NEW SERKIN SERIES ON SONY (FRANCE)!
Hot on the heels of its tremendously successful Casadesus Edition, Sony France follows up with what hopefully will be the first installment of a series devoted to Rudolf Serkin. An artist whose combination of flinty sonority and intellectual command arouses the passions of pianophiles to this very day, Serkin’s Sony legacy has received scant attention from the American wing of his parent company. This excellently produced French edition makes amends, though it’s probably futile to hope that these discs ever will be available in the U.S.
The repertoire on offer in this initial release covers the German masters that received the lion’s share of Serkin’s attention: Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Beethoven. Serkin’s Bach recital [5128622] begins with a 1976 recording of the "Aria" from the Goldberg Variations, then jumps back to the 1950 Prades festival for the Italian Concerto and the Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue. The Capriccio in B-flat BWV 992 (recorded in 1957) makes an enjoyable prelude to a lively 1964 performance of the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto featuring Pablo Casals and other of Serkin’s Marlboro Festival colleagues. The Brahms disc [5128752] features Serkin’s celebrated recording of the First Piano Concerto with Szell (1968), and a very late (1979) but still impressively cogent performance of Handel Variations (like several items in this series, new to CD).
Also appearing on CD for the first time are Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 27 [5128642], as well as Nos. 9 & 20 [5128632]. The recording dates range from 1951-56, and all but the last-mentioned work feature Alexander Schneider conducting; the exception in No. 20 includes Ormandy/Philadelphia. Listeners familiar only with Serkin’s late, tired reading of Mozart for DG really should hear these performances, which capture him in his absolute prime. Schubert appears on three discs, two devoted to solo piano works: first up, a 1975 recording of the epic Piano Sonata in B-flat D. 960 paired with a 1955 reading of the “Reliquie” Sonata in C D. 840 [5128742]. Next comes a fine 1966 performance of the A major Sonata D. 959 coupled with the Four Impromptus D. 935 captured in 1979 [5128732]. Serkin was an excellent chamber musician, and he’s heard in that capacity to fine effect in a lovely Trout Quintet from Marlboro taped in 1967, coupled with a terrific 1983 Schumann Piano Quintet with The Budapest Quartet [5128722].
The remaining four discs are devoted to Beethoven, and they include some genuine rarities, such as a marvelous collection of early recordings (1941-52) containing the “Moonlight”, “Pathetique”, and “Appassionata” Sonatas along with Sonata No. 30 in E-flat Op. 109 [5128682]. The latter work also appears, rather less impressively, coupled to fine performances of the Sonatas Nos. 31 & 32 [5128692], but it’s interesting to have the two versions to compare and collectors of course will welcome both. It’s also very good to see Serkin’s celebrated 1957 reading of the Diabelli Variations included in this first round, here in the company of the 11 Bagatelles Op. 119 and the rarely heard G minor Fantasy Op. 71 [5128662]. The presence of Serkin’s equally well known and justly praised recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 with Bernstein/New York speaks for itself and requires no further comment.
I have purposefully refrained from getting into details of the individual performances for the obvious reason that a collector’s edition such as this has its own market and it’s more important to know what’s included. In general, pre-1970 Serkin is better than post-1970, but his fans will of course be happy to have the later material, particularly if it is appearing on disc for the first time. Hopefully future issues will include some Serkin rarities (such as the Reger Piano Concerto), and while you can’t purchase these discs Stateside, you can order them online very easily from Amazon France or FNAC (www.fnac.com).
--David Hurwitz
