SIMON BARERE The complete HMV recordings (1934-36)

APR6002
2CDs
COMPACT DISC 1 (56.48)
LISZT La leggierezza Etude de concert No 2, S144; LISZT Petrarch Sonnet No 104 Années de Pèlerinage: Deuxième année, Italie, S161/5; LISZT Gnomenreigen Etude de concert No 2, S145 LISZT Réminiscences de Don Juan é Mozart S418; LISZT Valse oubliée No 1 S215; LISZT Rapsodie espagnole S254; CHOPIN Scherzo No 3 in C sharp minor Op 39; CHOPIN Mazurka No 38 in F sharp minor Op 59/3; CHOPIN Waltz No.5 in A flat Op 42

COMPACT DISC 2 (69.29)
BALAKIREV Islamey - Oriental fantasie; BLUMENFELD Etude for the left hand; GLAZUNOV Etude in C, Op.31/1; SCRIABIN Etude in C sharp minor, Op.2/1; SCRIABIN Etude in D sharp minor, Op.8/12; GODOWSKY Renaissance — No 12 Gigue in E (Loeillet); GODOWSKY Renaissance — No 6 Tambourin in E minor (Rameau); SCHUMANN Toccata in C, Op.7; LISZT Réminiscences de Don Juan — Mozart, S418 (alternative published take); SCRIABIN Etude in D sharp minor, Op.8/12 alternative published take; BALAKIREV Islamey — Oriental fantasie (alternative published take); SCHUMANN Toccata in C, Op.7 (alternative published take); CHOPIN Mazurka No 38 in F sharp minor, Op.59/3 (rogue take); SCHUMANN Toccata in C, Op.7 (rogue take)

This title was APR's very first release. It made a huge impact in the world of historic transfers and put both APR and Simon Barere on the map. Though eventually hailed in his own time as one of the greatest of all virtuosi, Barere's career began slowly, only taking off after he had escaped a poverty-stricken background in post-Revolution Russia. Tragically, just as he was beginning to enjoy real recognition, he suffered a fatal heart attack while playing the Grieg Concerto in Carnegie Hall. His short-lived fame was quickly forgotten by all but the most die-hard piano buffs until these recordings appeared in the 1980s. They comprise almost his complete studio recordings and for this reissue all the transfers have been completely remastered, greatly enhancing the sound.
Grand Prix, Liszt Society Budapest
No superlative is strong enough to convey adequately the quality of this playing ... His fingerwork is quite astonishing and his virtuosity almost in a class on its own ... This set is one to celebrate ... The Penguin Guide

APR6002 Available as a Digital Download or to Stream only