Although Claudio Arrau made many distinctive studio recordings, he often lived more dangerously in front of an audience, as these previously unreleased performances from the Prague Spring Festival prove. Arrau’s superlative 1974 Chopin Preludes (Philips), for instance, stand out for the pianist’s large-scaled detailing, epic drama, ample rubatos, majestic tone, and totally honest technique. This 1960 live version contains these qualities, but with generally faster tempos, plus a healthy dose of fire and abandon in the more tumultuous selections. What’s more, Arrau’s organic feeling for the music’s underlying polyphony (as opposed to picking out “inner voices” at random) belies Richard Wagner’s description of Chopin as a “one handed composer.” I would say this performance complements the pianist’s Philips recording, and easily supercedes his 1949 studio version for CBS.
Arrau’s live 1976 Schumann Symphonic Etudes provide the spark, adrenaline, and continuity missing from his heavier-gaited, occasionally ponderous 1970 studio counterpart. As with the latter, Arrau includes the five posthumous variations, but reorders them here to convincing effect. Arrau scholar Peter Warwick’s excellent notes include relevant comments in Arrau’s own words. I hope this release will be the first in a long and illuminating live Arrau series. An essential acquisition for admirers of this singular pianist. [5/5/2001]
