Philips’ Great Pianists volume devoted to Rudolf Serkin provides a rather unbalanced overview of the pianist’s work. His 1936 “Appassionata” (Serkin’s debut solo recording) boasts fire and drive a-plenty, but lacks the charged nuance and spiritual depth that distinguishes his Columbia Masterworks versions (both mono and stereo). A 1991 EMI reissue lacked the transitional diminished chord linking the sonata’s second and third movements, and that chord is missing here too. By contrast, Serkin’s lean, winged account of Mozart’s E-flat concerto K. 449 proves suaver than his equally incisive Columbia remakes. Energy, theatrical flair, plus digital and stylistic surety are all hallmarks of Serkin’s mid-1950s Mozart concerto recordings. Sadly, these qualities are only hinted in the pianist’s insightful but frankly labored Deutsche Grammophon versions, taped during Serkin’s final decade. At least Claudio Abbado provides well-conceived, judiciously balanced, and sympathetic accompaniments. Younger listeners who’ve never encountered this formidable keyboard artist should pass this anthology up, and pray that Sony will launch a comprehensive Rudolf Serkin edition akin to the company’s prodigal efforts on behalf of Bernstein and Gould. [11/25/1999]
