Stereophile
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<img src="http://www.stereophile.com/images/669rotmwild.jpg" alt="669rotmwild.jpg" width="250" height="218" hspace="10" vspace="4" border="0" align="right" /><b>EARL WILD: <i>The Art of the Transcription</i></b><br />Earl Wild, piano, recorded live at Carnegie Hall on November 1, 1981<br /><a href="http://audiofon-records.com">Audiofon</a> 2008-2 (2 LPs). Julian Kreeger, prod., Peter McGrath, eng. AAA
<p>
It takes nerve for a performer to allow an entire concert to be recorded for release on disc. It also takes extraordinary confidence in one's technique. Mistakes that are overlooked in the live experience become snags for the ear in the recorded version. One starts to listen for them and loses the musical experience in its totality.
</p><p>
This is one reason why so many discs are mastered in the recording studio or in an environment without listeners. But the result of this is that the performances lose impetus and enthusiasm, and sound played by rote. The audience can inspire an artist to great heights. The sterile environment of the studio cannot (footnote 1). If you have any doubts, listen to this recording of Earl Wild's concert at Carnegie Hall.
</p><p>
Most of this recording was done at a concert given on November 1, 1981, although the jacket notes state that "minor portions were rerecorded following the concert." Audience coughs are evident during the quieter passages, and there is applause at the end of the selections, which contributes to the illusion of being there.
</p><p>
Mr. Wild's performances are striking in both interpretation and technique. His choice of transcriptions for piano allows him ample room to display both his technical virtuosity and his stunning interpretations of the Romantic period for which he is so justly noted. Beginning with Sgambati's 19th-century transcription of Gluck's <i>Melodie d'Orfée</i> and ending with the Shulz-Evler piano version of themes from Strauss's <i>The Beautiful Blue Danube</i>, each selection reveals a different facet of transcription, as well as Mr. Wild's extensive knowledge of piano repertoire.
</p><p>
The Gluck, with its singing lines, is followed by Leopold Godowsky's transcriptions of three pieces by Rameau. The piano can never imitate the harpsichord; the tonal structure is simply too different. And I must confess that I miss the twangy bass that is so characteristic of French harpsichord music of that period. But Godowsky has managed to retain the integrity of the originals in these piano versions. The <i>Rigaudon</i> and <i>Elegie</i> fare the best. The familiar <i>Tambourin</i> seems to suffer somewhat in translation.
</p><p>
These 18th-century works are followed by Tausig's arrangement of Bach's <i>Toccata and Fugue in d</i>. I cannot hear this without thinking of Stokowski's arrnagement for orchestra that opened Walt Disney's movie <i>Fantasia</i>, but this piano version does not suffer by comparison. I did feel that the climax seemed to be a trifle lacking in dynamic range. This might be attributed to the recording, but I think it is more likely due to the fact that a piano has no pedal notes as does the organ. The technical demands are great, and the <i>Fugue</i> is enlightening in its harplike arpeggiation. Mr. Wild handles the complex fingering demands
[Source: http://www.stereophile.com/content/recording-january-1983-ithe-art-transcriptioni]
<p>
It takes nerve for a performer to allow an entire concert to be recorded for release on disc. It also takes extraordinary confidence in one's technique. Mistakes that are overlooked in the live experience become snags for the ear in the recorded version. One starts to listen for them and loses the musical experience in its totality.
</p><p>
This is one reason why so many discs are mastered in the recording studio or in an environment without listeners. But the result of this is that the performances lose impetus and enthusiasm, and sound played by rote. The audience can inspire an artist to great heights. The sterile environment of the studio cannot (footnote 1). If you have any doubts, listen to this recording of Earl Wild's concert at Carnegie Hall.
</p><p>
Most of this recording was done at a concert given on November 1, 1981, although the jacket notes state that "minor portions were rerecorded following the concert." Audience coughs are evident during the quieter passages, and there is applause at the end of the selections, which contributes to the illusion of being there.
</p><p>
Mr. Wild's performances are striking in both interpretation and technique. His choice of transcriptions for piano allows him ample room to display both his technical virtuosity and his stunning interpretations of the Romantic period for which he is so justly noted. Beginning with Sgambati's 19th-century transcription of Gluck's <i>Melodie d'Orfée</i> and ending with the Shulz-Evler piano version of themes from Strauss's <i>The Beautiful Blue Danube</i>, each selection reveals a different facet of transcription, as well as Mr. Wild's extensive knowledge of piano repertoire.
</p><p>
The Gluck, with its singing lines, is followed by Leopold Godowsky's transcriptions of three pieces by Rameau. The piano can never imitate the harpsichord; the tonal structure is simply too different. And I must confess that I miss the twangy bass that is so characteristic of French harpsichord music of that period. But Godowsky has managed to retain the integrity of the originals in these piano versions. The <i>Rigaudon</i> and <i>Elegie</i> fare the best. The familiar <i>Tambourin</i> seems to suffer somewhat in translation.
</p><p>
These 18th-century works are followed by Tausig's arrangement of Bach's <i>Toccata and Fugue in d</i>. I cannot hear this without thinking of Stokowski's arrnagement for orchestra that opened Walt Disney's movie <i>Fantasia</i>, but this piano version does not suffer by comparison. I did feel that the climax seemed to be a trifle lacking in dynamic range. This might be attributed to the recording, but I think it is more likely due to the fact that a piano has no pedal notes as does the organ. The technical demands are great, and the <i>Fugue</i> is enlightening in its harplike arpeggiation. Mr. Wild handles the complex fingering demands
[Source: http://www.stereophile.com/content/recording-january-1983-ithe-art-transcriptioni]