What a ridiculous concept! Zemlinsky made numerous arrangements of earlier works for Universal Edition at the turn of the 20th century. These were designed for domestic consumption in the days before recordings, and Zemlinsky reportedly hated the work but needed the money. This did not stop him from doing his job with thorough professionalism. But be honest: does any sane person today want or need to hear these oratorios arranged for four-hand piano? The eruption of light at the beginning of The Creation is a joke here, made even more obvious by the performers’ restricted dynamic range. Indeed, the playing is basically as dull as the transcriptions. Just listen to the “Hunting” and “Drunken” choruses from The Seasons, with their ponderous tempos and lack of flow. I suppose if you want to hear makeshift arrangements of some of the most instrumentally colorful music ever conceived, as they might have been played by domestic amateurs, then these four interminable discs offer just the ticket. For the rest of us, though, the result is a punishment.
