Godowsky - The Art of Transcription | Evidence Classics EVCD026

Godowsky - The Art of Transcription

£14.20

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Label: Evidence Classics

Cat No: EVCD026

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Instrumental

Release Date: 7th October 2016

Contents

About

The legendary pianist Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938) lItaliceft a huge catalogue boasting more than 400 pieces, more than half of which are transcriptions, arrangements or paraphrases for piano. The present recording offers an eclectic glimpse of the art of transcription according to Godowsky, featuring some of his finest realisations.

As with Liszt, the original work is a pretext for inspiration, thoroughly, and very freely reworked. His devotion to the great composers of the past was immense, and he carried out his adaptations with considerable respect, taste and style, the final aim always remaining musical above all.

A singular pianist, appreciated for his amazing charisma, Laurent Wagschal offers us a poetic reading of the most
famous standards, from Chopin Etudes to the American national anthem, by way of Saint-Saëns's Swan, Bach and a few Lieder by Schubert and Schumann.

Reviews

Among all the virtuoso pianists who have embellished the music they play, Leopold Godowsky was one of the most extreme. His imaginative paraphrases go far beyond the bounds of mere transcription: Saint-Saëns’s famous Swan is sugar-coated with decoration, and three Schubert songs take Liszt’s elaborations even further. Most fascinating here is Bach’s G minor sonata for solo violin, in which the first movement is an entirely original meditation.  Nicholas Kenyon
The Observer 23 October 2016

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