CD 1

Arnold Schönberg
(1894-1951)
1. Sehr langsam from Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 (1923)
2. Sehr rasch from Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 (1923)
3. Langsam from Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 (1923)
4. Schwungvoll, mässige_from Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 (1923)
5. Walzer from Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 (1923)
6. Klavierstück, Op. 33a (1928)
   
   
John Cage
(1912-1980)
7. Music of Changes, Part I (1951)
8. The Perilous Night (1944) for prepared piano


Claude Debussy
(1862-1918)
9. No. VII - pour les degrés chromatiques from Douze Etudes, Book II (1915)
10. No. VIII - pour les agréments from Douze Etudes, Book II (1915)
11. No. IX - pour les notes répétées from Douze Etudes, Book II (1915)
12. No. X - pour les sonorités opposées from Douze Etudes, Book II (1915)
13. No. XI - pour les arpèges composés from Douze Etudes, Book II (1915)

CD 2

Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
(1-32) Goldberg Variations

Grete Sultan
"The Legacy" Vol. 1
(2-CD set)

A historic collection of performances recorded between 1959-1990 featuring the influential pianist Grete Sultan who, up until recently, only labored in relative obscurity. In Sultan's art, the barriers between classical and modern music simply do not exist anymore. The same magic that she brings to Bach and Debussy, she also brings to Schoenberg and Cage, making music that was once 'difficult' and experimental into poetry that is at once timeless and personal.

REVIEWS

Tower Pulse
This German-born pianist, who not long ago celebrated her 93rd birthday, is altogether formidable. These discs, recorded live over 30 years, amply demonstrate her commanding technique, penetrating intellect, stylistic range and passionate commitment to the music. Schönberg’s pieces are expressive, full of mood and character changes; Debussy’s Etudes are dreamy, poetic, flexible, infinitely varied in tone sonority and color. John Cage’s music, which she has championed since coming to America in 1941, still sounds disjointed and fragmented; Perilous Night, for prepared piano, seems to be all sound effect endlessly repeated. The counterpoint in Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations is crystal-clear: each variation has its own texture and expression, creating contrast within a sense of overarching austere grandeur.
– Edith Eisler, Tower Pulse ***** Five-Stars (top rating)

Clavier
Masterful performance
Grete Sultan, The Legacy, Vol. 1, a collection of two CDs, offers an intriguing mix of selections. Bach, Schönberg, Cage, and Debussy are not normally presented in one collection, and rarely performed so masterfully. Grete Sultan, a student of Leonid Kreutzer, Edwin Fisher, and Richard Buhlig, was forced to leave Nazi Germany in 1940 for New York and a teaching job at the 92nd Street Y.M.C.A. After the war she resumed her performing career in New York and Europe, playing primarily 20th century music. Sultan recorded the Schönberg Op. 23 in 1990 at the age of 84; the other pieces in this collection date back to 1959. All of the performances are of the highest artistic quality and demand the listener’s utmost attention.
Schönberg’s Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 and Klavierstücke, Op. 33a project a beautiful sensitive sound that is clearly Viennese. John Cage’s Music of Changes, Part I is my least favorite on the disc. Perhaps I should follow Cage’s advice and listen to it again, and if I still don’t like it, listen to it until I do. On the other hand, The Perilous Night for prepared piano is so well played and interesting that I definitely will listen to it repeatedly. The Debussy Etudes from Book II, #7-11 are spellbinding.
My favorite performance on this collection is Bach’s Goldberg Variations. It is the most lyrical and contrapuntal playing of these variations I have ever heard. There is not a hint of the angularity that appears in some modern recordings of this piece. The “French Overture” truly sounds like a French Overture, and the canons are lyrical and well balanced. It is a great performance.
My one complaint is that these are not modern recordings, so there are occasions of tape hiss, ventilation noise, and microphone coloration. Some performances were recorded before an audience, with coughs and other noises. However, I do not find that these flaws detract from the artistry of Grete Sultan, and I am grateful to Labor Records (LAB 7037) for preserving and distributing these superb performances.
– Errol Haun, Clavier