Paul Jacobs performs Busoni's transcriptions of Bach and Brahms

Here is Nonesuch H-71375 featuring the insightful pianoo talents of Paul Jacobs. The program consists of Busoni's transcriptions of chorale preludes by both Bach and Busoni and it was  recorded in 1979. Arbiter has reissued this lp as part of a two cd set.

Paul Jacobs was a brilliant musician, especially valued as a collaborator to late 20th century composers such as Elliot Carter, John Corigliano and William Bolcom. One of the first prominent artists to succomb to the scourge of AIDS in 1983, Jacobs still left behind a valuable discography in roles as a pianist and producer. His Nonesuch recordings of the piano music of Debussy, in particular, are considered among the finest achievements by any pianist in this composer's works.

The chorale preludes are rendered with magnificence as Jacobs has the full measure of each work and understands how to project the music utilizing the smaller means of piano as opposed to the grandeur of an organ. I especially appreciate Paul Jacob's impeccable phrasing and attention to the turns of detail in each of these preludes.

Paul Jacobs was also an integral part of an lp by Nonesuch of the collection of musical "portraits" by Virgil Thomson. I think it was one of his last recordings. I will be posting that soon.


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Fritz Busch conducts Beethoven and Brahms

Two lp releases, in sequential order, on the Relief label today. Both contain live performances of Beethoven's 7th Symphony  and Brahms' 4th Symphony, from October 1950, featuring Fritz Busch conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

I have tremendous respect for the Busch brothers, Fritz the conductor and Adolf the violinist. Both were men of great integrity and sense of purpose and the recorded documentation they left behind, in terms of performance, is among the most consistent in artistry of anything out there. In particular, Fritz's series of Mozart operas from Glyndebourne have long been viewed as benchmarks in performance.

These two recordings capture Busch's sense of line and organic structure extremely well. Both Beethoven and Brahms were core to his repertoire so the performances combine a great sense of authority with a deep knowledge of what the works are about. In spite of some untidiness in the playing, these are afterall live recordings, the orchestra responds to Busch touchingly and with great respect. We are fortunate to have these documents, considering they were made only months before Busch's untimely, and early, death.

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