Clara Haskil’s magnificent August 8, 1957 Salzburg Festival recital previously appeared on the Music and Arts label, and you can read my review of it by typing Q1540 in Search Reviews. However, Orfeo’s transfer apparently stems from Austrian Radio’s master tape, yielding far superior sound quality in terms of dynamic range, amplitude, sound projection, and color. If anything, the Beethoven E-flat sonata’s rollicking finale acquires more urgency, tonal weight (the massive chords at the beginning of the first movement’s development section), and inner drive. In the Schubert B-flat’s Molto Moderato the melodic trajectory seems more shapely and subtle. I also infer more dramatic immediacy in Haskil’s angular passagework and hard-hitting accents throughout Mozart’s C major sonata. In essence, Orfeo’s sonic upgrade reinforces my preference for these live readings over the pianist’s studio versions of the same works. An essential release for Clara Haskil fans.
