2015 is Earl Wild’s centenary year, so this 5-CD box is a salute to his
recordings for RCA Victor and Columbia Masterworks. The long-lived pianist
(1915-2010) has hardly been a blushing noviciate in the discography these
many years, and doubtless there will many a groan when casting an eye over
the contents. The first disc is the famous
Rhapsody in Blue plus
An American in Paris recording of December 1959, which has been
reissued many times and reviewed on this site at least twice in varying
incarnations – and referenced many more times during the course of reviews.
This 33-minute disc has never staled. Disc Two is - inevitably – the
Concerto in F, coupled with the
I Got Rhythm Variations and
Cuban Overture, all recorded in May 1961. This disc is almost as
well loved, and has been reviewed here too. The Wild-Fiedler releases were
core components of the RCA Living Stereo LP conveyor belt.
Discs three and four are devoted to the pianist’s exploration of rarer
piano literature. The Scharwenka is on disc three with its original disc
mates by Medtner, Balakirev and d’Albert. Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony
accompany the Concerto. For Paderewski’s Concerto and
Fantaisie
polonaise, Wild hopped across the Atlantic in September 1970 to team up
with Arthur Fiedler and the London Symphony. I’ve reviewed most of this in a
rival release on
Ivory Classics. It only remains to add that the
Balakirev
Réminiscence is eventful, Medtner’s
Improvisation assured, and d’Albert’s Scherzo played with just as
much vitality as by the composer himself in his ancient disc of it.
The final disc is the Liszt collaboration with André Kostelanetz. With the
Columbia Symphony in February 1972 they essay the E flat major concerto with
conviction, even though Wildeans may well prefer the greater personality to
be encountered in his meeting with Malcolm Sargent and the Royal
Philharmonic the previous decade – a slightly more malleable performance,
too. The
Fantasy on Hungarian Folk Melodies receives the kind of
performance expected of one of the great Lisztians of his, or any other,
generation. The remainder of this 57-minute disc is a curio, with items
bulked out from diverse sources. There’s the slow movement – only – from
Mozart’s Concerto No.21, K467. A brief amount of online sleuthing shows that
this is extracted from an LP called ‘Love Story’ produced by the well-known
Max Wilcox with arrangements in other pieces by Arthur Harris. Ormandy
directs the Philadelphia. If you’re curious some of the other items included
The Windmills of Your Mind,
Yesterday, some Nino Rota,
Dave Grusin, Bernstein and, of all things, something from
Tristan.
There’s a burnished and splendid Max Steiner
Symphonie Moderne with
Charles Gerhardt directing the National Philharmonic in 1973. Finally, a
modest Handel Oboe Sonata with the great Robert Bloom, an early recording
from 1947 – indeed Wild’s first commercial recording.
LPs 3-5 are appearing ‘for the first time on CD in 24bit/96khz mastering’.
Listening to the Ivory Classics Scharwenka and Paderewski shows the clarity
of the new restoration. Note that three Wild albums you may have expected to
find are not here -
Liszt-Piano Extravaganzas on Operatic Themes,
Viennese Piano Extravaganza and
The Fire and Passion of
Spain. They were released on RCA Victor Record Club under licence from
the owners, The Reader’s Digest Association.
For the sake of the CD miniaturisation CDs 1 and 2 could have fitted onto
a single disc, and re-jigging might have got the number of discs down even
more. Still, in respecting – largely – the original artefacts RCA honour
Wild’s legacy worthily, though much is well-tilled soil.
Jonathan Woolf
Full track-listing
CD 1 [33:02]
George GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
Rhapsody in Blue (1924) [16.17]
Recorded 13 May 1959, Symphony Hall, Boston
An American in Paris (1928) [16.37]
rec. 14 May 1959, Symphony Hall, Boston
Earl Wild (piano)/Boston ‘Pops’ Orchestra/Arthur Fiedler
CD 2 [46:22]
Piano Concerto in F (1925) [28.53]
rec. 17 May 1961, Symphony Hall, Boston
Variations on
I Got Rhythm (1933) [7.59]
Cuban Overture (1932) [9.20]
rec. 18 May 1961, Symphony Hall, Boston
Earl Wild (piano)/Boston ‘Pops’ Orchestra/Arthur Fiedler
CD 3 [52:41]
Xaver SCHARWENKA (1850-1924)
Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor Op.32 (1877) [28:00]
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Erich Leinsdorf
rec. January 1969 Symphony Hall, Boston
Mily BALAKIREV (1837-1910)
Reminiscences de l’opera Une vie pour le tsar de Glinka; fantasy for piano
[12:02]
rec. May-June 1969, Webster Hall, NYC
Nikolai MEDTNER (1880-1951)
Three Morceaux: Improvisation Op.31 No.1 (c.1914) [7:16]
Eugen D’ALBERT (1864-1932)
Scherzo in F sharp major, Op.16 No.2 (c. 1889) [4:57]
rec. 10 June 1969, Webster Hall, NYC
Earl Wild (piano)
CD 4 [51:51]
Ignacy Jan PADEREWSKI (1860-1941)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.17 (1888-89) [32:21]
Fantaisie Polonaise in G minor Op.19 (1893) [19:10]
Earl Wild (piano)/London Symphony Orchestra/Arthur Fiedler
rec. Barking Town Hall, September 1970
CD 5 [57:29]
Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Piano Concerto No.1 in E flat minor, S124 (1849 rev 1853 and 1856)
[19:18]
rec. 8 February 1972, Columbia 30
th Street Studio C, NYC
Fantasy on Hungarian Folk Melodies, S123 (c.1852) [15:17]
rec. 7 February 1972, Columbia 30
th Street Studio C, NYC
Earl Wild (piano)/Columbia Symphony Orchestra/André Kostelanetz
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto No.21 in
C major, K467 – Andante (1786) [8:17]
rec. 6 January 1971, Scottish Rite Cathedral, Philadelphia
Earl Wild (piano)/Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy
Max STEINER (1888-1971)
Symphonie Moderne, from the film
Four Wives [8:10]
rec. 2-3 February 1976, Kingsway Hall, London
Earl Wild (piano)/National Philharmonic Orchestra/Charles Gerhardt
Georg Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Sonata for oboe and basso continuo in G minor, Op.1 No.8 HWV364a
[6:17]
rec. 28 November 1947, RCA Victor Studios
Robert Bloom (oboe): Earl Wild (piano)
