Complete Piano Solos
If there was ever a piano disc that was destined to become an instant classic, it is this, the complete transcriptions by the renowned American pianist earl wild. This 3-CD set presents a feast of pianistic glitter and virtuoso fireworks.
Wild was a pianist who had a phenomenal technique and a deep knowledge of the Romantic tradition. His virtuosity has tended to overshadow his equally impressive achievements as composer and transcriber, but this collection of his improvisations and transcriptions shows that he was not only a dazzling interpreter but also a master improviser. He was also a prolific writer down his ideas and fantasies, and his creative legacy contains a wealth of transcriptions, paraphrases and original piano works.
The selections on this release include a Grand Fantasy on Porgy and Bess, a brilliant reworking of the Gershwin song Someone to Watch Over Me and his own Etudes and Piano Sonata. Then there are 14 Rachmaninov songs whose original recastings allow the vocal line to emerge more clearly in the accompaniment and provide additional preludes and postludes, revealing the great sympathy Wild felt for the music’s soulful language.
The Complete Piano Solos by Earl Wild
He also transcribed a choral work by Brahms and two pieces of Bach – the Sarabande from his Partita No 1 and a musical homage to Poulenc, based on that composer’s sarabande from the same piece. Despite being in his late sixties at the time of this recording, Wild’s technique is still on top form and the quality of the performances is unsurpassed.
During World War II, Wild travelled with Eleanor Roosevelt and played for her as she addressed audiences across the United States. This was the beginning of his long and distinguished career as a popular entertainer, pianist, conductor and composer. He made many recordings for RCA, and was one of the first artists to record the complete Rachmaninoff piano concertos with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler, a recording that eventually won a Grammy award.
For those who want to hear the Golden Age of Pianism in all its glory, this is an essential disc. Its music has more depth and substance than the mere flashy virtuosity that is so prevalent in today’s keyboard playing. The dazzling technique is there, but so are the nuances and the expressive range of emotions. The ingenuity of the improvisations and transcriptions is something that must be heard to be believed. This is an album for all the ages. – eds – Fanfare, September 2014. All rights reserved.
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