Deutsche Grammophon (DG) has just published Rudolf Serkin – The Lost Tapes, two unpublished works from the end of the American pianist’s life. The find is not anecdotal, since it concerns sonatas “ Waldstein ” And ” Appassionata » by Beethoven and the publication is magnificent.
As in the case of Jessye Norman’s unreleased material which resurfaced last March, it is always intriguing to see recordings emerge well after the death of an artist when the latter no longer has the right to veto. In the case of Unreleased Masters by Jessye Norman, a publication which led us to ask ourselves moral questions about this type of reissue and to recall in particular the records published after the death of Sergiu Celibidache, an artist who opposed the process of perpetuation and reproduction, he consisted of three CDs of very varying interest, culminating with a concert by Wesendonck-Lieder by Wagner.
Regarding Rudolf Serkin, Deutsche Grammophon mentions the fact that he is the first artist to be the subject of a search for unpublished tapes of the big names in its catalog: “As part of the first of a new series fascinating — The Lost Tapes — the Strategic Repertoire Team (formerly known as the Heritage Team and, previously, the Catalog Team) releases Rudolf Serkin’s latest Beethoven recordings: the sonatas “Waldstein” (March 1986) and “Appassionata” (May-June 1989).
Concentrated art
The idea is not new. RCA did this about twenty years ago with a series called Rediscovered. There were Horowitz, Heifetz, Kapell, Bolet, Richter, Perlman, Leontyne Price and Jussi Björling volumes, often drawn from concerts at Carnegie Hall and without transcendent revelations.
Rudolf Serkin (1903-1991) made his recording career at Columbia. He was then hired late by DG, where he notably recorded fifteen of the piano concertos by Mozart with Claudio Abbado and the sonatas for cello and piano by Brahms with Rostropovich. There was a late Beethoven CD: the last three sonatas, greeted with reverence. It was a Viennese concert from October 1987, also published on video (LaserDisc at the time).
These Opus 109, 110 And 111 were not made of brass, but were no less touching in a form of simplicity, especially since at age 85, the control of touch in the pianissimo nuances had diminished. And, ultimately, there weren’t that many errors or technical shortcuts. In this case, we are in the studio a year ago for the “Waldstein» and two years later for“Appassionata” Serkin’s last recording.
The non-publication is explained by the fact that Serkin was too ill to give final approval to the recordings, even though the production of the CD was planned and a cover had already been designed. The idea of publishing these materials today was approved by Judith Serkin, daughter of Rudolf, herself a musician, who writes: “My father died before he could confirm the release of this record. It’s not perfect. Nevertheless, I think it is definitely worth sharing, because it reflects Beethoven’s deep understanding — and his own! — about what it means to be human. »
The thing is well summed up. Imperfections are minor. There are somewhat sloppy note extinctions with the pedal in 1er movement of the“Appassionata”and it is missing in 3e movement the relentless side of Ivan Moravec. But the salt is elsewhere: what music, what real strength (contained and expressed), what science of the piano and time management. The 2e and 3e movements of theWaldstein» are those engraved by the giants with organic breathing and infinite song, with perfect intelligence of resonance. Power, depth and profound meaning radiate from everywhere in these two sonatas, the rediscovery of which is a blessing.