First Hmv Recordings 1942-1943

On this CD:

1. Etude for piano in F minor, Op. 10/9, CT 22
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Henry Holst, Anthony Pini, Solomon Trio

2. Etude for piano in F minor, Op. 25/2, CT 27
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Henry Holst, Anthony Pini, Solomon Trio

3. Etude for piano in F major, Op. 25/3, CT 28
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Henry Holst, Anthony Pini, Solomon Trio

4. Nocturne for piano in D flat major, Op. 27/2, CT 155
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Henry Holst, Anthony Pini, Solomon Trio

5. Berceuse for piano in D flat major, Op. 57, CT 7
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Henry Holst, Anthony Pini, Solomon Trio

6. Variations (25) and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, for piano, in B flat major, Op. 24
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Henry Holst, Anthony Pini, Solomon Trio

7. Piano Trio in B flat major ("Archduke") Op. 97
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Beethoven Archduke Trio, Henry Holst, Anthony Pini, Solomon Trio

Customer Reviews:

5 stars for performance; 3 for sound (but still acceptable).......2004-04-05

This CD contains legendary performances by English pianist Solomon (his full name was Solomon Cutner, but he always simply went by his first name; some references say his name was Cutner Solomon, but that's incorrect) and in particular Brahms's 'Variations on a Theme by Handel' has assumed legendary status among pianists. It first came out in 1942 on 78s. As far as I know this is its only appearance on CD, although I had an old LP set long since gone with the wind. It has always been the Handel Variations performance that I judge others by. A number of things that distinguish it. First, Solomon plays each variation according to its own characteristics, not attempting to give the overall set a specific sound; others tend to homogenize the individual variations where Solomon gives each its own approach. Second, until the accelerating variation that leads into the concluding fugue, the dynamic level is fairly soft, or at least not much above mezzo-forte, and always elegant. When the fugue finally arrives builds into a cloudburst and the flood of sound carries all before it. The effect is simply stunning. In this transfer the sound is certainly acceptable, even with occasional clicks and pops carried over from the 78 rpm source disks.

The CD begins with a Chopin set as listed above. The first F minor étude is titanic, the D flat Nocturne is meltingly beautiful (although my own favorite recording of it, not much mentioned by others, is by Andrei Gavrilov on Angel). The Berceuse is the only piece that falls a little flat.

The concluding work is the Beethoven 'Archduke' Trio with Henry Holst, violin and Anthony Pini, cello; they performed as The Solomon Trio. This performance is marked by a lovely warm sound and an almost unbelievable matching of the piano and string sounds, so difficult in piano trio performances. Solomon had fingers of steel, but he also had an unfailingly discerning ear and he clearly listened carefully to the sounds his colleagues were making and played with them in complete ensemble. A treasurable performance.

My only complaint about this disc is its price. Appian is an Ënglish label that reissues historic recordings (I recently reviewed an historic issue of Lyapunov études played by Louis Kentner on the label). I do not know why the price is higher than average, but at least in this instance it is worth it.

Scott Morrison

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