Some of you may not have seen that the wonderful and adventurous pianist Earl Wild has died at 94. Here's a link to his New York Times obituary:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/arts/music/24wild.html?hpw (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/arts/music/24wild.html?hpw)
We're remembering him by listening to his recordings of Herz' 'Non piu mesta' variations, the Thalberg 'Don Pasquale' Fantasy, and the Scharwenka b-flat minor concerto. Breathtaking playing and a great Romantic sensibility...
David
Strangely, I was only listening to Wild in Scharwenka PC1 on Friday. A marvellous memorial to a magnificent artist.
Earl Wild's passing is sad, but he certainly had a long and illustrious career. My own favorite of his recordings is the Paderewski Concerto he recorded with Arthur Fiedler. It's chock full of little moments of Wild re-writing and fancifying of Paderewski's original notes, included one of the greatest examples of "blind" octaves leading into the last pages of the Finale. Every time I hear that descending chain of octaves, like a flash of forked lightning, I am thankful that Mr Wild was not a literalist.
May he rest in peace.
Not to be a jerk or anything, but someone dying at 94 isn't sad. He led a VERY full life of music making, and many of us appreciate the many great recordings he made, not just sticking to the 'standard' rep but also being a fantastic transcriber and paraphraser.
We have reason to be grateful for his life. His Scharwenka Piano Concerto No.1 is a marvel; a shining example of how unsung music can sound in the right hands.
Hear, hear! He was a great and very special pianist - a true virtuoso. His playing was the acme of style and panache. And he brought us some wonderful unsung music.
It was his recordings that started me off on my love for Thalberg.
The Thalberg/Rossini Semirimade is still the best Thalberg recording in my humble opinion.
Thal
I'm glad I got to hear him in recitals and concerts a few times. I was surprised to learn he was living in Palm Springs - guess it beats the cold back east. I also didn't know that he wrote some music -- Revelations? -- sounds like a candidate for recording!