is on the same page in this decisive statement. Gieseking’s own cadenza in the first movement sounds as if it were Beethoven’s own. The tempi for the Schumann under Gunter Wand in Cologne on January 8, 1951 are refreshingly high-spirited and dynamic, creating in a showpiece for soloist, conductor and orchestra. To bring the listener back to earth, the disc finishes with some Debussy, Ravel, and Bach, live from Stockholm on October 23, 1948. Gieseking admitted, no, stated, that he did not practice! Not a hint of this is evident here with but a couple of wrong notes in 75 live minutes. Bruce Surtees  Price: $25.98 |
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