In the late 1940s and early ’50s Walter Gieseking gave numerous broadcasts over German radio, and these broadcasts are the source of the recordings in this set. Gifted with protean facility and total recall, the pianist could toss off Schumann cycles, the Bach Inventions and English Suites, or a big handful of late Beethoven sonatas with no effort–and by all accounts, little preparation. Virtually everything here sounds like a great pianist sight-reading. Even allowing for the constricted, mono air-check sonics, there’s little dynamic or emotional contrast, although the Bach English and French Suites stand out for their straightforward economy and clear part playing. Why is the Three-Part Invention No. 6 missing? It exists, at least on a German Heliodor LP pressing! Schumann’s Waldszenen, though, comes off with admirable delicacy, while the same composer’s knottier variations in the Symphonic Etudes fly freely and dangerously. This is the risk-taking side of Gieseking we rarely encounter in his post-war studio recordings. Generic but informative notes round out this four-for-the-price-of-three CD set, reissued at mid-price.
