Ruth Slenczynska - Complete American Decca Recordings (2020)
BAND/ARTIST: Ruth Slenczynska
- Title: Ruth Slenczynska - Complete American Decca Recordings
- Year Of Release: 2020
- Label: Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd.
- Genre: Classical Piano
- Quality: flac lossless
- Total Time: 07:24:38
- Total Size: 1.36 gb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist
01. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 1 in C Major
02. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 2 in A Minor
03. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 3 in E Major
04. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor
05. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 5 in G-Flat Major
06. Chopin: 12 Etudes, Op.10-No. 6 in E-Flat Minor
07. Chopin: 12 Etudes, Op.10-No. 7 in C Major
08. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 8 in F Major
09. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 9 in F Minor
10. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 10 in A-Flat Major
11. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 11 in E-Flat Major
12. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 12 in C Minor
13. Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A-Flat Major, Op. 29
14. Chopin: Impromptu No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 36
15. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 1 in A-Flat Major "Harp Study"
16. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 2 in F Minor
17. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 3 in F Major
18. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 4 in A Minor
19. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 5 in E Minor
20. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 6 in G-Sharp Minor
21. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 7 in C-Sharp Minor
22. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 8 in D-Flat Major
23. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 9 in G-Flat Major
24. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 10 in B Minor
25. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 11 in A Minor
26. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 12 in C Minor
27. Chopin: Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51
28. Chopin: Impromptu No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66 "Fantaisie-Impromptu"
29. Chopin: Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20
30. Chopin: Scherzo No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31
31. Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39
32. Chopin: Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54
33. Chopin: Waltz No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 18 -"Grande valse brillante"-Vivo
34. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 34-No. 1 Vivace in A-Flat Major
35. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 34-No. 2 Lento in A Minor
36. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 34-No. 3 Vivace in F Major
37. Chopin: Waltz No. 5 in A-Flat Major, Op. 42-"Grande valse"
38. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 64-No. 1 in D-Flat Major
39. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 64-No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor
40. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 64-No. 3 in A-Flat Major
41. Chopin: 2 Waltzes, Op. 69-No. 1. Waltz in A-Flat Major
42. Chopin: 2 Waltzes, Op. 69-No. 2 Waltz in B Minor
43. Chopin: Waltz No. 11 in G-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 1
44. Chopin: Waltz No. 12 in F Minor /A-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 2-Waltz No. 12 in F Minor /A-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 2
45. Chopin: Waltz No. 13 in D-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 3-Waltz No. 13 in D-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 3
46. Chopin: Waltz No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op.posth.
47. Chopin: Waltz No. 15 in E Major, Op.posth.-Tempo di Valse
48. Chopin: Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op.posth.-Vivace
49. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 1 in C Major: Agitato
50. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 2 in A Minor: Lento
51. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 3 in G Major: Vivace
52. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 4 in E Minor: Largo
53. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 5 in D Major: Molto allegro
54. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 6 in B Minor: Lento assai
55. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 7 in A Major: Andantino
56. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor: Molto agitato
57. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 9 in E Major: Largo
58. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor: Molto allegro
59. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 11 in B Major, Vivace
60. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor; Presto
61. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 13 in F-Sharp Minor: Lento
62. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 14 in E-Flat Minor: Allegro
63. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 15 in D-Flat Major: Sostenuto
64. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 16 in B-Flat Minor: Presto con fuoco
65. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 17 in A-flat Major: Allegretto
66. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 18 in C Minor: Molto allegro
67. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 19 in E-Flat Major: Vivace
68. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 20 in C Minor: Largo
69. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 21 in B-Flat Major: Cantabile
70. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 22 in G Minor: Molto agitato
71. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 23 in F Major: Moderato
72. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 24 in D Minor: Allegro appassionato
73. Chopin: Polonaise in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 "Heroic"
74. Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
75. Chopin: Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
76. Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A-Flat Major, Op. 47
77. Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52
78. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 1 The Maiden's Wish
79. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S.480-2. Spring
80. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 3 The Ring
81. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 4 Drinking Song
82. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 5 My Joys
83. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 6 Return Home
84. Liszt: Rhapsodie espagnole, S. 254
85. Liszt: 12 Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139-No. 5 Feux follets. Allegretto
86. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 1 Preludio. Andante-Étude
87. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 2 Andante
88. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S.141-No. 3 La Campanella
89. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 4 Vivo
90. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 5 Allegretto
91. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 6 Quasi presto
92. J.S. Bach: Chromatic Fantasia And Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903-Fantasy and Fugue
93. Chopin: 3 Nocturnes, Op. 9-No. 1 in B-Flat Minor
94. Mendelssohn: Rondo capriccioso in E Major, Op. 14, MWV U67-Rondo capriccioso in E Major, Op. 14, MWV U67
95. Rachmaninov: 5 Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3-No. 2 Prelude in C-Sharp Minor
96. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in G Major, Kk.455 (L. 209)
97. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 1 Stick Dance
98. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 2 Sash Dance
99. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 3 In One Spot
100. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 4 Horn Dance
101. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 5 Roumanian Polka
102. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 6 Fast Dance
103. Schumann: Liebeslied (Widmung), S. 566
104. Debussy: Préludes / Book 1, L. 117-No. 8 La fille aux cheveux de lin
105. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244-No. 15 in A minor
106. J.S. Bach: 6 Kleine Präludien, BWV 933-938-No. 5 Prelude in E Major, BWV 937
107. Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67-No. 4 Presto "Spinning Song"
108. Schubert: 6 Moments musicaux, Op. 94, D. 780-No. 3 Allegro moderato
109. Prokofiev: Four Pieces, Op. 4-No. 4 Suggestion diabolique
110. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-Sharp Minor, S. 244
111. Rachmaninoff: Ten Preludes, Op. 23-No. 6 Andante
112. Mussorgsky: Sorochintsy Fair-transcr. Sergei Rachmaninoff-Hopak
113. Schumann: Spanisches Liederspiel, Op. 74-Transcr. for Concert Performance by Carl Tausig-Der Kontrabandiste
114. Debussy: Suite bergamasque, L. 75-No. 3 Clair de lune
115. Villa-Lobos: Prole do Bebe, Series 1-No. 2 Moreninha-A Boneca de Massa
116. Chopin: Polonaise in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 "Heroic"
117. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-1. Allegro maestoso
118. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-2. Quasi adagio
119. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-3. Allegretto vivace-Allegro animato
120. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-4. Allegro marziale animato
121. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, R. 190-1. Andante sostenuto
122. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, R. 190-2. Allegro scherzando
123. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, R. 190-3. Presto
A debut on CD for the American Decca legacy of Ruth Slenczynska, a prodigious Romantic-age keyboard lioness. The biography for her Wigmore Hall recital in March 1957 claimed that the 32-year-old Ruth Slenczynska had given 1600 concerts. Scarcely believably, perhaps, but no less so than other elements of her extraordinary life story - making her public debut at the age of four, under the instruction of a tyrannical and abusive father, playing a Mozart concerto at the Salle Pleyel in Paris just three years later, attracting the admiration and tutelage of Cortot and Rachmaninov, apparently burnt out before adulthood. A first marriage and highlights such as playing for (and duets with) Harry Truman followed. Touring with Arthur Fiedler and Boston Pops in the mid-50s taught Slenczynska how to work an audience and to draw strength from their attention, but she readily understood the imperatives of the microphone. The year before her Wigmore Hall date she began recording for the American Brunswick division of Decca at the label's New York studios, and once their sales were boosted by the publication of her painfully honest autobiography in 1957, her albums won acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. She has continued to perform and to teach well into her 90s, but this box is the first comprehensive tribute to her artistry. Born in California to Polish parents, Slenczynska was a Chopin pianist by nature and nurture, with a temperament and background that tended towards the extremes of the Romantic style, abounding in rubato and timbral nuance. The facility and security of her technique were shown to best advantage by the Études (1956), then the Scherzos (1957), followed by a selection of waltzes (1959), the Ballades and Polish songs arranged by Liszt (1960) and the Préludes (1962). A Liszt album from 1958 tests her bullet-proof technique with the exigent demands of the Rhapsodie espagnole, Feux follets and the most gravity-defying versions of the Grandes Études de Paganini. A mixed recital from 1957 marks the silver jubilee of her debut at New York City Hall. The Brunswick discogrpahy is rounded off with a disc of encores (1959) and a pair of concertos, Saint-Saëns' Second (1959) and Liszt's First (1963). By the time of these recordings, Slenczynska had thrown off the prodigy tag and her musicianship had matured accordingly from machine-tooled virtuosity to lyrical fantasy. The pianism presented here is extraordinary, and shows no trace of a performer who had learned her craft through the harshest discipline and punishment. The first release of these albums on CD is celebrated in style by Eloquence with an 'original covers' box and a booklet full of hitherto unpublished photographs and memorabilia as well as a new survey of Slenczynska's life and studio career by Stephen Siek.
01. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 1 in C Major
02. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 2 in A Minor
03. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 3 in E Major
04. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor
05. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 5 in G-Flat Major
06. Chopin: 12 Etudes, Op.10-No. 6 in E-Flat Minor
07. Chopin: 12 Etudes, Op.10-No. 7 in C Major
08. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 8 in F Major
09. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 9 in F Minor
10. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 10 in A-Flat Major
11. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 11 in E-Flat Major
12. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10-No. 12 in C Minor
13. Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A-Flat Major, Op. 29
14. Chopin: Impromptu No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 36
15. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 1 in A-Flat Major "Harp Study"
16. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 2 in F Minor
17. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 3 in F Major
18. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 4 in A Minor
19. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 5 in E Minor
20. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 6 in G-Sharp Minor
21. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 7 in C-Sharp Minor
22. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 8 in D-Flat Major
23. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 9 in G-Flat Major
24. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 10 in B Minor
25. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 11 in A Minor
26. Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 25-No. 12 in C Minor
27. Chopin: Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51
28. Chopin: Impromptu No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66 "Fantaisie-Impromptu"
29. Chopin: Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20
30. Chopin: Scherzo No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31
31. Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39
32. Chopin: Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54
33. Chopin: Waltz No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 18 -"Grande valse brillante"-Vivo
34. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 34-No. 1 Vivace in A-Flat Major
35. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 34-No. 2 Lento in A Minor
36. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 34-No. 3 Vivace in F Major
37. Chopin: Waltz No. 5 in A-Flat Major, Op. 42-"Grande valse"
38. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 64-No. 1 in D-Flat Major
39. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 64-No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor
40. Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op. 64-No. 3 in A-Flat Major
41. Chopin: 2 Waltzes, Op. 69-No. 1. Waltz in A-Flat Major
42. Chopin: 2 Waltzes, Op. 69-No. 2 Waltz in B Minor
43. Chopin: Waltz No. 11 in G-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 1
44. Chopin: Waltz No. 12 in F Minor /A-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 2-Waltz No. 12 in F Minor /A-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 2
45. Chopin: Waltz No. 13 in D-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 3-Waltz No. 13 in D-Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 3
46. Chopin: Waltz No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op.posth.
47. Chopin: Waltz No. 15 in E Major, Op.posth.-Tempo di Valse
48. Chopin: Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op.posth.-Vivace
49. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 1 in C Major: Agitato
50. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 2 in A Minor: Lento
51. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 3 in G Major: Vivace
52. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 4 in E Minor: Largo
53. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 5 in D Major: Molto allegro
54. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 6 in B Minor: Lento assai
55. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 7 in A Major: Andantino
56. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor: Molto agitato
57. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 9 in E Major: Largo
58. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor: Molto allegro
59. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 11 in B Major, Vivace
60. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor; Presto
61. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 13 in F-Sharp Minor: Lento
62. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 14 in E-Flat Minor: Allegro
63. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 15 in D-Flat Major: Sostenuto
64. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 16 in B-Flat Minor: Presto con fuoco
65. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 17 in A-flat Major: Allegretto
66. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 18 in C Minor: Molto allegro
67. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 19 in E-Flat Major: Vivace
68. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 20 in C Minor: Largo
69. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 21 in B-Flat Major: Cantabile
70. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 22 in G Minor: Molto agitato
71. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 23 in F Major: Moderato
72. Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28-No. 24 in D Minor: Allegro appassionato
73. Chopin: Polonaise in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 "Heroic"
74. Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
75. Chopin: Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
76. Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A-Flat Major, Op. 47
77. Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52
78. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 1 The Maiden's Wish
79. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S.480-2. Spring
80. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 3 The Ring
81. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 4 Drinking Song
82. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 5 My Joys
83. Chopin: 6 Chants polonais de Frédéric Chopin, S. 480-No. 6 Return Home
84. Liszt: Rhapsodie espagnole, S. 254
85. Liszt: 12 Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139-No. 5 Feux follets. Allegretto
86. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 1 Preludio. Andante-Étude
87. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 2 Andante
88. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S.141-No. 3 La Campanella
89. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 4 Vivo
90. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 5 Allegretto
91. Liszt: Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141-No. 6 Quasi presto
92. J.S. Bach: Chromatic Fantasia And Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903-Fantasy and Fugue
93. Chopin: 3 Nocturnes, Op. 9-No. 1 in B-Flat Minor
94. Mendelssohn: Rondo capriccioso in E Major, Op. 14, MWV U67-Rondo capriccioso in E Major, Op. 14, MWV U67
95. Rachmaninov: 5 Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3-No. 2 Prelude in C-Sharp Minor
96. Scarlatti: Keyboard Sonata in G Major, Kk.455 (L. 209)
97. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 1 Stick Dance
98. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 2 Sash Dance
99. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 3 In One Spot
100. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 4 Horn Dance
101. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 5 Roumanian Polka
102. Bartók: 6 Romanian Folk Dances, BB 68, Sz. 56-No. 6 Fast Dance
103. Schumann: Liebeslied (Widmung), S. 566
104. Debussy: Préludes / Book 1, L. 117-No. 8 La fille aux cheveux de lin
105. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244-No. 15 in A minor
106. J.S. Bach: 6 Kleine Präludien, BWV 933-938-No. 5 Prelude in E Major, BWV 937
107. Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67-No. 4 Presto "Spinning Song"
108. Schubert: 6 Moments musicaux, Op. 94, D. 780-No. 3 Allegro moderato
109. Prokofiev: Four Pieces, Op. 4-No. 4 Suggestion diabolique
110. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-Sharp Minor, S. 244
111. Rachmaninoff: Ten Preludes, Op. 23-No. 6 Andante
112. Mussorgsky: Sorochintsy Fair-transcr. Sergei Rachmaninoff-Hopak
113. Schumann: Spanisches Liederspiel, Op. 74-Transcr. for Concert Performance by Carl Tausig-Der Kontrabandiste
114. Debussy: Suite bergamasque, L. 75-No. 3 Clair de lune
115. Villa-Lobos: Prole do Bebe, Series 1-No. 2 Moreninha-A Boneca de Massa
116. Chopin: Polonaise in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 "Heroic"
117. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-1. Allegro maestoso
118. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-2. Quasi adagio
119. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-3. Allegretto vivace-Allegro animato
120. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124-4. Allegro marziale animato
121. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, R. 190-1. Andante sostenuto
122. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, R. 190-2. Allegro scherzando
123. Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, R. 190-3. Presto
A debut on CD for the American Decca legacy of Ruth Slenczynska, a prodigious Romantic-age keyboard lioness. The biography for her Wigmore Hall recital in March 1957 claimed that the 32-year-old Ruth Slenczynska had given 1600 concerts. Scarcely believably, perhaps, but no less so than other elements of her extraordinary life story - making her public debut at the age of four, under the instruction of a tyrannical and abusive father, playing a Mozart concerto at the Salle Pleyel in Paris just three years later, attracting the admiration and tutelage of Cortot and Rachmaninov, apparently burnt out before adulthood. A first marriage and highlights such as playing for (and duets with) Harry Truman followed. Touring with Arthur Fiedler and Boston Pops in the mid-50s taught Slenczynska how to work an audience and to draw strength from their attention, but she readily understood the imperatives of the microphone. The year before her Wigmore Hall date she began recording for the American Brunswick division of Decca at the label's New York studios, and once their sales were boosted by the publication of her painfully honest autobiography in 1957, her albums won acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. She has continued to perform and to teach well into her 90s, but this box is the first comprehensive tribute to her artistry. Born in California to Polish parents, Slenczynska was a Chopin pianist by nature and nurture, with a temperament and background that tended towards the extremes of the Romantic style, abounding in rubato and timbral nuance. The facility and security of her technique were shown to best advantage by the Études (1956), then the Scherzos (1957), followed by a selection of waltzes (1959), the Ballades and Polish songs arranged by Liszt (1960) and the Préludes (1962). A Liszt album from 1958 tests her bullet-proof technique with the exigent demands of the Rhapsodie espagnole, Feux follets and the most gravity-defying versions of the Grandes Études de Paganini. A mixed recital from 1957 marks the silver jubilee of her debut at New York City Hall. The Brunswick discogrpahy is rounded off with a disc of encores (1959) and a pair of concertos, Saint-Saëns' Second (1959) and Liszt's First (1963). By the time of these recordings, Slenczynska had thrown off the prodigy tag and her musicianship had matured accordingly from machine-tooled virtuosity to lyrical fantasy. The pianism presented here is extraordinary, and shows no trace of a performer who had learned her craft through the harshest discipline and punishment. The first release of these albums on CD is celebrated in style by Eloquence with an 'original covers' box and a booklet full of hitherto unpublished photographs and memorabilia as well as a new survey of Slenczynska's life and studio career by Stephen Siek.
Year 2020 | Classical | FLAC / APE
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