Six Preludes
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STEREO SERAPHIM "Angels of the highest order' (piano) FRANCK: PRELUDE, CHORALE AND FUGUE DEBUSSY: SIX PRELUDES [Malcuzynski] has achieved one of the basic aims of the artist — instant communication with an audience. There are not too many who can claim so much. Harold C. Schonherg (New York Times) That Franck's vision from this aerie was both far and high is obvious in the Préludé, Chorale and Fugue. Its model is, of MALCUZYNSKI course, Bach, as one can perceive from the figuration that A Seraphim stéréophonie recording opens the Préludé. The romantic expressiveness of the music, (piano) however, is of Franck's own time—only in the riper part of the piayable on stéréo and mono phonographs nineteenth century could religious mysticism and highly per- sonalized émotion, the sacred and the profane, be blended This true stéréo, microgroove recording was taped using the fin- as they are here. The language is everywhere Franck's own; est available multiple-channel techniques for spatial séparation FRANCK: PRELUDE, there is no mistaking his kind of mélodie patterns and chro- and realism when played on a complété stéréo reproducer. It matic harmonies. may also be played safely on most modem monophonie equip- ment. CHORALE AND FUGUE But perhaps the most Franckian feature of the work is the so-called cyclical form—that is, the récurrence in the last THE SERAPHIM SERIES, a product of ANCEL RECORDS, is designed movement of material that had appeared in the earlier two. to make available once more some of the very finest and most DERUSSY: SIX PRELUDES This occurs after the great central climax of the fugue. Here celebrated of Angel's earlier releases—precious recordings that a cadenza-like passage leads almost imperceptibly into the hâve long been treasured by collectors in their rare original pressings. THE SERAPHIM SERIES also issues outstanding perform¬ figuration of the préludé; then this preluding figure becomes ances hitherto unreleased in America, by famed Angel artists. In "Ail the resources of the 19th century piano and the superb an accompaniment (counterpoint, rather) to the chorale mel- both functions, SERAPHIM maintains the highest possible stand¬ effects written for it are at his command," wrote Olin Downes ody; and soon the fugue subject reappears, so that the three ards of recording, tape transfer, materials and pressing, as estab- in The New York Times when Malcuzynski made his American ideas are combined in a sonorous polyphony. The device lished by Angel, but at modest cost to the coilector. début at Carnegie Hall in 1942. In the three décades since this functions in two ways—to bring dramatic power to music cast SERAPHIM —"ANGELS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER" in an essentially non-dramatic form, and to unify the struc¬ major musical event, Malcuzynski has become renowned as a 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N. Y. 10019 pre-eminent interpréter of great keyboard masters from Bach ture of the whole work. Another construction feature, but one to Rachmaninoff; and he is, of course, indelibly identified with that will be detected only after repeated hearings, is the fore- the musio of Chopin, to whom he traces a musical ancestry shadowing of the three-note "head" of the fugue theme in through his Personal mentor, the great Polish virtuoso both the préludé and the chorale. The craftsmanship of this Malcuzynski here plays four favorite préludés from Book Paderewski. work is so masterful, in its boldest strokes and its subtlest ef¬ One and two from Book Two. In "The Engulfed Cathédral," fects, that many commentators regard it as superior even to. Malcuzynski was born in Warsaw in 1914, and graduated Vuillermoz heard "mysterious bell sounds, rising toward us the D minor Symphony. But one need not make choices. Each from Warsaw Conservatory with highest honors in 1936. The from the bottom of the deep and pale green transparency of work can be enjoyed for its own virtues. same year, Paderewski heard him play and decided to make the sea, and originating from the engulfed cathédral itself him his Personal pupil, and Malcuzynski lived and studied at which, in the bay of the dead, cal Is to divine services the in¬ the venerable statesman-musician's Swiss villa. During World habitants buried beneath the tides." War 2, Malcuzynski escaped to South America, and then came Side Two In "Minstrels," Vuillermoz found "fantasy, broad humor, to the United Sta,tes. After the war, his famé reached out to ail DEBUSSY: SIX PRELUDES and exaggerated sentiment," and others hâve likened this the major capitals of the globe, through his recordings and (23:00) brief work to the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec. his récurrent 50,000 mile concert tours. From London to Bom¬ bay to Tokyo and Buenos Aires, and especially in his native La Cathédrale engloutie Of "The Terrace of Moonlight Audiences," Vuillermoz Warsaw, capacity audiences regard this world citizen and leg- (band 1, 5:39) wrote, "It is to the mystery of India that we owe, via Loti and endary pianist with great affection. Minstrels René Puaux, these downpourings of milky light, these layers of (band 2, 2:21) gleaming pearl, these opalescent transparencies." La Terrasse des audiences au clair de lune "Wine Gâte" is said to hâve been inspired by a post card Side One (band 3, 4:19) sent to Debussy from Andalusia. Hot with sun, it is music La Puerta del Vino which, rather than being heard, is drunk just like wine, and FRANCK: PRELUDE, CHORALE AND FUGUE (band 4, 3:00) Vuillermoz saw in it "a quarter in Granada where the life of (17:45) Des pas sur la neige the crowd manifests itself alternately by a passionate ardor and a voluptuous languor." The famé of César Franck as a composer rests entirely on less (band 5, 3:59) than a dozen works, ail of which were composed after his Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest "Footsteps in the Snow" is a song of solitude, profound and fiftieth year. He was born in 1822, but it was not until the mid- (band 6, 3:20) sad, in which "the soft weight of an eighth-note thrusts into dle Seventies that he began to produce his masterpieces. They the velvet carpet of snowflakes," whereas "What the West Wind Saw" is a cry of wild grief sounding out amid trees di- include the Rédemption in its revised version, The Béatitudes Emile Vuillermoz wrote, "Debussy idolized the music of shevelled by storm and waves flogged by sudden showers. which occupied him for a whole decade, the great D minor Chopin. Between these two masters there was, in fact, some Wrote Vuillermoz: "Here are the illustrations that the curi- Symphony, the Symphonie Variations for Piano and Orchestra, profound affinity of tempérament. In émulation of Chopin, ous will discover if they hold up to the light the pages of this the Quintet for Piano and Strings, the String Quartet, the Three Debussy desired to condense into 24 Préludés the most pre- picture book for grown-up children." Chorales for Organ, and the two large piano works—the Pré¬ cious developments in pianistic technique of his âge. These ludé, Chorale and Fugue, and the Préludé, Aria and Finale. short pièces condensed "pure" music, and do not set out to VS Although Franck took extraordinarily long in maturing as a treat any précisé subject. Their raison d'être rests in the dis- MALCUZYNSKI ON SERAPHIM créative artist, his talent began to show itself when he was a covery of a rhythm, a color, an atmosphère, or a detail of mere boy and developed with great promise during his stu- Brahms: Concerto No. 1 in D minor with the Warsaw National Philhar¬ composition whose development expands into the évocation monie Orchestra conducted by Stanislaw Wislocki. S-60055 dent days. His father had intended for him the career of a of a climate, a setting, or an image. MALCUZYNSKI ON ANCEL virtuoso pianist, in the hope that he might be the successor "For this reason, Debussy did not want to impose a title on of such impressive models as Thalberg and Liszt. But young these sketches. They are, from first to last, the Préludés: that Chopin: Concerto No. 2 in F minor. London Symphony,_Orchestra con¬ Franck was intent upon a composées career, and he organized ducted by Walter Susskind. With the Fantaisie irf- F minor. Op. 49. is to say, the méditative idlings of fingers over the ivory keys, S-35729 his life in such a way as to hâve time for this activity. He earned the dream-like préfacés to some phantom work which will Chopin: Sonatas No. 2 in B fiat minor ("Funeral March") and No. 3 in B his living by teaching, and his influence as a pédagogue may never be written. Yet, in order discreetly to introduce into minor. S-36122 be measured merely by naming some of his more distin- the imagination of the performer visions which might, on oc¬ Chopin: Fifteen Mazurkas S-35983 guished pupils: Duparc, Chausson, d'Indy, Pierné, Ropartz, casion, provide him with the nucléus of an interprétation, Chopin: Six Polonaises S-35728 and Lekeu. In 1853, he became the choirmaster at one of the Debussy placed at the end of each of these pièces a few words Chopin: Fourteen Waltzes S-35726 great churches of Paris, Sainte Clotilde, and five years later he designed to orient the sensibility of the audience as well as Chopin: Four Ballades S-36146 became organist there. He held this post until his death in that of the interpréter. And certainly this artifice of placing the Rachmaninoff: Concerto No.