Notes and Editorial Reviews
This installment of the William Kapell Edition charts but one more corner of the Russian piano repertory for which the pianist achieved an early fame. Kapell's 1946 recording of the appealing Khachaturian Concerto was the work's premiere recording, and the pianist immediately became associated with what became a jukebox favorite.
The gem of this disc, however, is Kapell's 1949 recording of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto. In the explosive Allegro of the opening movement, Kapell moves between rippling pianissimo passages to lashing sforzando chords with consummate ease. A greater testament to Kapell's musical and technical skills comes in the variations of the second movement. His shifts from the mood of one variation to the mood of the
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next are immediate, passionate, and thoroughly convincing. He moves from the lush chordal lyricism of the first variation to the breathless abandon of the second, flying across the keyboard and never losing his way. The entire performance sizzles with a nervous energy that will most likely captivate any listener. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Piano in D flat major by Aram Khachaturian
Performer:
William Kapell (Piano)
Conductor:
Serge Koussevitzky
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1936; USSR
Date of Recording: 04/19/1946
Venue: Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Length: 35 Minutes 36 Secs.
2.
Concerto for Piano no 3 in C major, Op. 26 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:
William Kapell (Piano)
Conductor:
Antal Doráti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1917-1921; USA
Date of Recording: 01/07/1949
Venue: State Fair Music Hall, Dallas, Texas
Length: 25 Minutes 12 Secs.
3.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 34: no 14 in E flat minor, Adagio by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:
William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1932-1933; USSR
Date of Recording: 03/19/1945
Venue: Studio no 2, RCA Studios, New York City
Length: 2 Minutes 14 Secs.
4.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 34: no 10 in C sharp minor, Moderato non troppo by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:
William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1932-1933; USSR
Date of Recording: 03/19/1945
Venue: Studio no 2, RCA Studios, New York City
Length: 1 Minutes 45 Secs.
5.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 34: no 5 in D major, Allegro vivace by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:
William Kapell (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1932-1933; USSR
Date of Recording: 03/19/1945
Venue: Studio no 2, RCA Studios, New York City
Length: 0 Minutes 26 Secs.
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