A French pianist of Lithuanian Jewish background, Vlado Perlemuter was one of the fine pianists of the middle twentieth century overshadowed by the emergence of the media-driven superstar. He survived, with difficulty, several years as a Jew in occupied France and lived until age 98 in 2002 and was active as a pianist for all but the last few years of his life. Known for his performances of the Romantics and French Impressionists, he wasn't a Mozart specialist, and these 1956 recordings, made at the Pathé studios in Paris, have been long forgotten; they weren't even among the standard items in the catalog of the Vox budget label that started the classical collections of so many people. This reissue and remastering by the American historical-recording label Musical Concepts offers a welcome rediscovery, not least for the witty and literate booklet notes by Nick Morgan. What he slightly and unfairly called the "Dresden china" view of Mozart was still in vogue when these recordings were made, and what's striking is how far Perlemuter diverges from it: in 1956 these recordings were nothing short of groundbreaking, and save for the hissy sound they could hold their own in today's marketplace. Perlemuter's style is vigorous and tending toward sharp contrasts without being overromanticized -- sinewy and crisp. His slow movements throughout are deeply expressive. In the early sonatas of a symphonic bent -- try the opening movement of the Piano Sonata in D major, K. 284, on CD 2, track 1 -- the pianistic counterparts of cello lines blare out clearly without overwhelming the general direction of the music, and the Fantasia in C minor, K. 475, and Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 457 (unfortunately divided between two discs), are good examples of dramatic performances that still keep the balance of Mozart's language in mind. Perlemuter has a way of pushing the tempo in the run-up to a cadence that gives many of the sonatas a noteworthy energy, although it disturbs the invention-like quality of the later works, especially the first movement of the Piano Sonata in F major, K. 533. Every sonata is treated individually, and the simple Piano Sonata in C major, K. 545, is taken very delicately rather than being forced to conform to the ideas of the rest of the set. A nice find for historical-recording enthusiasts or for any aspiring performer of Mozart's keyboard music. James Manheim
23.8.24
MOZART : Piano Sonatas (Vlado Perlemuter) 4CD (1956-2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
GIROLAMO FRESCOBALDI : Complete Keyboard Works (Roberto Loreggian) 15CD BOX-SET (2023) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless
Definitive recordings by the leading Frescobaldi performer of our time, now more conveniently packaged than ever.
In 2007, Roberto Loreggian embarked on a project that would see him record every published work by Girolamo Frescobaldi. Issued as a box in 2011, the Frescobaldi Edition was widely recognised as establishing a new standard of textual authority and interpretative understanding for a composer whose own works have never been as appreciated as much as their influence on his successors.
Then, in 2022, came a new set which committed to disc for the first time all the surviving unpublished music composed by Frescobaldi and recovered from obscure sources by Etienne Darbellay and Costanze Frey. All these recordings are now coupled with the keyboard collections from the earlier set, to present the most complete collection ever issued of Frescobaldi’s works for harpsichord and organ, both sacred and secular. The importance of Frescobaldi can hardly be overstated, either for his own time or subsequent generations. In his day, his fame, as modest as it may seem to us today, exceeded that of virtually all his contemporaries, except perhaps Claudio Monteverdi, and he was unrivalled as a virtuoso. Ferrara born, he became organist at St Peter’s in Rome, and attracted crowds of thousands to hear his playing. He spent seven years in Florence at the height of his career, being dissatisfied with his rewards in Rome, and wrote several collections for the Medici family, before returning to Rome.
In the genres of canzona, toccata, capriccio, partite and ricercar, Frescobaldi left many pieces that stylistically bridge lies in style the Franco-Flemish imitative polyphony of the Renaissance, and the fugal form of the Baroque age. Extravagant, ambiguous, beautiful, dramatic and sometimes exquisite, the music of Frescobaldi is the musical equivalent of the art of Caravaggio, Bernini and Pietro da Cortona. No less than them, he embodies early-Baroque genius in Italy.
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583- 1643) was one of the most important and influential composers for the keyboard in the early 17th century. He embraced the late renaissance style in his early output, and by the end of his life had contributed some of the most impressive and influential works to the early Italian baroque.
The son of an organist, he was born in the northern city of Ferrara into a wealthy family. His employer, the Duke Alfonso II d’Este was obsessed with music, and spent several hours a day listening, spending considerable financial resources into music making at court. Young Frescobaldi obviously thrived in this environment for he soon took up employment for the Duke of Mantua, and later became organist to the Medici in Florence from 1628-34. He then went even further by moving to Rome to work for the Barberini family of Pope Urban VIII. In this elite society he mingled with such names as Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona.
Although Frescobaldi was influenced by numerous earlier composers such as the Neapolitans Ascanio Mayone and Giovanni Maria Trabaci and the Venetian Claudio Merulo, his music represents much more than a summary of its influences. Aside from his masterful treatment of traditional forms, Frescobaldi is important for his numerous innovations, particularly in the field of tempo: unlike his predecessors, he would include in his pieces sections in contrasting tempi, and some of his publications include a lengthy preface detailing tempo-related aspects of performance. This CD set presents the complete organ works and complete harpsichord works by Frescobaldi, an immense collection of Ricercars, Toccatas, Canzoni, Fantasias and Capriccios, played on historic instruments or copies of these.
Played by the eminent Italian Roberto Loreggian, an Early Music specialist with an impressive discography to his name. The recordings in this set were previously issued separately. brilliantclassics.com
Tracklist & Credits :
ANDREA GABRIELI : Complete Keyboard Music (Roberto Loreggian) 6CD BOX-SET (2015) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless
One of the most important composers of the 16th century, Andrea Gabrieli
wrote hundreds of works in his lifetime, many of which are now sadly
lost. As for the few surviving ones, here the listener is treated to
some remarkable creativity and experimentation: free-flowing toccatas,
ricercars, variations and verses for mass constitute the bulk of his
oeuvre. Although many of Gabrieli’s extant works are vocal pieces, there
are around 60 keyboard compositions in existence, works that reveal his
astonishing creativity. The toccatas start with a typical free section
in the imitative style, followed by rapid figures designed to showcase
the virtuosity of the performer. Indeed, it was even remarked that
performers were justified in hitting wrong notes, as long as they fully
upheld the practice of diminution, fast passages of improvised
counterpoint. Gabrieli’s ricercars are more structured, with a marked
focus on double counterpoint and contrary motion. Though in some ways
they resemble the vocal motet, with the use of several voices, the
keyboard allows for the music to stretch far beyond the bounds of voice
limitations. In fact, the ricercars probably served a liturgical
purpose, with Gabrieli in all likelihood composing for the organ. He
also composed organ versetti – or versets – for church services, giving
us a valuable insight into the prescribed order of the time, as well as
providing notated versions of music that was frequently improvised.
Performing these works is noted musician Roberto Loreggian, who has
already made several CDs for Brilliant Classics; his recording as part
of the C.P.E. Bach Edition (BC94960), alongside Federico Guglielmo, was
praised by Gramophone for its ‘fine style and spirit’.
The first complete recording of the keyboard works of Gabrieli
(1532-1585), one of the most famous and influential composers of the
late Renaissance and the most important representative of the Venetian
School. A native of Venice he went to Germany to study with Lassus.
Later he became organist of the famous San Marco in Venice, the most
important post in Northern Italy at that moment.
Gabrieli was one of the first composers to write purely instrumental
music. His works for keyboard (organ, cembalo) consist of Ricercars, a
monothematic form which is the forerunner of the Fugue, brilliant and
virtuoso Preludes and Toccatas, and lavishly ornamented arrangements of
madrigals and other vocal works.
Italian Roberto Loreggian is one of the foremost keyboardists of this
time. His extensive discography includes the complete keyboard works of
Frescobaldi. He plays the wonderful, recently restored historic organ of
the Duomo of Valvasone.
Booklet contains excellent liner notes and information on the instruments used. brilliantclassics.com
21.8.24
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