Emil Gilels: The Seattle Recital
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Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Cat No: 4796288
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Instrumental
Release Date: 26th August 2016
Contents
Works
Prelude in B minor (after BWV855a, arr. Siloti)Piano Sonata no.21 in C major, op.53 'Waldstein'
Variations on Mozart's 'La ci darem la mano' in B flat major, op.2
Images pour piano, Book 1
Piano Sonata no.3 in A minor, op.28
Visions fugitives, op.22 (excerpts)
Miroirs
Artists
Emil Gilels (piano)Works
Prelude in B minor (after BWV855a, arr. Siloti)Piano Sonata no.21 in C major, op.53 'Waldstein'
Variations on Mozart's 'La ci darem la mano' in B flat major, op.2
Images pour piano, Book 1
Piano Sonata no.3 in A minor, op.28
Visions fugitives, op.22 (excerpts)
Miroirs
Artists
Emil Gilels (piano)About
On 6 December 1964 the great Emil Gilels gave a tempestuously acclaimed recital at the Seattle Opera. The concert was recorded live for private purposes but with professional equipment. With the exception of a single work, this recital has never before been made available to the general public and is now being released for the first time!
Between 1955 and 1983 Emil Gilels toured North America twelve times. Unlike his Soviet colleague and rival Sviatoslav Richter, Gilels loved the US. “I first came here 22 years ago,” he said in 1977. “I lost here in the United States very much of my heart. You know, I left here a good portion of my life.” This certainly held true for his fifth tour, an arduous three months of recitals, concerto dates and recording sessions that began and ended on the East Coast. In between came four West Coast appearances – in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, as well as the present recital recorded in the Seattle Opera House on December 6, 1964 and released here for the first time.
As the concert unfolds, the give-and-take between the pianist’s inspiration and the public’s appreciation is palpable, boding well for future Seattle appearances. But it was not to be; Gilels would only return once more to the city, in 1979: yet another reason to treasure this previously unpublished document of one of the 20th century’s greatest pianists in a live concert – his preferred setting – and at the height of his powers.
Track listing:
1-3. Beethoven - “Waldstein” Sonata in C major, op.53
4. Chopin - Variations on “Là ci darem la mano”, op.2
5. Prokofiev - Piano Sonata no.3 in A minor, op.28
6-8. Debussy - Images I
9-14. Prokofiev - Visions fugitives, op.22 (excerpts)
15. Ravel - Alborada del gracioso from Miroirs
16. Stravinsky - Danse russe from Pétrouchka
17. J.S. Bach / S.I. Loti - Prelude in B minor. BWV 855a
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Beethoven: Piano Sonata #21 In C, Op. 53, 'Waldstein' - 1. Allegro Con Brio
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2Beethoven: Piano Sonata #21 In C, Op. 53, 'Waldstein' - 2. Introduzione: Adagio Molto
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3Beethoven: Piano Sonata #21 In C, Op. 53, 'Waldstein' - 3. Rondo
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4Chopin: Variations On 'La Ci Darem La Mano' From Mozart's Don Giovanni
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5Prokofiev: Piano Sonata #3 In A Minor, Op. 28
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6Debussy: Images, Book 1 - 1. Reflets Dans l'Eau
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7Debussy: Images, Book 1 - 2. Hommage a Rameau
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8Debussy: Images, Book 1 - 3. Mouvement
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9Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 - 1. Lentamente
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10Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 - 3. Allegretto
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11Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 - 11. Con Vivacita
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12Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 - 10. Ridicolosamente
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13Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 - 17. Poetico
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14Ravel: Miroirs - 4. Alborada Del Gracioso
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15Stravinsky: 3 Movements From Petrushka - 1. Danse Russe
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16Bach/Siloti: Prelude In B Minor, BWV 855A
Europadisc Review
Sadly, too much of the Chopin G minor Ballade that featured in the concert's first half is missing to permit its issue. The upside of this is that the remainder of the recital fits onto one generously filled disc. Made for private purposes but on professional equipment, the mono recording places the listener further away from the instrument than would a studio recording, but the ear soon adjusts, and the reward is a veritable feast of great piano playing.
The account of Beethoven's 'Waldstein' Sonata that opens proceedings is classic Gilels: big-boned, heroic yet alert, and constantly at one with the Beethovenian spirit: has there ever been a greater performer of this work? The performance of Chopin's Variations on Mozart's 'La ci darem la mano' (the only item to have previously been issued) that follows is in no way overshadowed, however, with Gilels wrenching the work away from the effete salon atmosphere and into bright delight.
The recital's second half immediately plunges the listener into Prokofiev's Third Sonata, an electrifyingly energetic performance that leaves us in no doubt as to why the composer entrusted Gilels with the premiere his Eighth Sonata. Much of this energy then transfers to a viscerally exciting account of Debussy's Images, Book I. How glorious it is to hear this music played with such full-toned exuberance, yet with enough nuance to nevertheless bring out the subtle shading of the score. This is a performance that commands attention throughout, tenacious and rhythmically taut, yet at the same time beautifully wrought and supple. The concluding 'Mouvement' really sparkles here, a highlight of the concert as a whole.
More Prokofiev follows with a selection of half-a-dozen of the Visions fugitives. Gilels's way with the composer is far removed from the usual superficial tongue-in-cheek approach, approaching these miniatures as jewels of real stature, as burnished as the greatest of Beethoven's Bagatelles. Similarly the performance of Ravel's Alborada del gracioso that concludes the official programme is full-blooded and substantial while remaining rooted in the world of dance. No mere virtuoso showpiece, this, but a powerful masterpiece underpinned by rock-solid bass lines and a noble tenor register.
The appreciative Seattle audience is rewarded with a blistering, coruscating account of the 'Danse russe' from Stravinsky's Petrushka that brings out all the late-Romantic richness of the score; Gilels's voicing here is positively orchestral in its command of tonal depth. And the recital ends with a tender rendition of a Gilels favourite: Alexander Siloti's arrangement of Bach's B minor Prelude, BWV 855a. It neatly wraps up what must have been a terrific live experience, and so much of that visceral thrill is caught here that, even if you are normally wary of live events caught in acceptable rather than demonstration quality sound, we urge you to try this remarkable disc. It will repay repeated listening for many years to come, and DG are to be applauded for its release, handsomely presented as befits the occasion.
Reviews
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