Alfor's Rarities

[alfor]

Alfred, wonderful to to have the BACH-BOEKELMAN. This is a great teaching aid. And I have found several very interesting points that I had not noticed before. Now I guess we're all wondering if Boeklman did the 3-part Inventions as well.

P.P.S: Alfred, I guessed Siloti had pretty big hands, but I didn't know that were that large! I lament the out-of-print biography of Siloti by Charles Barber, "Lost in the Stars: The Forgotten Musical Life of Alexander Siloti" which I am dying to read where likely other choice tidbits can be found out about this great musician.

Dear fleubis,

you are welcome!

Boekelman: I have on my shelves and will post in due course:
Eight fugues of the WTC with analytical expositions (= same „polychromatic“ notation as in the Inventions).

Barber/Siloti: I can get it through interlibrary loan. One single problem: interlibrary loan through the Lübeck town library is very slow and I do not know whether I will have the time to go the LBMV in Schwerin, where I probably could get it much quicker. But I will do my best (so please let me know, if you find a second-hand copy in the meantime).

All best

alfor

P.S. I am just now listening to one of Artur Rubinstein's best recordings (imho): the 1946 recording of Chopin's op. 35 (on LP - you know, I am an analogue addict -, together with some excellent Debussy he never recorded before or later). If there is an honest interest on your side, I could post a transfer.

[fleubis]

Hi Alfor,

Good news all around! I have been on the Amazon "notify" list for a second-hand copy of Barber's Siloti biography for 3 years and am STILL on it. I think anybody who really doesn't know much about him would welcome reading about him. He is apparently one of the great unrecorded pianists and whose advise was sought by nearly everyone.

Now I know you are an analog junkie. My interest takes a slightly different turn in that I have no interest in collect analog records (LP's, 78's,etc) but DO collect digital transfers of same. In fact I gave away over 1200 LP's before moving, but not without making sure I had digital copies. So it is the collecting of performances of great masters is what matters, lest they be permanently lost. My two favorites have always been Horowitz and Rubinstein, since they produced amazing recordings when I was young AND I got to hear both in person. Some of the early Horowitz recordings are astounding. Early Rubinstein? I don't have anything from him 1946, that's for sure. Transfer on, I plead!

Oddly enough, I took a very unusual course at university specifically about piano & violin music recorded on 78's. These professors would swear there was a difference in quality they could detect making the old 78's superior (for comparison, they used LP's). This was over 40 years ago. Us students were noncommittal and to this day I wonder why I took that course!

fleubis

[alfor]

BACH-BOEKELMAN
Inventions D

Bach-Boekelman Inventions D.pdf

Thank you very much Alfor.

You are welcome!!

[alfor]

...Early Rubinstein? I don't have anything from him 1946, that's for sure. Transfer on, I plead!...

I will do so. Most Rubinstein recordings were issued simultaneously in the USA, Great Britain and (partly) Germany. US pressings under the RCA (Victor) label (LM resp. LSC), British issues under the EMI (H.M.V.) ALP and German issues under the RCA label and record numbers - to be identified by a bashful „B“ following the US numbers. Oddly enough all these pressings do sound slightly different (for every musical ear!). I do have the US and British issues of the recording in question plus an US issue on three 45rpm red vinyl (!) discs of op. 35 only.

The first (mainly Chopin) recordings (on shellac) by Rubinstein are imho NOT among his best. His playing is partly sloppy, perfunctory, showing a somehow „bragging“ personality. But among his "middle" recordings (roughly from 1940 to 1960) are true gems which show him as a mature personality and imho sound far better than all his stereo recordings! So I will post some of these (of course from the original sources!).

[alfor]

BACH-BOEKELMAN
8 Fugues from the WTC
analytic, polychromatic edition

Bach-Boekelman Fugues WTC A.pdf

audio:
Rubinstein plays Chopin Sonata op. 35 (1946 recording!)

[fleubis]

Lovely, Alfor, the BACH-BOEKELMAN, that is. This kind of analysis just about anyone can follow. Wish I had this back when I was learning these pieces, and learning them would have been so much easier.

[alfor]

For all ANALYTICIANS:

BACH-BOEKELMAN
FUGUES WTC B

Bach-Boekelman Fugues B.pdf

audio:
Rubinstein plays Debussy

[fleubis]

Thanks for the BACH-BOEKELMAN WTC B, Alfred. Very nice indeed.

[alfor]

You are welcome, dear fleubis!

BACH-BOEKELMAN
FUGUES WTC C, D

Bach-Boekelman Fugues C.pdf

Bach-Boekelman Fugues D.pdf

[parag]

These Boekelman scores are really superb Alfred... thanks a lot!

Best regards,
Parag