Notes and Editorial Reviews
Very old recordings have the extraordinary ability to link us to past composers by association. Arthur De Greef, born in 1862, studied with Liszt and was a friend of Edvard Grieg, working closely with the latter on performances of his A minor Concerto. The same De Greef lived to make sound recordings in the 1920's. Amazing as it seems, we may on our modern CD players listen to a performance of Grieg's Concerto by a pianist whose previous experience included Grieg as conductor in 1889! The playing by De Greef is interesting also in a musicological sense: the stylistic choices are different than the norm today. Double octaves take on a broader significance (as heard easily in the opening of the A minor Concerto), rubato is more frequent,
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ornaments more stylish.
And of course, De Greef's playing is excellent. Original, emotionally expressive, (at the occasional expense of accuracy, a somewhat refreshing "live" feel), as in his Chopin performances. Also unique here, is the music of Moszkowski, seldom heard these days. This is a fortunate aural glimpse of a musical past. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16 by Edvard Grieg
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Conductor:
Landon Ronald
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1868/1907; Norway
Date of Recording: 01/18/1927
Length: 27 Minutes 31 Secs.
2.
Sonata for Piano no 2 in B flat minor, B 128/Op. 35 "Funeral March" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1837-1839; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 11/27/1925
Length: 21 Minutes 24 Secs.
3.
Waltz for Piano in E flat major, B 62/Op. 18 "Grande valse brillante" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1831; Poland
Date of Recording: 03/24/1926
Length: 4 Minutes 12 Secs.
4.
Waltz for Piano in A flat major, B 131/Op. 42 "Grande Valse" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: France; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 11/10/1927
Length: 4 Minutes 10 Secs.
5.
Waltzes (3) for Piano, Op. 70: no 1 in G flat major, B 92 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1833; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 11/10/1927
Length: 2 Minutes 0 Secs.
6.
Waltzes (3) for Piano, B 164/Op. 64: no 1 in D flat major "Minute Waltz" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1846-1847; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 11/10/1927
Length: 1 Minutes 45 Secs.
7.
Soirées de Vienne (9) after Schubert, S 427: no 6 by Franz Liszt
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1852; Weimar, Germany
Date of Recording: 11/10/1927
Length: 4 Minutes 35 Secs.
8.
Serenata for Piano, Op. 15 no 1 by Moritz Moszkowski
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: Germany
Date of Recording: 11/10/1927
Length: 2 Minutes 0 Secs.
9.
Waltzes, Op. 34: no 1 in E major by Moritz Moszkowski
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: Germany
Date of Recording: 10/12/1929
Length: 6 Minutes 40 Secs.
10.
Etudes (15) de virtuosité, Op. 72 "Per aspera ad astra": no 3 in G major by Moritz Moszkowski
Performer:
Arthur De Greef (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1903; Germany
Date of Recording: 11/27/1927
Length: 1 Minutes 38 Secs.
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