For some time now APR has been releasing a series of discs
under the title The Piano G&Ts. Many of the Gramophone and Typewriter
piano recordings of the years 1900-07 are of considerable – and in some
cases exceptional – rarity and to have them transferred in this way is
fundamentally important. This disc, volume 2 in a series which has now
reached three volumes, is devoted to three pianists born in the 1850s
– the perplexing Grünfeld, the remarkable Pugno and the astounding,
in all senses, Janotha.
Alfred Grünfeld (1852-1924), Prague born, studied
with Smetana there and with Kullak in Berlin and was one of the first
pianists to record. 125 titles were made between 1899 and 1914 and though
he has always had a reputation as a salon stylist - in The Great
Pianists the lordly Harold Schonberg
tags him a “super-cocktail pianist” whilst noting that at least a few
of his discs had merit – his records did include Bach, Brahms, Chopin,
Debussy, Dvořák, Grieg and Schumann. Here APR collects all
his 1905 recordings and they make for intriguing listening. Whilst it’s
true that the bulk are his own compositions and light Grünfeld
is still capable of some remarkable feats. In his own Serenade his right
hand touch is super fine and the following Etude – in fantastically
good sound by the way, as are most of these 1905 discs – discloses real
rhythmic brio and subtle interplay between left and right hand. In Chopin’s
Mazurka it’s probably necessary to allow his metrical displacements
the latitude that an individualist such as Grünfeld deserves. I
suspect that some listeners will find them unnatural but this is a de
Pachmann style of playing and deserves to be taken seriously despite
the Court and Salon tags that still hang to Grünfeld’s name.
In the Schubert-Fischoff however there’s little gainsaying
the range of dynamics, the power of his left hand, precise chording
and the effective carry and clarity of the right hand. There are a few
scuffs on Grünfeld’s Mazurka but also some ineffable charm in this
delicious confection. And in his Ungarische Fantasie there’s more than
a nod toward Grünfeld’s friend, Brahms, complete with swagger and
swing. The Schubert is ammunition, I suppose, for those who denigrate
Grünfeld as shallow and superficial. Wohin and Die Forelle are
run together in a typically frivolous conjunction but there’s still
a deal to admire even amongst the Viennese frippery. In any case his
Romance, from a session in late 1905, is really persuasive and lyrical
playing; we should have heard more of his Schumann on disc, if this
is anything to go by. If you are worried by 1905 recordings don’t be.
These were well-engineered discs and have been splendidly dealt with
by Bryan Crimp; the ear will adjust very quickly.
Pugno’s thirteen discs come from Parisian sessions
in April and November 1903. Multifaceted and multi-talented Pugno was
variously pianist, organist, accompanist and composer but didn’t specialize
as a pianist until he was forty. The turntable used for the sessions
was unstable – uneven rotation - and so a certain amount of sympathetic
listening is required when it comes to a number of these discs. Persist
however beyond the initially disconcerting flutter and wow and you will
be rewarded with some remarkable pianism from the sonata partner of
Ysaye and the man who encouraged Grieg to record. His tempo in the Chopin
Waltz Op 34/1 is conventional, the playing excellent but it is his famous
recording of the F Sharp Nocturne that will pull you up short. He claimed
the excessively slow tempo was from Georges Mathias, his piano teacher
and one of Chopin’s best students. Luckily the November 1903 discs are
better in quality of recording though there are still problems and of
course recording was still very much in its infancy. Exceptional grace
animates the Mendelssohn Song without words and Massenet’s Valse folle
is driven through with passion, the ritardandos stylish and playful.
Incision, clarity of fingerwork and superb touch distinguish the Chabrier
and superb voicings do likewise with the Chopin A Flat Impromptu (though
be warned that this is another off-centre recording). His delicacy and
sensitivity to dynamics are clear in the D Flat Berceuse and in fact
everywhere the superiority of his imagination and pianism is evident.
Finally four pieces – one only a minute’s excerpt –
by Natalia Janotha, 1856-1932. Born in Warsaw Janotha studied with Clara
Schumann. Eccentric and wilful for some time she would only consent
to giving recitals if her cat was on stage with her. Though she recorded
at two sessions in London, in 1904 and 1906, both times with the Gaisberg
brothers as engineers, only four sides were published and are very rare
– so rare that APR could only locate a broken copy of Janotha’s Polish
Carillon and thus can give us only 0.52 of it. The Chopin Fugue of which
he had acquired the manuscript is the highlight whereas she gallops
through the Mendelssohn, has a feathery touch and charming trill in
the carillon extract and saves the hilariously ridiculous Gavotte impériale
for last.
Trilingual notes – English, German, French – and full
recording details are provided. APR are probably leaders in the field
of providing discographic information and provide helpful, succinct
biographical details as well. The recording quality is excellent, the
intractable problems of the Pugno sessions being acknowledged, and this
major series goes from strength to strength.
Jonathan Woolf
Alfred Grünfeld, piano
(all items from Grünfeld to Strauss) 