The Complete Columbia Masters, 1926-1928

On this CD:

1. Impromptus (4) for piano, D. 935 (Op. posth. 142)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ethel Leginska

2. Moments musicaux (6) for piano, D. 780 (Op. 94)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ethel Leginska

3. Marche Militaire for piano, 4 hands in D major, D. 733/1 (Op. 51/1)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Ethel Leginska

4. Polonaise for piano in A major, Op. 40/1, CT 152
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Ethel Leginska

5. Prelude for piano No. 15 in D flat major, Op. 28/15, CT 180
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Ethel Leginska

6. Prelude for piano No.6 in G minor, Op. 23/5
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
Performed by Ethel Leginska

7. Morceaux de fantaisie (5), for piano, Op. 3
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
Performed by Ethel Leginska

8. Hungarian Rhapsody (Lento a capriccio), for piano No. 8 in F-sharp minor, S. 244/8 (LW A132/8)
Composed by Franz Liszt
Performed by Ethel Leginska

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Ethel Leginska, born Ethel Liggins in England in 1886, was a pioneering woman pianist, composer, and conductor. She studied piano with Leschetizky, composing with Bloch, and had a long and successful career, mostly in the U.S. But aside from some piano rolls, she made only a handful of 78s, most of which were these early electrical Columbias. Only a few of these sides were issued on LP. The bulk of the disc is taken up with two sets of Schubert pieces, the second set of Impromptus and the Moments musicaux, issued to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Schubert's death. They are sensitively played, with beautiful lyricism and hardly any of the romantic mannerisms of this era. Leginska saves those for two Chopin pieces, where she does things like playing the hands deliberately out of synch. Her Rachmaninov Preludes (the two most famous ones) are riveting, as is the abridged Liszt Eighth Hungarian Rhapsody. Remastering engineers Ed Thompson and Victor Ledin have gone for noise reduction above all, resulting in interference-free but relatively lifeless transfers, which muffle the pianist's tone. Even so, much of her personality comes through, but we know from other reissues of material from this era that the sound of the piano could have been much more vivid. --Leslie Gerber

Fanfare, July/August 2001
This disc reveals Leginska to have been a very serious and capable artist. Hats off to Ivory Classics.

Album Description
Ethel Leginska (1886-1970) was an extraordinary musical personality. She was a pianist of great distinction (a student of the legendary Leschetizky), dubbed by the New York Herald Tribune "The Paderewski of women pianists," a pioneering conductor who broke down gender barriers in concert halls around the world (she was the first woman to conduct opera in America and the first woman to conduct at the Hollywood Bowl), a composer of originality and power (she studied with Bloch), and also a formidable teacher who inspired in her Los Angeles studio a new generation of pianists. This Ivory Classics release is the first time that all of Ethel Leginska's Columbia recordings (made between 1926 and 1928, and first released on 78rpm discs in 1928 and 1929) have ever been reissued on compact disc. This comprehensive aural document of one of the great musical personalities of the early 20th century also is accompanied by an extensive, and lavishly illustrated booklet. A must ! for all lovers of historic piano recordings!

The Complete Columbia Masters, 1926-1928

Tracks:

Impromtu, Op.142 No.1 in f: Allegro Moderato
Impromtu, Op.142 No.2 in A flat: Allegretto
Impromtu, Op.142 No.3 in B flat: Allegretto
Impromtu, Op.142 No.4 in f: Allegro Scherzando
Moments Musicaux, Op.94 No.1 in C: Moderato
Moments Musicaux, Op.94 No.2 in A flat: Andantino
Moments Musicaux, Op.94 No.3 in f: Allegretto Moderato
Moments Musicaux, Op.94 No.4 in c#: Moderato
Moments Musicaux, Op.94 No.5 in f: Allegro Vivace
Moments Musicaux, Op.94 No.6 in A flat: Allegretto
Marche Militaire in D, Op.51 No.1 D 773: Allegro Vivace
Polonaise in A, Op.40 No.1: Allegro Con Brio
Prld In D flat, Op.28 No.15: Sostenuto
Prld in g, Op.23 No.5: Alla Marcia - Un Poco Meno Mosso - Tempo I
Prld in c#, Op.3 No.2: Lento - Agitato - Tempo I
Hungarian Rhap No.8 in f# S 244/R106: Lento A Capriccio - Sempre Lento Malinconico Assai...

Amazon.com

Ethel Leginska, born Ethel Liggins in England in 1886, was a pioneering woman pianist, composer, and conductor. She studied piano with Leschetizky, composing with Bloch, and had a long and successful career, mostly in the U.S. But aside from some piano rolls, she made only a handful of 78s, most of which were these early electrical Columbias. Only a few of these sides were issued on LP. The bulk of the disc is taken up with two sets of Schubert pieces, the second set of Impromptus and the Moments musicaux, issued to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Schubert's death. They are sensitively played, with beautiful lyricism and hardly any of the romantic mannerisms of this era. Leginska saves those for two Chopin pieces, where she does things like playing the hands deliberately out of synch. Her Rachmaninov Preludes (the two most famous ones) are riveting, as is the abridged Liszt Eighth Hungarian Rhapsody. Remastering engineers Ed Thompson and Victor Ledin have gone for noise reduction above all, resulting in interference-free but relatively lifeless transfers, which muffle the pianist's tone. Even so, much of her personality comes through, but we know from other reissues of material from this era that the sound of the piano could have been much more vivid. --Leslie Gerber

Album Description

Ethel Leginska (1886-1970) was an extraordinary musical personality. She was a pianist of great distinction (a student of the legendary Leschetizky), dubbed by the New York Herald Tribune "The Paderewski of women pianists," a pioneering conductor who broke down gender barriers in concert halls around the world (she was the first woman to conduct opera in America and the first woman to conduct at the Hollywood Bowl), a composer of originality and power (she studied with Bloch), and also a formidable teacher who inspired in her Los Angeles studio a new generation of pianists. This Ivory Classics release is the first time that all of Ethel Leginska's Columbia recordings (made between 1926 and 1928, and first released on 78rpm discs in 1928 and 1929) have ever been reissued on compact disc. This comprehensive aural document of one of the great musical personalities of the early 20th century also is accompanied by an extensive, and lavishly illustrated booklet. A must ! for all lovers of historic piano recordings!

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

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