Hänssler have been
a little naughty with this disc – advertising
it as ‘Bach Transcriptions of Bartók,
Lipatti and Friedman’ (in that order).
What I found on inspection was only one
transcription each for the first two,
with the rest being the work of Ignaz
Friedman. This is not a problem in itself,
only that it is not until one reaches
the booklet inside the disc that it is
apparent what Hänssler is offering.
This is the first disc
made by the soloist, Petronel Malan, and
it is a very good idea for a debut disc
to be offered which does not compete directly
with any others in the catalogue. This
is the case for this disc, and it gives
us the chance to hear a debut artist,
playing unfamiliar repertoire.
Malan is a South African
pianist, and has been winning competitions
since the age of 12 albeit relatively
minor competitions, and has been performing
until recently mainly in her native South
Africa. She made her European debut in
1987 and has performed extensively also
in the U.S.A. She plays on a Blüthner
Concert Grand piano, which for some may
be a deciding factor.
Polish pianist and composer
Ignaz Friedman (1882 – 1948) was a gifted
pianist and composer who was born near
Cracow was a child prodigy who, by the
age of 8, was able to transpose Bach’s
3 and 4 part fugues into any key. Later,
he studied philosophy, philology, history,
aesthetics, musicology and composition
at Leipzig University, as well as taking
private lessons with Hugo Riemann. Later,
he moved to Vienna, where his teacher
was the legendary Theodore Leschetizky.
He was apparently a considerable piano
virtuoso and toured extensively throughout
Europe and the U.S.A. During the war,
he managed to evade the Nazis by moving
via a circuitous route to Australia and
New Zealand as well as Indonesia, and
playing in these areas until hostilities
ceased.
All of the transcriptions
on this disc are very expertly done, and
apart from a few missed notes, Miss Malan
plays very competently with a well rounded
tone and a recording which is of fairly
good quality, without being outstanding.
It is sometimes difficult
to spot the differences between the transcriptions
done by Lipatti and Bartók, so
I suppose Hänssler’s little con trick
with the cover details is not so serious.
This is a disc which
will provide a good reminder of Miss Malan’s
undoubted gifts and Hänssler is to
be complimented on taking the risk with
such repertoire with a new up and coming
artist.
John Phillips
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