Customer Reviews

Earl Wild plays Gershwin

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Remastered in 1997, this amazing recording displays Earl Wild at his very best.

The Programme includes: Rhapsody in Blue (recorded 1945), Earl Wild 's fantastically stunning 'Seven Virtuoso Etudes' (1976), Wild's 'Grande Fantasy on Porgy and Bess' (1976) and Gershwin's Three Prerludes for Piano (1964).

I'm learnng a few of the Virtuoso Etudes at the moment (which, by the way are his famous transcriptions of: The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm, Embracable You, Fascinating Rhythm, Somebody Loves Me, Liza & Lady Be Good) and finding them the biggest challenge I've ever had. I'm also having lot's of FUN as well!

But I was astonished when I heard Earl Wild play them Double the speed I though physically possible...!

Earl Wild is known as the last of the great Virtuostic pianis-composers. At a grand age of 90 now, he is still stunning.

The greatest recording of Earl Wild playing George Gershwin you'll ever hope to have. A fantastic listen. I spend hours listening.

Fantastic for the pianist, the aspiring pianist, the Gershwin-lover and/or the enthusiastic listener - It doesn't matter.

A historic and virtuostic delight!

This CD seems to overlap with another CD on the Chesky label. Both contain Earl Wild's Fantasy on Porgy and Bess and the seven Etudes based on Gershwin's music. This disc also has Rhapsody in Blue and Gershwin's Preludes.

Wild's pianistic facility is absolutely astonishing. He does some wonderful things with Gershwin's music. Highlights include "Embraceable You" and some of the sections of the Porgy and Bess Fantasy ("Summertime", "Bess, you is my woman now" and "It aint necessarily so" come to mind). He also plays the three Preludes with conviction and panache. However, Gershwin is not Chopin, and there is only so much one can mine from this music. If one tries to listen to this entire CD in one sitting, one can become aware of the piano as a percussion instrument. I am not certain if this is a function of the music (Gershwin), the pianist (Wild) or the recording (AAD). So often when I listen to a great pianist play solo work by Chopin, Liszt or Ravel, for example, I can lose myself in the music and virtually forget the medium. That doesn't happen with this recording for me.

Still, in small doses, this is an extraordinary disc, and I'm glad to own it.