L.A. Philharmonic – Hans Swarowsky, cond – Claudio Arrau, Piano – January 26, 1967 – Part 1
L.A. Philharmonic – Hans Swarowsky, cond. – Claudio Arrau, Piano – January 26, 1967 – Part 2
Back to the vault this week for something historic by way of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from the 1960s. Guest conducted by the great Hans Swarowsky and featuring legendary Pianist Claudio Arrau in a concert of music by Brahms, Alban Berg and Zoltan Kodaly. This previously unheard, never-broadcast and long-thought-lost concert was recorded on January 26, 1967.
Since it’s a little under 2 hours, it’s on two players. And here’s what’s what:
L.A. Phil. – Hans Swarowsky, Guest Conductor
Claudio Arrau – Piano
Concert of January 26, 1967Part 1 – Brahms: Piano Concerto Number 1 (w/Arrau)
Part 2 – Berg: Three Symphonic Excerpts from Lulu
Kodaly: Dances from Galanta
Claudio Arrau was a frequent recital performer: from age 40 to 60 he averaged 120 concerts a season, with a very large repertoire. At one time or another, he performed the complete keyboard works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin; but also programmed such off-the-beaten-path composers as Alkan and Busoni and illuminated obscure corners of the Liszt repertoire. It has been estimated that Arrau’s total repertoire would carry him through 76 recital evenings, not counting the 60-odd works with orchestra which he also knew.
Claudio Arrau recorded a considerable part of the piano music of Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. He edited the complete Beethoven piano sonatas for the Peters Urtext edition and recorded all of them on the Philips label in 1962–1966. He recorded almost all of them once again in 1984-1990 along with Mozart’s complete piano sonatas. He is also famous for his recordings of Schubert, Brahms and Debussy. At the time of his death at age 88 in the midst of a European concert tour, Arrau was working on a recording of the complete works of Bach for keyboard, and was also preparing some pieces of Haydn, Mendelssohn, Reger and Busoni, and Boulez’s third piano sonata.
Enjoy and stay tuned for more historic goodies in the coming weeks. There’s lots more. I promise.
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