What more can one possibly say about these classic, oft-reissued recordings, except to report on EMI’s latest transfers? The contents of this release are identical to disc four of EMI’s five-CD Lipatti anthology (CZS 7 67163 2), while the Chopin B minor Sonata and Liszt Sonetto del Petrarca No. 104 most recently appeared on APR (see my review of Dinu Lipatti: The complete 1947 UK Columbia recordings). The present transfer of the aforementioned Chopin work is the cleanest and least noisy of EMI’s efforts. Although the scherzo’s first notes still sound as if they’re faded up in the mix, the slightly flat pitch in the Finale is now corrected. But APR produced a far superior transfer that boasts more presence, impact, and dynamic range. Both EMI Liszt transfers rate about equal to each other, yet they also must yield to APR’s superior sound. By contrast, Ravel’s Alborada del Gracioso is free from previous surface blemishes and crackling distortion.
The Brahms Waltz selections with Nadia Boulanger sound as good as they ever have. But the 1943 broadcast of Enescu’s vibrant and inventive Third Sonata is cleaned up to the point where the pianist’s darting articulation in the opening movement loses its inherent bite. What’s more, the piano’s overtones are unduly smoothed out. So in order to obtain the best transfers of these performances, you have to buy this disc, the APR 1947 Lipatti reissue, and EMI’s earlier incarnations. Isn’t it time that either APR or EMI brought out an absolutely and systematically complete Lipatti edition, painstakingly remastered from scratch?
