How Much Do You Like Schumann’s Piano Music?

Posted by: Todd A on 29 June 2003

I like it quite a bit. So when I got my four Andante boxes, I made a point to listen to a sampling of all of them before working my way though each box. I expected to listen to the comparative Beethoven piano concerto box first. I listened to the Schumann box instead. This is a tremendous set. It contains not even one bad performance; it contains a number of revelatory ones.

I’ll start with the weakest. These are the fault of Vladimir Horowitz. His 1932 Presto passionato and Traumeswirren are more about showing what Horowitz could do rather than what Schumann wrote. They are not necessarily bad, but I can’t count them as great. His 1934 Arabeske, however, is great. It is one of the finest performances of the piece I have heard. I am not now and never have been a Horowitz fan, so go figure.

The other weakest link is Magda Tagliaferro’s 1934 Faschingsschwank aus Wien. Her playing is technically assured, but the performance never seems to go anywhere. This is in contrast to her Romanze, Op 28/2, which is simply beautiful. I admit that Tagliaferro is a new name for me, and while I enjoyed some the latter piece, I’m not sure I will be hunting down more recordings by her.

Claudio Arrau is not a name I associate with Schumann, and this set does nothing to change that. His 1946 Kreisleriana (very poorly recorded) and 1947 Arabeske are both ably played, with some truly beautiful and effective moments, but neither really makes a convincing case for either piece.

So much for the weak performances, it’s time to move on to the great performances. And there are many. Alfred Cortot is one of the greatest Schumann interpreters, so it is not surprising that his Symphonic Etudes (1929), Papillons (1935), and Vogel als Prophet (1948) are all brilliant. He’s no Pollini, so there are more than a few missed notes and botched passages, but somehow such slips just don’t matter. The ending to the Etudes is especially noteworthy for all of the notes that are missed. Half the opening chords seem to be missing or incomplete. Yet the performance still works. If I will turn to others for a more satisfying and accurate rendition – namely Pollini – I will return to this one for sheer energy. This Papillons is one of the finest I have ever heard, dreamy and mercurial as it should be. And the Vogel als Prophet is downright eerie sounding, and very effective.

Also not surprising is the magnificent quality of Walter Gieseking’s 1947 Davidsbundlertanze. Recorded in surprisingly good sound, this is a truly great performance. Gieseking is all over the place as far as temperament, one moment flighty and wistful, the next wild and aggressive, the next contemplative. Mercurial again pops up as an apt description of the performance, and the piece benefits greatly from it. This ranks among the best I’ve yet heard.

On to one of my favorite Schumann masterpieces, Carnaval. The first version in the set is Rachmaninov’s stupendous, intimidating version. If ever anyone needed reminding of Rach’s keyboard prowess, this would do. He absolutely commands the keyboard, dashing off the most complex with a nonchalance and grace that few can match. On occasion one gets the feeling that this is more a Rach piece than a Schumann piece, but there can be no doubt that this is a great performance. But it pales next to Leopold Godowsky’s recording, also from 1929. This very well could be the best version I have ever heard. He marries technical perfection, architectural control, subtle shading, and a beautiful singing tone to make the piece seems as if it were newly written just for him. I sat listening in disbelief at the quality of this performance, literally. This, I thought at the moment, was what the piece should be all about; this is what all keyboard recordings should be like. Alright, I cannot dismiss Michelangeli, Cortot, or Annie Fisher – how could I – but this is one of the best additions to my Schumann collection in a long time.

Just about as good is Edwin Fisher’s marvelous 1949 recording of the Fantasie. Really, given Fisher’s approach, it makes sense that this should be a great performance. Okay, the more daunting technical passages give him trouble and they are more paraphrased than precise, but that simply does not matter during the opening or especially during the sublime conclusion. The final movement is possibly the best I’ve heard; I’m going to have to go through all of my other versions to hear if that’s the case. This is a beautiful, musical dream, just as it should be.

Yves Nat is a name I had only previously read about, and then always in conjunction with his complete Beethoven sonata cycle, which it now seems I will need to hunt down. While I cannot claim that any of the three pieces he plays – three Fantasiestucke (1937), Kinderszenen (1930), and Faschingsschwank aus Wien (1938) – are the best available, they are all exceptional. Probably the best is the Faschingsschwank, which really does sound festive. These are truly worth hearing over and over.

The biggest surprise of the set must surely be the performances by Clara Haskil. The set opens with an astounding ABEGG Variations from 1938, one of the best of this immature piece I’ve yet to encounter. Her other performance is the 1947 Waldszenen which is truly mesmerizing. She plays as if she is in a dream-state, with the all notes floating perfectly in a haze of romantic musicianship. Her technical command is excellent, her coloring phenomenal, her ability to create an all-encompassing sound world unique. On just the basis of these recordings it is clear she is one of the Great Pianists. Alas, up to this point I have neglected her art. I’ve seen her name countless times, I’ve seen her discs frequently, yet I’ve never bothered. I am going to correct this terribly unjust state of affairs as quickly as possible. These are amazing recordings. Thankfully, I can look forward to her Beethoven Fourth in one of the other Andante boxes. I shall spin that today.

So, this is a tremendous set that deserves serious consideration by all Schumann fans. The transfers all sound about as good as one can expect, and the presentation is first-rate. It receives my highest recommendation.
Posted on: 30 June 2003 by herm
That's a lot of Carnavals you're looking at, Todd. We'll be spending part of this week in Paris and I'll visit the historical-music store near the St Germain place; the funny thing is I can't recall ever seeing one of the Andante release in a store. Are they web-order only? I checked and the official price for this Schumann release is over 50 dollars. That's quite a lot for what's basically a bunch of 78 recordings on four discs.

However, I played the Michelangeli and the Rubinstein Carnaval after reading your post, and it's interesting to hear how different they obviously are. And after that Gieseking's Carnaval (Berlin, 1943), a little too fast and nervous, with all those men with guns in the audience.

I might try and get the Rachmaninov you're talking about.

Herman
Posted on: 30 June 2003 by Todd A
quote:
Originally posted by herm:
Andante...[a]re they web-order only? I checked and the official price for this Schumann release is over 50 dollars. That's quite a lot for what's basically a bunch of 78 recordings on four discs.


Andante sets are sold in retail outlets, too, though they may be hard to find because of pricing. Yes, they are expenxsive, but at least this set may be worth it. Here in the States this set is $65 new. I paid $28. Check out Berkshire, even with the increased shipping cost to Europe, it may be a good deal, especially with the relatively weak dollar.
Posted on: 30 June 2003 by Peter Litwack
I Love Schumann's Piano Music

As much as I love Chopin, it is Schumann who really gets to me. I'm glad you liked Cortot's Études Symphoniques. It is, by far, my favorite recording of this great work. Try to hunt down his recordings of the Kreiseriana and the Davidsbundlertanze. No one else plays any of these three pieces with such artistry! I only wish he had recorded the Fantasie. Years ago, when I worked on the Kreiseriana, Cortot's performance was my model.
I can also recommend Richter's performance of the Bunte Blatter, as well as his Fantasie. I've always liked the Edwin Fischer Fantasie - I hope it's available on a single disc. The Ashkenazy Fantasie is very good too.

Do you have any other "must have" recommendations for the die-hard Schumann fan?
Posted on: 30 June 2003 by herm
Really? I think Ashkenazy's recorded Schumann is just plain bad. I've once heard / saw him play a fabulous Kreisleriana, with purple smoke coming from the Steinway, it was that good - but the recordings? Not so good.

A great Schumann recording is the First Sonata and the Fantasie by Pollini. Another one is the Kreisleriana by Horowitz, sometime in the 1980s. Speaking of Carnavals I think the Uchida is pretty good, too. And apart from the Richter, Volodos did a really god Bünte Blatter. I love the Arabeske Runinstein played in the Carnegie Hall (but it's very hard to go wrong with the Arabeske). There are very few really satisfying studio recordings of the Davidsbündlertänze, so I'll be looking for the Gieseking come Wednesday, but the only modern one I can think of is Perahia's CBS recording from the mid seventies.

Herman
Posted on: 30 June 2003 by Peter Litwack
quote:
Really? I think Ashkenazy's recorded Schumann is just plain bad. I've once heard / saw him play a fabulous Kreisleriana, with purple smoke coming from the Steinway, it was that good - but the recordings? Not so good.


Herm-
Really? Have you ever actually listened to Ashkenazy's recording of the Fantasie? If so, I would have to strongly disagree with your assessment. I'm not sure if Ashkenazy recorded the Fantasie more that once, but the recording I have is a London vinyl job (Decca, I believe in the UK) from the late 60s/early 70s. An excellent reading.

I do agree with you about Pollini's disc. Brilliant all the way. The Horowitz Kreisleriana was a disappointment after growing up with the Cortot version, and I am a huge Horowitz fan. One of the highlights of my life was hearing Horowitz live. Truly electric!
Posted on: 30 June 2003 by herm
quote:
Originally posted by Peter Litwack:
Really? Have you ever actually listened to Ashkenazy's recording of the Fantasie? If so, I would have to strongly disagree with your assessment. I'm not sure if Ashkenazy recorded the Fantasie more that once, but the recording I have is a London vinyl job (Decca, I believe in the UK) from the late 60s/early 70s. An excellent reading.


I guess you're right. I have had a couple of Schumann CDs by Ashkenazy, and these were all digitally recorded (Kreisleriana, DBTänze, Blumenstück, etc) and these were not too great. The Fantasie you're talking about must be from another vintage, and may therefore be much better.

Herman
Posted on: 01 July 2003 by Todd A
First, Peter, you’re right about Cortot’s Kreisleriana and Davidsbundlertanze, both of which I have on an older Pearl reissue. They are exemplary. It looks like we also agree, along with Herman, on the Pollini early-70s Schumann: it is magnificent. Richter I run hot and cold on – as I do in all repertoire with him – but I will try to get the Bunte Blatter. It seems like something he should do well in. And as for Ashkenazy, I’ve yet to hear his Schumann, but since Decca just reissued all his digital stuff in a big-box as well as a few Double Deccas of his 60s stuff, I may have to sample some. I’ll go for the earlier stuff.

As for other must have Schumann, I say the Godowsky Carnaval I mentioned is a must have, as is pretty much any Cortot recording. Pollini’s 2001 release of the Davidsbundlertanze and Concert sans Orchestre is pretty much a must have, but mostly for the latter work, which is probably the best I have heard. I also cannot imagine not owning his Études Symphoniques, which stands as something of a contra-Cortot approach, but is simply amazing to listen to. Though the recordings are buried in multi-disc sets, I simply adore Wilhelm Kempff’s recording of Papillons and rate it a must have. Fortunately there are compelling recordings of a few other works in the set, too. (I know some don’t like Kempff’s Schumann, but they’re wrong.) Likewise buried in a (EMI) four disc set are four recordings by Annie Fischer, of the Fantaisie, Carnaval, Kinderszenen, and Kreisleriana, and they just keep getting better each time I hear them. My fascination with Ms. Fischer’s playing may render my opinion too biased, but her playing is of the highest order. And of course Michelangeli’s 1975 Carnaval on EMI is a case study in perfect pianism. Some may dislike his perfectionism, but I just love it. (Benno Moiseiwitsch’s Kinderszenen on Naxos is just wonderful, if perhaps not a “must have.”)

I don’t think it is possible to have a must-have Schumann list without mentioning Dinu Lipatti’s recording of the Piano Concerto, nor does it seem proper to ignore Murray Perahia’s recording of the same with Claudio Abbado. Of course, there are many great recordings of this work, but these are the two I listen to most often.

Moving away from piano music and into the symphonies it seems as though George Szell’s cycle on Sony is more or less mandatory. Sony just re-reissued the Masterworks Heritage discs, so these might be around again. If so, buy ‘em if ya ain’t got ‘em.
Posted on: 07 July 2003 by herm
Well, I didn’t get to buy the Andante box in Paris, as it was even more expensive in France than elsewhere. So what I did is order the Godowski volume of Great Pianists of the 20th C, which means I get a lot more pieces.

However, I did come home with some more Schumann, whom I obviously love a lot. Two Carnavals: the 1952 mono RCA recording by Rubinstein, which is a little faster and wilder than the stereo one I already had, and a 1951 Soviet recording by Vladimir Sofronitsky issued on Urania (together with Mendelsohn's Variations Sérieuses). The Sofronitsky is a bit of a disappointment. The playing is flawless, considering it’s a live performance, but, being new to Sofronitsky, I'm a bit surpised that Scriabin's son-in-law had such an uninteresting toucher. Everything is in an identical mezzoforte, which is not good in these character pieces. It gets to sound hard instead of mezzo.

I also grabbed a copy of the recent "Horowitz Rediscovered" issue - an integral recording of a november 1975 recital in Carnegie Hall, featuring Schumann's Blumenstück and the third Sonata, aka Concerto Sans Orchestre. The latter piece is a riot. Later in the recital Horowitz gets weirder and weirder, including a Chopin 1st Scherzo which is virtually unrecognizable due to Horowitz' habitual left - right disconnect, but the Schumann's pretty good. I like it better than the recent Pollini recording (which featured a different version, too).

However my really revelatory Paris purchase (as far as Romantic material is concerned) is two Arrau recordings from the Prague Spring Festival (on a Appian Recordings disc). A Schumann Symphonic Etudes from 1976, and a Chopin Préludes from 1960. The Schumann is so so. It is not as bad as the Italian live recording by Emil Gilels from the Eighties I got a couple months back, which gets rather aleatory towards the end. Still one can clearly hear a musician has to be in top shape for this intimidating piece, and Arrau wasn't in that kind of shape by that time. The Chopin Préludes, however, is stunning. Again, it's a prohibitively tough piece to perform (I can't recall ever being at a recital with this piece on the program) and Arrau (1) makes it, and (2) makes it into a coherent, beautifully dark story - much more compelling in fact than the official Philips studio recording from 1973. However, this is not a Chopin thread. So maybe I'll take this to the Nocturnes thread.

I'm eagerly awaiting the Godowsky.

Herman
Posted on: 14 July 2003 by herm
Godowsky

So, Todd, does the Godowsky Carnaval on your Andante release suffer from the same rhythmical wishy wooshy sounds from the Valse Noble onwards, or have they managed to filter it out on their remastering (that would certainly worth the price asked)? This is what I'm hearing on the Great Pianists of the 20th C edition I received today.

I agree the playing is pretty cool with touches I have never heard before, such as the perky left hand in the Valse Noble. As yet I wouldn’t go as far as you and prefer it over my favorites, I may be mistaken but I seem to miss a little black madness in the left hand, as in the way the Valse Noble is taken, and the smoky chords in the next piece (Eusebius) sound a little too clean to me, on first and second blush. But I certainly am going to listen to it a couple times more before deciding where I'm putting this recording - which also features a number of Chopin Nocturnes, his second sonata and the fourth scherzo. Plus Beethoven's Les adieux.

Herman
Posted on: 14 July 2003 by Todd A
quote:
Originally posted by herm:
So, Todd, does the Godowsky Carnaval on your Andante release suffer from the same rhythmical wishy wooshy sounds from the Valse Noble onwards, or have they managed to filter it out on their remastering[?] (that would certainly worth the price asked)



When I first listened I did not hear anything out of the ordinary, but I listened again to make sure. There is a fair amount of surface noise, but beyond that there is nothing like you describe. Andante's transfers are generally excellent in the Schumann set. (The Beethoven set on the other hand . . .)

I still stand by my verdict of the performance. Okay, maybe it's not the very best available - but can there be such a thing in this work? - but I certainly place it with a handful of others at the pinnacle of the catalog.



"The universe is change, life is opinion." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Posted on: 14 July 2003 by Peter Litwack
Todd-

Of course, I love the Dinu Lipatti Schumann concerto - but then, I love all of Lipatti's recordings. He was a magnificent gift. Did you ever hear about the piano contest Lipatti entered, which had Cortot as one of the judges? Legend has it that, when Lipatti was not awarded first prize, Cortot resigned in protest. Not sure if it is a true story, but it sounds about right. I'd resign in protest under the same circumstances. BTW, regarding the Richter Bunte Blatter, IIRC, my vinyl copy also has some great Brahms pieces, including an absolutely heroically tragic Op. 118, No.6 (the e-flat minor one). Obviously, one would expect Richter to own a work like that.

Herm-
Regarding your difficulty with the "left - right disconnect" in Horowitz's Chopin, I believe this style is called "broken hands", and is quite authentic for an early 20th century "Golden Age" pianist. One of my favorite university professors, a certain William Corbett Jones, spent a whole class demonstrating this style, playing recordings from the "Golden Age". He really opened my eyes to the wonderful quirkiness exhibitted by these great artists. Our age of technical "correctness" is largely devoid of these stylistic quirks (Glenn Gould excepted), but the "broken hands" and exagerated rubato used came from a great tradition. As it was explained to me, "broken hands" is the result of one hand playing more "rubato" than the other. Professor Jones' class was a true delight. He was a very accomplished concert pianist, and most of the classes consisted of him playing the great works of the literature - from Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, right up through Schubert, Chopin, Schumann and Brahms. Can you imagine? Full pieces, not just excerpts. He introduced me to many great artists of the past - Gerhard Hüsch, Leopold Godowsky, Jozef Lhévinne, Solomon, etc.