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American pianist Julius Katchen is highly regarded worldwide for his interpretations of the works of Johannes Brahms. Of course, his repertoire encompasses more than just Brahms' works. As these concert recordings for Berlin Radio demonstrate, he devotes himself to Mendelssohn and Liszt with equal vigor. In his musical career, which lasted little more than twenty years, Julius Katchen proved that he possessed unique artistic talents. Unfortunately, however, the life of this child prodigy ended far too early. This edition bears witness to his brilliant career at the piano as an interpreter of the Romantic tradition.
Brahms' “Hungarian Dances” comprise a series of twenty-one compositions and arrangements written between 1867 and 1880 and inspired by popular Romani and Slavic folk tunes. The first series of ten dances for solo piano reveals the composer's passion in his youth; Katchen clearly perceives their great liveliness. Katchen truly lives the music as if he were a close friend of the composer, his confidant. The dances take the form of a bucolic painting that Brahms and Katchen paint together – a painting full of joy, despair, fear and tenderness. The first of the six “Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35”, by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy reveals a different vision of German Romanticism: with greater austerity and heightened spirituality, it is inspired by the Baroque form of the chorale and fugue, to which Johann Sebastian Bach lent such dignity. Mendelssohn had rediscovered Bach's music, which had fallen into oblivion. Mendelssohn completed the “Rondo Capriccioso” in 1830, after revising it several times over the course of two years, and finally dedicated it to the pianist Delphine von Schauroth, whom he had persistently but ultimately unsuccessfully courted. Perhaps this is why the Andante conveys a hint of despair that contrasts with the excessive cheerfulness of the Presto. We return to folklore with the works of Franz Liszt, who absorbed the sounds and melodies of his Hungarian homeland throughout his life. Katchen gives a majestic interpretation of the Twelfth Rhapsody with a delightful version that plays on a musical palette that alternates between melancholy, pianistic virtuosity, serious themes, and wild dances.
Frédéric D’Oria-Nicolas, the musical treasure hunter behind The Lost Recordings, describes the path to this release: “During one of our visits to the Rundfunk Berlin archive, we discovered original recordings by pianist Julius Katchen. Although the “Hungarian Dances” are extremely popular, the incredibly virtuoso solo piano version arranged by Brahms himself is very rarely performed. This fabulous studio version was recorded together with Mendelssohn's “Prelude and Fugue.” The previously unreleased recordings date from 1965 and were recorded in stereo! Almost five years earlier, Katchen had already made the piano sing in Hall 3 of the RBB with another piece by Mendelssohn – the “Rondo Capriccioso” – and Liszt's famous “12th Rhapsody.” The length of the works and the superb sound recordings prompted us to capture this historic moment on vinyl.
Thanks to TLR, these legendary concerts – recorded in Hall 3 at Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany, on December 13, 1965, and January 8, 1960 ("Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-Sharp Minor, S. 244“ & ”Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14") – are now seeing the light of day for the first time: as a double LP (33 RPM), with 180-gram vinyl. The hand-numbered edition is strictly limited to 3,000 copies. Sound wizard Kevin Gray himself is responsible for the lacquer cuts. “The Lost Recordings” is celebrated worldwide for preserving invaluable musical heritage and for the unsurpassed quality of its Phoenix Mastering™ restorations.
LP 1
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): “10 Hungarian Dances” (Stereo)
Side A:
1. No. 1 In G Minor - Allegro Molto
2. No. 2 In D Minor - Allegro Non Assai
3. No. 3 In F Major - Allegretto
4. No. 4 In F-Sharp Minor - Pocco So