Alfor's Rarities - Recordings

[alfor]

It is a pity that nobody listened to the Rubinstein Debussy file to the end!
For whatever reasons the last few bars of „Ondine“ are missing.

So here is the complete file:

Rubinstein Debussy Ondine.mp3

Thanks Alfor. I did have a lot of Rubinstein RCA CDs but these Debussy and Brahms are still very much welcome. His RCA French and Spanish albums features some of his best recordings for me. One of the reasons I started loving Debussy when I was still young is also Rubinstein. So, thank you very much again.

You are welcome!

[alfor]

..To my ear, this work seems to resemble closely the style of early Brahms.

Thank you for alerting me! I would rather call it Brahms reminiscences (of op. 21,1 a.o. works).

[Timtin]

It's perhaps curious to reflect that for every copy of the score
of Parry's Theme and 19 Variations which exists in the world,
there are probably 1000 copies of Brahms's Variations Op21/1.
But is the Brahms work 1000 times superior?

[alfor]

It's perhaps curious to reflect that for every copy of the score
of Parry's Theme and 19 Variations which exists in the world,
there are probably 1000 copies of Brahms'S Variations Op21/1.
But is the Brahms work 1000 times superior? I think not.

I really do like Brahms' Variations op. 21,1 (which are rarely performed, BTW!). But...see below.
A while ago I posted recital programmes from a century ago. And it is amazing that
todays recital programmes are still neearly identical.

There are very few concert managers and musicians who are a bit more adventurous.
So imho it would be an excellent idea to couple the aforementioned works, i.e. Brahms' op. 21,1 and Parry's Variations!

[player]

Frank MERRICK plays:
PARRY: Theme and Variations
LESCHETIZKY: Canzonetta Toscana al antica; Intermezzo in Octaves
SCHÜTT: Valse Mignonne


From LP "Frank Merrick Edition Vol. 6 SRRE 117"

Merrick was probably well over 80 when he recorded these pieces. Nevertheless an extremely authoritative reading

Thank-you so much for posting this - I was very curious to hear this extremely obscure recording. Isn't the final piece the other one of the op16 pieces - the etude mignonne?
Thanks again, Rob

[alfor]

... Isn't the final piece the other one of the op16 pieces - the etude mignonne?
Thanks again, Rob

It is in fact the Etude mignonne op. 16 No. 1

[alfor]

Max REGER
Intermezzi op. 45
Wilfried Kassebaum, piano

From original LP.

http://www.mediafire.com/?z0nl93xo3aq0m9r

[alfor]

British pianist

Cyril SMITH (1909-74; mainly known as a duo-pianist - 4 hands, resp. in his last years 3 hands only -
with his second wife Phyllis Sellick)

plays

RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No. 3
City of Birmingham Orchestra
George Weldon

Excellent reading; some cuts to accomodate to 10 shellack sides.

In many parts the melodic material consists mainly of various sequences of minor and major seconds.
Despite Rachs's great piano writing there are spots where the Orchestra tends to „cover“ the piano in a way
that you can only guess the huge amount of additional notes and actually can hear nothing but the melody .

http://www.mediafire.com/download/dhfor ... _Smith.mp3

P.S. Best regards to all big rabbits currently visiting Budapest.

[alfor]

RACH plays Schumann Carnaval op. 9
(Surely among his musically most convincing recordings.)

http://www.mediafire.com/?701vg0d619bgs16

From original German Electrola shellac set.

[alfor]

Anton BRUCKNER

Adagio from String Quintet
Heutling SQ & Heinz-Otto Graf

http://www.mediafire.com/?i88hwua66a618v9