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LISZT ADD 1 Waltz in A flat major, Op. 34, No. 1 3:50 @ Erlkönig, D.328 4:34 Recorded 13th February, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49306-1 Recorded 13th October, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48945-4 · Great Pianists • Hofmann First issued on Columbia A6045 First issued on Columbia A5942 8.111326 2 Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 3:17 Recorded 18th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10405 MENDELSSOHN First issued on Brunswick 15057 # Spinning Song, Op. 67, No. 4 1:50 3 Nocturne in F sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2 4:06 Recorded 13th October, 1916 Recorded 19th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: X 10420 Matrix no.: 48949-1 [part] First issued on Brunswick 50044 First issued on Columbia A6211 CHOPIN 4 Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66 4:13 $ Rondo capriccioso, Op. 14 3:46 Recorded 6th March, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49326-2 Recorded 13th February, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49309-3 First issued on Columbia A6174 First issued on Columbia A6078 LISZT 5 Berceuse in D flat major, Op. 57 3:17 % Hunting Song, Op. 19, No. 3 2:10 Recorded 26th March, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49327-3 Recorded 14th February, 1918 First issued on Columbia A6078 Matrix no.: 49307-2 [part] 6 Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1, ‘Military’ 3:12 First issued on Columbia A6045 MENDELSSOHN Recorded 10th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10336 MOSZKOWSKI: First issued on Brunswick 15098 ^ La Jongleuse, Op. 52, No. 4 1:39 CHOPIN arr. LISZT: Recorded 14th February, 1918 MOSZKOWSKI Chants Polonais (after Chopin Op. 74), S.840 Matrix no.: 49307-2 [part] 7 No. 5 Meine Freuden (My Joys) 3:55 First issued on Columbia A6045 Recorded 27th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: X 10503 & Caprice espagnole, Op. 37 4:35 First issued on Brunswick 50045 Recorded 16th October, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48948-5 PADEREWSKI 8 No. 1 Mädchens Wunsch (The Maiden’s Wish) 3:16 First issued on Columbia A5942 Recorded 6th March, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49328-2 PADEREWSKI: First issued on Columbia A6211 * Minuet in G major, Op. 14, No. 1 3:40 RACHMANINOV LISZT: Recorded 2nd November, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48975-2 9 Concert Etude No. 1, ‘Waldesrauchen’ 3:24 First issued on Columbia A5915 Recorded 13th March, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10105 RACHMANINOV: First issued on Brunswick 15046 ( Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5 3:35 0 Venezia e Napoli: Tarantella 4:41 Recorded 20th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: X 10434 Recorded 2nd November, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48976-2 First issued on Brunswick 50045 First issued on Columbia A5915 ) Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2 3:32 ! Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 8:32 Recorded 20th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10433 Recorded in December, 1922 First issued on Brunswick 15053 Matrix nos.: X 9431 and X 9434 First issued on Brunswick 50023 Josef Hofmann, piano All tracks recorded in New York City Josef Hofmann Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn Acoustic recordings 1916-1923 8.111326 4 111326 bk Hofmann1 EU 6/10/08 1:56 PM Page 4 CHOPIN: SCHUBERT arr. LISZT ADD 1 Waltz in A flat major, Op. 34, No. 1 3:50 @ Erlkönig, D.328 4:34 Recorded 13th February, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49306-1 Recorded 13th October, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48945-4 · Great Pianists • Hofmann First issued on Columbia A6045 First issued on Columbia A5942 8.111326 2 Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 3:17 Recorded 18th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10405 MENDELSSOHN First issued on Brunswick 15057 # Spinning Song, Op. 67, No. 4 1:50 3 Nocturne in F sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2 4:06 Recorded 13th October, 1916 Recorded 19th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: X 10420 Matrix no.: 48949-1 [part] First issued on Brunswick 50044 First issued on Columbia A6211 CHOPIN 4 Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66 4:13 $ Rondo capriccioso, Op. 14 3:46 Recorded 6th March, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49326-2 Recorded 13th February, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49309-3 First issued on Columbia A6174 First issued on Columbia A6078 LISZT 5 Berceuse in D flat major, Op. 57 3:17 % Hunting Song, Op. 19, No. 3 2:10 Recorded 26th March, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49327-3 Recorded 14th February, 1918 First issued on Columbia A6078 Matrix no.: 49307-2 [part] 6 Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1, ‘Military’ 3:12 First issued on Columbia A6045 MENDELSSOHN Recorded 10th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10336 MOSZKOWSKI: First issued on Brunswick 15098 ^ La Jongleuse, Op. 52, No. 4 1:39 CHOPIN arr. LISZT: Recorded 14th February, 1918 MOSZKOWSKI Chants Polonais (after Chopin Op. 74), S.840 Matrix no.: 49307-2 [part] 7 No. 5 Meine Freuden (My Joys) 3:55 First issued on Columbia A6045 Recorded 27th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: X 10503 & Caprice espagnole, Op. 37 4:35 First issued on Brunswick 50045 Recorded 16th October, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48948-5 PADEREWSKI 8 No. 1 Mädchens Wunsch (The Maiden’s Wish) 3:16 First issued on Columbia A5942 Recorded 6th March, 1918 - Matrix no.: 49328-2 PADEREWSKI: First issued on Columbia A6211 * Minuet in G major, Op. 14, No. 1 3:40 RACHMANINOV LISZT: Recorded 2nd November, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48975-2 9 Concert Etude No. 1, ‘Waldesrauchen’ 3:24 First issued on Columbia A5915 Recorded 13th March, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10105 RACHMANINOV: First issued on Brunswick 15046 ( Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5 3:35 0 Venezia e Napoli: Tarantella 4:41 Recorded 20th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: X 10434 Recorded 2nd November, 1916 - Matrix no.: 48976-2 First issued on Brunswick 50045 First issued on Columbia A5915 ) Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2 3:32 ! Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 8:32 Recorded 20th April, 1923 - Matrix no.: 10433 Recorded in December, 1922 First issued on Brunswick 15053 Matrix nos.: X 9431 and X 9434 First issued on Brunswick 50023 Josef Hofmann, piano All tracks recorded in New York City Josef Hofmann Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn Acoustic recordings 1916-1923 8.111326 4 111326 bk Hofmann1 EU 6/10/08 1:56 PM Page 2 Great Pianists: Josef Hofmann (1876-1957) exceptional and unique performances of Hofmann with delicate filigree playing of ornamentation. There is including a stunning performance of Liszt’s Tarantella clarity and elegance in the Waltzes with Hofmann’s Acoustic recordings 1916-1923 from Venezia e Napoli and Moszkowski’s Caprice flexibility of tempo (as opposed to indulgent rubato) Josef Hofmann was born in 1876, at Podgorze, near the Rubinstein. During this two-year period he had around espagnole, both including extraordinarily accurate making them sound like lilting dances rather than Polish city of Kraków. Both of his parents were forty lessons with the great master, later describing the repeated notes. Another of Hofmann’s finest discs is of virtuoso showpieces. The recording of the Nocturne in musicians, his mother a singer of light opera and his relationship he formed with Rubinstein as ‘the most Liszt’s technically demanding arrangement of F sharp, Op. 15, No. 2, is one of Hofmann’s most father a conductor of the Kraków theatre and professor important event of my life’. Schubert’s song Erlkönig, a favourite of Anton extraordinary. It displays his wonderful singing legato of piano and harmony at the Warsaw Conservatory. At his adult début in Hamburg Hofmann played Rubinstein. tone coupled with his understanding of passages of Young Josef was, however, a phenomenally gifted child Rubinstein’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 70, with the Hofmann did not renew his contract with Columbia filigree decoration that are played as an integral part of who learnt the basics of music at the age of three, gave composer conducting, giving such a wonderful after it expired but signed to one of the new fledgling the melodic line, the descending chromatic passages his début at the Warsaw Opera House at five, and when performance that Rubinstein declared there was nothing labels, Brunswick, that had only begun releasing its sounding like vocal slides. In the middle section of the he played again in Warsaw at the age of seven was left to teach him. That was in March, 1894; Rubinstein discs in the United States in January 1920. work Hofmann subtlety uses tempo to underline the heard by the great Russian pianist and composer Anton returned to Russia and died in November. Hofmann Predominantly a label that produced popular titles, harmonic changes and gives an unusual feeling of Rubinstein. At Rubinstein’s urging, the German played in England in June and November of 1894, and Brunswick was expanding rapidly and wanted to sign sadness and longing in this section rather than the more impresario Hermann Wolff wanted to manage the boy from then on led the life of a touring virtuoso for forty some famous classical artists of the day and in addition often heard frantic ranting. The recording of the and send him on a tour of Europe. Casimir, Josef’s years, playing in Russia, Europe, North and South to Hofmann managed to persuade violinists Bronislaw Berceuse is surprisingly fast and rather straight-faced father, would not allow this until the boy was nine years America and Mexico. He was appointed head of the Hubermann and Albert Spalding, and pianists Elly Ney although Hofmann’s evenness of trills and passagework old. This amazing child prodigy then played in piano department of Curtis Institute of Music in 1924, and Hofmann’s friend Leopold Godowsky (who also are impressive.