All right, I know even less about him. I own a single recording of his on cassette, that of Brahms' Second Piano Concerto with Karajan conducting the Berlin Phil. And I know he recorded all of Mozart's piano concertos.
Soooo...any comments, recommendations...Lance, Donald, anyone?
Geza Anda
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Brendan
Thanks, Brendan!Brendan wrote:Bartok piano concertos with Ferenc Fricsay conducting. Top shelf, IMHO, as are their Beethoven triple and Brahms double concertos.
Yes, Fricsay, another conductor not getting the kind of attention that he deserves...
Okay, now I want to hear from the rest of you--don't be bashful!
"Your idea of a donut-shaped universe intrigues me, Homer; I may have to steal it."
--Stephen Hawking makes guest appearance on The Simpsons
--Stephen Hawking makes guest appearance on The Simpsons
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Lance
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Well, Gary, Geza Anda [1921-1976] is another of those pianists who had an extraordinary reputation in especially the Romantic repertoire though he also made his mark with Mozart and Bartok, too. Considered a "Swiss" pianist, Anda was born in Hungary where he studied at the Budapest Academy of Music with Dohnanyi. His concerto debut was in the Brahms Second Piano Concerto conducted by Willem Mengelberg (1939). He also soloed with the Berlin Philharmonic under Furtwangler. During World War II (1943) he made Switzerland his home and took Swiss nationality in 1955.
The year 1947 was when he began to establish himself internationally as a virtuoso pianist in repertoire from the Romantic era. Recordings from this period can be found on the EMI and Testament CD labels. But then he took an interest in the music of Mozart and Bartok. He often conducted the Mozart concertos from the keyboard using his own cadenzas. He also spent some time conducting and giving piano master classes in Switzerland and elsewhere.
Writer Wiliam S. Mann describes Anda's pianism in these words: "It was Anda's command of a powerful, rich keyboard sonority, a thrilling dynamism, and a pungent cantabile which could soften to a whisper, that brought him to fame in Bartok's [piano] concertos ... Brahms' Second Piano Concerto and Sonata for F Minor for Piano. His concentration on Mozart doubtless derived from a concern with refinement of phrasing and articulation, already evident in his readings of Beethoven, Chopin and Bartok, as well as late Brahms, though in the mid-1970s this specialization did not include the poise that characterizes the ideal Mozartian: there were signs of hurry, even of coarsening, unsuitable in high Viennese Classicism though acceptable in Beethoven and Bartok."
Among the greatest recordings he made were two-piano concertos of Bach and Mozart wherein the other pianist was the legendary Clara Haskil (EMI 63492).
Deutsche Grammophon just issued a budget-priced five-CD boxed set of Geza Anda that is packed with some of his earliest, and of course, his later recordings that I would recommend for anyone interested in fine pianism and a superb overview of the pianist at his peak. This is on Deutsche Grammophon 477.5289, recordings made between the 1940s and 1960s. You'll find here Schubert's Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. Posth., Brahms' Piano Concerto #2 with Kubelik conducting, and music by Schumann, Liszt and Franck. Other conductors include van Beinum and Fricsay. I could hardly wait to get my hands on this boxed set because it also included many items that have never been issued on compact disc. I have not been disappointed!
If you are a "completist," you'll want his complete Mozart one-piano concerti, also on DG [469.510], all of which sound like they were recorded only last year, so excellent is the remastering.
Another of his performances worthy of consideration is Beethoven's "Triple" Concerto [DGG B0004034 "Originals" series, mid-priced] with Pierre Fournier, cellist and Wolfgang Schneiderhan, violinist all under the baton of Ferenc Fricsay. This is just a classic performance with a dream-type assemblage of great artists.
Let me know what you think you'll be getting. I would HIGHLY recommend, however, the 5-CD DG set as a good starting point.
The year 1947 was when he began to establish himself internationally as a virtuoso pianist in repertoire from the Romantic era. Recordings from this period can be found on the EMI and Testament CD labels. But then he took an interest in the music of Mozart and Bartok. He often conducted the Mozart concertos from the keyboard using his own cadenzas. He also spent some time conducting and giving piano master classes in Switzerland and elsewhere.
Writer Wiliam S. Mann describes Anda's pianism in these words: "It was Anda's command of a powerful, rich keyboard sonority, a thrilling dynamism, and a pungent cantabile which could soften to a whisper, that brought him to fame in Bartok's [piano] concertos ... Brahms' Second Piano Concerto and Sonata for F Minor for Piano. His concentration on Mozart doubtless derived from a concern with refinement of phrasing and articulation, already evident in his readings of Beethoven, Chopin and Bartok, as well as late Brahms, though in the mid-1970s this specialization did not include the poise that characterizes the ideal Mozartian: there were signs of hurry, even of coarsening, unsuitable in high Viennese Classicism though acceptable in Beethoven and Bartok."
Among the greatest recordings he made were two-piano concertos of Bach and Mozart wherein the other pianist was the legendary Clara Haskil (EMI 63492).
Deutsche Grammophon just issued a budget-priced five-CD boxed set of Geza Anda that is packed with some of his earliest, and of course, his later recordings that I would recommend for anyone interested in fine pianism and a superb overview of the pianist at his peak. This is on Deutsche Grammophon 477.5289, recordings made between the 1940s and 1960s. You'll find here Schubert's Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. Posth., Brahms' Piano Concerto #2 with Kubelik conducting, and music by Schumann, Liszt and Franck. Other conductors include van Beinum and Fricsay. I could hardly wait to get my hands on this boxed set because it also included many items that have never been issued on compact disc. I have not been disappointed!
If you are a "completist," you'll want his complete Mozart one-piano concerti, also on DG [469.510], all of which sound like they were recorded only last year, so excellent is the remastering.
Another of his performances worthy of consideration is Beethoven's "Triple" Concerto [DGG B0004034 "Originals" series, mid-priced] with Pierre Fournier, cellist and Wolfgang Schneiderhan, violinist all under the baton of Ferenc Fricsay. This is just a classic performance with a dream-type assemblage of great artists.
Let me know what you think you'll be getting. I would HIGHLY recommend, however, the 5-CD DG set as a good starting point.
Lance G. Hill
Editor-in-Chief
______________________________________________________
When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down and personally
rubbed his name off the piano. [Speaking about pianist &*$#@+#]
Editor-in-Chief
______________________________________________________
When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down and personally
rubbed his name off the piano. [Speaking about pianist &*$#@+#]
Thank you for the thorough biography, Lance.
Well, I just placed an order for the Beethoven triple and Brahms double concertos.Lance wrote: Let me know what you think you'll be getting. I would HIGHLY recommend, however, the 5-CD DG set as a good starting point.
"Your idea of a donut-shaped universe intrigues me, Homer; I may have to steal it."
--Stephen Hawking makes guest appearance on The Simpsons
--Stephen Hawking makes guest appearance on The Simpsons
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Lance
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It's MY pleasure, Sir! Hey - if we can help sell classical CDs on this site, then I feel a sense of accomplishment! Thank you for the nice come-back!Gary wrote:Thank you for the thorough biography, Lance.
Well, I just placed an order for the Beethoven triple and Brahms double concertos.Lance wrote: Let me know what you think you'll be getting. I would HIGHLY recommend, however, the 5-CD DG set as a good starting point.
Lance G. Hill
Editor-in-Chief
______________________________________________________
When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down and personally
rubbed his name off the piano. [Speaking about pianist &*$#@+#]
Editor-in-Chief
______________________________________________________
When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down and personally
rubbed his name off the piano. [Speaking about pianist &*$#@+#]
-
Jack Kelso
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Geza Anda recorded Schumann's "Fantasy in C", opus 17 like no other pianist I've ever heard. I had the record in the States (coupled I believe with the "Symphonic Etudes"), but I haven't been able to locate the CD yet (if it's been re-issued). It's a shame he didn't record more of Schumann's music!
Jack
Jack
"Schumann's our music-maker now." ---Robert Browning
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Lance
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Yes, I have this on the forerunner of the Aura label: Ermitage 168, 77:43, ADD. The recital was recorded in Italy (live) on September 16, 1965. While there aren't that many live performances of Geza Anda, this is a very fine trio of works. It's immediately after the applause that Anda launches into a perfrect performance of Chopin's first Etude from the Op. 25. Talk about self control. No nerves here! The piano is slightly in the distance sonically with the upper treble of the instrument at times just a hair thin-toned, especiallly when the soft pedal is employed. But overall, this is a fine example of what a live recital can and should be. There is, incidentally, very little difference in sound in the mono or stereo modes. This could be a one-microphone (mono) pickup.
In the Schumann Davidsbündlertänze, one of my absolute favourite Schumann works, the delicacy of Anda's playing is heard to a great advantage in the second (Innig) and 15th (Frisch) sections ... some of Schumann's most poignant writing for the piano. There are very minor smudges here and there, with even a little "pushed" (forced) playing, but the pianist's concept is generally right on. [I must always refer to one of the most perfect and beautiful performances of the Schumann I have ever heard by Adrian Aeschbacher, whose recording is a lesson in how this work should be played, formerly on an American Decca LP, long deleted unfortunately.]
Concluding the recital with Schubert's delectable A Major Sonata, Op. 120/D664 leaves one in the frame of mind that you've heard a great artist at work though there are some exaggerated moments rubato-wise, and maybe a touch over-romanticized (second movement), and some over-pedaling, especially in the first movement, and some slight blemishes in the final movement (Allegro) but in total, emotionally very moving. I/many of us should be so lucky to play like this, nevertheless!
For the price (or any price), this is would be a fine acquisition to your piano record library in my humble opinion.
Lance G. Hill
Editor-in-Chief
______________________________________________________
When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down and personally
rubbed his name off the piano. [Speaking about pianist &*$#@+#]
Editor-in-Chief
______________________________________________________
When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down and personally
rubbed his name off the piano. [Speaking about pianist &*$#@+#]
Anda's Schumann
I simply want to second Jack Kelso's remarks about Anda'a Op. 17, which I have only on lp (and you're right, Jack, it is coupled with the Symphonic Etudes). This may be the finest recording of the Op. 17 I've heard. Anda is so poised, he never yields too much; but he does offer an unusually impassioned take on (II). I have his Davidsbundlertanze and Kreisleriana on another lp, which I haven't heard in many years. You remind me that I must re-visit it soon!Jack Kelso wrote:Geza Anda recorded Schumann's "Fantasy in C", opus 17 like no other pianist I've ever heard. I had the record in the States (coupled I believe with the "Symphonic Etudes"), but I haven't been able to locate the CD yet (if it's been re-issued). It's a shame he didn't record more of Schumann's music!
Jack
Greg Weis
Gary wrote:
Well, I just placed an order for the Beethoven triple and Brahms double concertos.
Arrived today. I've listened to it twice already. Excellent recording!
Sounded best in surround sound mode.
"Your idea of a donut-shaped universe intrigues me, Homer; I may have to steal it."
--Stephen Hawking makes guest appearance on The Simpsons
--Stephen Hawking makes guest appearance on The Simpsons
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