Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Wilhelm Backhaus

Wilhelm Backhaus (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B00000DBU5
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,527 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Piano Sonata In C Minor, Op.13 'Pathetique': 1. Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio

2. Piano Sonata In C Minor, Op.13 'Pathetique': 2. Adagio contabile

3. Piano Sonata In C Minor, Op.13 'Pathetique': 3. Rondo. Allegro

4. Piano Sonata In D Minor, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': 1. Largo - Allegro

5. Piano Sonata In D Minor, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': 2. Adagio

6. Piano Sonata In D Minor, Op.31 No.2 'Tempest': 3. Allegretto

7. Piano Sonata In E Flat, Op. 81a 'Les adieux': 1. Das Lebewohl. Adagio - Allegro

8. Piano Sonata In E Flat, Op. 81a 'Les adieux': 2. Abwesenheit. Andante expressivo

9. Piano Sonata In E Flat, Op. 81a 'Les adieux': 3. Das Wiedersehn. Vivacissimamente

10. Piano Sonata In C Minor, Op.111: 1. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato

Disc: 2

1. Piano Sonata In G, Op.79: 1. Presto alla tedesca

2. Piano Sonata In G, Op.79: 2. Andante

3. Piano Sonata In G, Op.79: 3. Vivace

4. Impromptu In E Flat, D.899 No.2: Allegro molto moderato

5. Fantasiestucke, Op.12: No. 3: Warum?

6. Soirees de Vienne: Valse-Caprice No.6, S.427 (After Schubert)

7. Etude In F Minor, Op.25 No.2

8. Klavierstucke, Op.119: No.3: Intermezzo In C

9. Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat, Op.83: 1. Allegro non troppo

10. Piano Concerto No. 2 In B Flat, Op.83: 2. Allegro appassionato

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We shall never live so long or know so much", October 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Wilhelm Backhaus (Audio CD)

Wilhelm Backhaus was one of the greatest Beethoven players who ever lived. He was as objective as Schnabel, as passionate as Serkin and as explosive as A. Fischer. This CD documents his historic return to the U.S. after an absence of some 28 years. His legendary Carnegie Hall Recital (which is released on this double CD for the first time in its entirety) was taped on March 30, 1954. He was 70 years old and at the summit of his powers. His genius for capturing Beethoven's incomparable drive with note perfect form is heard here in almost every bar. He played 5 Beethoven sonatas and then 5 encores. There is no more exciting performance of the "Pathetique" available on CD. The "Tempest" is played as though he were possessed (he loved this sonata and played it frequently in recitals); the last mvt. is almost savage in its fury. His C-minor, the last of the 32 sonatas of Beethoven is perhaps the greatest performance on the 2 discs. It only has two movements - sometimes referred to as Sansara and Nirvana. What is obvious is that the first movement is a metaphor for the strife of the world and the second movement is something far removed from that strife. For many it is a meditation on eternity. Backhaus' genius is manifested here with startling intensity. I would suggest earphones (if you have them) for this sonata - No. 32. The encores (Schubert, Schumann, Chopin and Brahms) are wonderful too and the sheer intellectual and emotional power of this musician is captured forever on this remastered re-release. Backhaus is not for the "world's 100 most beautiful melodies" crowd. He is a musician for adults with brains. There is also included a performance of the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto with Carl Schuricht and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra recorded in 1952. Backhaus was a fine Brahms player. But it is in Beethoven that his genius is most fully realized here. If you have ever wondered who Beethoven was, Backhaus can lead you to him. The rewards of this music are inexhaustible. And the sound on these discs is excellent! Backhaus played a Bosendorfer piano and you have to hear it to believe it. Philips has done a fine job with the digital remastering and the notes are first rate. The great man died on July 5th, 1969. He is buried in Cologne, Germany.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The magic of Backhaus, August 10, 2004

By 

G Pelloni "gpelloni" (Cottingham, East Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Wilhelm Backhaus (Audio CD)

This box-set is a must have. An accurate and representative testimonial of Wilhelm Backhaus's art. It contains Backhaus's performance of Brahms piano concerto in B flat with the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Carl Schuricht. It is absolute magic. It is one of the wonders of the gramophone. Far superior to the joint collaborations of Backhaus and Bohm. To my ears only Fischer and Furtwangler reached the same level of supreme artistry in this work. Unfortunately superb efforts by Richter and Schnabel are undermined by bad recording quality or inadequate conducting. Gilels-Jochum and Arrau-Giulini are very, very good but perhaps not in the same class.
Brahms B flat major concerto is one of the main hurdles of the pianistic repertoire, requiring dazzling technique associated with a deep interpretative sensitivity. Only the giants would emerge unscathed. Backhaus delivers the concert's agilities with a vivid, transparent and pure sound. His trenchant staccatos, his rock-like trills a (listen to the end of the first movement exposition for a clear example) leave the listener spellbound. The clarity of sound, the absence of any sound "thickening" reveal the long melodic line, the structural relationship of sounds and themes. Backhaus legato, may be, is not as magical as Schnabel's, but flows seamlessly. His use of rubato is discrete and sensitive always in line with his structural view of the long line. The artistic partnership with Schuricht and the VPO is one of those meetings of kindred spirits which are destined to leave indelible performances. Schuricht possesses the same depth of feeling and technical prowess of Backhaus. The VPO responds, as she only can, to the efforts of these two masters.
What about the rest. Backhaus Beethoven confirms why he was considered one of the 20th century outstanding interpreters of the "grand sourd". Schumann's "warum" is delivered softly with a murmuring sound so as to project the image of a mystery that cannot be unveiled. A mystery of which we can catch a glimpse from afar with a serene spirit. Superb. And so it is the rest.
Finally the booklet notes are excellent, devoid of all those silly statements about Backhaus "gruff good humour" or "his excessively abrupt directness" which infest the writings of many (fortunately not all) British music critics. The notes are written by pianist and musicologist Piero Rattalino, somebody who has heard Backhaus live many times and who can examine the art of interpretation not as an outsider.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unfussy in Beethoven; transcendent in Brahms, March 18, 2003

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Wilhelm Backhaus (Audio CD)

Wilhelm Backhaus (1884-1969) was the first of the great pianists to have recordings from his entire career; his first record was in 1908, his last in the 1960s. Unfortunately, this two CD set from the Philips 'Great Pianists of the 20th Century' comes from a single decade - live performances from the 1950s. In the early days of his career this student of Eugen d'Albert was called a 'mechanicus', because of his rather straightforward playing, in contrast to the indulgent romanticism of most virtuosi of those days. Eventually he was seen as a pioneer of what came to be thought of as 'twentieth-century style' in pianism.

There are five Beethoven sonatas in this set, from a dramatic 'Pathétique' to an inward, yet brilliant, Op. 111. And there is an irreplaceable Op. 79 which, for me, is the highlight among the Beethovens; he manages to convey the whimsy and high-spirits of the outer movements better than any other I know.

There are some encores, bits and pieces of Liszt, Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, even Chopin (not a composer most people associate with Backhaus - here in a whirlwind Op. 25, No. 7 étude).

But the undoubted high point, for me, is the Brahms Second Concerto. It can so often come across as ponderous (in its outer movements) or vague and wayward (particularly in the third movement). Carl Schuricht (now there's an underrated conductor!) and the Vienna Philharmonic give him superb support (and the cello solo in movement III is heart-melting).

Backhaus was not a firebrand, but he was a musician through and through and his legacy should not be forgotten. This set, though not a complete record of his accomplishments, is a start, and worth its mid-price cost.