Moriz Rosenthal (1862-1946): Debussy - Reflets dans l'eau

Moriz Rosenthal was taught both by Mikuli, the famous pupil of Chopin who helped pass on certain approaches to the purported "authentic" method of performing Chopin's music, and also by Liszt. Rosenthal was amongst Liszt's most brilliant students.

His recordings all come toward the end of his career, when his early fire and power had mellowed into a spirit of deep poetry. His playing is probably the most "colourful" of the Liszt students who recorded, with a command of keyboard tone and subtle chordal voicings of wonderful precision and perfectly nuanced shaping. His use of rubato is also sometimes very "19th century" but always absolutely compelling and never merely mannered.

This recording from Debussy's first book of Images was made in 1929. It shows that Rosenthal had a compelling with modern music such as Debussy. His approach to voicings and keyboard tone made him a natural for this sort of music - again a very different approach to the performance of the piece from that which we usually hear now.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• moriz
• rosenthal
• debussy
• reflets
• dans
• l'eau
• images
• classical
• piano
• recording

[d60944]

It's not vastly dissimilar to the version Paderewsky put onto piano roll (I don't know if he made an acoustic recording) - though Rosenthal's picking out of structural moments and architecture by means of tone colour here is more compelling than a piano roll can convey.

[marcxopoco]

The balance between the parts and the effortlessness of his playing of the various pianistic figures can't be beat.

[marcxopoco]

Thanks a million for this, d60944.

I had no idea this existed.

[nostalgiacreep]

great purposeful playing here, none of the vague slopping around with tempos and stuff that is so typical. : )

[ExVash]

Goodness, this is sublime!

[FlamingoReaper]

'again a very different approach to the performance of the piece from that which we usually hear now'

Yes, why is this? Is this closer to the original approach Debussy would have used?

[billyguns2]

OMG, I cannot believe this exists! The playing is magnificently stylish, gorgeously pedaled, and completely atmospheric.

[Starwalker6978]

Very great playing! Pitty that there are no video recordings by Rosenthal; it would have been a pleasure to see and study all his smooth and supple mouvements.