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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not to be missed under any circumstances, February 2, 2008
This review is from: Eugen d'Albert: The Centaur Pianist. Complete Studio recordings, 1910-1928 (Audio CD)
This collection is one of the most important piano releases ever, at any time. D'Albert was one of Liszt's most important pupils, a great interpreter of Beethoven, a not insignificant composer and teacher, and quite simply one of the greatest pianists of all time. If you can find it, his old Carl Fisher edition of the Beethoven sonatas is well worth consulting for fingerings and interpretive insight. On this immaculate reissue, one hears the great man toward the end of his career, out of practice, perhaps a bit lazy, but still leonine, resourceful and intelligent. I can't recommend this highly enough. Nowadays we tend to date Beethoven playing (and serious classical interpretation in general) to Schnabel; D'Albert, along with Fischer and Lamond, shows us that Beethoven playing had a significant and credible prehistory before Schnabel. The Schubert playing on this set is also extraordinary. Beautiful tone, sensitive phrasing, stylish pedaling.... The Liszt selections are worth the price of admission all by themselves. Au Bord d'une Source was never played better. I can't thank Arbiter enough for this release.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Warning, nearly unbearable amounts of static and hiss, November 28, 2008
This review is from: Eugen d'Albert: The Centaur Pianist. Complete Studio recordings, 1910-1928 (Audio CD)
I agree with the reviewer above that this is a good disc if you want an historic artifact with some great playing by d'Albert. And it is of great significance for those interested in the history of piano performance. Well, at least I think it was great. I haven't really heard it. Not that I haven't tried. Be forewarned that the remastering leaves a lot to be desired. Complete tracks are often completely submerged in a loud hiss that muffles the piano terribly beyond recognition. Almost completely makes you want to give up on the effort of trying to distinguish the sound. This would require some really active listening. I felt during these moments as if I were listening to someone play the piano softly (so as not to wake the neighbors) two doors down while a rail car rattled outside my window. These recordings deserve better. Unfortunately, this may be the best we can do with the recordings available. I felt that the duets were better presented as the violin that accompanied rose above the level of the hiss, but aren't we here for the piano in the end? Certainly not worth $38 unless you REALLY need this and it's not available at your local library (check to see if it is). And if you simply must hear the man you can do better if you look elsewhere. You certainly can't do worse.
Again, what the 5-star reviewer writes is true (even the part about this not being d'Albert anywhere near his prime - as the liner notes will also tell you). I've heard there are recordings of player piano rolls based on some of these recordings. That might be one way to go as you would be hearing it as he would have played it. But it's still not the real deal. This is. What I don't understand is why this isn't public domain and up on the net for free. It's not like the people who are charging you $38 are actually investing money to clean it up for presentation.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Eugen d'Albert - 1910 - 1928. From original 78rpm recordings!, November 2, 2011
This review is from: Eugen d'Albert: The Centaur Pianist. Complete Studio recordings, 1910-1928 (Audio CD)
I almost refrained from buying this set based on 'Yours Truly's' review. Fortunately, I listened to the MP3 tracks and I have an extensive 78 rpm collection so I know what to expect from recordings from this time. The original records used for this set are all circulated copies in various states of preservation. Apparently no original metal master parts were available for reissue. That said, this set is not that bad! The original recordings were not filtered with noise reduction such as CEDAR or NoNoise. Record collectors such as I are grateful for that! I enjoyed the MP3 clips and will have no problem listening to the complete set. I just focus on the music and the scratchiness disappears. it's like that when you have a master such as d'Albert playing. I grew up listening to my folks' 78s (I still have sixty of their best ones, and I still play them on a modern turntable.) Lighten up, already! Order a copy (I just did) and enjoy. There are also piano roll recordings available on Amazon. I was able to get an Ampex open reel of d'Albert playing for the Welte Mignon piano roll Company. It's a stereo recording and quite good, but it's not quite the same as his phonograph recordings. The previous reviewer who gave this set five stars is spot on. He described d'Albert's playing better than I ever could. Believe him! One other thing to consider is that record labels such as Arbiter are run on a shoestring budget by people who collect the recordings of artists they have a passion for and they are the ones who are preserving these recordings for posterity. Labels such as Marston and Archeophone are in the forefront of this effort. Finally, the new Artur Rubinstein set is set to be released in December. Amazon is selling it. If you enjoy piano virtuosity, Rubinstein is one of the best. I'd suggest a preorder on that one too.
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