Customer Reviews

Earl Wild's Legendary Rachmaninoff Song Transcriptions

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a gold mine of wonderful melodies, beautifully transcribed and played by Earl Wild. Some of the transcriptions available from Wild was just too hard to play. Regrettably, CD's of these beautiful songs themselves can not be found on Amazon in the original vocal/piano form.

Earl Wild's performances are always an event not to be missed. He is such a magnificent musician, technician, and an unmannered performer. He plays the Rachmaninoff song transcriptions as probably no other musician can or perhaps ever will. Why do I give this recording 4 instead of 5 stars? Here again, a personal view. The songs are mostly similar in intensity, style and mood. They have little variety as played one after another. I believe that the record played a few pieces at one listening gets an emphatic 5 stars. IF one attempts to listen to the entire disc from beginning to end--one's attention begins to wander and the experience of great performances (which they are) is diluted by the nature of their content.

Earl Wild's transcriptions are sumptuously performed and faithfully imagined; that is, he captures Rachmaninoff's idiom with great talent. Each track has exceptional beauties, and the collection as a whole allows the listener to compare two versions of the same song; for instance, the famous "Vocalise" is performed adoitly, then re-recorded later in a slower, graver, darker mode; although I prefer the second, each is perfect in its individual way. The whole collection is highly recommended, especially for those who relish Rachmaninoff's burnished sonorities.

Although the word "legendary" is often thrown around with little regard to the actual performances under consideration, it certainly applies here. As a matter of fact, I think this CD features some of the finest piano playing I've ever heard, period.

Wild is showcased in three venues, NYC, Columbus, and Montreal, the latter represented by three live interpretations from 1983. Although the pianos sound slightly different, and there is tape hiss present in some of the tracks, the quality of the playing is such that one soon forgets technical shortcomings. Take Wild's gossamer rendering of The Little Island. It's truly delightful to hear the swirling accompaniments played with such controlled abandon, contradictory as though that might seem. Wild's sound here is exquisite, reminding one of Gieseking's Debussy in clearer engineering. I also enjoyed the pleasing lilt he gives to On The Death of a Linnet, so difficult to characterize in mere words.

The engineers have provided two, and in one case three interpretations of some songs, making for fascinating comparisons. Wild's earlier Vocalise is relatively slow and somber, while his later performance is about a minute faster and more overtly virtuosic. Where Beauty Dwells is slightly more effective in the live Montreal version, where Wild balances the exotic perfumed harmonies to perfection.

However, the most amazing performance on the CD is the Montreal offering of Floods of Spring. This is the most dramatic and virtuosic of all the song transcriptions, and Wild plays it with such effortless technique I got goosebumps! The audience gives him a thunderous ovation, and I would love to hear from anyone that might have physically been present.

One would think 18 tracks of pieces which are largely reflective might get tedious after 20 minutes or so. Nothing could be further from the truth. Wild achieves about 20 levels of piano-pianissimo and is in absolutely top form in each of these pieces. There isn't a weak link in the bunch. If you care about the dying art of "romantic" piano playing, this CD is a must listen, amazing even by Wild's exalted standards. Kudos to Ivory Classics for the production of this singularly wonderful release.