Customer Reviews

The Complete Josef Hofmann, Vol. 6: The Casmir Hall Recital

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Volume 6 is primarily Josef Hofmann's Casimir Hall Recital of 1938, featuring the Beethoven "Waldstein" Sonata and the Schumann Kreisleriana (slightly abridged), plus some shorter pieces. It also includes a complete recording of the Beethoven Moonlight Sonata from 1936 and a complete recording of a broadcast of the Beethoven G major Concerto from 1941. This pair of CD's needs a little caution -- Hofmann was in a strange mood for the Casimir Hall Recital, since he had been fired as director of the Curtis Institute shortly before the recital and his mood is, well, strange. But much of the playing is still wonderful. My assumption is that anyone interested in Hofmann will start by getting Volumes 1 & 2 -- the Chopin Concertos and the 1937 Golden Jubilee Recital. Beyond that, in choosing among Volumes 3 to 6, Volume 6 offers some unusual repertoire for Hoffman. The Waldstein is both astonishing and quirky, a performance you have to hear to believe, not that you will necessarily like it. The tempos in the second and third movement are far faster than anyone else has attempted. The melodic line and the tempos are sometimes distorted beyond recognition. But it's still amazing! In the Chopin Minute Waltz, the repeat is taken in thirds! For piano aficionados and Hofmann lovers, this is a "must" recording. For others, it is good but ranks below Volumes 4 or 5, due to problems in the Casimir Hall portion -- the quirkiness at times and the sound level that fluctuates. An excellent 32 page booklet is included.

Want to know why Hofmann was considered to be one of the greatest titans of the keyboard? Well, let's forget nicey-nice performances, drop our scores, widen our emotional dynamic ranges, open our hearts and minds and really listen to his performance of the Chopin f minor Ballade! It is incredibly personal, passionate, and shattering! There is nothing like it, yet there there is so much more on this set to learn from and be moved by. Here is astounding pianism and musicianship from one of the greatest pianists of all time recorded live, close to his prime. Ward Marston has done wonders with the sound.

Hofmann - particularly late Hofmann - may be an acquired taste.
Despite having been the protégé of Anton Rubinstein, "the wonderful boy" was recognized from quite an early age as the exemplar of a modern style of playing - textually faithful, eschewing swooning or bombast. (See, for example, the references to Hofmann in Henry Lahee's wonderful survey from 1900, Famous Pianists of Today and Yesterday.)
Still, a number of younger colleagues expressed ambivalence. Horowitz was floored by Hofmann's keyboard command - everyone was - but he, Artur Rubinstein and Arrau, to name just three - seem not to have been terribly moved by Hofmann's musicianship.
But which Hofmann are we considering? His playing for the gramophone - as early as 1903 and as late as 1935 - was as disciplined as it was imaginative and dazzling. The late Harold Schonberg called it "perfection plus."
However, as Gregor Benko makes clear in his essays for the Marston reissues, Hofmann switched on what the pianist called a "spectacular" style for many public performances. This may sound cynical. Often it sounds terribly cynical. Hofmann was not speaking merely of the need to project in a large concert hall. In public performance - at least those performances we have from the late `30s and early `40s - the aristocrat often becomes a mountebank, lurching from the softest pianissimos to explosive fortissimos, rattling off passages or entire pieces even faster than Simon Barere boasted he could do.
Schonberg - and Hofmann's friend and admirer Rachmaninoff - reminded us that during this period Hofmann had many personal troubles, including a severe drinking problem. We must believe that at his greatest Hofmann played as scrupulously and with as much refined feeling in public as he did on many of his studio recordings, though his manner may have differed somewhat. And there are some marvelous live performances. The Rubinstein 4th from his Golden Jubilee concert beggars description.
So where does that leave us? As an introduction to Hofmann, I would recommend the early Columbia recordings, those he made somewhat later for Brunswick, and the American and British test pressings from 1935 - perhaps his greatest recorded playing. These are Volumes 3, 4 and 5 of the complete Hofmann series. Serious listeners will also want the ups and downs of the Golden Jubilee (Volume 2). The Chopin concertos in Volume 1 have some splendid moments, but the superlative (not spectacular; superlative) performance there is a fragment of the first movement of the E minor concerto performed in London -- far more poised and committed than its counterpart from New York. (I wonder if Hofmann played differently in America than he did in Europe? Some musicians - for instance, Mahler, Toscanini, Bernstein - for varying reasons apparently did.)
Having said all this, the entire Hofmann series is priceless. Heartfelt thanks to Gregor Benko and Ward Marston for making it available in superb transfers with fascinating notes.

Rachmaninov considered Hofmann to be the greatest pianist he had ever seen, and these recordings are to show. Reviewing Rachmaninov's recordings of Chopin, as far as precision and skill, Hofmann kills Sergei. Every note exploads with this individual sensation of sound that only Hofmann can emit. The musical ideas are genuine. Give a listen to his original performance of Chopin's minute waltz. It's unlike anything you've ever heard. For this pianist's small fingers, he sure does have the advantage over the other greats in pounding out immaculate works from his customized Steinway & Sons.

Well, this album contains many beethoven works played by hofmann and that's interesting because it's hard to find in other series. But the result is not so satisfying. The touch is too light in Concerto, and tempo is too fast in Waldstein. Chopin works are beautifully played, but many of those can be found in other discs. In my opinion Ballade No. 4 is an ideal performance. Only Corot's recording can stand next to hof. Recommand to Hofmann fans or Chopin manias.

Yo this Cd was off the hook this show why Hofmann was and still is the realest.This album puts dmx and jay-z's new cd to shame. Tight beat and rhythm! U wont be disapointed.

What up to all my dogs out there! I gotta agree with my homie Superkike from tha desert in Tucson, A.Z., baby. Josef Hofmann gots mad skills yo. If any of y'all playas think my man Josef ain't got no skills, then take it upon yo self to try and play any piece of his. You won't be able to cuz you ain't got no game that be tight like Josef's. Josef be tha tightest playa eva. What? What's that? What eva foo! Quit doggin' my man Josef. You know he be the illest. If you don't think Josef could be as tight as other greats like Beethoven and Mozart, then I sugest you pick this album up yo. It's got mad flava. It's gots the ups and downs of every day life. Know what I mean? He be playin quick like Maurice Greene and Marion Jones. He be chillin like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Ya Heard?. Dis be your homeboy Thug 4Life, boning out, and hopes you join him in tha next Episode.