The only reason I can fathom for this particular program, culled from pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli’s early EMI recordings, is that the three selections made up an Italian EMI LP release from the late 1960s. Well, at least their latest CD incarnation does not replicate that LP’s heavily filtered, fake stereo sonics. But the Bach/Busoni Chaconne and Brahms Paganini Variations sound a bit muffled in comparison to slightly fuller and clearer transfers available in EMI’s Great Recordings of the Century series. At any rate, these works were lifelong staples of Michelangeli’s restricted repertoire, and EMI’s 1948 recordings capture the great pianist’s powerful projection and astounding technical sheen on peak form.
Just so you know, Michelangeli devised his own ordering of the Brahms variations. He plays Book One Variations 1-8 and 10-12, then jumps to Book Two Variations 1-2 and 5-8, then plays 10-12 and 3-4, and concludes with Book One 13 plus an abridged 14. The Mozart K. 450 B-flat concerto recording dates from 1950, although the cramped, hashy sonics sound vintage 1927. Michelangeli subjects each phrase to finely-tuned gradations of touch and dynamic scaling, leaving not one note unscrutinized and unaccounted for. It’s fantastic pianism to be sure, but if I had to choose a K. 450 from this era I’d recommend Kempff or Solomon for lyric warmth plus superior sonics and orchestral backing (see my comments by typing Q4383 and Q6284 in Search Reviews). Buy this disc if you specifically want the Bach, Brahms, and Mozart together. Or spend a little more to acquire the Bach and Brahms in better sound on EMI 5 62740 2, coupled with the pianist’s bizarre 1975 Schumann Carnaval.
