APR first issued this iconic collection in 1992 (APR7020, 6/92). It was a revelation for many pianophiles who had either never heard of Levitzki or forgotten what a great pianist he was. Born near Kyiv in 1898, he studied with Alexander Michałowski (a grandpupil of Chopin), Stojowski and Dohnányi, and made his American debut in 1916. His career was cut cruelly short by a fatal heart attack in 1941. APR7020 was not in the catalogue for long because, unfortunately, it was made with a brand of audio CDs that between 1988 and 1993 was subject to disc rot, whereby, because of chemical deterioration, the CD took on a bronze colour and became unreadable.

Ten of the 17 titles on disc 1 are by Chopin. These include the most impassioned of the Nocturnes (Op 48 No 1), unissued on 78s, and a Ballade No 3 which begins ordinarily, even blandly, but rises inexorably to an ecstatic declaration that few have surpassed. The way Levitzki plays the ‘magic waterfall’ in the central chorale section of Scherzo No 3 is interestingly direct. I have never heard it this way before. Six short encore-type works follow (including a strangely unpretty Mendelssohn Rondo capriccioso, the best of them Rubinstein’s Staccato Étude) before a notably speedy but transparent Schumann G minor Sonata.

The first item on disc 2 is Liszt’s Piano Concerto No 1, recorded in November 1929. From the off, Levitzki takes no prisoners. The perilous double octaves of the soloist’s entry are played tempo giusto and staccato as marked, a far cry from, say, the imperious maestoso of the Liszt pupil Emil von Sauer almost a decade later. In fact, Levitzki’s is a remarkable account in every way, making light of the filigree passagework and alive to the lyrical sections. If you can overlook the nasal constriction of the woodwind and brass, you can admire the orchestral contribution under the baton of Landon Ronald (whose second recording of the concerto it was, having made an acoustic recording with Arthur de Greef in 1922/23). And please tell me how, with such ‘primitive technology’, one can hear the triangle more clearly and tellingly than on many a later recording.

More Liszt follows: an unexpected and rhythmically buoyant account of the Bach A minor Prelude and Fugue transcription; Un sospiro; two different recordings of La campanella, which start off disappointingly leaden-fingered and build to a thrilling climax; and three Hungarian Rhapsodies played with effortless and patrician panache (No 12 in C sharp minor has a cut of 30 bars before the stretta vivace section). If Rachmaninov’s G minor Prelude (most popular of the Op 23 set) fails to ignite, Moszkowski’s La jongleuse and Levitzki’s own Valse amour ooze charm in a way that few of today’s keyboard wizards can emulate, let alone the gorgeous piano tone enhanced by the magical qualities of the long-lost Studio C of London’s Small Queen’s Hall.

All the previous material for this partial reissue of APR7020 has been remastered and pitch corrected. It constitutes all of Levitzki’s most important recordings. There are a further 12 acoustic tracks, two American Columbias and two RCA Victor electrical recordings available on the three ‘Complete Levitzki’ volumes that Naxos issued a few years ago. However, these are now available only on download.