The Belgian pianist Arthur De Greef (1862-1940) studied with Franz Liszt, and enjoyed the endorsement of Saint-Saëns and Grieg. De Greef's 1927 HMV recording of Grieg's A-Minor Concerto reveals the pianist's noble style, solid technique, and unmannered musicianship. Like many pianists of his generation, De Greef was not above tinkering with the text at times (the extra top note buttoning the opening cadenza, for example), yet his adjustments are subtle rather than idiosyncratic. Landon Ronald's Royal Albert Hall Orchestra is a less motley crew than the wretched ensemble backing Ignaz Friedman's roughly contemporaneous "rival" version. Still, modern ears might find it difficult to get past the foul-tuned winds and slurpy string slides. A sloppy side join in the slow movement (at 4:09) adds an extra B-flat horn note in measure 63. De Greef's 1925 Chopin B-flat Minor Sonata (the work's first electrical recording) is a mite straightlaced and sober compared to the more personalized poetry of Rachmaninov and Cortot, or Godowsky's chiseled refinement, among shellac contenders. I do like the ingenuous voicings with which De Greef envelops first movement's second subject. The first four minutes and thirty-six seconds of the Funeral March are transferred nearly a half step sharp. Filling out the disc are some Moskowski miniatures, played with great charm and simplicity, plus a rather weighty and wooden Schubert-Liszt Soirée de Vienne No. 6 (no match for Moriz Rosenthal's ravishing 1935 HMV version). A group of Chopin Waltzes fare better, especially the Op. 42 A-flat selection with its exquisitely timed rubatos and patient detail. All the material on this reissue, by the way, is new to CD. Aside from the aforementioned production problems, Seth Winner's transfers make the original 78s sound as good as they're going to get. Producer Donald Manildi's detailed, informative annotations add further value to this reissue.

--Jed Distler