Fournier/Kempff: Beethoven Cello Works - DG 2709 018 (3LP box, tulips)

$

60

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This fine 3LP deluxe stereo box set from Deutsche Grammophon (2709 018 – 138 993/5, German pressings, tulip label, stereo, booklet included) features Pierre Fournier and Wilhelm Kempff's incomparable cycle of the complete music for cello and piano by Beethoven, recorded 'live' at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on 2 and 5 February 1966 – a gramophone classic.

Included in Fournier and Kempff's cycle were the following works:

Cello Sonata No. 1 in F Major Op. 5 No. 1

Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor Op. 5 No. 2

Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major Op. 69

Cello Sonata No. 4 in C Major Op. 102 No. 1

Cello Sonata No. 5 in D Major Op. 102 No. 2

Seven Variations on the Duet 'Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen' WoO 46 from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute

Twelve Variations on a Theme from the Oratorio Judas Maccabaeus WoO 45 by G.F. Handel

Twelve Variations on the Theme 'Ein Madchen oder Weibchen' Op. 66 from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute

There is a wonderful sense of occasion throughout these marvelously 'sung' performances and both artists are on superb form and in perfect accord, each inspiring the other.

Wrote the critic S.P. in his May 1966 review for The Gramophone:

"It is well over five years since Pierre Fournier last recorded the Beethoven 'Cello Sonatas, and the fine discs he made of them then, with Friedrich Gulda as pianist, have had their thunder stolen in the meantime by the very impressive twodisc set Rostropovich and Richter made for Philips in 1964. I have played that set again and shall be referring to it from time to time in this review. Direct comparisons are hard to make however: quite apart from the difficulty of comparing and evaluating one great artist's performance against another's, the two sets of records— the Philips and the new DGG—are not strictly comparable, since Rostropovich and Richter offer just the five sonatas on two discs (available in mono and stereo), while Fournier and Kempff include all Beethoven's works for 'cello and piano on three (but available in stereo only). The works besides the five sonatas, by the way, are three variation sets, one on a Handel theme ("See, the conquering hero comes"), the other two on themes by Mozart. All are good and worth having—not merely odds and ends of juvenilia that gramophone companies might classify as 'useful fill-up material'. The variations on the Magic Flute duet, "Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fahlen", share a side here with the C major Sonata, Op. 102, No. 1, and the other two sets together back the D major Sonata, Op. 102, No. 2.

"Basically, the measure of improvement of this issue over Fournier's previous one is the measure of improvement of Wilhelm Kempff, one of the great pianists of our age, particularly in Beethoven, over Friedrich Gulda, who cannot be so regarded. Before one begins to mention the 'cello playing in this set, the absolutely commanding quality of the piano playing has to be saluted: and not unreasonably, of course, since Beethoven himself called these sonatas "sonatas for piano and 'cello" and the piano parts are of very considerable dimensions.

"It was a magnificent idea to partner Fournier with Kempff. The partnership works extremely well, and although it is possible to devine from one or two moments of shaky ensemble that they haven't, in fact, worked together regularly over the years, the results musically speaking are often nothing short of electrifying. If electricity springs to mind, I might add that each artist really does seem to strike sparks off the other—exactly as one hopes for in an ad hoc combination of two virtuosi, and rarely hears.

“The air of vitality is for me the records' strongest point. The vitality is at every point deeply musical, not merely the vitality any decent pair of players can generate who have a well developed sense of rhythm. In this there's an important distinction to be noted; the vitality Fournier and Kempff bring to the music is of the sort that constantly seeks to illuminate Beethoven; more than once when listening to the Rostropovich and Richter records I have the impression that the Russian artists are only intent on setting him alight.

"You will find from the coughs and 'atmosphere' between movements that this Beethoven cycle has been assembled from public performances; there is no applause however. The air of performance surrounding each sonata here is something that one hardly ever meets these days in studio recordings—almost always heavily edited.

"Not that the recording of public performances, as opposed to the assembling of a performance in a studio from lots of little bits, is always the answer. But it has worked very well in this set. There are one or two blemishes—quite unimportant—that a sharp-eared and zealous Tonmeister in the studio would not have let pass. I suppose I ought to mention some of them. They occur mostly in the D major Sonata, Op. 102, No. 2. In the first movement, in the second of the 'first-time bars', at the point where the repeat of the exposition begins, Fournier missqs the F sharp—he just forgets to play it. Then, the second movement, the adagio, gets off to an uncomfortable start, with the two artists not quite together on the first quaver and Fournier slithering through the semitone E-F on to the second quaver in order to catch Kempff up. Finally, towards the end of the fugue, Kempff fumbles a D major scale in sixths and is heard to play some rather wrong notes.

"But I must repeat that, having played through this sonata several times, I do not find the blemishes worrying. For the performance as a whole is memorable. For Kenapff's playing of the second subject group in the first movement one could forgive him almost anything; and for the transition to the D major section in the adagio (bar 25) and back again to D minor (bar 51), and for the magical passage which leads to the finale, and for the way he presents the finale's fugue subject; for these and countless other details Fournier's occasional less than perfect notes are absolutely unimportant.

"What a wonderful player he is. I have the impression, wrong perhaps, that he is not celebrated quite as much as he should be; that, though he is acknowledged as one of the world's finest 'cellists, we tend to take him a bit for granted. RF, when writing about the Rostropovich and Richter Beethoven discs in February 1964, commented that Rostropovich has much more range of volume than Fournier, that Rostropovich's crescendos cover more ground and are more exciting, that his accents bite more, that his staccato is more incisive. All of which is true. RF wasn't using Rostropovich as a stick with which to belabour and belittle Fournier—his review was by no means unappreciative of Fournier's qualities—but now perhaps is the moment to shout, if necessary, that Fournier makes a most beautiful noise, that the range of expression he commands is wide, that the line and control of his playing are masterly, that he never equates expressive playing merely with intensity of tone, and that he is always, but always, supremely interesting to listen to.

"These records are glorious, wrong notes, snatched accents, warts and all; I urge everybody to hear them. As a set of the Beethoven 'Cello Sonatas to be matched against the Philips, unhelpful though comparisons may be, I say without hesitation that for depth of musical feeling they are superior; in the two late sonatas especially I hear nothing by the Russians that has anything like the same style and interpretative stature. But, as I say, comparisons invite half-truths and beg questions; with Rostropovich and Richter one finds oneself listening for and admiring different things. But I do think Fournier and Kempff attempt more, aim higher: they are playing the music, one thinks as one listens to them; "to hell", they seem to be saying, "if technically we sometimes don't quite get there".

“From the point of view of the recording, the balance unfortunately doesn't always quite get there. The 'cello is rather distant— the actual perspective varies from piece to piece—and I can foresee that some may criticize severely the prominence of the piano. It is true that occasionally the piano covers the 'cello and that in f everywhere tends to overweight it; but in mitigation it could be said that in sonatas "for piano and 'cello", as Beethoven called them, this is a fault on the right side. I tend to such a view, having criticized at some length last month HMV's issue of the Beethoven Op. 70 Piano Trios where it was the piano that was overbalanced. Oh dear, it's an imperfect world. But I can say that the slightly unsatisfactory nature of the balance didn't prevent me from enjoying these records immensely. They seem to me outstanding—some of the best sonata playing I've ever heard. "

Included is a full-size, 12-page booklet with extensive notes on the music by Karl Schumann and an appreciation of Fournier and Kempff’s partnership by Hans-Otto Spingel – all texts provided in German, English, and French.

PLEASE NOTE:

Even with minimal packaging this set will weigh just over 1 kg. This means that outside of Europe the cost for shipping is about $40 USD, and that is just for standard airmail. Certified airmail (with a tracking number) costs $43 USD.

Those in doubt can visit the Spanish postal website (Correos.com), which is available in English. Although this listing states “free” shipping, it is not really free, of course. I have to pay for shipping like everyone else.

Anyway, all this to say that those who feel the price is high need to take the cost of shipping into account, so please keep this in mind when making a “best offer”. If you have any questions or doubts, feel free to write and I will be happy to help. Thank you.

CONDITION – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

The condition of the cloth box is GOOD (Please note that is at the bottom of eBay’s scale). There is considerable wear to the spine (the text almost wholly illegible) as well as fraying to the same. In addition, there is shelfwear and discoloration. On the plus side, there are no corner breaks, seamsplits, owners’ markings, or other defects, and the box remains solid and fairly presentation worthy – not a collector’s copy, but still a passable one.

The condition of the full-size 12-page book is EXCELLENT. There is mild discoloration, but the pages are free of markings and tears and remain bright and crisp, the binding perfect.

The condition of the 3 LPs is near-MINT. Although the surfaces are not absolutely silent (and thus I have rated it NM vs. MINT) these are fine copies and playback is superb. If you must have flawless surfaces, then please do not buy this set – these rate as NM collector's copies.

PLEASE NOTE:
This LP has been carefully cleaned using a VPI cleaning machine. All LPs are provided with a new Nagaoka (or Nagaoka-style) inner sleeve. The images I've provided are of the actual item you are potentially bidding on - these are not stock images or images I've taken from other sites. Bid with confidence!

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REFUNDS:
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