Schumann-Liszt "Fruhlingsnacht" Lhevinne Rec.1935

After Horowitz'American debut in Carnegie Hall performing the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto in 1928, Rachmaninoff told him, "You may be the loudest and the fastest but I must tell you that it was not musical." (See page 112, Horowitz, by Glenn Plaskin). It was this kind of criticism that Lhevinne abhorred. When in 1970 RCA re-released the Lhevinne recordings, Edmund Morris wrote," Gifted with a technical equipment so massive that even Horowitz admired it,Lhevinne spent his life refining away its 'interference' in his art. He steadily reduced the frequency of his concert appearances,and seemed happiest when puttering with a telescope in his private observatory." Here in the Schumann -Liszt Fruhlingsnacht his "massive technical equipment" comes into perfect confluence with the music.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Schumann
• Liszt
• Lhevinne

[CD122344]

The person who wrote the program notes on the original album said that what Lhevinne did in two minutes with this piece most pianists couldn't do in a lifetime. And how true.

[BachScholar]

I think Lhevinne is my favorite of all the historical pianists.

[StuartLou]

Ahhhhhh - the joy of YouTube.

[newFFL14]

it's too beautiful to listen to it with this audio...

[s1earle]

Technique and insight remind me of Gunnar Johansen's performance also made back a few years.

[gullivior]

impossible to describe the beauty of this performance ... ineffable

[aardvaark069]

@janicezany It is utterly astonishing playing but no. I do mean op10 # 7. Hear on youtube in a five pianist comparison.

[janicezany]

@aardvaark069

Do you not mean the Opus 10, #6? Etude in 3rds? I've heard it. Gossamer. Unbelievable.

Satin hammers striking silk strings (activated by speed-of-light fingers).

[paulostroff99]

Awesome playing by one of the all time great pianists. TY Beckmesser 2 for sharing.

[lovesGenet]

Listen to how clear the voices r in left hand.The melody is da thing here. The whispered repeated chords r a nightmare but here they are color and the most marvelous thing we have. Ooh to have heard this man in a few recitals.amazing that Rubin had already by this time made dozens of recordings & we have so little from Lhevinne.

[scarlattatum]

in 2 minuti e mezzo un concentrato supremo di arte pianistica e musicale...una delle più belle registrazioni di tutti i tempi, quella da portarsi sull'isola deserta...ascoltala 100 volte, sarai sempre più commosso e ammirato...in questi casi i superlativi si sprecano...anche se è assurdo chiedersi chi sia stato "il più grande pianista", quando sento le rare incisioni di Lhevinne penso che nessun altro possa suonare così meravigliosamente bene...

[AlexAlcyone]

Marvellous!