Claude Frank, 1925-2014

[mourningdoves]

Obituary from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/29/arts/music/claude-frank-pianist-admired-for-performances-of-beethoven-is-dead-at-89.html?ref=todayspaper

His set of Beethoven piano sonatas is one -- well, okay, ten -- of my desert island disks. I saw him at Yale maybe four years ago; he had a little trouble getting around, and decided he wasn't up to playing everything on the program, but he could still play at an insanely high level, and he had a real nice presence and obviously enjoyed being there. RIP.

[jfdrex]

Yes, Frank's recording of the Beethoven sonata cycle is one of the great ones; it rarely gets mentioned except in passing, but I find it more satisfying overall than some of the highly praised sets by certain "big name" pianists.

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Several musicians and listeners have posted personal reminiscences of Claude Frank on Norman Lebrecht's "Slipped Disc" website.  In particular, there's quite a funny anecdote by pianist John O'Connor, who served with Frank on the jury of the Leeds Piano Competition in 1990.  http://slippedisc.com/2014/12/a-timeless-us-pianist-has-passed-away/

[Moonfish]

I must admit that I haven't heard much of Frank's performances. Strangely, I was investigating his Beethoven cycle this month and read reviews/impressions etc.  I was quite taken aback when I heard the news of his passing.  Many listeners seem to regard his Beethoven cycle as very special indeed!

What is the general impression of Frank's recordings of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas accompanied by his daughter Pamela Frank?

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[jfdrex]

I must admit that I haven't heard much of Frank's performances. Strangely, I was investigating his Beethoven cycle this month and read reviews/impressions etc.  I was quite taken aback when I heard the news of his passing.  Many listeners seem to regard his Beethoven cycle as very special indeed!

What is the general impression of Frank's recordings of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas accompanied by his daughter Pamela Frank?

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Moonfish, my general impression of Frank is that he is what would be called a "pianist's pianist."  The fact that he studied with Schnabel and taught Goode should give you a pretty accurate impression of what his own playing is like:  thoughtful, serious, satisfying rather than flashy, virtuosic, "exciting".  That's no bad thing.  (By the way, is is my imagination, or has the price of Frank's Beethoven piano sonatas set gone up in the past few days?  I suppose that's a tribute to him, in a way.)

I haven't heard any of those violin sonatas, but I imagine they would be more than respectable.  (I'm partial to Casadesus/Francescatti myself.)  And have you seen this Schubert disk? ~

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Incidentally, Pamela Frank's recording of the complete Mozart Violin Concertos with David Zinman & his Zurich band on Arte Nova has gotten good reviews.  You can pick up that particular set cheaply on Amazon; it's available in two incarnations:

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[Jo498]

I have the Frank/Frank Beethoven Violin sonatas. They are very good, maybe somewhat "neutral". Certainly worthwhile, but I am not sure whether essential in a somewhat crowded field. I have not heard any other Claude Frank recordings.