Another member of the pianists’ speed league.
Etelka Freund visited Brahms weekly to play for him and went on to study with Busoni. Marriage and children esulted in a quarter-century gap in her career. This rare recording apparently dates from the 1930s.
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Very important insights about performance practice can be gained from some recordings from the first decades of the 20th century. The above one is not one of them, unfortunately.
Here is more information and some fabulous Brahms playing from this great pianist.
http://arbiterrecords.org/music-resource-center/etelka-freund/
Thank you very much for the link. Indeed, her recording of Brahms’s Intermezzo in A flat, op. 76, no. 3 is beautiful and incredibly interesting.
Not to mention her Brahms’ Piano Sonata in F minor, Op 5
Allegro maestoso https://youtu.be/qpQHl8-9BUM
Andante espressivo https://youtu.be/KKeNHnBcDIg
Scherzo: Allegro energico https://youtu.be/awZWeqqEcdc
Intermezzo: Andante molto https://youtu.be/9QjPvJh59XU
Allegro moderato ma rubato https://youtu.be/pB4JXIfsR5E
P-e-d-i-g-r-e-e
It’s not much fast than the Horowitz recording
I found this performance of the Bach/Busoni WAAAY too fast, muddled and lacking clarity. Groan.
The obvious comparison –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx4Dh2KiQJo
(even faster)
Bach completely lost!!!
Better because you can hear the cantus firmus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_9ICEuBe4
Wow – amazing how many people today understand music better than the ones who were around when it was written! Or even the ones who wrote it!
Of course it’s clear Etelka Freund was not a top-level professional-grade soloist. So it’s pretty easy to criticize her for that and, if it’s the only aspect you find interesting, dismiss whatever else there might be to learn.
Agreed. She is a source of historical and artistic knowledge and understanding.
In agreement. The lady was also up in age when her recordings were made. Some of her recordings captured in her home even sound as if they were played on uprights which may or may not have been the case. Not to mention they were not optimally recorded.