There’s little doubt that William Kapell, who died in a plane crash in 1953, was a great pianist. BMG honored his achievements a few years ago with a complete recorded edition, including newly discovered live performances, but this set sticks to his Greatest Hits in repertoire that ranges from Bach to Rachmaninov.
I’m glad Philips has included Kapell’s legendary recording of the Paganini Rhapsody in this set – Fritz Reiner’s dry-eyed conducting ideally supports Kapell’s brilliant pianism as does Antal Dorati’s leadership in a similarly styled Prokofiev Third Concerto. The solo works, however, are less satisfactory: Kapell’s Fourth Partita of Bach and the Chopin Third Piano Sonata are fussy and restless; his stunning playing of Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz, however, brings down the house. Hyperion Knight’s notes, to their credit, assert the pianist’s stature fairly and without embarrasment.
