Another historic rarity (which I am pretty sure has seen the light of day among collectors), featuring the French National Orchestra, recorded on September 22, 1957 during the September Music Festival in Montreux with composer/conductor Paul Hindemith and pianist Clara Haskil in a concert performance of The Four Temperaments.
In October 1940 Paul Hindemith interrupted work on his Symphony in E-flat, after completing the first two movements, in order to fulfill a commission from the ballet master and choreographer George Balanchine. Balanchine asked for about fifteen minutes of music, “something for piano with a little strings that I can play at home,” but Hindemith composed an almost thirty-minute set of four tripartite variations on a tripartite theme, intended for performance at the Ballet. The resulting (Theme with Four Variations according to) The Four Temperaments remains a signature work in the core repertoire of The New York City Ballet.
Clara Haskil’s performances are characterized by precision and agility. One can observe a light touch and a great naturalness with no abuse of the pedal. Her favorite composer was Mozart. Her performances of his piano compositions is a reference for pianists worldwide.
She became not only an outstanding soloist, but also an outstanding performer of chamber music. This can be seen in the recordings of the Sonatas for violin and piano by Mozart and Beethoven together with the Belgian violinist Arthur Grumiaux. Their recordings demonstrate harmony and closeness to the composer’s text. The personal and professional relationship with Grumiaux lasted until the end of his life.
Clara Haskil’s recordings of the works of Robert Schumann have also become benchmarks. Both in the German composer’s microforms –such as Children’s Scenes Op. 15 and Forest Scenes Op. 82– and in the Piano Concerto in A minor, one can see Haskil’s technical mastery and her appreciation of a certain sense of freedom.
Although she was acclaimed by audiences and critics during her lifetime, the greatest recognition of her career is that her legacy has passed to posterity through the magic of recordings that mean her musical vision will live on forever.
And here is one of those live recordings – enjoy.
