GIESEKING AND THE LATE ROMANTICS

Description

Rachmaninoff: Piano Con. Nr. 3 (Philharmonic-Symphony, Barbirolli, 1939); Franck: Symph. Var. (ACO, Mengelberg, 1940); Debussy: Fantaisie (ACO, Mengelberg, 1938). AAD. 75:09. UPC # 0-17685-10952-2

For the LP edition of this pioneering "live" recording of Rachmaninoff's Third, Gieseking's student Dean Elder wrote: "Gieseking's great success with the Rachmaninoff Second Concerto in the Fall of 1937 prompted Barbirolli to ask him to perform the Rachmaninoff Third for the following season" [The] performance, preserved by recordings taken 'off the air', caused a sensation at the time: Olin Downes in The New York Times said, "It was not only the finest reading of the composition this writer remembers, even more significant than a performance of the work by its composer, but one of the greatest performances he has heard by any pianist with orchestra". Rachmaninoff [who was in attendance] himself said, "Gieseking is now the premier exponent of my concertos". And in answer to my query, Barbirolli wrote on 31 July 1962, "It was a performance I will never forget". Gieseking considered it one of the greatest performances of his career. Two equally fine concert performances of late-romantic shorter works round out the program.