Yolanda Mero plays Liszt Hungarian Rapsody No. 4 in E flat major

YOLANDA MERÖ (1887-1963)
A Hungarian pianist who retired early from the concert scene, Merö left only a single ten-inch Victor 78 and some piano rolls.
A child prodigy, Mero was born in Budapest and studied with the Liszt pupil Auguste Rennebuam.
Yolanda Mero (30 August 1887 -- 17 October 1963) was a Hungarian-American pianist, opera and theatre impresario, and philanthropist who supported destitute musicians.
Yolanda Mero was born in Budapest, where she studied from the age of 8 at the National Conservatory with Augusta Rennebaum, a pupil of Franz Liszt. She made her debut at age 15 with the Dresden Philharmonic, then toured the world for four years. She moved to the United States with her family in 1900, first appearing in New York in 1909, with the Russian Symphony Orchestra.

A week after arriving in New York, she met Hermann Irion, an executive of the Steinway Piano company, and married him only four weeks later, on 16 December 1909.

In the US she played concertos under the baton of Gustav Mahler, Leopold Stokowski and others. She later had a teaching post at her alma mater in Budapest.

Her verve and bravura, but also her wayward approach, were noted. In a review of her concert at New York's Aeolian Hall in January 1919, James Huneker wrote that "... she transformed Chopin preludes into veritable typhoons", and "... in the Barcarolle, instead of gondolas and the vows of lovers, moonlight and soft Adriatic zephyrs, we were shown a huge warship that steamed through the Grand Canal, sirens screaming, cannons booming, and a band playing Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt."

Yolanda Mero made a number of piano rolls, of music by Bach, Beethoven, Sergei Bortkiewicz, Cécile Chaminade, Debussy, Dohnányi, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Liszt, Moszkowski, Mozart, Anton Rubinstein, Schubert, Sinding, Johann Strauss II, Richard Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Max Vogrich and Wagner. She made only one 78rpm recording.

Sergei Bortkiewicz dedicated his Trois pièces pour piano, Op. 12, to her.

Her recording of Max Vogrich's Staccato-Caprice appears on the CD Women at the Piano: An Anthology of Historic Performances, Vol. 2 (1926-1950). and on Welte-Mignon Piano Rolls, Vol. 1 (1905-1927) It is said to display her "superb finish, beautiful phrasing and exquisite touch". Her recording of Karl Heymann's Elfenspiel, Etude in E major appears on Welte-Mignon Piano Rolls, Vol. 3 (1905-1926). Her playing of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 is on this YouTube video, and can also be found on CD.
(Wikipedia)

recorded in 1926 (abridged)

Category:

Music

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• Yolanda
• Mero
• plays
• Liszt
• Hungarian
• Rapsody
• No.
• in
• flat
• major
• piano

[Noshirm]

Livio ... quelli pianoforte rotoli ... ho sentito Mero nel Staccato-Caprice di Max Vogrich ... lei deve essere stato un pianista incredibile. Avete sentito parlare più del suo lavoro?

[gullivior]

@Noshirm she is a mysterious pianist ... I copied some information from Wikipedia ... she recorded​only 3 pieces on 78's...many rolls, but I have not found them ...

[Noshirm]

@gullivior I have heard only the 4th Rhapsody and the Staccato-Caprice...which is the third piece she recorded? (:-0) As for the rolls...I shall write to those channels I subscribe to that focus on roll recordings. Let's see what they come up with. (:-D)

[gullivior]

@Noshirm in 1925, again for Victor, she recorded also a "Marche miniature" (by Victor Jacoby, composer unknown to me) ... but I do not own this recording ... I hope you may be able to find some nice roll...

[Noshirm]

@gullivior Livio...I just heard a snatch of that Marche by Jacobi online....I have asked around on YT about Merö's rolls...let's hope some materialize. (:-0)