Alfred Grünfeld (1852-1924): Grieg - "Papillon" op.43 no.1

Grünfeld was the first great pianist to make any kind of commercial recordings, which he commenced in 1899.

He left recordings of works by Bach, Chopin, Schumann, Grieg, Debussy, Liszt, Brahms and others; but Grünfeld was known primarily as a provider of light entertainment music in Vienna, and his arrangements of Strauss's music are his most famous and enduring legacy.

His expertise at performance of other more serious music is not widely appreciated: even in his own time he was deprecated as not being a performer of "serious" music. Only those who knew him best wrote of his great skill at performing the music for which he was not generally well known. He was in fact the foremost pianist in Vienna in the later 1800s and into the early 20th century.

Here I hope a few recordings may convince that this was a very fine pianist indeed, fully expressing many 19th century techniques (eg. the rubato and non-synchronisation of the hands) and expressive attitudes to the music. Note especially the very particular facility Grünfeld had at producing elegant, lilting rhythms.

This is a recording of one of Grieg's Lyric Pieces (op.43 no.1) called "Butterfly". It is one of the earliest piano recordings which exists, and dates from as far back as 1899.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Alfred
• Grünfeld
• piano
• classical
• recording
• grieg
• lyrci
• piece
• papillon
• op.43
• no.1

[2ndviolinist]

Very fine playing. Great to hear (those who are not deaf) a window into the past when musicians understood music and had the technique to share their visions.

A very belated TY for uploading

[gerardbedecarter]

Nice playing and, of course, of significant historical importance dating back, as is pointed out, to 1899.

[TheSniper345]

i cant even hear!

[marcxopoco]

Nice use of detached touch on the runs.

A good interpretation.

[otterhouse]

Thanks very much for making this available! Does the Berliner come from your own collection? It sounds untreated, would love to work on it...

Greetings, from the Netherlands,

Rolf

[smithsherman]

Beautiful Accelerandi & considerably ahead of the perceived downbeat.Still it is agogically

conservative and somewhat tame next to Grieg's playing of his own works.

[chad410]

he made an arrangement of strauss waltzrs that s very good. this is noble playing .