Dazzling Brahms from an underrated artist

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	• Brahms: Works for Solo Piano Johannes Brahms, Julius Katchen Decca, 1997 average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A wonderful offering.

There may be the individual recording made by others - Gilels, Rubinstein, Arrau - of a particular piece which might be preferred but as a collection of the Brahms piano works, this set has to take the prize.

The quality of original recording is high and the digital transfer seemingly well done. One has to listen very attentively to detect which of the four Ballades were recorded monaurally; a strange anachronism in the 'sixties. Also, the piano is an unusually fine-sounding instrument and I wonder if it might not be the Bösendorfer which resided in Decca's Hampstead studios around the time these recordings were made.

As another reviewer has suggested, the accompanying notes in french and german do provide interestingly different perspectives. But what I find inexcusable is that neither of these, nor the text in english, offers any biographical or other information on the pianist. The title is "Brahms, Works for Solo Piano. Julius Katchen". That's it - Katchen dismissed! Despite there being two blank pages in the accompanying booklet and two more of irrelevant other releases by London, that is the only mention made anywhere of the artist. I find this not only irritating but offensive.

Julius Katchen was an American pianist who moved to post-War Paris at the age of twenty. He was the consummate musician with a broad performing repertoire; a very highly regarded soloist in his time - a time which included Rubinstein, Backhaus, Gilels, Horowitz, Moiseiwitsch and Solomon - and a very empathetic accompanist but whose achievements like those of Witold Malcuzynski are not so well remembered today. This set serves to redress the balance a little and introduce Katchen to a new generation who surely will appreciate what in my view is the best available recording of the fiendishly difficult Paganini variations. His recording of the Brahms Opus 24 Handel variations (which are up there with Bach's Goldbergs for sheer breadth of musical invention) also is one of the best.

I recommend this set very highly.

As an unconnected aside, some fifty years ago and quite by chance, I found myself sitting next to Katchen on an aircraft. I remember he had unusually expressive hands; a useful attribute as the noise level of the DC3 cabin militated against easy conversation! At the time, I was wrestling with the G minor Rhapsody and he was very generous with his advice (and a free ticket to a recital the following evening!). A charming man who died prematurely in 1969.

Buy this set - I can't imagine why you would regret it.

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the finest set of Brahms solo piano music

A British musician once said to me "American musicians don't understand European music." I was so stunned that I could only think to reply, "But what about Murray Perahia?" To which she responded, "Murray Perahia? He's British." I then explained that while Perahia may live in London, he was raised in New York City, where he attended the Mannes School of Music. She seemed sceptical. Of course, after we parted I subsequently thought of scores of American musicians who have performed "European" music with great understanding, but unfortunately, I never saw her again.

All this to say that I have always wished that I had mentioned Julius Katchen that day. Although I don't suppose that she would have known about about the remarkable recordings that Katchen made with the great Czech violinist, Josef Suk, of the Brahms violin sonatas, or the equally fine recordings that he made of the Brahms piano trios, with Suk and cellist Janos Starker. Nor would she have known about this set of the complete Brahms solo piano music, which is overall the best that I have ever heard. Listening again to Katchen's utterly beautiful playing of the late Brahms Intermezzi Op.117, I am reminded of just how outrageous her comment really was. Katchen was a pianist of real intellect, who possessed a deep emotional understanding of this very "European" music, and he was from Long Branch, New Jersey. In fact, I can think of only a handful of pianists that I would put in his same class for the playing of Brahm's solo piano music: they would include Radu Lupu, Dmitri Bashkirov, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli--whose "Four Ballades" surpass everyone, even Gilels--and historically speaking, Walter Gieseking and Wilhelm Backhaus. (Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, and Annie Fischer were all exceptional in Brahms solo piano works, but they didn't record much of it.) I also have a very special fondness for a double CD set of late Brahms piano music played by the Russian pianist Dmitri Aleexev on the EMI label. (Of the more recent crop of pianists, I have enjoyed Nicholas Angelich's recordings on the Virgin label, Ivo Janssen, Helene Grimaud, and I am very much hoping that Nelson Freire will get around to recording some of the solo works, after his brilliant recent recording of the piano concertos.) But as complete sets go, this Katchen set is definitely the one to get, and is essential for any lover of the music of Brahms.

The sound is mostly analoque, and is generally very good. My only complaint is that it is a little recessed--although be warned that I have an earlier Decca Ovation release, and not this later release--so, mine may be a little different. There were times when I felt forced to turn the volume up in an effort to hear the quieter, more ruminative passages, which Katchen plays so tenderly--then, when he launched into the more thunderous passages it was a little jarring, and I had to jump up to turn the volume back down. Part of this is simply due to the wide range of emotions inherent in these compositions, and will be a problem no matter which recording one is listening to. But it is also partly due to the difficulty of transfering a very decent analogue piano recording from the LP days into a digital CD format. I am fortunate enough to have a Decca LP boxed set of these recordings from the early 1980s, and I don't remember ever having this sound problem. That set also included the violin sonatas with Suk, which likewise sounded more natural and life-like than on the various CD incarnations that I have purchased over the years.

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Don't hesitate to get this set

It's a good thing I waited to write this until I'd heard these CDs a few times. I would have been guilty of understatement. Katchen's work grows on me in much the same way Brahms' music itself does. It is rich in nuance and insight, and never fails to please.

I'll confess, I bought this set to fill the gaps in my piecemeal collection. What a delightful surprise to find my "stopgap" set more than holds its own against recordings by the likes of Richter, Rubinstein and Gilels. To help the reader overcome any reluctance I offer a few comments on the few "downsides" mentioned by others:

Yes, Katchen does play fast, but not always, and certainly not out of inability to hold the listener's attention through more artful means. Katchen's track times are often slower than Rubinstein's or even Gilels'; but where the spirit moves him, he can go like a rocket. He's generally fastest in the earlier works, where a case can be made for playing them with youthful ardor; Katchen does this to a T. This applies to the first 2 sonatas, the Paganini variations (why would anything associated with Paganini lack splash and dazzle?) and to a much lesser extent, parts of the Handel variations. The main thing is, it works. The very few places where I felt Katchen was rushing the music are heavily outnumbered by places where the added energy seems to "fit" like a glove.

Yes, in an exhaustive set you inevitably endure the "bottom of the barrel." I'm surprised how little of this 6-CD set strikes me as anything less than indispensible. Every track is worth hearing. Katchen has been surpassed here and there, but he doesn't put in a bad performance in the whole batch.

Yes, the recordings are more than 40 years old. They will not satisfy the most jaded audiophile (there's not quite the "presence" of a good recording today). But they are amazingly clean and lifelike for their age (even the 3 tracks that are mono). They sound noticeably better than the popular Rubinstein recordings of equal vintage. At first I thought I heard a touch of bass-heaviness, but now I just think Katchen gives us a strong, clear bass line. Once again, it works. The sound is simply not a problem for a normal listener.

Finally, there's the small stuff. Getting the CDs out of their tight-fitting sleeves without putting your fingerprints on the playing surface is well-nigh impossible, unless you give in and apply a letter opener to solve the problem once and for all. Is that any reason not to get this much wonderful music at such a low price? London has even revived the old practice of offering different program notes in different languages, so that multilingual readers can benefit from more than one set of comments. All around it's a winner!

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Dazzling Brahms from an underrated artist

While there may be recordings of individual works in this set that equal these by Katchen (by the likes of Richter, Michelangeli, Gilels and Arrau), you would be hard pressed to find any that clearly surpass them. In other words, Katchen plays Brahms like Rubinstein played Chopin - that is, better than everyone else. That, of course, doesn't mean these should be the only versions of these works you need, but it is the perfect place to start. Katchen does take the sonatas at a slightly faster tempo than Richter, but each line is still clearly articulated. Most box sets have their peaks and valleys, but this one is fairly even throughout. Also highly recommendable for Brahms fans are Katchen's violin sonatas with Josef Suk and piano trios with Suk and Janos Starker.

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Tracks
Variations On A Theme By Paganini, Op.35: Book 1 - Heft 1 | Variations On A Theme By Paganini, Op.35: Book 2 - Heft 2 | Variations And Fugue On A Theme By G.F. Handel, Op.24: B Flat Major | 4 Ballades, Op.10: Andante | 4 Ballades, Op.10: Andante | 4 Ballades, Op.10: Intermezzo. Allegro | 4 Ballades, Op.10: Andante con moto | Works For Solo Piano: Ziemlich langsam | Works For Solo Piano: Poco larghetto | Works For Solo Piano: Allegro | Works For Solo Piano: Walzer Nr. 1 - 8 | Works For Solo Piano: Walzer Nr. 9 - 16 | Works For Solo Piano: Scherzo es-moll | Works For Piano Solo: Allegro | Works For Piano Solo: Andante | Works For Piano Solo: Scherzo. Allegro molto e con fuoco | Works For Piano Solo: Finale. Allegro con fuoco | Works For Piano Solo: Allegro non troppo ma energico | Works For Piano Solo: Andante con espressione | Works For Piano Solo: Scherzo. Allegro | Works For Piano Solo: Finale. Introduzione (sostenuto) - Allegro non troppo e rubato | Works For Piano Solo: Agitato | Works For Piano Solo: Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro | Works For Piano Solo: Allegro maestoso | Works For Piano Solo: Andante espressivo - Andante molto | Works For Piano Solo: Scherzo. Allegro energico | Works For Piano Solo: Intermezzo. Andante molto | Works For Piano Solo: Finale. Allegro moderato ma rubato | Works For Piano Solo: Presto energico | Works For Piano Solo: Andante | Works For Piano Solo: Allegro passionato | Works For Piano Solo: Adagio | Works For Piano Solo: Andante con grazia ed intimissimo sentimento | Works For Piano Solo: Andante teneramente | Works For Piano Solo: Allegro agitato | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op.76 - I Capriccio in F sharp minor | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - II Capriccio in B minor | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - III Intermezzo in A flat major | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - IV Intermezzo in B flat major | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - V Capriccio in C sharp minor | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - VI Intermezzo in A major | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - VII Intermezzo in A minor | Works For Solo Piano: 8 Pieces, Op. 76 - VIII Capriccio in C major | Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - I Intermezzo in A minor | Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - II Intermezzo in A major | Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - III Ballade in G minor | Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - IV Intermezzo in F minor | Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - V Romanze in F major | Works For Solo Piano: 6 Pieces, Op. 118 - VI Intermezzo in E flat minor | Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - I Intermezzo in B minorn B | Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - II Intermezzo in E minor | Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - III Intermezzo in C major | Works For Solo Piano: 4 Pieces, Op. 119 - IV Rhapsody in E flat major | Works For Solo Piano: Andante moderato | Works For Solo Piano: Andante non troppo e con molto espressione | Works For Solo Piano: Andante con moto | Works For Solo Piano: g-moll | Works For Solo Piano: d-moll | Works For Solo Piano: F-dur | Works For Solo Piano: fis-moll | Works For Solo Piano: fis-moll | Works For Solo Piano: Des-dur | Works For Solo Piano: F-dur | Works For Solo Piano: a-moll | Works For Solo Piano: e-moll | Works For Solo Piano: E-dur | Works For Solo Piano: d-moll | Works For Solo Piano: d-moll | Works For Solo Piano: D-dur | Works For Solo Piano: d-moll | Works For Solo Piano: B-dur | Works For Solo Piano: f-moll | Works For Solo Piano: fis-moll | Works For Solo Piano: D-dur | Works For Solo Piano: h-moll | Works For Solo Piano: e-moll | Works For Solo Piano: e-moll

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