Although Julius Katchen’s 1958 Brahms Handel and Paganini Variations recordings were released in stereo, it appears that only the mono master tape could be located for their first-ever CD appearance (six years later Katchen remade these works for his Decca Brahms cycle, and there’s also a third Katchen Brahms/Handel recording from the early 1950s). In essence, the 1958 Brahms Paganini replicates the remake’s unbridled panache and cocky bravura, but with generally slower tempos that allow the faster variations more room to breathe and settle in the listener’s ear. As with the later recording, Katchen dovetails Book 1’s conclusion into Book 2’s first variation, bypassing the theme’s restatement.
In the Handel Variations Katchen’s fanciful phrasings and sometimes-casual tempo relationships convey a different message than the structural rigor and kinetic momentum distinguishing Leon Fleisher’s contemporaneous recording. My preference wavers between the two Katchens. On one hand, Katchen tightened up certain details later on, such as distinguishing Variation Four’s accents from the sforzandos, making more of the staccato articulation, or bringing out Variation 24’s rapid crescendos. Yet the 1958 final Fugue is steadier in contrast to Katchen’s later tempo modifications (its opening measures tell the story).
Also new to CD, Katchen’s 1953 Schumann Symphonic Etudes finds the pianist on better behavior than in his loopy, over-the-top Carnaval. For the most part he effectively orchestrates the thick piano writing’s polyphonic riches, such as the canon lurking underneath Variation 4’s block chords, or Variation 9’s climbing chromatic ivy. Yet other mono 1950s recordings of the same piece manage more magic into the mix, from Myra Hess’ seasoned sobriety to Samson François’ passionate sweep. Moreover, Katchen doesn’t match the overall control and tonal translucence of Wilhelm Kempff’s 1956 mono disc, as specific comparisons bear out (Variations 7, 10, 11, and the Finale). Text-wise, Katchen largely opts for the revised (1852) edition and leaves out the posthumously published etudes. Reservations notwithstanding, these long-unavailable performances should be accessible–and you have to wonder if Eloquence plans to do more with Katchen’s discographical loose ends, such as the 1953 Beethoven Diabelli Variations.
