Claudio Arrau

Posted by: Oldnslow on 10 June 2010

I have been listening a lot to the great pianist Claudio Arrau lately, and came across a 1959 live recital from Ascona Italy (on a 1994 release on the Italian label Ermitage) that is simply phenomenal. It contains probably the finest version of the Schumann Fantasia that I have ever heard, and the fact that Arrau pulled it off live (including the treacherous middle movement) is impressive. The recital also contains an excellent Appassionate (though not note perfect), and a wonderful Pour le Piano and Chopin etude as an encore. The sound on the digital remastering is very fine--every note is crystal clear. It was recorded in what looks to be one of those magnificant halls that seemingly every mid-sized and larger Italian city has. Amazon has a few copies available for a pittence, although I believe it is out of print now (probably Ermitage doesn't even exist anymore). Perhaps someone more computer savvy than me can post a picture of the CD here

Some other great live Arrau from his prime are the two Brahms concerti (the First on BBC Legends with the SCO and Alexander Gibson, and the Second on Orfeo with Raphael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Symphony). I also very much enjoy his Chopin nocturnes, best obtained in the 24-bit remastering on the Decca 50 Great Recordings of the Century series, released in 2001.

Claudio Arrau was one of the greatest pianists, although his late recordings didn't really do him justice. I was fortunate to see him live once and it was an unforgettable experience.

Posted on: 10 June 2010 by mikeeschman

Arrau introduced me to Beethoven, and his Op. 109/110/111 remains a favorite still, decades on.

Posted on: 11 June 2010 by Nathaniel

Thanks for the recommendataion Oldnslow.

I've enjoyed the dodgy-looking Ermitage discs I've picked out of bargain buckets in the past, so I'll definitely give this a listen.

Posted on: 19 June 2010 by EJS

Another recommendation:

Posted on: 19 June 2010 by David S Robb

He's a favourite of mine, too, and I also was lucky enough to see and hear him about forty years ago -- though I can still remember the sound, and the look, of him (or so I tell myself)after all this time. Just out of university, I had a year in America and bought myself tickets for a series of concerts in Carnegie Hall. Arrau was due to play the Emperor Concerto in one of them. I expected him to be a somewhat boring elderly gent playing a concerto which I thought I was already over-familiar with. It turned out to be, of course, one of those concerts you never forget, thanks to the sound and personality he brought to the piece. I've got quite a few of his discs, and especially prize his account of the Liszt Transcendental Studies and the B Minor Sonata.

DSR