Your most incandescent Arrau recordings?

[Karafan]

In the past year, I have developed a liking for Claudio Arrau's work, having bought his Schumann and Mozart sonatas boxes on Philips.  I also have his Beethoven sonata cycle from the 1960s, which I do enjoy.  All this, despite an aversion to hearing his long fingernails brushing the keys, which can - and does! - give me the ick from time to time.

What would you regard as his most remarkable recordings and why?  And what about his "final sessions" recordings?

[George]

Chopin Nocturnes - beatufully played and recorded. Great depth of feeling, unique interpretation.

[Spotted Horses]

His 1951 recording of Debussy's Pour le piano.

[Mandryka]

His 1951 recording of Debussy's Pour le piano.

He gave a concert in 1959 with the Appassionata and the Schumann Fantasie and Pour le Piano.  He was in a good mood that night. Recorded on Aura  -- at least some of the disc is on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25fNMQocVGE

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000025Y7P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Holden]

1. Beethoven Op 111



2 Beethoven Diabelli Variations




3 Liszt Transcendental Etudes

[San Antone]

Liszt: Sonata in B Minor & other works

[Mandryka]

In the past year, I have developed a liking for Claudio Arrau's work, having bought his Schumann and Mozart sonatas boxes on Philips.  I also have his Beethoven sonata cycle from the 1960s, which I do enjoy.  All this, despite an aversion to hearing his long fingernails brushing the keys, which can - and does! - give me the ick from time to time.

What would you regard as his most remarkable recordings and why?  And what about his "final sessions" recordings?

If you're interested in Arrau, then buy this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conversations-Arrau-Joseph-Horowitz/dp/0394513908/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

There are really interesting and detailed discussions about lots of music, most memorably the Liszt sonata. He saw himself as a thinker - someone who applied all sorts of psychological, Jungian etc, ideas to the music he was making sense of.

As far as really special performances go, some are memorable because they are so incredibly original. His Davidsbundlertanze is like that, as is his Paganini Variations. Some are extremely divisive, but I think wonderful - I may be the only one -  an example would be the late recordings of the Mozart sonatas, and the Chopin waltzes. In his core repertoire I think he was often better in concert than in the studio. That Aura recording of the Schubert fantasy is an example, another would be the recording on APR of the Chopin preludes. Not forgetting the various live recordings of Brahms op 5.

[AnotherSpin]

If you're interested in Arrau, then buy this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conversations-Arrau-Joseph-Horowitz/dp/0394513908/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

There are really interesting and detailed discussions about lots of music, most memorably the Liszt sonata. He saw himself as a thinker - someone who applied all sorts of psychological, Jungian etc, ideas to the music he was making sense of.

As far as really special performances go, some are memorable because they are so incredibly original. His Davidsbundlertanze is like that, as is his Paganini Variations. Some are extremely divisive, but I think wonderful - I may be the only one -  an example would be the late recordings of the Mozart sonatas, and the Chopin waltzes. In his core repertoire I think he was often better in concert than in the studio. That Aura recording of the Schubert fantasy is an example, another would be the recording on APR of the Chopin preludes. Not forgetting the various live recordings of Brahms op 5.

I believe his late recordings of Mozart sonatas are wonderful.

[Holden]

If you're interested in Arrau, then buy this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conversations-Arrau-Joseph-Horowitz/dp/0394513908/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

There are really interesting and detailed discussions about lots of music, most memorably the Liszt sonata. He saw himself as a thinker - someone who applied all sorts of psychological, Jungian etc, ideas to the music he was making sense of.

As far as really special performances go, some are memorable because they are so incredibly original. His Davidsbundlertanze is like that, as is his Paganini Variations. Some are extremely divisive, but I think wonderful - I may be the only one -  an example would be the late recordings of the Mozart sonatas, and the Chopin waltzes. In his core repertoire I think he was often better in concert than in the studio. That Aura recording of the Schubert fantasy is an example, another would be the recording on APR of the Chopin preludes. Not forgetting the various live recordings of Brahms op 5.

That would be the live recording in Paris 1960. I have that APR CD and sought it simply because a brief sampler I had of it sounded wonderful. It's here on Youtube    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSyrBpLhze8

[Mandryka]

Listening to some Arrau again, really because of this thread, what is standing out for me is the coherence of his playing. Everything I'm hearing sounds like a whole, not a collection of parts.

Does that make sense? Probably not.

[Jo498]

I find the Studio Beethoven between "magisterial" in a good way and stodgy. Unfortunately a lot of the Studio Schumann and Brahms is hard to get. I was not that impressed by the 2 studio Schumann discs I have (Kreisleriana, Waldszenen, Kinderszenen, Carnaval).

The most exciting Arrau I have heard are probably the live on Ermitage/Aura: Brahms' Handel variations, Schumann Fantasy, Appassionata, Gaspard.

[AnotherSpin]

Listening to some Arrau again, really because of this thread, what is standing out for me is the coherence of his playing. Everything I'm hearing sounds like a whole, not a collection of parts.

Does that make sense? Probably not.

It makes sense, yes, coherence. Moreover, it seems to me that Arrau is not particularly interested in superficial brilliance or in making an immediate impact on the listener with flashy detail, but rather in leaving a lasting inner after-effect.

[Mandryka]

This is very different from the late Mozart recordings, more conventional and more "incandescent." It's impressive I think. A concert in Salzburg in 1953.




This is a 1971 concert in Italy, he played Chopin's op 62/1 nocturne as an encore - it's a highlight.



Good sound - good Chopin sonata.

[André]

It was a stroke of genius to insert the poetic Chants polonais between the sulfurous Dante sonata and the dramatic Funérailles. Arrau makes the whole disc a unique musical experience.

[George]

It was a stroke of genius to insert the poetic Chants polonais between the sulfurous Dante sonata and the dramatic Funérailles. Arrau makes the whole disc a unique musical experience.

Cool, that sequence is the same on CD 01 in the Arrau/Liszt Philips box that I have:

[Holden]

Listening to some Arrau again, really because of this thread, what is standing out for me is the coherence of his playing. Everything I'm hearing sounds like a whole, not a collection of parts.

Does that make sense? Probably not.

This is what stands out about his Diabelli Variations. Where most pianists play it as a series of separate variations he manages to make it a coherent whole - albeit in three parts.

[Karafan]

That sequence is reserved in the Arrau/Liszt Philips box that I have:

Interesting....reserved, or reversed?