A catalogue of 78rpm Piano Recordings of Classical Pianists
Welcome
Welcome to APR - or Appian Publications & Recordings Ltd. to quote our full title, though we are invariably more familiarly known simply as "APR".
Within the relatively short time since APR was founded in 1986 it has won an enviable reputation as a quality label devoted predominantly - though not exclusively - to historic piano recordings. In particular APR has won countless laurels for the high standard of its 78rpm restoration work - "Transfers of genius" to quote one critic - as well as the detail and content of its booklets - "Presentation is, as always with APR, immaculate" - to cite another accolade. These features have been recognised by the award of numerous international honours, not least an unprecedented 9 Grand Prix by the Liszt Society of Budapest in recent years.
In September 2004, following the retirement of its founder, Bryan Crimp, APR changed hands, though the aspirations of the label remain unchanged. APR is now based in London, England and is owned and run by Michael Spring who previously spent many years at Hyperion Records.
New Releases
RAOUL KOCZALSKI - Chopin: Études, Préludes & Ballades
2CDs
THE 1938/9 POLYDOR RECORDINGS
COMPACT DISC 1 (78.12)
1. Études Op 10
13. Études Op 25
25. Trois Nouvelles Études
28. Berceuse in D flat major Op 57
29. Nocturne in E flat major Op 9 No 2
30. Nocturne in B major Op 32 No 1
31. Nocturne in C minor Op 48 No 1
COMPACT DISC 2 (79.30)
1. 24 Préludes Op 28
25. Prelude in A flat major Op. posth. Presto con legerezza
26. Prelude in C sharp minor Op 45
27. Ballade No 1 in G minor Op 23
28. Ballade No 2 in A minor Op 38
29. Ballade No 3 in A flat major Op 47
30. Ballade No 4 in F minor Op 52
31. Waltz in E flat major Op 18
32. Waltz in F major Op 34 No 3
33. Waltz in D flat major ‘Minute’ Op 64 No 1
34. Waltz in A flat major Op 64 No 3
RAOUL KOCZALSKI (1885–1948) has often been regarded as a controversial figure amongst the great pianists. He began his career as a child prodigy and his most important teacher was the Chopin pupil Karol Mikuli. Mikuli regarded himself as the true heir to Chopin’s playing style and Koczalski was to go on to present himself in the same way. He was best known in Germany where he made his recordings, the most important of which are the complete cycles of Études, Preludes and Ballades presented here. We have a also included several other recordings from the same period including his hugely significant recording of the Nocturne Op 9 No 2, which features a much-elaborated melodic line passed down from Chopin via Mikuli.
His playing certainly fits many descriptions of Chopin’s own with its emphasis on clarity, legato touch, singing line and emotional reserve, but to the next generation he sounded old fashioned. Today we can reconsider his playing in a historical context, suspend our expectations, and consider this may well be the nearest we can get to Chopin’s own sound world.
This is the second of a new APR series featuring Polish pianists.
APR6050
Available on Compact Disc, as a Digital Download and to Stream
JESÚS MARÍA SANROMÁ - The complete Boston ‘Pops’ recordings
2CDs
COMPACT DISC 1 (80.05)
1. MacDOWELL Piano Concerto No 2 in D minor Op 23
BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA/ARTHUR FIEDLER recorded on 1 July 1936
4. PADEREWSKI Piano Concerto in A minor Op 17
BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA/ARTHUR FIEDLER recorded on 30 June 1939
JUAN MOREL CAMPOS Puerto Rican Dances
7. Felices días 8. Maldito amor 9. Alma sublime 10. Tormento 11. ¡No me toques! 12. Vano empeño 13. Laura y Georgina 14. Buen humor recorded on 9 August 1939 & 1 July 1941
COMPACT DISC 2 (75.34)
1. MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No 1 in G minor Op 25
BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA/ARTHUR FIEDLER recorded on 29 June 1938
4. LISZT Totentanz – Paraphrase über ‘Dies irae’ S126
BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA/ARTHUR FIEDLER recorded on 30 June 1937
5. GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA/ARTHUR FIEDLER recorded on 1 July 1935
6. GERSHWIN Concerto in F for piano and orchestra
BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA/ARTHUR FIEDLER recorded on 22 March 1940
The Puerto Rican pianist JESÚS MARÍA SANROMÁ (1902–1984) came to the USA to study and subsequently built his career there. He had a very wide repertoire and gave the US premieres of many contemporary works, including Ravel’s G major Concerto, but was equally at home in the classics or Gershwin. He had a long association with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and their summer festival brand the ‘Pops’, resulting in the series of concertos reproduced here. All are conducted by Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979) who conducted the ‘Pops’ for an astonishing 50 years from 1930. Their Gershwin Rhapsody was a huge hit, and the MacDowell and Paderewski were first recordings. We’ve filled out the set with Sanromá’s first recording of a selection of dances by Juan Morel Campos, his 19th century Puerto Rican fellow countryman.
APR6045
Available on Compact Disc, as a Digital Download and to StreamANN SCHEIN – The complete KAPP recordings
3CDs
COMPACT DISC 1 (78’12)
1. CHOPIN Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor Op 21
SIR EUGENE GOOSSENS / VIENNA STATE OPERA ORCHESTRA
4. CHOPIN Nocturne in D flat major Op 27/2
5. CHOPIN Scherzo No 1 in B minor Op 20
6. CHOPIN Scherzo No 2 in B flat minor Op 31
7. CHOPIN Scherzo No 3 in C sharp minor Op 39
8. CHOPIN Scherzo No 4 in E major Op 54
COMPACT DISC 2 (68’43)
1. WEBER/TAUSIG Invitation to the Dance
2. MEDTNER Danza festiva Op 38/3
3. ERNESTO HALFFTER Danza de la Pastora from the ballet Sonatine
4. BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances Sz56
10. BIZET/RACHMANINOV Minuet from L’arlésienne suite No 1
11. CHOPIN Waltz in D flat major ‘Minute’ Op 64/1
12. CHOPIN Mazurka in A flat major Op 59/2
13. CHOPIN Mazurka in F sharp minor Op 59/3
14. CHOPIN Polonaise-Fantasy in A flat major Op 61
15. CHOPIN Étude in A flat major Op 25/1; 16. Étude in F minor Op 25/2
17. Étude in F major Op 25/3; 18. Étude in G flat major ‘Butterfly’ Op 25/9
19. Nouvelle étude in A flat major KKIIb/3; 20. Étude in C sharp minor Op 10/4
21. Étude in A flat major Op 10/10; 22. Étude in C major Op 10/7
23. Étude in F major Op 10/8 24. Étude in C minor ‘Revolutionary’ Op 10/12
COMPACT DISC 3 (65’29)
1. DEBUSSY Étude ‘Pour les arpèges composés’ L143/11
2. SZYMANOWSKI Étude in B flat minor Op 4/3
3. MOSZKOWSKI Étude de virtuosité in F major Op 72/6
4. SCRIABIN Étude in B flat minor Op 8/11
5. SCRIABIN Étude in C sharp minor Op 2/1
6. LISZT Gnomenreigen S145/2
7. RACHMANINOV Étude-tableau in E flat minor Op 33/6
8. RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor Op 30
SIR EUGENE GOOSSENS / VIENNA STATE OPERA ORCHESTRA
The American pianist ANN SCHEIN (born 1939) has had a long and distinguished career as both a performer and latterly, as a teacher. She studied with Busoni pupil Mieczysław Munz and then with both Myra Hess and Arthur Rubinstein. She had early success in romantic repertoire, and her Rachmaninov 3rd concerto became a sensational calling card as can be heard in its subsequent recording. For those ‘in the know’ her most impressive recordings are those she made in her youth between 1958 and 1960 for the US KAPP label in its short-lived entry into the classical world. These five long-unavailable LPs are reissued here together for the first time.
APR7320
Available on Compact Disc, as a Digital Download and to StreamKAROL SZRETER - The Parlophon & Odeon recordings 1926-1931
2CDs
COMPACT DISC 1 (79.26)
1. BEETHOVEN Sonata No 8 in C minor ‘Pathétique’ Op 13 Recorded on 9 January 1931
4. BEETHOVEN Sonata No 14 in C sharp minor ‘Moonlight’ Op 27 No 2
Recorded on 19 August 1930
7. BEETHOVEN Sonata No 15 in D major ‘Pastoral’ Op 28 Recorded on 17 April 1931
11. BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No 4 in G major Op 58
BERLIN STATE OPERA ORCHESTRA / FRIEDER WEISSMANN
Recorded on 4 November & 6 December 1926
14. SCHUBERT/LISZT Ständchen von Shakespeare ‘Horch, horch! die Lerch’’ S558/9
Vox acoustic disc, recorded in November 1923
15. CHOPIN/ALEKSANDER MICHAŁOWSKI Paraphrase on the Waltz in D flat major Op 64/1 Vox acoustic disc, recorded in November 1923
COMPACT DISC 2 (76.01)
1. SCHUMANN Carnaval Op 9 Recorded on 6 May & 15 October 1931
22. LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No 12 in C sharp minor S244/12 Recorded on 20 May 1927
23. LISZT Liebesträume No 3 S541/3 Recorded on 22 August 1928
24. MENDELSSOHN Scherzo in E minor Op 16 No 2 Recorded on 22 August 1928
25. GRIEG Norwegian Dance in A major Op 35 No 2 Recorded on 22 August 1928
26. GRIEG Anitra’s Dance from Peer Gynt, Op 46 Recorded on 22 August 1927
27. GRIEG March of the Dwarfs No 3 from Lyric Pieces, Op 54 Recorded on 22 August 1927
28. SAUER Boîte à musique (Spieluhr) Recorded on 22 August 1928
29. STRAUSS/GRÜNFELD Soirée de Vienne Op 56 Recorded on 6 December 1926
30. STRAUSS/GRÜNFELD Frühlingsstimmen Op 57 Recorded on 22 August 1927
31. STRAUSS/SZRETER Wiener Blut Recorded on 12 May 1928
32. STRAUSS/SZRETER Künstlerleben Recorded on 12 June 1928
33. STRAUSS/SZRETER Die Fledermaus waltzes Recorded on 12 June 1928
A generation before the now iconic Dinu Lipatti died of cancer at the age of 33, a much less remembered Polish pianist, KAROL SZRETER (1898–1933), died of the same disease at almost the same age. A pupil of Egon Petri, so of the Busoni school, his brief career began in central Europe and by the time of his death he was becoming acknowledged as a major figure in the pianistic world. His first recordings were made acoustically for VOX, where he recorded both as accompanist and soloist, and we have included one example. He was then taken up by the sister labels Parlophon and Odeon and the majority of these recordings are presented here. Of note is the first electrical recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4 and three further sonatas, and – reflecting a different side of his art – five brilliant Strauss transcriptions where he reveals his stupendous technique.
This is the first of a new APR series featuring Polish pianists.
APR6048
Available on Compact Disc, as a Digital Download and to Stream