Description

Leopold Godowsky: Studies on the Chopin Études; first comprehensive recording. Carlo Grante: Piano.

• Disc 1 (73:73)
• Disc 2 (74:60)

UPC# 0-17685-10932-4. DDD.

Reviewing Grante’s earlier recording (1993, on Altarus) of the Chopin/Godowsky Études, Gramophone said, “Few pianists would or could take on this assignment. The difficulties are outlandish and immense, yet Carlo Grante’s surpassing ease and aristocratic musicianship remain unruffled and superb… These records seem ripe for selection among the most outstanding of the year.” The periodical Classical Piano hailed Grante as “One of the two main pianistic discoveries of 1993…”; while CD Review said in 1994 “He copes with the unspeakably demanding technical requirements of Godowsky’s writing as if its difficulties didn’t exist-as for him they obviously don’t.” And Fanfare called Grante in 1994, “A pianistic superman… and certainly, an artist one is avid to become more acquainted with.”

Here is what reviewers have to say about the first three volumes of Carlo Grante’s Godowsky’s recordings:

CD-984(1) “In the seventeen-minute-long 1928 Passacaglia, a massive set of variations on the opening theme of Schubert’s Unfinished, I particularly appreciated the stormy manner in which Grante treated the variation that so much resembles Der Erlkonig.” –Igor Kipnis, Fi Magazine

CD-1039(1) “Given the high performances standards and abundant listening pleasures found in Grante’s Music & Arts volumes, the entire remainder of this series is eagerly awaited.” -Steve Holtje, CDNOW

CD-1046(1) “…Leopold Godowsky’s liberal adaptations of three Bach Cello Suites retool the originals in the image of hyper-romantic pianism. Harmonies implied by Bach are filled out and elaborated, with new counterpoints and sundry inner voices popping up like rabbits out of a magician’s hat. Climaxes get reinforced with booming chords or octave doublings, emerging from the bowels of the keyboard. At times the music’s dance origins threaten to buckle under Godowsky’s garish filigree. Carlo Grante’s light touch and digital deftness, however, keep the textures airborne and alive. He occasionally fidgets with rubato in a way that throws rhythmic definition askew, but he always makes the piano writing sound offhandedly easy. Excellent booklet notes make this release even more enticing.” -Jed Distler, www.classicstoday.com

Disc 1 Sound Clips (MP3):

 

1. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 1 in C major, Op- 10, No- 1 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

2. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 2 in D flat major, Op- 10, No- 1 (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

3. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 3 in A minor, Op- 10, No- 2 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

4. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 4 in A minor, Op- 10, No- 2, Ignis fatuus (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

5. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 5 in D flat major, Op- 10, No- 3 – Carlo Grante

6. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 6 in C sharp minor, Op- 10, No- 4 – Carlo Grante

7. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 7 in G flat major, Op- 10, No- 5 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

8. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 8 in C major, Op- 10, No- 5 (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

9. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 9 in A minor, Op- 10, No- 5, Tarantella (3rd version) – Carlo Grante

10. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 10 in A major, Op- 10, No- 5, Capriccio (4th version) – Carlo Grante

11. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 11 in G flat major, Op- 10, No- 5 (5th version) – Carlo Grante

12. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 12 in G flat major, Op- 10, No- 5 (6th version) – Carlo Grante

13. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 12a in G flat major, Op- 10, No- 5 (7th version) – Carlo Grante

14. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 13 in E flat minor, Op- 10, No- 6 – Carlo Grante

15. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 14 in C major, Op- 10, No- 7, Toccata (1st version) – Carlo Grante

16. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 15 in G flat major, Op- 10, No- 7, Nocturne (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

17. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 15a in E flat major, Op- 10, No- 7 (3rd version) – Carlo Grante

18. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 16 in F major, Op- 10, No- 8 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

19. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 16a in G flat major, Op- 10, No- 8 (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

20. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 17 in C sharp minor, Op- 10, No- 9 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

21. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 18 in F minor, Op- 10, No- 9 (2nd version) (imitation of Op- 25, No- 2) – Carlo Grante

22. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 18a in F sharp minor, Op- 10, No- 9 (3rd version) – Carlo Grante

23. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 19 in D major, Op- 10, No- 10 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

24. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 20 in A flat major, Op- 10, No- 10 (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

25. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 21 in A major, Op- 10, No- 11 – Carlo Grante

26. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 22 in C sharp minor, Op- 10, No- 12 – Carlo Grante

27. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 23 in A flat major, Op- 25, No- 1 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

Disc 2 Sound Clips (MP3):

 

1 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 24 in A flat major, Op- 25, No- 1 (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

2. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 25 in A flat major, Op- 25, No- 1 (3rd version) – Carlo Grante

3. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 26 in F minor, Op- 25, No- 2 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

4. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 27 in F minor, Op- 25, No- 2, Waltz (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

5. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 28 in F minor, Op- 25, No- 2 (3rd version-A) – Carlo Grante

6. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 28 in F minor, Op- 25, No- 2 (3rd version-B) – Carlo Grante

7. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 28a in F sharp minor, Op- 25, No- 2 (4th version) – Carlo Grante

8. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 29 in F major, Op- 25, No- 3 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

9. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 30 in F major, Op- 25, No- 3 (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

10. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 31 in A minor, Op- 25, No- 4 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

11. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 32 in F minor, Op- 25, No- 4, Polonaise (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

12. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 33 in E minor, Op- 25, No- 5 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

13. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 34 in C sharp minor, Op- 25, No- 5, Mazurka (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

14. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 35 in B flat minor, Op- 25, No- 5 (3rd version) – Carlo Grante

15. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 36 in G sharp minor, Op- 25, No- 6 – Carlo Grante

16. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 38 in D flat major, Op- 25, No- 8 – Carlo Grante

17. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 39 in G flat major, Op- 25, No- 9 (1st version) – Carlo Grante

18. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 40 in G flat major, Op- 25, No- 9 (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

19. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 41 in B minor, Op- 25, No- 10 – Carlo Grante

20. 3 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 42 in A minor, Op- 25, No- 11 – Carlo Grante

21. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 43 in C sharp minor, Op- 25, No- 12 – Carlo Grante

22. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 44- Nouvelle Etude No- 1 in F minor – Carlo Grante

23. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 45- Nouvelle Etude No- 2 in E major (1st version) – Carlo Grante

24. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 45a- Nouvelle Etude No- 2 in D flat major (2nd version) – Carlo Grante

25. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 46- Nouvelle Etude No- 3 in G major, Minuetto – Carlo Grante

26. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 47 in G flat major, Op- 10, No- 5 and Op- 25, No- 9, Badinage – Carlo Grante

27. 53 Studies on the Chopin etudes No- 48 in F major, Op- 10, No- 11 and Op- 25, No- 3 – Carlo Grante