CARLO ZECCHI

The complete Cetra solo recordings and selected additional 78s

CARLO ZECCHI The complete Cetra recordings 1937–1942 and selected additional 78s

COMPACT DISC 1 The Cetra recordings (72.38)

1. GALILEI/RESPIGHI Gagliarda from Antiche danze et arie ...... (4.20) Recorded on 4 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70053 (Cetra CC 2045)

2. ANONYMOUS/RESPIGHI Siciliana from Antiche danze et arie ...... (2.32) Recorded on 4 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70054 [part] (Cetra CC 2045)

3. SCARLATTI Sonata in G major Kk259 (L103) ...... (4.08) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70046 (Cetra CC 2005)

4. SCARLATTI Sonata in C major Kk159 (L104) ...... (1.59) Recorded on 4 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70054 [part] (Cetra CC 2045)

5. SCARLATTI Sonata in D major Kk96 (L465) ...... (4.00) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70045 (Cetra CC 2005)

6. SCARLATTI Sonata in G major Kk523 (L490) ...... (2.33) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70050 [part] (Cetra CC 2007) VIVALDI/J S BACH Concerto in G major BWV973 Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrices 2-70049/50 [part] (Cetra CC 2007)

7. Allegro ...... (1.41) 8. Adagio ...... (2.16) 9. Presto ...... (1.44)

2

10. J S BACH Prelude and Fugue No 13 in F sharp major BWV858 from Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier ...... (2.50) Recorded on 25 October 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-70825 (Cetra CB 20353)

11. J S BACH/REGER Ich ruf’ zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV639 ...... (2.43) originally in F minor but Zecchi transposes this to F sharp minor Recorded on 25 October 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-70826 (first issued on Cetra CB 20353) J S BACH Brandenburg Concerto No 5 in D major BWV1050 Recorded in 1938 in Turin; matrices 2-70118/23 (first issued on Cetra CC 2061/3; this transfer from Odeon O-7884/6) CARLO ZECCHI piano, ARRIGO TASSINARI flute, GIOCONDA DE VITO violin E.I.A.R. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by FERNANDO PREVITALI

12. Allegro ...... (10.26) 13. Adagio affettuoso ...... (6.27) 14. Allegro ...... (5.18)

15. SCHUBERT Moment musical in A flat major Op 94 No 6 ...... (4.29) Recorded on 4 July 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-20751 (Cetra CB 20346) SCHUMANN Kinderszenen Op 15 Recorded on 4 July 1942 in Turin; matrices 2-70746/9 (Cetra CB 20344/5)

16. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen ...... (1.22) 17. Kuriose Geschichte ...... (0.58) 18. Hasche-Mann ...... (0.28) 19. Bittendes Kind ...... (0.41) 20. Glückes genug ...... (0.36) 21. Wichtige Begebenheit ...... (0.58) 22. Träumerei ...... (2.06) 23. Am Kamin ...... (0.47) 24. Ritter vom Steckenpferd ...... (0.42) 25. Fast zu Ernst ...... (1.39) 26. Fürchtenmachen ...... (1.06) 27. Kind im Einschlummern ...... (1.52) 28. Der Dichter spricht ...... (1.57)

3

COMPACT DISC 2 The Cetra recordings CONTINUED (78.55)

1. LISZT Paganini Étude No 5 in E major ‘La chasse’ S141/5 ...... (2.16) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70047 (Cetra CC 2008)

2. LISZT Paganini Étude No 4 in E major ‘Arpeggio’ S141/4 ...... (1.45) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70047 (Cetra CC 2008)

3. LISZT Étude de concert No 2 in F minor ‘La leggierezza’ S144/2 ...... (4.11) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70044 (Cetra CC 2004)

4. CHOPIN Waltz in A flat major Op 42 ...... (3.24) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70048 (Cetra CC 2008)

5. CHOPIN Mazurka in A minor Op 17 No 4 ...... (3.53) Recorded on 25 October 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-70830 (Cetra CB 20359) NB: Periodic dropouts and distortion toward end of side in original recording

6. CHOPIN Mazurka in C sharp minor Op 30 No 4 ...... (3.23) Recorded on 4 July 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-70750 (Cetra CB 20346)

7. CHOPIN Mazurka in B minor Op 33 No 4 ...... (3.47) Recorded on 25 October 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-70838 (Cetra CB 20354)

8. CHOPIN Berceuse in D flat major Op 57 ...... (4.19) Recorded on 25 October 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-70827 (Cetra CB 20354)

9. CHOPIN Barcarolle in F sharp major Op 60 ...... (8.12) Recorded on 4 May 1937 in Turin; matrices 2-70051/2 (Cetra CC 2006)

10. DEBUSSY Poissons d’or No 3 from Images, Book II ...... (4.30) Recorded on 25 October 1942 in Turin; matrix 2-70829 (Cetra CB 20354)

11. FRANCESCO TICCIATI Toccata ...... (4.04) Recorded on 2 May 1937 in Turin; matrix 2-70043 (Cetra CC 2004)

4

Ultraphone recordings

12. SCARLATTI Sonata in A major Kk113 (L345) ...... (3.19) Recorded circa 1934/5 in ; matrix P 77042 (Ultraphone BP 1371)

13. CHOPIN Étude in G flat major Op 10 No 5 ...... (1.34) Recorded circa 1934/5 in Paris; matrix P 77339 [part] (Ultraphone BP 1487)

14. CHOPIN Étude in F major Op 10 No 8 ...... (2.13) Recorded circa 1934/5 in Paris; matrix P 77047 (Ultraphone BP 1373)

15. CHOPIN Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat major Op 22 ...... (8.25) Recorded circa 1934/5 in Paris; matrices P 77045/6 (Ultraphone FP 1372)

16. RAVEL Alborada del gracioso No 4 from Miroirs ...... (6.24) Recorded circa 1934/5 in Paris; matrices P 77340/1 (Ultraphone BP 1469) MusTrust recordings

17. LISZT Étude de concert No 2 in F minor ‘La leggierezza’ S144/2 ...... (4.21) Recorded in 1930 in Moscow; matrix/issue MusTrust 839

18. CHOPIN Ballade No 1 in G minor Op 23 ...... (8.56) Recorded in 1930 in Moscow; matrices/issue MusTrust 876/7

5

ARLO ZECCHI was born in in While still in his late teens Zecchi met 1903. He received his first piano lessons WSCramp, an American from Philadelphia Cfrom his mother who was herself a who lived in Rome. Cramp assisted Zecchi pianist. He then had lessons from Francesco financially, enabling him to travel to Berlin Bajardi, a professor at the Accademia di Santa where he made his debut in 1920. The purpose Cecilia in Rome. Zecchi also studied compo si - of going to the German capital was to study tion with Alessandro Bustini, Licinio Refice with Ferruccio Busoni but Zecchi was only able and Giacomo Setaccioli. to do this for a short period as Busoni was

6

already ill and died in 1924. Zecchi went on to conducting, Toscanini was highly impressed, perform in , a notable concert in 1923 being but it was an introduction to Artur Schnabel the Italian premiere of the Ballad for two that led to Zecchi’s return to Berlin to study pianos and orchestra by American composer with the most important teacher of his career. Leo Sowerby (1895–1968) who was then With Schnabel, Zecchi studied Schubert, a studying at the American Academy in Rome. good number of the Beethoven piano sonatas, The composer was at the other piano while and many of the major works of Schumann on the podium was Albert Coates. The work including Kreisleriana, Davidsbündlertänze, was not to the liking of the Italian audience Fantasiestücke, Kinderszenen and the who caused an incident by showing their Humoreske. disapproval, reportedly for not understanding His greatest success as a pianist came in the Anglo-Saxon story of King Estmere on the years between the two World Wars. He which the work was based. played in South America and toured North Zecchi then decided to try his luck in America under the management of Columbia Paris, at his third appearance playing a recital Artists, promoting the pianos of Bechstein. His at the Salle Gaveau on 29 April 1925 which New York debut was in February 1931, when he included Italian works by Galilei, Frescobaldi played Liszt’s Piano Concerto in E flat with and Francesco Ticciati as well as Chopin, Liszt the New York Philharmonic and Bernardino and Stravinsky. In December he played with Molinari at Carnegie Hall. Olin Downes wrote the Lamoureux Orchestra and Alberto di of this performance: Cristofaro but the following year the arrival of He showed himself possessed of a Vladimir Horowitz in Paris overshadowed his brilliant and fleet technic, and the career. Zecchi visited Russia during the late virtuoso temperament … Mr Zecchi 1920s and early 1930s, playing in Kiev, Moscow proved himself a well-equipped musician, and Leningrad, and becoming so popular that a player of sincerity and spirit. He sang Stalin demanded to meet him. Back in Paris Liszt’s lyrical measures and did not in December 1927 he played Liszt’s Piano merely declaim them. His style seemed a Concerto No 1 with the Pasdeloup Orchestra little light for this intrepid, devil-may-care and Rhené-Baton, which was broadcast. music, with its reckless pomp and Robert Brussel wrote in Le Figaro: swagger, but his performance of the finale Monsieur Carlo Zecchi has given a engendered excitement. The audience remarkable performance of the Concerto applauded Mr Zecchi cordially, but the in E flat of Liszt by the romantic colour full extent of his powers cannot be known of the interpretation, the beautiful by this performance alone. quality of sound, the flexibility of the In Philadelphia Zecchi played Brahms’s Piano passagework … Concerto No 1 in D minor, Op 15, with Leopold When Zecchi played the same concerto a few Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra and weeks before in Milan with Oscar Fried also worked with George Szell and Erich

7

Kleiber. World War II interrupted Zecchi’s career; he returned to Rome where he remained for the entire duration of the war. He was friendly with and played for Mussolini, but disliked Hitler whom he also met and played for. It was during the war that Zecchi gave up solo piano recitals, and from 1939 toured with cellist Enrico Mainardi. Zecchi studied conducting with Hans Münch and Antonio Guarnieri, giving his first performance as conductor in Basel in 1942. He pursued this other career over the ensuing years, from 1947 appearing as a guest con- ductor with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra and Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1947 he conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra at that date. Indeed, the supposed 1927 recording London’s Royal Albert Hall when pianist is in fact a German Odeon reissue from Cetra Moura Lympany gave a performance of matrices recorded on 2 May 1937 (CD2 tracks Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4 in G major, 1–3) which first appears in the 1937–1938 and in the same year he conducted the same German Odeon catalogue. Zecchi had a con- orchestra in the same work for Decca, when it summate technique so finding a wrong note or was recorded with Clara Haskil as soloist. For slip by which to compare recordings is very the rest of his career Zecchi chose to conduct difficult. However, on the German Odeon issue rather than play and performed throughout the he makes a small slip in the Paganini Étude world in places such as New York, Buenos No 4 at the beginning of the section in E minor Aires, Tokyo and Sydney. He also taught at the (he clips an F natural at the top of the arpeggio). Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and gave This is identical to the Cetra recording of 1937. summer masterclasses in Salzburg from 1948. It appears that Zecchi made his first As late as 1981 Zecchi was travelling to Japan recordings while in Moscow in 1930 for the for the seventh time to give masterclasses Music Trust label, the precursor of Melodya, there. apparently on a Becker piano. Previously Zecchi’s discography is not easy to navi- thought to have been 1928, the date of gate. Claims that he made his first recording recording is confirmed as 1930 in two books for Odeon in 1927 (O-9103, Liszt’s La on the history of early Russian recording: leggierezza and Paganini Études 4 & 5) are Our friend the gramophone record: notes of not corroborated by matrix numbers and no a record collector by Anataliy Zhelezniy trace appears in Odeon catalogues of around published in 1989 and History of early

8

recording in Russia by Panteleymon asimilar programme to the one he would give Grunberg and Valentin Yanin published by in at the Verdi Conservatory at the end of the 2002. year. He performed on a Bechstein piano and Liszt’s concert étude La leggierezza was the programme was Bach’s transcription of Zecchi’s calling card and he recorded it for Vivaldi’s Concerto in G major, three nearly every label on which his discs Scarlatti Sonatas, Bach’s Toccata in C were issued. He recorded it twice on major for organ arranged by Busoni, MusTrust, first (rather rushed) on Beethoven’s Op 31 No 3 Piano a10" and then on a 12" disc. The Sonata, Chopin’s Ballade in F 12" recording included here has minor, Op 52, and Polonaise in all the hallmarks of his style – Eflat, Op 22, ending with two supreme technique, clarity, works by Ravel – Une barque refine ment and grace. During sur l’océan and Alborada del his Moscow sessions he also gracioso from Miroirs. On 26 recorded an extended work of January 1936 he played Mozart’s Chopin that he did not repeat Piano Concerto in C major, K467, for other labels – the Ballade in for the Société des Concerts with Gminor, Op 23, which is also Philippe Gaubert. presented here. The first Italian sessions were In February 1933 Zecchi was made for Cetra in November of 1936 playing in Monte Carlo and when he when Zecchi recorded six sides gave a recital at the Verdi Conservatory in (matrices 2-84644 to 2-84649). None of them November 1936 he was announced as having seems to have been issued and he recorded ‘Triumphal success in the and all most of the titles again in May of 1937 on a the capitals of ’. On the programme that piano made by FIP (Fabbrica Italiana evening were works by Bach, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Pianoforte), a company founded in 1917. The Schumann, Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel. first work to be recorded was the Toccata by In between these concerts, Zecchi contemporary Italian composer Francesco returned to Paris where he made recordings for Ticciati who became a British citizen in 1936. Ultraphone, either in late 1934 or early 1935, Next Zecchi recorded his favourite La using a Bechstein piano. One of the discs was leggierezza in superior sound to the Moscow played on the radio in April 1935 while another recording. The majority of the session was of was reviewed in June of the same year. Again, Italian music; in addition to the Ticciati he he recorded La leggierezza (a version not recorded sonatas by Scarlatti, the Vivaldi/Bach included here) and much of the repertoire he G major Concerto and two transcriptions by would record for Cetra a few years later. On 30 Ottorino Respighi. Highlights from the sessions January 1936 Zecchi gave a concert at the are the two Liszt Paganini Études for their Salle de l’École Normale du Musique playing razor-sharp articulation and effortless

9

Cetra issued the same repertoire under two different series of catalogue numbers and some discographies allocate different matrices to them. A case in point is the Prelude and Fugue in F sharp major by Bach. One recording, made at the 4 May 1937 sessions, was supposedly issued on CC 2009 with matrix 2-70056, but another from 25 October 1942 was issued on CB 20353 with the matrix 2-70825. Only direct comparison of the two discs can confirm whether they are the same recording, but these discs are scarce and hard to find, and we have been unable to locate a copy of CC 2009 to confirm that it is indeed an alternative performance. A session the following year produced a concertante work in the form of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 5 with Zecchi at the piano, Arrigo Tassinari on the flute and Gioconda de Vito on the violin. Her recordings for HMV in London twenty years later were to become legendary. It is a light, buoyant performance unlike contemporary recordings by artists such as Alfred Cortot. Further sessions for Cetra took place during the Second World War in July and GIACONDA DE VITO ARRIGO TASSINARI October 1942. In Schumann’s Kinderszenen Zecchi characterises each piece but manages musicality, while the Barcarolle by Chopin that cohesion, while in the Schubert Moment he recorded at the beginning of the second musical he takes a refreshingly non-devotional session on 4 May shows his delicate, pellucid approach giving a feeling of rather than . and even tone throughout. When the F sharp With Chopin’s Mazurkas68 , Zecchi’s34 minor section arrives, a cloud passes the sun refinement of sensibility and style result in while we pick up speed for the A major section adance that is more salon than peasant, with the gondola speeding along at a swift and although he injects them with great character exhilarating tempo. and rhythm. Like the Barcarolle, Chopin’s Here we arrive at another of the difficul - Berceuse is ideally suited to Zecchi’s style and ties surrounding Zecchi’s discography because technique. He weaves a mesmerising spell with

10

his fioritura of inimitable grace, supported by Westminster label in 1956. Trumpeted as his the repeated left-hand harmony. The recording ‘triumphant return to piano records! … Here, of Debussy’s Poissons d’or makes one wish for the everlasting joy of his worshippers, Zecchi had recorded more music by this the awe of newer listeners who have not yet composer; Feux d’artifice was recorded at heard him, is the triumphant first fruit’. the November 1936 sessions but not released. Unfortunately, the LP, which mainly duplicates In Poissons d’or his feather-light tremolos the less virtuosic repertoire from his Cetra veritably shimmer at the beginning of this work sessions, is disappointing and does not capture while the tension and release of the closing the supreme level of accomplishment found in bars is beautifully handled. his earlier recordings. Zecchi died in Salzburg Zecchi made one more commercial in 1984. piano recording – an LP for the American © 2018 Jonathan Summers

11

Disc label for the MusTrust recording of the Chopin Ballade

Executive Producer: Mike Spring Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn Special thanks to Giovanni Chiodi, Michael Gartz, Donald Manildi (IPAM), Tom Ruane (British Library), Angelo Scottini, Marc van Bemmel, Prof. Pietro Zappalá and Paolo Zeccara for providing source material for this release

12 www.aprrecordings.co.uk