Gottschalk: Piano Music, Vol. 4 [Import]

Louis Moreau Gottschalk (Composer), Philip Martin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Philip Martin
• Composer: Louis Moreau Gottschalk
• Audio CD (February 8, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B00004I9SK
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,020 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #53 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Caprices

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gottschalk - Philip Martin's presentation, August 23, 2007

By 

Douglas Monks (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gottschalk: Piano Music, Vol. 4 (Audio CD)

Excellent. I have heard reviewers criticise Philip Martin's speed thinking him too slow. Have they considered that when Gottschalk was alive and giving concerts, the iron framed piano (circa 1900) had not emerged so that concert pitch, as we know it was not possible on the old wooden frames and the dampers were of the "over action" design. These two factors, particularly the last, made piano actions slower than they are today and I believe that Philip Martin's rendering is about as accurate as one could get.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Gottschalk I've Heard, March 8, 2010

By 

Stephen Doonan "music, art and linux enthusiast" (Portales, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gottschalk: Piano Music, Vol. 4 (Audio CD)

I became fascinated with Louis Moreau Gottschalk and his music when I heard a performance on vinyl record of his Bamboula in the 1960s. In the decades since, Gottschalk's music has slowly been recovered from obscurity, and now there exist quite a few recordings and interpretations of his work. I have Gottschalk performanced by Cecile Licad (I'm not fond of her performances), Amiram Rigai (don't like it much), Michael Lewin (very nice interpretations), Georges Rabol (fine interpretations) and Klaus Kaufmann.

However, this set of 8 disks of music by Louis Moreau Gottschalk by Philip Martin is far and away the best. The recordings and especially Philip Martin's interpretations, pacing, enunciation of the various simultaneous musical elements, his vigor and charm and technical ability, his care with subtlety and nuance and singing slower phrases, are all just great.

I highly recommend this entire set of the piano music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk by Philip Martin.