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The Music Room => Great Recordings and Reviews => Topic started by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 23, 2018, 05:41:09 PM

Title: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 23, 2018, 05:41:09 PM
Ginette Doyen--wondering about her Mendelssohn Songs Without Words--apparently quite a collector's item on vinyl

Ania Dorfman see above

Maryla Jonas: Some of the most beautiful Chopin I have ever heard, especially the nocturnes. She had quite an interesting story. Rising to fame when the Nazis invaded her native Poland, she refused to play for them and escaped to Brazil, where later (I believe) Artur Rubinstein helped her start a career in the U.S. I just digitized one of her LPs entitled Piano Miniatures with short pieces by Handel, Mozart, Mendelssohn (hence my renewed interest in his piano pieces). I have enjoyed the other LPs (Chopin) for years.

Vlado Perlemuter is another favorite, especially the Ravel, and especially the Concerto in G

Eugene List, Arthur Balsam, Gyorgy Sebok are others I've only heard as accompanists, but am curious about. I would also list Paul Badura Skoda, but I don't think he is all that obscure. I am an avid LP collector, and love this era of recording, and am interested to hear thoughts on these and others. Others will follow as I sift through my collection, but this will hopefully be an interesting start to this thread for now.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on September 24, 2018, 04:58:29 PM
Noel Lee
Abbey Simon
Ruth Laredo
Eugene Istomin
Michael Ponti
John Browning
Rudolf Firkusny
Bruce Hungerford
Misha Dichter
Ingrid Haebler
Walter Klien
Shura Cherkassky
Andor Foldes
Samuil Feinberg
Lev Oborin
Jan Panenka

There might be varying degrees of "forgotten" here (Firkusny) but, well...here it is.....
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Cato on September 24, 2018, 06:00:14 PM
Quote from: Dancing Divertimentian on September 24, 2018, 04:58:29 PM

Ruth Laredo
Eugene Istomin
Michael Ponti
John Browning

Rudolf Firkusny
Bruce Hungerford
Misha Dichter


You have some great ones there: how about  Claudio Arrau and Wilhelm Backhaus ?

https://www.youtube.com/v/7U726VrX-U0


https://www.youtube.com/v/1hrNrRS_ajg

Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on September 24, 2018, 06:15:07 PM
Quote from: Cato on September 24, 2018, 06:00:14 PM
You have some great ones there: how about  Claudio Arrau and Wilhelm Backhaus ?

Two great names, fer shur, but as I read it the OP is looking for pianists not so well known...on the "forgotten" side. :)
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Ken B on September 24, 2018, 06:20:45 PM
Gyorgy Sandor.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 24, 2018, 07:23:06 PM
Right, people like Arrau, Backhaus, and even Feinberg have been reissued at least once or many times (incl the GPOC series, so not very obscure). Firkushny as well--although he is a good addition and one I'm curious about. But at least the first two on my list, afaik, there is nothing currently in print.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Daverz on September 24, 2018, 07:30:17 PM
Alan Marks

https://www.discogs.com/artist/343720-Alan-Marks

Beveridge Webster:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beveridge_Webster
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: JBS on September 24, 2018, 07:33:27 PM
Arkivmusic is promoting thus heavily.
(http://www.arkivmusic.com/graphics/covers/naxos/large/889854999926.jpg)
Is he actually worthwhile?
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Mandryka on September 24, 2018, 11:42:25 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 24, 2018, 07:23:06 PM
But at least the first two on my list, afaik, there is nothing currently in print.

There's a huge amount of stuff released by Ginette Doyen by Bibliotheque National de France, I can see about a dozen CDs. Dorfmann is pretty well served too

(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/t_300/rca88985390102.jpg?1496595929)
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Biffo on September 25, 2018, 12:52:42 AM
Quote from: Dancing Divertimentian on September 24, 2018, 04:58:29 PM
Noel Lee
Abbey Simon
Ruth Laredo
Eugene Istomin
Michael Ponti
John Browning
Rudolf Firkusny
Bruce Hungerford
Misha Dichter
Ingrid Haebler
Walter Klien
Shura Cherkassky
Andor Foldes
Samuil Feinberg
Lev Oborin
Jan Panenka

There might be varying degrees of "forgotten" here (Firkusny) but, well...here it is.....

I don't think Firkusny, Haebler or Cherkassky can count as forgotten.

John Browning is interesting to me. When I first started buying LPs he recorded the Prokofiev Piano Concertos and they had an excellent review in Gramophone. Unfortunately I couldn't afford them at the time and after that he seemed to fade from view. For some reason fairly recently  I remembered those recordings and looked him up on the internet; he had a long and distinguished career in the USA but doesn't seem to have made much of an impact on this side of the Atlantic.

Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Cato on September 25, 2018, 03:26:30 AM
Quote from: Biffo on September 25, 2018, 12:52:42 AM
I don't think Firkusny, Haebler or Cherkassky can count as forgotten.

John Browning is interesting to me. When I first started buying LPs he recorded the Prokofiev Piano Concertos and they had an excellent review in Gramophone. Unfortunately I couldn't afford them at the time and after that he seemed to fade from view. For some reason fairly recently  I remembered those recordings and looked him up on the internet; he had a long and distinguished career in the USA but doesn't seem to have made much of an impact on this side of the Atlantic.

Do you know his performance of the Barber Piano Concerto ?

https://www.youtube.com/v/HobIr7logJc


An interview from 1995:

http://www.bruceduffie.com/browning.html (http://www.bruceduffie.com/browning.html)

Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Karl Henning on September 25, 2018, 04:01:45 AM
Quote from: Biffo on September 25, 2018, 12:52:42 AM
John Browning is interesting to me. When I first started buying LPs he recorded the Prokofiev Piano Concertos and they had an excellent review in Gramophone. Unfortunately I couldn't afford them at the time and after that he seemed to fade from view. For some reason fairly recently  I remembered those recordings and looked him up on the internet; he had a long and distinguished career in the USA but doesn't seem to have made much of an impact on this side of the Atlantic.

Browning plays the concerti on this set:

[asin]B004H6P2LA[/asin]
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Biffo on September 25, 2018, 04:28:34 AM
Many thanks to Cato and karl for their responses.

I haven't heard the Barber recording, something to explore. A very interesting interview. The Testament set (concertos only) looks tempting. Amazon UK has a bargain price secondhand copy of the Sony box, new copies are exorbitantly expensive. I heard Leinsdorf conduct the LSO in Symphony No 5 aeons ago but not sure I want all the symphonies etc.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Irons on September 25, 2018, 07:34:31 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/GJf3H0K.jpg)

First ever recording made by the chap on the left. He did go on to make many more but not as a pianist!
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Draško on September 25, 2018, 07:51:30 AM
Antonio Barbosa, Brazilian pianist, died relatively young. One of my favorite recordings of Chopin Scherzi, on Connoisseur Society LP, never made it to CD. He also recorded some fine Liszt, especially Schubert/Liszt.

https://www.youtube.com/v/GRyBEZ3vDFY

Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 25, 2018, 10:09:38 AM
Any Malcuzynski fans here?

[asin]B00DKAH79O[/asin]
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Karl Henning on September 25, 2018, 10:22:01 AM
Quote from: Biffo on September 25, 2018, 04:28:34 AM
I heard Leinsdorf conduct the LSO in Symphony No 5 aeons ago but not sure I want all the symphonies etc.

Only ("only"!) four of the symphonies are in the Leinsdorf/BSO box, but you will especially enjoy the Second and Sixth, I believe.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Archaic Torso of Apollo on September 25, 2018, 10:39:27 AM
Quote from: Daverz on September 24, 2018, 07:30:17 PM
Alan Marks


I've got him playing on the Rochberg Piano 5tet, a recording stranded on vinyl.

Does Paul Jacobs count? I've got his Bach/Brahms/Busoni on Nonesuch. His recordings seem to be kind of hard to find nowadays.

William Bolcom - maybe better known as a composer, but he made some interesting recordings of American music (incl. his own) for Nonesuch.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Holden on September 25, 2018, 03:26:46 PM
Rafael Orozco
Richard Farrell
Noel Mewton-Wood
Andre Tchaikovsky
Peter Seeman
Andre Krust
Louis Kentner
Jean-Marie Darre
Abbey Simon
Michel Block
Terrence Judd

I had LPs (mostly via World Record Club) from most of these pianists. Orozco introduced me to the Chopin Preludes and Kentner the Liszt TEs.



Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on September 25, 2018, 06:12:57 PM
Can't believe I forgot one of my favorite pianists: Agustin Anievas!!
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2018, 08:47:53 PM
Quote from: Mandryka on September 24, 2018, 11:42:25 PM
There's a huge amount of stuff released by Ginette Doyen by Bibliotheque National de France, I can see about a dozen CDs. Dorfmann is pretty well served too

(https://d27t0qkxhe4r68.cloudfront.net/t_300/rca88985390102.jpg?1496595929)

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I did not see this on Amazon.com. Have you heard any of it?

There is a three LP set of Doyen doing the Mendelssohn Songs w/o Words on eBay. Those early 50s Westminster LPs are incredible.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: springrite on September 25, 2018, 08:51:51 PM
Quote from: Dancing Divertimentian on September 25, 2018, 06:12:57 PM
Can't believe I forgot one of my favorite pianists: Agustin Anievas!!
Oh, yes! One of my favorite as well.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2018, 09:01:03 PM
Which performance of his (?) do you recommend? I've seen that name many times, but have never bought any of the recordings (Vox label in America I believe).

Seriously folks, you should snap up any and all Maryla Jonas you can find. I'm listening to the Songs Without Words now and it's amazing. 
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Mandryka on September 25, 2018, 09:09:05 PM
This is a good example of the sort of thing Anievas did, I can let you have a good transfer if you want

https://www.youtube.com/v/4tBGozP-qzo

I haven't heard any Dorfmann.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: springrite on September 25, 2018, 09:11:37 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2018, 09:01:03 PM
Which performance of his (?) do you recommend? I've seen that name many times, but have never bought any of the recordings (Vox label in America I believe).

Seriously folks, you should snap up any and all Maryla Jonas you can find. I'm listening to the Songs Without Words now and it's amazing.
The Liszt sonata in B minor, and the Rachmaninov for starters, I'd say.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Mandryka on September 25, 2018, 09:12:12 PM
Anthony Bonaventura made some interesting piano recordings, Scarlatti sonatas in the early 1970s and Debussy Etudes. Again I can let people who are interested have good transfers

https://www.youtube.com/v/pqe6u5kCLcA

https://www.youtube.com/v/SO8Ru5SaLcc
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2018, 09:14:17 PM
Leonard Pennario is another one. From what I remember, I've only seen his name associated with lighter fare, Hollywood Bowl concerts, and the like. I was never too interested (largely for that reason), and I've never seen any reissues of his stuff. I wonder whether anyone cares--certainly some of these folks remain obscure for a reason.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Mandryka on September 25, 2018, 09:27:26 PM
One I was really impressed by is Irén Marik, a student of Bartok who recorded some Bartok and Beethoven and possibly other things, she was rediscovered and rereleased by Arbiter, here's an image

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512uiDQ%2BjcL._SX355_.jpg)

I forget the desert connection, maybe she went to live in Cairo with Ignaz Tiegermann

Another impressive pianist who Arbiter revived is Leo Serota, who also has some connection to Egypt I think

(http://arbiterrecords.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/137-mini-300x297.jpg)
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: springrite on September 25, 2018, 11:24:26 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2018, 09:14:17 PM
Leonard Pennario is another one. From what I remember, I've only seen his name associated with lighter fare, Hollywood Bowl concerts, and the like. I was never too interested (largely for that reason), and I've never seen any reissues of his stuff. I wonder whether anyone cares--certainly some of these folks remain obscure for a reason.
That is all I have no CD, nothing significant. But I have heard him in concert and he was magnificent!
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Cato on September 26, 2018, 03:22:39 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on September 25, 2018, 10:22:01 AM
Only ("only"!) four of the symphonies are in the Leinsdorf/BSO box, but you will especially enjoy the Second and Sixth, I believe.

Yes, those were and are great performances of great symphonies!  Symphonies II, III, and VI are Prokofiev at his best, and the Boston Symphony with Erich Leinsdorf are exquisite in those works.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Biffo on September 26, 2018, 03:25:26 AM
Quote from: Cato on September 26, 2018, 03:22:39 AM
Yes, those were and are great performances of great symphonies!  Symphonies II, III, and VI are Prokofiev at his best, and the Boston Symphony with Erich Leinsdorf are exquisite in those works.

I ordered the bargain price secondhand box, now keeping my fingers crossed that it is OK.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: prémont on September 26, 2018, 03:37:27 AM
Quote from: Mandryka on September 25, 2018, 09:27:26 PM
One I was really impressed by is Irén Marik, a student of Bartok who recorded some Bartok and Beethoven and possibly other things, she was rediscovered and rereleased by Arbiter, here's an image

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512uiDQ%2BjcL._SX355_.jpg)


This may be even more interesting:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7966928--iren-marik-from-bach-to-bartok

I have put it on my wishlist.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Cato on September 26, 2018, 04:07:12 AM
Michael Ponti's Scriabin set on VOX was one of my favorites!

[asin]B00007J4SK[/asin]
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Draško on September 26, 2018, 04:22:56 AM
Albert Ferber, Swiss pianist whose superb Faure recordings on Saga were never released on CD.

https://www.youtube.com/v/jLtBNnqeNyo
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Irons on September 26, 2018, 07:21:27 AM
Quote from: Draško on September 26, 2018, 04:22:56 AM
Albert Ferber, Swiss pianist whose superb Faure recordings on Saga were never released on CD.

https://www.youtube.com/v/jLtBNnqeNyo

Saga released two LPs of Albert Ferber playing Fauré. Finding a decent pressing isn't easy but for playing as good as that the hunt is worthwhile. Forgotten Records have Ferber playing Beethoven and Debussy on CD but not Fauré.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Mandryka on September 26, 2018, 08:49:40 AM
Quote from: (: premont :) on September 26, 2018, 03:37:27 AM

This may be even more interesting:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7966928--iren-marik-from-bach-to-bartok

I have put it on my wishlist.

Maybe, I've not heard it. The thing that bowled me over was Beethoven op 109, if I recall correctly there's an op 111 on that other one which a friend of mine said was also exceptionally good
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Mandryka on September 26, 2018, 09:22:47 AM
Quote from: Draško on September 26, 2018, 04:22:56 AM
Albert Ferber, Swiss pianist whose superb Faure recordings on Saga were never released on CD.

https://www.youtube.com/v/jLtBNnqeNyo

I have a transfer of Ferber playing the Fauré preludes which I can let you have if you want. It sounds pretty good to me.  Also the other side of the Saga LP, op 73 Theme and Variations and some small things.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Josquin13 on September 26, 2018, 11:19:17 AM
The following 13 pianists aren't exactly forgotten, for the most part, but they certainly don't get the attention they deserve from record labels today, etc., in my view:

1. Nadia Reisenberg--exceptional Haydn, Chopin, and a forgotten early champion of the piano music of Samuel Barber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgP75Vht2GI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2vjqJikn-g (I like her Barber Excursions better than Horowitz's)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OStrdzRMA

2. Augustin Anievas--one of my favorite pianists for Chopin Etudes, & 4 Impromptus, and exceptional in Brahms too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xe_z1nfWNI

3. Halina Czerny-Stefanska--exceptional in Chopin, especially the Mazurkas, and Mozart.  She's descended from Carl Czerny (on her father's side), and plays like it.  I wonder if she ever recorded any of Beethoven's music?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_AYlDx5cH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0FUfmC1pW8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K-CC7WN5oU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tYMwY1EzYg

4. Youra Guller--one of the finest Beethoven pianists I've ever heard--her late sonatas are as good as anyone's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tftJwS9Z6bQ

5. Bruno-Leonardo Gelber--Yes, Gelber had an (all too) brief contract with Denon (& Orfeo) during the early days of the CD, but he was particularly exceptional in Beethoven & Brahms on LP--such as his brilliant EMI LP recording of Beethoven's "Les Adieux" Sonata, and Brahms Handel Variations, etc..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUQDCJzF5j8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diFAvwtp_-M

6. Lorin Hollander--a very fine pianist, who has kept busy, but recording-wise, Hollander seems to have been largely forgotten by the record labels?  A NY times critic once called Hollander, "the leading pianist of his generation."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i72w4c0W3E0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUjvtXM1LP0

7. Michel Block--excellent in Schumann & Chopin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt8ULpsmEvY&list=PLRxumvUx3zRRfixZ1oMkDQgXA_5k3MmUD

8. Reine Gianoli--excellent Schumann, Ravel, & Debussy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzc66QSZww8

9. Thierry de Brunhoff--exceptional in Schumann & Chopin, de Brunhoff retired from a thriving career on the concert stage to become a monk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlx5jME78tE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNqX_jWhUzY

10. Madeleine de Valmaléte--I don't know how much of a career de Valmaléte had on LP, though she did make shellacs in Berlin in the late 1920s, but her one Arbiter CD is remarkable!, especially her playing of Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin.  She was the first pianist to record the complete Ravel piano works in France, so why hasn't that cycle ever been released on CD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFmDWf2b55Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_xojAY92M

11. Magda Tagliaferro--I mention the great Brazilian pianist because she recorded the complete Debussy and it has never been released on CD--to my knowledge.  Nor has her late CBS digital LP recording of Faure's Dolly Suite & other works with her student Daniel Varsano ever been released on CD--though it's on You Tube (Tagliaferro actually toured the Dolly Suite with Faure):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac1ugBRmpSI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9lTTNsQPC0

12. Maryla Jonas--Yes, her life story is harrowing & tragic--another victim of the Nazis.  But she was a survivor.  Fortunately this great pianist has finally! had a box set released of her complete LP recordings: https://www.amazon.com/Maryla-Jonas-Story-Complet-Recordings/dp/B072KY1H9B/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1537988608&sr=1-1&keywords=maryla+jonas, which no piano lover should be without.  So, she's no longer forgotten.  Jonas is totally brilliant in Chopin Mazurkas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ5W8y2rJ94

13.  Dubravka Tomsic--although she may not have made many LP records, Tomsic is, IMO, the most unjustly ignored great pianist over of the past 25 years by the major record labels.  Her Bach, Chopin, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, & Debussy are all exceptional.  Incredible technique, and she plays without ego.  Yet DG & company continue to sign younger, lesser pianists.  That's just dumb.  The situation is so neglectful that Tomsic's playing sometimes gets misattributed to other pianists (& vice versa) on cheap, discount labels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7nH-Udsu08&list=OLAK5uy_mkgUBgeR3eI94jL1JKKJxy0EB2ofdiwWE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksKydCVXVs




Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Draško on September 26, 2018, 12:27:57 PM
Quote from: Mandryka on September 26, 2018, 09:22:47 AM
I have a transfer of Ferber playing the Fauré preludes which I can let you have if you want. It sounds pretty good to me.  Also the other side of the Saga LP, op 73 Theme and Variations and some small things.

I'm pretty sure I have it as well, somewhere. If it happens to be otherwise I'll take you up on the offer. Thank you!   
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 26, 2018, 01:16:37 PM
Thanks guys for bringing Anievas to my attention. Will check out teh Lizst B-min and  Rachmaninoff suggestions. Also, the Brahms Handel Variations sounded very promising.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 26, 2018, 01:22:33 PM
Quote from: Josquin13 on September 26, 2018, 11:19:17 AM
The following 13 pianists aren't exactly forgotten, for the most part, but they certainly don't get the attention they deserve from record labels today, etc., in my view:

1. Nadia Reisenberg--exceptional Haydn, Chopin, and a forgotten early champion of the piano music of Samuel Barber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgP75Vht2GI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2vjqJikn-g (I like her Barber Excursions better than Horowitz's)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OStrdzRMA

2. Augustin Anievas--one of my favorite pianists for Chopin Etudes, & 4 Impromptus, and exceptional in Brahms too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xe_z1nfWNI

3. Halina Czerny-Stefanska--exceptional in Chopin, especially the Mazurkas, and Mozart.  She's descended from Carl Czerny (on her father's side), and plays like it.  I wonder if she ever recorded any of Beethoven's music?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_AYlDx5cH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0FUfmC1pW8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K-CC7WN5oU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tYMwY1EzYg

4. Youra Guller--one of the finest Beethoven pianists I've ever heard--her late sonatas are as good as anyone's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tftJwS9Z6bQ

5. Bruno-Leonardo Gelber--Yes, Gelber had an (all too) brief contract with Denon (& Orfeo) during the early days of the CD, but he was particularly exceptional in Beethoven & Brahms on LP--such as his brilliant EMI LP recording of Beethoven's "Les Adieux" Sonata, and Brahms Handel Variations, etc..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUQDCJzF5j8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diFAvwtp_-M

6. Lorin Hollander--a very fine pianist, who has kept busy, but recording-wise, Hollander seems to have been largely forgotten by the record labels?  A NY times critic once called Hollander, "the leading pianist of his generation."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i72w4c0W3E0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUjvtXM1LP0

7. Michel Block--excellent in Schumann & Chopin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt8ULpsmEvY&list=PLRxumvUx3zRRfixZ1oMkDQgXA_5k3MmUD

8. Reine Gianoli--excellent Schumann, Ravel, & Debussy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzc66QSZww8

9. Thierry de Brunhoff--exceptional in Schumann & Chopin, de Brunhoff retired from a thriving career on the concert stage to become a monk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlx5jME78tE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNqX_jWhUzY

10. Madeleine de Valmaléte--I don't know how much of a career de Valmaléte had on LP, though she did make shellacs in Berlin in the late 1920s, but her one Arbiter CD is remarkable!, especially her playing of Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin.  She was the first pianist to record the complete Ravel piano works in France, so why hasn't that cycle ever been released on CD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFmDWf2b55Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_xojAY92M

11. Magda Tagliaferro--I mention the great Brazilian pianist because she recorded the complete Debussy and it has never been released on CD--to my knowledge.  Nor has her late CBS digital LP recording of Faure's Dolly Suite & other works with her student Daniel Varsano ever been released on CD--though it's on You Tube (Tagliaferro actually toured the Dolly Suite with Faure):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac1ugBRmpSI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9lTTNsQPC0

12. Maryla Jonas--Yes, her life story is harrowing & tragic--another victim of the Nazis.  But she was a survivor.  Fortunately this great pianist has finally! had a box set released of her complete LP recordings: https://www.amazon.com/Maryla-Jonas-Story-Complet-Recordings/dp/B072KY1H9B/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1537988608&sr=1-1&keywords=maryla+jonas, which no piano lover should be without.  So, she's no longer forgotten.  Jonas is totally brilliant in Chopin Mazurkas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ5W8y2rJ94

13.  Dubravka Tomsic--although she may not have made many LP records, Tomsic is, IMO, the most unjustly ignored great pianist over of the past 25 years by the major record labels.  Her Bach, Chopin, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, & Debussy are all exceptional.  Incredible technique, and she plays without ego.  Yet DG & company continue to sign younger, lesser pianists.  That's just dumb.  The situation is so neglectful that Tomsic's playing sometimes gets misattributed to other pianists (& vice versa) on cheap, discount labels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7nH-Udsu08&list=OLAK5uy_mkgUBgeR3eI94jL1JKKJxy0EB2ofdiwWE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksKydCVXVs

Great list thanks. The Jonas LP reissues (link above) are a must, except I have nearly all of them on LP. I do not however have the Schumann Kinderszenen (78 rpm only I believe), which I am very curious to hear--but it is available for high-res download from various websites.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on September 26, 2018, 01:28:40 PM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 25, 2018, 09:14:17 PM
Leonard Pennario is another one. From what I remember, I've only seen his name associated with lighter fare, Hollywood Bowl concerts, and the like. I was never too interested (largely for that reason), and I've never seen any reissues of his stuff. I wonder whether anyone cares--certainly some of these folks remain obscure for a reason.

You missed it. I think I may actually still have this set somewhere.

[asin]B000JCEB1I[/asin]
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 26, 2018, 01:31:04 PM
Thanks. Amazon search sucks. Have you heard it? Reviews are overwhelmingly positive.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Josquin13 on September 27, 2018, 09:46:47 AM
XB-70 Valkyrie,

My pleasure.  I thought of one more pianist, who was I think better known during the LP era than she is today--French-American pianist Evelyne Crochet. Granted, there is a recent 2006 recording that Crochet made of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 & 2, but a substantial part of her LP legacy is out of print or never put on CD.  Such as her excellent 1960s complete solo piano music of Faure series for Vox/Turnabout--which, unless I'm mistaken, has ever made it onto CD (Edit: see correction below).  However, I did find it all on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Ptsm-7Q5A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV44n2CNk-s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqZ9xeHjIPc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpXGxNf1xZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG7ae9xodfI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28FPuPLu1BI

Here are links to Crochet's more recent Bach Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 & 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFY9mj6m548
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6xpqqVZU4

& here is what (no less than) Trevor Pinnock had to say about her Bach:

" I have been listening to your recording of Bach Wohltemperierte Clavier and it has moved me so deeply that I simply have to write to say thank you, for it has enriched my day on an extraordinary level. Your music speaks directly to the inner spirit in a way which is so rare. I normally do not listen to recordings but your Bach is irresistible. How much the world needs music making that reveals deep truth in this way! Thank you for this great gift. "

Here too is a YT link to Crochet's highly regarded early 1960s Vox recording of Schubert's Fantasie in F minor, D. 940, for piano four hands, with a young Alfred Brendel--which was my first recording & introduction to this beautiful work (& it wasn't until Maria-Joao Pires recordings came along decades later--with pianists Sermet & Castro--that I found digital recordings I liked as well as Crochet & Brendel's fine version):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BdGo_t-5E4

I also remember that Crochet recorded some of Satie's music for Philips (some of which were world premiere recordings at the time), along with a Schubert album for Philips too.  Edit: There are selections on You Tube (with LP crackles, if anyone's missing those):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DzE6PJGcPE&list=PLF1D3D919EA386BD7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzaW2cbtDMc

EDIT: I've just found the pianist's website, and find that in 2012 Crochet additionally recorded Bach's Goldberg Variations: Here is what Alfred Brendel had to say about the recording:

" In her remarkable Goldberg Variations, Evelyne Crochet is the very rare case of a pianist who, after working for decades in near-seclusion, has emerged as a Bach-player of considerable stature. Her cantabile permeates all the voices. But there is also an impish side that keeps the rhythm alive. Her technical control has remained impeccable. My congratulations! "

By the way, if anyone's interested, I see that Crochet's complete Faure for Vox can be purchased on her website, in two 3 CD sets:

http://evelynecrochet.com/purchase.html

Here's what a New York Times critic had to say about her Faure,

"A must for Fauré fans.... She has undertaken the job which is, to judge from her sensitive playing, a labor of love. She has technique to spare but is in no hurry. Her tone is admirable for its clarity...."

I'd say Crochet's Faure playing stands up well against any of the highly regarded Faure pianists of the past & present.

Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: George on October 24, 2018, 03:58:02 AM
Quote from: Draško on September 25, 2018, 07:51:30 AM
Antonio Barbosa, Brazilian pianist, died relatively young. One of my favorite recordings of Chopin Scherzi, on Connoisseur Society LP, never made it to CD. He also recorded some fine Liszt, especially Schubert/Liszt.

https://www.youtube.com/v/GRyBEZ3vDFY

Wow this is great! Would love to get an LP rip in lossless if anyone has one.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 24, 2018, 11:39:14 AM
Last night, just shelled out $100 on eBay for the Doyen recordings of the Mendelssohn Songs without Words on three delicious early-50s Westminster LPs. I have heard some of these on YouTube, and they are superb. I will likely go after some of her Chabrier, Chopin and Faure, etc in the future.

(https://img.discogs.com/6OwaXuy6awMXFk3mzaR3mkf9twM=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-9240196-1477185525-8313.jpeg.jpg)
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Mandryka on October 24, 2018, 11:47:47 AM
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 24, 2018, 11:39:14 AM
Last night, just shelled out $100 on eBay for the Doyen recordings of the Mendelssohn Songs without Words on three delicious early-50s Westminster LPs. I have heard some of these on YouTube, and they are superb. I will likely go after some of her Chabrier, Chopin and Faure, etc in the future.

(https://img.discogs.com/6OwaXuy6awMXFk3mzaR3mkf9twM=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-9240196-1477185525-8313.jpeg.jpg)

I know it's not the same, but if you want I can let you have a FLAC transfer of that Mendelssohn LP.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 24, 2018, 11:58:07 AM
Quote from: Mandryka on October 24, 2018, 11:47:47 AM
I know it's not the same, but if you want I can let you have a FLAC transfer of that Mendelssohn LP.

You can also buy the CD from amazon.com for about $14.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007W5BSAW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A22T3HGYDD9Q3&psc=1
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on October 24, 2018, 01:40:37 PM
Thanks guys, but I just have a thing for wasting money on LPs... 8)

...

And watches. I could have a timex that is more accurate and far less troublesome than my mechanical watches, but I just love that winding and that ticking!
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Holden on October 24, 2018, 02:19:09 PM
Quote from: George on October 24, 2018, 03:58:02 AM
Wow this is great! Would love to get an LP rip in lossless if anyone has one.

I agree with you George, this is some of the best Chopin I've heard. I'll have to see what else I can find on the 'net.
Title: Re: Forgotten pianists of the LP era
Post by: Draško on October 31, 2018, 04:27:24 AM
Quote from: George on October 24, 2018, 03:58:02 AM
Wow this is great! Would love to get an LP rip in lossless if anyone has one.

I don't have any kind of rip, maybe you could try asking at rmcr if that thing still functions.

Quote from: Holden on October 24, 2018, 02:19:09 PM
I agree with you George, this is some of the best Chopin I've heard. I'll have to see what else I can find on the 'net.

When searching have in mind he is often credited as Antonio Guedes Barbosa.

He recorded maybe half of dozen or more solo albums for Connoisseur Society, mostly Chopin, but also some Beethoven, Debussy, Liszt, Villa-Lobos. Only three were reissued as Connoisseur Society CDs: Chopin Waltzes, Liszt ( Dante Sonata & Schubert/Liszt songs) and Debussy (book II preludes) plus some Villa-Lobos.

A few things have been reissued on CD by some Brazilian label Kuarup: Complete Chopin Mazurkas and the same discs of Waltzes and the Liszt one.

All is long out of print but Kuarup releases are on Spotify and a lot of it is on youtube (in variable quality)