Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Piano Concerto No.4 in C minor Op.44 (1875) [24:45]
Etude en forme de valse from Op.52 (1877) [4:34]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Piano Concerto in A minor op.54 (1841-45) [29:47]
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Wiegenlied arr. Cortot [2:29]
Alfred Cortot (piano)
Unidentified Orchestra/Charles Munch (Saint-Saëns)
LSO/Landon Ronald (Schumann)
rec. 1935 (Saint-Saëns Concerto); 1931 (Saint-Saëns Valse); 1927 (Schumann);
1925 (Brahms)
ST-LAURENT STUDIO YSL 78-002 [61:35] 
None of these Cortot recordings is especially rare in the transfer stakes.
In fact the Saint-Saëns is one of the pianist’s best known and most admired
concerto performances, and rightly so, given the scintillating wit and élan
displayed, and the suitably incisive and imaginative support lent by Charles
Munch and the uncredited orchestra. At least once this was claimed to be the
Paris Conservatory Orchestra but there’s no documentary evidence for it. Full
of vivacity and colour, not at all dandified, I might well direct unbelievers
to this recording to show them something of Cortot’s sense of spirit and joie
de vivre – the composer’s too. It’s also been transferred on Naxos 8.110613
and Philips 456754-2, and Pearl GEMM 9491.
Regarding the Schumann, one must exercise a little more caution as regards
provenance. Cortot and Landon Ronald recorded this work three times together,
something of a feat of persistence. The first was an acoustic in 1922 with
the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra [Biddulph LHW021; Shinseido SGR8107], then
came this early electric one with the LSO in 1927 [also on Music & Arts
CD717 and Shinseido SGR8106], and finally there was the 1934 with the LPO
[Naxos 8.110612; Biddulph LHW003; also on Toshiba and Opus Kura OPK2010].
There’s a live 1951 broadcast with Fricsay as well. Cortot’s recordings make
interesting points of comparison with the sole one of the distinguished Clara
Schumann pupil, Fanny Davies, whose recording with Ernest Ansermet is well
known. It’s a moot point as to which Cortot performance is the ‘best’. The
LPO performance is certainly in better sound and has a more suave orchestral
sound, but there’s an individuality and spontaneity about this 1927 LSO traversal
that lends it great qualities of its own. The two makeweights are enjoyable
and good to have – pertinently selected too.
And now to the transfers. This company operates on a minimum intervention
policy. I have found it best not to blanket cover their releases but to listen
to them one by one, as quality varies according to the state of the original
discs. The Saint-Saëns has a good sound spectrum but there are numerous ticks
and clicks, and audible side joins – for example at 4:08 and 8:39 in the first
movement (i.e. the first two side changes). There’s whiskery surface noise
in the Schumann and again an avoidably poor side join at 4:39. Things here
should have been rather better. There are no notes, as usual from this firm.
Jonathan Woolf
This company operates on a minimum intervention policy. The Saint-Saëns has
a good sound spectrum but numerous ticks, clicks and audible side joins.