Monday, September 24, 2007

Grand Piano Podcast 003 - Artur Schnabel

Artur Schnabel was one the of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century. His Beethoven and Schubert, in particular, are highly regarded to this day.


Mozart - Rondo in a minor, k.511 - (1946 recording)
Beethoven - Fur Elise
Schubert - Trout Quintet - D.667 - Artur Schnabel, piano; Pro Arte String Quartet; Claude Hobday, double bass.


Download GP003 here ( 128 kbps mp3 , 49 MB, 53:30 )

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2 comments:

Unknown said...

Great program, Leslie! For me, Schnabel was the greatest. After hearing him play almost anything, it can be hard to listen to other pianists play the same pieces. But if I might point out an interesting aspect of Schnabel's musicianship that usually goes noticed, it is worth exploring Schnabel's Bach. He anticipated Glenn Gould's lean, clear, tense style by decades. Schnabel's Beethoven and Schubert were way ahead of their time, but his Bach was so far ahead, that it didn't seem to have a noticeable impact during his lifetime.

Regards,
John Kounios

Parnassus Records said...

Thanks for your comment, John. I knew a successful concert pianist, whom I'd better not name without his permission, who told me that he never listened to recordings of other pianists when he was working on a composition. But when he had completed his work on a piece that Schnabel had recorded, he then listened to it "in case I missed something." That was his level of respect for Schnabel.
It's a pity Schnabel recorded so little Bach. I agree that his Bach playing is superb and definitely ahead of its time, especially if that time is epitomized by someone like Edwin Fischer. You will probably also like the one Bach recording by William Kapell.
Best,
Leslie Gerber