Pianophilia

Time to re-establish the reputation of:
Joyce HATTO
Arnold BAX Sonata No. 1 (from original mono LP of the early 1950s)
http://www.mediafire.com/?m3kh2odzzzt

alfor wrote:Time to re-establish the reputation of:
Joyce HATTO
Arnold BAX Sonata No. 1 (from original mono LP of the early 1950s)
http://www.mediafire.com/?m3kh2odzzzt

Splendid! This time it REALLY IS her!
Could you also process the other items on the disc (Sonata 4, Toccata, Water Music) if the performances are acceptable?

rob wrote:

alfor wrote:Time to re-establish the reputation of:
Joyce HATTO
Arnold BAX Sonata No. 1 (from original mono LP of the early 1950s)
http://www.mediafire.com/?m3kh2odzzzt

Splendid! This time it REALLY IS her!
Could you also process the other items on the disc (Sonata 4, Toccata, Water Music) if the performances are acceptable?

This evening I will record (i.e. "feed into the computer") the other items.
Early recordings of Bax' piano works are quite rare. Hatto's playing is indeed acceptable. - I also have a recording of Sonata No. 2 by Frank Merrick. It is a fine reading, although the recording conditions could have been better.

alfor wrote:

rob wrote:

alfor wrote:Time to re-establish the reputation of:
Joyce HATTO
Arnold BAX Sonata No. 1 (from original mono LP of the early 1950s)
http://www.mediafire.com/?m3kh2odzzzt

Splendid! This time it REALLY IS her!
Could you also process the other items on the disc (Sonata 4, Toccata, Water Music) if the performances are acceptable?

This evening I will record (i.e. "feed into the computer") the other items.
Early recordings of Bax' piano works are quite rare. Hatto's playing is indeed acceptable. - I also have a recording of Sonata No. 2 by Frank Merrick. It is a fine reading, although the recording conditions could have been better.

Frank Merrick taught a pianist friend of mine (aka Mr Thumpy of whom my friends have heard me recount various tales). Anyway, said friend always praised Merrick as a fine pianist and terrific teacher.

rob wrote: Frank Merrick taught a pianist friend of mine (aka Mr Thumpy of whom my friends have heard me recount various tales). Anyway, said friend always praised Merrick as a fine pianist and terrific teacher.

Happy to know that there seems to be at least one fellow enthusiast regarding rare LP and shellac recordings.
I will post some more rare recordings from the big poole of fine British pianists: Frank Merrick (Reger, Bax, Rawsthorne, Merrick), Eileen Joyce, Harriet Cohen (today better known than as a pianist by her - not altogether happy - love affair with Arnold Bax ; her Bach received praise from Edwin Fischer and other colleagues - she probably played all the Bax sonatas - did she record any?), Denis Matthews, Adelina de Lara (one of the last pupils of Clara Schumann), Kathleen Long (her Faure recordings are among the best ever).

Joyce Hatto:
Arnold Bax Sonata No. 4 (musically and pianistically the easiest accessible of Bax' sonatas)
Toccata
Water Music
http://www.mediafire.com/?tqzym2m1k2n

P.S. Listen with the score in front of your eyes (vintage LP listeners will know why I recommend this!)

alfor wrote:

rob wrote: Frank Merrick taught a pianist friend of mine (aka Mr Thumpy of whom my friends have heard me recount various tales). Anyway, said friend always praised Merrick as a fine pianist and terrific teacher.

Happy to know that there seems to be at least one fellow enthusiast regarding rare LP and shellac recordings.
I will post some more rare recordings from the big poole of fine British pianists: Frank Merrick (Reger, Bax, Rawsthorne, Merrick), Eileen Joyce, Harriet Cohen (today better known than as a pianist by her - not altogether happy - love affair with Arnold Bax ; her Bach received praise from Edwin Fischer and other colleagues - she probably played all the Bax sonatas - did she record any?), Denis Matthews, Adelina de Lara (one of the last pupils of Clara Schumann), Kathleen Long (her Faure recordings are among the best ever).

Would love to hear more Merrick. I have a couple of LPs of his that I will post as soon as I can.
I have
"Merrick Record Association 4"
Wigmore Hall 29/04/61
Mozart - Phantasie K475
Debussy - L'Isle joyeuse
Merrick - Bonny Blue bell variations

"Merrick Record Association 2"
Wigmore Hall 29/04/61
Schubert - Sonata op42 A minor
Beethoven - Sonata op90

I would love to hear all his piano concertos which were recorded by the Frank Merrick Society (or maybe Rare Recorded Editions) with Merrick at the piano. I seem to remember there were several. When I was a kid they were listed in the special editions section at the back of the Gramophone Classical catalogue - nowadays I would snap them up but then I didn't realise what a treasure I could be looking at.
Rob

Frank MERRICK
Arnold BAX Sonata No. 2 (from original "Franck Merrick Society" LP)
Authoritative in every single note, this is a very sympathetic, completely "unshowy" reading. - For the slightly dull or shallow sound, I blame the recording conditions, not the pianist.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zkgotxjjrtb

Frank MERRICK
John FIELD: Sonata op. 1 No. 1 1st mvt., Nocturne No. 2, Sonata op. 1 No. 1 2nd mvt., Nocturne No. 8, Rondo in E ("Le Midi")

http://www.mediafire.com/?gzmonemlmow

Harriet COHEN
Mozart: Sonata K.330 (rec. 1932)
Vaughan Williams: Hymn Tune Prelude on song 13 (Orlando Gibbons) (rec. 1947)
Etudes Nos. 25 & 26 (rec 1943)
de Falla: Andaluza (rec. 1943)
Turina: Danza de la Seducción
http://www.mediafire.com/?mmntnnkmemy