ICON: Claudio Arrau: Virtuoso Philosopher of the Piano

I really can't add much to the two very full reviews of the previous reviewers, but I heartily endorse their enthusiasm for this box. Arrau was in mid-career at the time of most of these recordings (some Chopin and Schumann solo stuff is earlier) and for many of the concerto recordings, Walter Legge was at the helm to assure as good sound as could be gotten in those days -- the late 1950's to around 1960. The Beethoven and Brahms concertos alone are worth the price of the box -- Galliera and Guilini are supportive partners, and while it's true that the Philips sound of his later set was better, and he was excellently supported by Haitink, many critics have made the case that these EMI recordings sound a bit fresher and more spontaneous. I don't know that I hear the difference in terms of musical quality -- rather, here is one of the giants of the keyboard, one who always has musical reasons for his interpretive decisions, and so he's ALWAYS interesting to hear. In addition to Beethoven and Brahms, there are concertos from around the same time (1960, give or take) by Schumann, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky, all well worth hearing. Some of the solo pieces show their age sonically a little bit -- especially the stuff from 1939! -- but most of the Beethoven sonatas here were recorded in the mid-1950's and are in perfectly acceptable sound. Arrau's Philips Beethoven recordings (sonatas and concertos) are available as a boxed set too. If you can afford it, get it as well -- and then Brendel, Serkin (not quite complete), and then wait until EMI decides to remaster Kovacevich for a cheap price. It's a golden time for piano fans!

This wonderful collection of studio recordings (mainly produced by Walter Legge) supplies a rich portrait of the "middle Arrau", painted just before the starting of his great Philips period. The majority of the items has already been published as single CDs or in other box-sets, but something has been newly remastered and something else is now difficult to find. Besides, some pieces will never be recorded again (in studio) by Arrau: Schubert's "Wanderer" and March in E - D.606; Chopin's Sonata No. 3, Etudes, Allegro de Concert in A and Tarantelle in A flat (rec. 1939), Debussy's Tarantelle Styrienne (rec. 1939) and, therefore, they represent invaluable documents.Something is mono, something else is stereo (see for details the track-list below), but the general sound quality is very good, even if not excellent.The concert "companions" are an elegant and essential (but not cold! on the contrary!) Alceo Galliera (Beethoven - all the 5 -, Grieg, Schumann, Tchaikovsky No. 1, Weber's Konzertstuck) and a warm and flawless Carlo Maria Giulini (Brahms Nos. 1 & 2), both conducting an attentive and precise Philharmonia Orchestra. While Giulini's fame does not ask for any adjunctive comment, Alceo Galliera is today quite forgotten, if not considered nothing more than a good conductor or accompanist. This last point must be considered a cursory mistake. Indeed, Galliera performed and recorded together with the greatest soloists of his epoch - Arrau, Lipatti, Schnabel, Gieseking, Benedetti-Michelangeli, Anda, Haas, Haebler, and then Oistrackh, Fournier, Thibaud, Brain, Goossens, and, more, Callas, Schwarzkopf, Moffo, Gobbi, Gedda, Alva, etc. - therefore, if he is actually an accompanist, he is the accompanist of the Masters! Anyway, Galliera's performances are here excellent and very very refined, in the pattern of the best Italian conducting tradition, that is "drying" the orchestral score to its essentiality (that does not mean simplification, but improving musical meaning without overwhelming soloists' parts) and keeping it within its functional role, not trying to unnecessarily attract a spotlight on the "Maestro" and on his "bravura". As a matter of fact, if you attentively listen to Galliera's conduction, many passages, with the most elegant easiness, catch and masterfully express the composition nuances within a context-sensitive and meaningful approach.In any case, the added value of this box-set is that it supplies a complete anthology concerning with Claudio Arrau as passing from the sparkling neoclassical approach of the 1940s' and of the first half of 1950s' (the zenith of this "first period" is, in my opinion, represented, on disc, by the famous recordings of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, Fantasia in E minor on Hungarian Folk Songs and of some of his Hungarian Rhapsodies, see:  Piano Concerto 1 / Hungarian Fantasy  or  Liszt: Concerto pour piano No.1 ), to the warmer and metaphysical interpretations of the 1960s' and over. Therefore, here the recordings span from 1956 to 1962, but, in the last CD, there are also some retrospective recordings, very interesting for a stylistic comparison with the "first Arrau": the famous 1939 recording of Schumann's Carnaval (still considered a reference performance), the rare 1938 recording of Chopin's Tarantelle, Op. 43, and the 1939 recording of Debussy's Tarantelle Styrienne and Jardins sous la pluie.Someone thinks that in the sixties Arrau (born 1903) started his slow decline. This is not my opinion at all. The recordings here presented are superb interpretations of absolute value and, also if Arrau would have retired after their executions, many of them would be still unsurpassed. On the contrary, here Arrau has not still reached his zenith, but he is starting a fundamental period of transition towards it, where transition does not necessarily mean something poorer or less valuable. As a matter of fact, here, doubtless, Arrau still has (and, for a long time, will have) his virtuoso maximum strength and valuably enriches it with some marvelous new bud, another crop of his long-life "recherche". He is winning his enduring struggle against ego and vanity and his performances will be increasingly driven by soul and transcendency. Surely this sort of engrafting is difficult, risky and delicate and asks for courage and attentiveness; here, someway, we clearly feel that something will be soon overshadowed (not denied!) and, on the other side, that something has not yet completely accomplished and that none (Arrau himself!) can be sure of the forthcoming achievements. Indeed buds will not wither; indeed, in the brighter and warmer light of a different and higher kind of consciousness, gorgeous flowers will plentifully bloom. A starting transfiguration: Grandioso!Track-list:CD 1Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, Op.15[ 1] I. Allegro con brio 16.24[ 2] II. Largo 10.55[ 3] III. Rondo: Allegro scherzando 9.25Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op.19[ 4] I. Allegro con brio 14.04[ 5] II. Adagio 9.02[ 6] III. Rondo: Molto allegro 6.33Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo GallieraRecorded: 1 - 3.V. and 7.X.1958, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson & Francis DillnuttRecordings first issued in 1959 & *1960 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADD[ 7] 32 Variations in C minor, WoO.80 12.23Recorded: 13.IV.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDThis compilation and digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.CD 2Ludwig van BeethovenPiano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op.37[ 1] I. Allegro con brio 16.53[ 2] II. Largo 10.58[ 3] III. Rondo: Allegro - Presto 9.24Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op.73 "Emperor"[ 4] I. Allegro 20.29[ 5] II. Adagio un poco mosso 7.47[ 6] III. Rondo: Allegro - Più allegro 10.42Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo GallieraRecorded: 19 - 22.VI.1958, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Douglas LarterRecordings first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDCD 3Ludwig van BeethovenPiano Concerto No. 4 in G, Op.58[ 1] I. Allegro moderato 19.14[ 2] II. Andante con moto 5.38[ 3] III. Rondo: Vivace - Presto 10.06Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo GallieraRecorded: 30 & 31.V.1955, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1956 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 "Waldstein"[ 4] I. Allegro con brio 12.11[ 5] II. Introduzione: Adagio molto - 4.17[ 6] Rondo: Allegretto moderato - Prestissimo 10.39Recorded: 1 & 22.XII.1956 and 19.V.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: William Mann and Alan Melville - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a "Les Adieux"[ 7] I. Adagio - Allegro (Les Adieux) 6.59[ 8] II. Andante espressivo (L'Absence) 3.50[ 9] III. Vivacissimamente (Le Retour) 6.04Recorded: 4.IV.1958, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1991 by EMICD 4Ludwig van BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"[ 1] I. Allegro assai 10.26[ 2] II. Andante con moto 7.05[ 3] III. Allegro ma non troppo - Presto 8.12Recorded: 11 & 12.IV.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge & Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major, Op. 54[ 4] I. In tempo d'un Menuetto 5.59[ 5] II. Allegretto 6.15Recorded: 13 & 14.IV.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.Piano Sonata No. 7 in D, Op. 10 No. 3[ 6] I. Presto 6.37[ 7] II. Largo e mesto 10.12[ 8] III. Menuetto: Allegro 2.50[ 9] IV. Rondo: Allegro 3.55Recorded: 6.X.1958 & 15.X.1959, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Douglas Larter and Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1960 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp, Op. 78[10] I. Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo 7.20[11] II. Allegro vivace 3.00Recorded: 8.IV.1958, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.CD 5Ludwig van BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101[ 1] I. Allegretto ma non troppo 4.20[ 2] II. Vivace alla Marcia 5.06[ 3] III. Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto 2.40[ 4] Allegro 8.07Recorded: 30.XI & 1.XII.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDPiano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110[ 5] I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo 7.15[ 6] II. Allegro molto 2.16[ 7] III. Adagio ma non troppo 3.53[ 8] Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo 7.14Recorded: 18.V.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge & Alan Melville - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDPiano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111[ 9] I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato 9.01[10] II. Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile 19.53Recorded: 21 - 23.V.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge & William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling & Edward HuntleyRecording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDThis compilation and digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.CD 6Johannes Brahms 1833-1897Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op.15[ 1] I. Maestoso 23.28[ 2] II. Adagio 15.06[ 3] III. Rondo: Allegro non troppo 12.54Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria GiuliniRecorded: 21 - 23.IV.1960, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.CD 7Carl Maria von Weber 1786-1826Konzertstück in F minor, Op. 79[ 1] Larghetto affettuoso 6.18[ 2] Allegro passionato - Adagio 5.06[ 3] Tempo di marcia - Più mosso 2.25[ 4] Presto giojoso 4.31Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo GallieraRecorded: 19.IV.1960, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2004 by EMI Records Ltd.Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op.83[ 5] I. Allegro non troppo 19.11[ 6] II. Allegretto appassionato 9.17[ 7] III. Andante* 12.05[ 8] IV. Allegretto grazioso 9.57* Raymond Clark, celloPhilharmonia Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria GiuliniRecorded: 21 & 22.IV.1962, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Francis Dillnutt(P) 1962 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.CD 8Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op.23[ 1] I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito 21.20[ 2] II. Andantino semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I 7.46[ 3] III. Allegro con fuoco 7.06Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo GallieraRecorded: 18 & 19.IV.1960, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson(P) 1961 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.Edvard Grieg 1843-1907Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16[ 4] I. Allegro molto moderato - Cadenza - Tempo I 14.32[ 5] II. Adagio 6.55[ 6] III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato - Andante maestoso 10.46Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo GallieraRecorded: 19 & 20.IV.1957, No. 1, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2001 by TestamentCD 9Franz Schubert 1797-18283 Klavierstücke, D.946[ 1] Impromptu No. 1 in E flat minor 15.21[ 2] Impromptu No. 2 in E flat 15.37[ 3] Impromptu No. 3 in C 5.13Recorded: 2 & 3.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.Fantasy in C "Wanderer", D.760[ 4] Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo 6.32[ 5] Adagio 7.49[ 6] Presto 5.15[ 7] Allegro 3.22Recorded: 22 & 25.X.1957, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: William Mann - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson & Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 1988 by EMI Records Ltd.[ 8] Allegretto in C minor, D.915 c6.05[ 9] March in E, D.606 4.12Recorded: 15.X.1959, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Legge - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecordings first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.CD 10Franz Schubert6 Moments musicaux, D.780[ 1] No. 1 in C 5.35[ 2] No. 2 in A flat 7.11[ 3] No. 3 in F minor 1.59[ 4] No. 4 in C sharp minor 5.48[ 5] No. 5 in F minor 2.08[ 6] No. 6 in A flat major 9.00Recorded: 3 & 4.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1959 by EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2011 by EMI Records Ltd.Frédéric Chopin 1810-1849Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op.38[ 7] I. Allegro maestoso 14.44[ 8] II. Scherzo: Molto vivace 2.41[ 9] III. Largo 10.35[10] IV. Finale: Presto non tanto 5.19Recorded: 14, 24 & 25.IV. and 21.VI.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London[11] Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49 13.11Recorded: 21.VI.1960, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Walter Jellinek - Balance engineer: Harold Davidson(P) 1962 EMI Records Ltd. STEREO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2001 by EMI RecordsCD 11Frédéric Chopin12 Études, Op.10[ 1] No. 1 in C 1.55[ 2] No. 2 in A minor 1.22[ 3] No. 3 in E 4.31[ 4] No. 4 in C sharp minor 2.16[ 5] No. 5 in G flat 1.41[ 6] No. 6 in E flat minor 2.53[ 7] No. 7 in C 1.37[ 8] No. 8 in F 2.23[ 9] No. 9 in F minor 2.09[10] No. 10 in A flat 2.14[11] No. 11 in E flat 3.00[12] No. 12 in C minor 2.2712 Études, Op.25[13] No. 1 in A flat 2.25[14] No. 2 in F minor 1.43[15] No. 3 in F 2.04[16] No. 4 in A minor 2.18[17] No. 5 in E minor 3.24[18] No. 6 in G sharp minor 2.06[19] No. 7 in C sharp minor 5.18[20] No. 8 in D flat 1.09[21] No. 9 in G flat 1.04[22] No. 10 in B minor 4.29[23] No. 11 in A minor 3.36[24] No. 12 in C minor 2.293 Nouvelles Études[25] No. 1 in F minor 2.05[26] No. 2 in D flat 2.24[27] No. 3 in A flat 2.04[28] Allegro de concert in A, Op.46 12.22Recorded: 15 - 22 & 29.VI. and 5.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Alan Melville and William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville BoylingRecording first issued in 1957 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDThis compilation & digital remastering (P) 2007 by EMI Records Ltd.CD 12Robert Schumann 1810-1856Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54[ 1] I. Allegro affetuoso - Andante espressivo - Tempo I - Cadenza - Allegro molto 16.45[ 2] II. Intermezzo (Andantino grazioso) 5.54[ 3] III. Allegro vivace 11.14Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alceo GallieraRecorded: 24.V.1957, Walthamstow Town Hall, LondonProducer: Lawrance Collingwood - Balance engineer: Robert E. BeckettRecording first issued in 1958 by EMI Records Ltd. MONO/ADDDigital remastering (P) 2001 by TestamentCarnaval, Op. 9[ 4] 1. Préambule 2.04[ 5] 2. Pierrot 0.59[ 6] 3. Arlequin 0.35[ 7] 4. Valse noble 1.06[ 8] 5. Eusebius 2.04[ 9] 6. Florestan 0.51[10] 7. Coquette. 0.57[11] 8. Réplique 0.52[12] 9. Papillons 0.40[13] 10. A.S.C.H. - S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes) 0.46[14] 11. Chiarina 0.45[15] 12. Chopin 1.25[16] 13. Estrella 0.32[17] 14. Reconnaissance 1.49[18] 15. Pantalon et Colombine 0.52[19] 16. Valse allemande 0.31[20] 17. Paganini (Intermezzo) 1.03[21] 18. Aveu 1.00[22] 19. Promenade 2.11[23] 20. Pause 0.18[24] 21. Marche des »Davidsbündler« contre les Philistins 3.32Recorded: 3 & 4.IV.1939, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: UnknownBalance engineer: UnknownMONO/ADD - Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.Frédéric Chopin[25] Tarantelle in A flat, Op.43 2.41Recorded: ??.??.1938, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Unknown - Balance engineer: UnknownMONO/ADD Digital remastering (P) 1991 by EMI Records Ltd.Claude Debussy 1862-1918[26] Danse (Tarantelle styrienne) 4.54[27] Estampes - No. 3 Jardins sous la pluie 3.35Recorded: 4.IV.1939, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, LondonProducer: Unknown - Balance engineer: UnknownMONO/ADD

If you're an avid Arrau fan, and haven't heard these recordings, here's a good chance to fill in potential holes in your collection.If you're new to Arrau (as I was) and looking to explore his artistry, this also may be a worthy purchase; take a little time to read the longer, more thoughtful reviews below to get more valuable information from those reviewers who are much more informed about Arrau than I. There's nothing I can write that they haven't already, and with much greater authority and knowledge.Suffice to say this helped "scratch the itch" in my curiosity about one of the greatest and most revered pianists of the middle 20th century.

There isn't any Liszt, Captain Kirk.