Remembering two remarkable pianists
Our round-up also includes celebrations of the cello and Concerto Köln
The pianist Peter Serkin died in February knowing that an extensive box set of his recordings was in the works; he was to pen a short essay to accompany it. So Sony’s Peter Serkin: Complete RCA Album Collection (Sony 19439713872) is somewhat emotionally charged, and it is extensive; across 35 discs listeners can get to know the remarkable artist, whose forensic, yet freeflowing pianism won him many fans. Serkin’s love of all eras of music is well documented, with performances ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Messiaen and Takemitsu.
To have been the first English artist to perform in Paris post-liberation in 1945 indicates just how highly regarded the pianist Moura Lympany was at the height of her career. Moura Lympany: The Decca Legacy (Eloquence 482 9404) offers a seven-disc box of delights, including newly remastered recordings – many of them made in Wartime London – and previously unreleased material. The latter includes a pair of BBC broadcasts from 1945 and ’50: Rawsthorne’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Barber’s Sonata, respectively. There are two sets of recordings of Rachmaninov’s 24 Preludes, Saintsaëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, among other gems.
The Concerto Köln Edition (Berlin Classics 0301408BC) brings together a decade’s worth of that eminent period ensemble’s recordings for Berlin Classics. The 12 discs feature works by big names such as
Vivaldi, JS Bach and Haydn alongside those by their contemporaries, such as Galuppi, Avison and Rigel, among others. A disc of Christmas music and a bonus DVD of an unreleased live concert of The Four Seasons crown this appealing set.
The Cello Sonatas Edition (Brilliant Classics 96012) explores the instrument’s evolution in a 33-disc release. The scope of it is broad and detailed, setting off in 16th-century Bologna – where it all began – and taking us through the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and modern eras. Soloists including Maria Kliegel, Stefan Veggetti and Marco Testori in sonatas by composers ranging from Alkan, Beethoven and Handel to Britten, Grieg and Vivaldi.
Moura Lympany’s set includes remastered wartime recordings