Eugen d'Albert - (The) Centaur Pianist
The complete recorded picture of a titan of the keyboard
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Franz Schubert, Luigi Boccherini, Arnold (Edward Trevor) Bax, Emil von Sauer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Johannes Brahms, (Aynsley) Eugene Goossens, Carl Maria von Weber, Claude Debussy, Teresa Carreño, Eugen d' Albert, Fryderyk Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt
Genre:
Instrumental
Label: Arbiter
Magazine Review Date: 7/2006
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 157
Mastering:
Mono
ADD
Catalogue Number: ARBITER147

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(16) Polonaises, Movement: No. 6 in A flat, Op. 53, 'Heroic' |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Fryderyk Chopin, Composer |
(8) Pieces, Movement: No. 2, Capriccio in B minor |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Johannes Brahms, Composer |
(3) Marches Militaires, Movement: D |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Waltzes, Movement: No. 5 in A flat, Op. 42 |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Fryderyk Chopin, Composer |
Suite |
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Invitation to the Dance (Aufforderung zum Tanze) |
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
(27) Etudes, Movement: F minor, Op. 25/2 |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Fryderyk Chopin, Composer |
(27) Etudes, Movement: G flat, 'Butterfly's Wings', Op. 25/9 |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Fryderyk Chopin, Composer |
Années de pèlerinage année 1: Suisse, Movement: Au bord d'une source |
Franz Liszt, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Franz Liszt, Composer |
(6) Ecossaises |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Scherzo |
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Andante favori |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Rondo a capriccio, 'Rage over a lost penny' |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Sonata for Piano No. 21, 'Waldstein', Movement: Rondo (Allegro moderato - Prestissimo) |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Waltzes, Movement: No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64/2 |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Fryderyk Chopin, Composer |
Capriolen, Movement: No 2. |
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Capriolen, Movement: No 4. |
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Capriolen, Movement: No 5. |
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
(3) Estampes, Movement: Jardins sous la pluie |
Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Mediterranean |
Arnold (Edward Trevor) Bax, Composer
Arnold (Edward Trevor) Bax, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Kaleidoscope, Movement: The Punch and Judy show |
(Aynsley) Eugene Goossens, Composer
(Aynsley) Eugene Goossens, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Berceuse |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Fryderyk Chopin, Composer |
Sonata for Piano No. 18, 'Hunt', Movement: Scherzo (allegretto vivace) |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Nocturnes, Movement: No. 5 in F sharp, Op. 15/2 |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Fryderyk Chopin, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 4 in F minor |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Sonata for Piano No. 11, Movement: Rondo alla turca |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 3 in B flat |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
(Die) toten Augen |
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
(6) String Quintets, Movement: No. 5 in E, G275 |
Luigi Boccherini, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Luigi Boccherini, Composer |
(Die) Spieluhr |
Emil von Sauer, Composer
Emil von Sauer, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Piano |
Petite Valse, 'Teresita' |
Teresa Carreño, Composer
Eugen d' Albert, Piano Teresa Carreño, Composer |
Sonata for Keyboard and Violin No. 17 |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Andreas Weissgerber, Violin Eugen d' Albert, Piano Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer |
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 5, 'Spring', Movement: Scherzo: Allegro molto |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Andreas Weissgerber, Violin Eugen d' Albert, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 5, 'Spring', Movement: Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Andreas Weissgerber, Violin Eugen d' Albert, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Tiefland |
Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer
Berlin Staatskapelle Eugen (Francis Charles) d' Albert, Composer Eugen d' Albert, Composer Gotthelf Pistor, Tenor |
Author: Jeremy Nicholas
All 44 of d’Albert’s recordings (plus three alternate takes) fit conveniently on to two well filled CDs. This is the first time these rare discs have ever appeared in toto and they provide revelatory glimpses of one of the titans of the keyboard. All except two excerpts from his opera Tiefland are acoustic (the last piano solo recording was made in 1922; the chamber movements in 1923) so the sound, though vastly improved from previous incarnations (eg, Concert Artist’s 1986 selection), is like listening to an iPod under a waterfall.
Though there are indeed at times ‘wrong notes, memory lapses and distorted rhythms’, the playing is far from causing ‘nothing but embarrassment…inexplicable’ (Harold C Schonberg). The early recordings in particular are assured and individual even if frequently eccentric – Chopin’s A flat Polonaise with a savage chunk missing, the ‘Butterfly’ study given with repeats and Schubert’s F minor Impromptu played like a Lisztian study.
Sadly, there is but one title each of Liszt and Brahms (whom d’Albert knew well); eight of the earliest (1910-12) titles are repeated in later sessions, d’Albert’s own Scherzo appearing three times; the three selections from his Capriolen suite are ordered wrongly in the otherwise excellent booklet (d’Albert plays 4: Missis-Massa – which includes the unexpected appearance of Dixie, 5: Der Zirkus kommt! and 2: Kose-Walzer). But, in short, this set is a valuable and essential acquisition for the collections of all serious pianophiles.
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