Est 1923

The Eileen Joyce Album

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Fryderyk Chopin, Selim Palmgren, Richard Strauss, Cyril (Meir) Scott, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edvard Grieg, Franz Liszt, Stefan Bergman, Joaquín Turina, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Gabriel Fauré, Ludwig van Beethoven, Christian (August) Sinding, Sergey Rachmaninov, Pietro Domenico Paradis (Paradies), Ernö Dohnányi, Moritz Moszkowski

Label: Treasury

Media Format: Vinyl

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

Mono

Catalogue Number: EX291271-3

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Fantasia and Fugue Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Suite in the style of Handel Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Gigue Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Minuet Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
(12) Sonate di gravicembalo, Movement: Sonata in A Pietro Domenico Paradis (Paradies), Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Pietro Domenico Paradis (Paradies), Composer
(26) Bagatelles, Movement: No. 2 in C Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Preludes and Fugues, Movement: Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV543 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
(3) Concert Studies, Movement: No. 2, La leggierezza Franz Liszt, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Franz Liszt, Composer
(2) Concert Studies, Movement: No. 1, Waldesrauschen Franz Liszt, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Franz Liszt, Composer
(2) Concert Studies, Movement: No. 2, Gnomenreigen Franz Liszt, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Franz Liszt, Composer
(4) Ballades, Movement: No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
(4) Ballades, Movement: No. 3 in A flat, Op. 47 Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fantaisie-impromptu Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
En route Selim Palmgren, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Selim Palmgren, Composer
Rustle of Spring Christian (August) Sinding, Composer
Christian (August) Sinding, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Stimmungen, Movement: Scherzo-impromptu Edvard Grieg, Composer
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 1, Butterfly (Schmetterling) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 2, Lonely wanderer (Einsamer Wanderer) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Lyric Pieces, Book 4, Movement: No. 3, Melody Edvard Grieg, Composer
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Lyric Pieces, Book 7, Movement: No. 4, Brooklet (Baekken) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
(5) Impromptus, Movement: No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31 (1883) Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Pour le piano, Movement: Toccata Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Jeux d'eau Maurice Ravel, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
Valse Moritz Moszkowski, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Moritz Moszkowski, Composer
Rapsodia sinfónica Joaquín Turina, Composer
(Anonymous) Orchestra
Clarence Raybould, Conductor
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Joaquín Turina, Composer
(24) Preludes, Movement: G minor, Op. 23/5 Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
(24) Preludes, Movement: A flat, Op. 23/8 Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
(24) Preludes, Movement: A minor, Op. 32/8 Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
(2) Pieces, Movement: Lotus Land Cyril (Meir) Scott, Composer
Cyril (Meir) Scott, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Danse nègre Cyril (Meir) Scott, Composer
Cyril (Meir) Scott, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
(4) Rhapsodies, Movement: C Ernö Dohnányi, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Ernö Dohnányi, Composer
Polka Caprice Stefan Bergman, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Stefan Bergman, Composer
Himmelgesang Stefan Bergman, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Stefan Bergman, Composer
(6) Lieder, Movement: No. 2, Ständchen Richard Strauss, Composer
Eileen Joyce, Piano
Richard Strauss, Composer
Eileen Joyce was born to impoverished parents scratching not quite a living out of the Australian desert; the story used to be familiar enough. Less often related is that her father was Irish and her mother Spanish: an explosive mixture which somehow produced a classical piano player of great quality in the most unpromising circumstances imaginable. Percy Grainger, Backhaus and then Europe came into the story, which culminated during the war years and shortly after in Joyce's acceptance by the then British concert-going public as their favourite concerto soloist. Ten years later abdication from the concert platform followed. With all that has happened since in the saga of star-quality piano playing it will not only be younger listeners who may wonder what the fuss was all about: how did Joyce really play?
The present pair of records gives an unequivocal answer: she played marvellously. Part of the legend was the story of her first recording (a private one made for her own study purposes) of a great favourite of Rachmaninov's: the Paul Schlozer Study in A flat. Backed with a Liszt study, La leggierezza, Parlophone turned the private record into Joyce's first public issue: and here it is, over half a century later, still a pair of totally stunning performances, with dexterity, lightness and an instinctive shaping of dynamics which should still leave a listener entranced.
He will, of course, have to listen through yesterday's quality of recorded sound, though these samples of it were fair enough in 1933 and have been transcribed very decently for today (though Cyril Scott's Danse negre should not have been allowed to follow on his Lotus Land with one half second's gap just because, presumably, it was an exceptionally tight fit on the original 78 rpm). The latest of these original recordings is the Chopin G minor Ballade of 1942; but from 1933 to 1942 was not a decade of very great advances in recording technique, and the overall range of quality covered is quite a modest one.
The two Chopin Ballades (G minor and A flat) as it happens, seem a trifle less stellar in pianistic quality—somehow rather more wooden—than the other, earlier 26 tracks. These remain pretty consistently bewitching, especially where the extremes of dexterity are called for. The two other Liszt studies, for example: Waldesrauschen and Gnomenreigen, both spell-binding. So too the Faure F minor Impromptu, the Debussy Toccata (from Pour le piano) and the Ravel Jeux d'eau. Rachmaninov too, the A flat, A minor, and G minor Preludes (again, the shaping of the decorative passages will put you in mind of the old man himself). There are seductive trifles by Palmgren, Sinding, Grieg and Moszkowski; glances at a rather greater severity with Dohnanyi, Richard Strauss and Stefan Bergman; and a representation of earlier keyboard music by Bach (including the organ Prelude and Fugue in A minor arranged by Liszt), Paradies, Mozart and Beethoven. And there is one piece with string orchestra: Turina's immediately appealing Rapsodia sinfonica, a good choice in that more recent recordings in the catalogue do not by any means offer all that competition.
The selections do not include any of the graver classics, sensibly in that the Hammerklavier Sonata (say) was not really in Eileen Joyce's chosen field. It certainly was not the case that her repertoire was a limited one: indeed, in the special case of concertos it was an exceptionally wide one. But her concerto-giving days will certainly be remembered for the illumination they gave to the otherwise rather dark grey days of the time concerned. And with the help of these very well produced records her totally winning way with the smaller pieces of the repertoire will now, happily be preserved for later generations of listeners.'

The Eileen Joyce Album

Fantasia and Fugue

Suite in the style of Handel

Gigue

Minuet

(12) Sonate di gravicembalo, Movement: Sonata in A

(26) Bagatelles, Movement: No. 2 in C

Preludes and Fugues, Movement: Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV543

(3) Concert Studies, Movement: No. 2, La leggierezza

(2) Concert Studies, Movement: No. 1, Waldesrauschen

(2) Concert Studies, Movement: No. 2, Gnomenreigen

(4) Ballades, Movement: No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

(4) Ballades, Movement: No. 3 in A flat, Op. 47

Fantaisie-impromptu

En route

Rustle of Spring

Stimmungen, Movement: Scherzo-impromptu

Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 1, Butterfly (Schmetterling)

Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 2, Lonely wanderer (Einsamer Wanderer)

Lyric Pieces, Book 4, Movement: No. 3, Melody

Lyric Pieces, Book 7, Movement: No. 4, Brooklet (Baekken)

(5) Impromptus, Movement: No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31 (1883)

Pour le piano, Movement: Toccata

Jeux d'eau

Valse

Rapsodia sinfónica

(24) Preludes, Movement: G minor, Op. 23/5

(24) Preludes, Movement: A flat, Op. 23/8

(24) Preludes, Movement: A minor, Op. 32/8

(2) Pieces, Movement: Lotus Land

Danse nègre

(4) Rhapsodies, Movement: C

Polka Caprice

Himmelgesang

(6) Lieder, Movement: No. 2, Ständchen

Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music. 

Stream on Presto Music | Buy from Presto Music

Gramophone Print

  • Print Edition

From £6.67 / month

Subscribe

Gramophone Digital Club

  • Digital Edition
  • Digital Archive
  • Reviews Database
  • Full website access

From £8.75 / month

Subscribe

                              

If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.