Bach, J S: Prelude & Fugue Book 1 No. 3 in C sharp minor, BWV848

IRENE SCHARRER, though perhaps the least remembered of the major Matthay pupils, was the earliest to record, beginning in 1909 at the age of 21.That in itself is a credit to her early fame, which she established through an extrovert, but always musical, virtuosity.

She excelled in such works as the Chopin Etudes, nine of which she recorded, and in other brilliant pieces such as those here by Scarlatti and Liszt, but the poise and refinement of her Chopin nocture or the slow movement of the Mozart sonata reveal another side to her playing that is sadly underrepresented on disc. Her final recording, of the Litolff Scherzo, was also her most famous; in its day it was a best seller and was responsible for putting that work on the musical map. This set reissues for the first time all Scharrer’s electrical recordings and also an example of every work she recorded in the acoustic era (pre 1925) that was not later remade as an electrical recording. For completeness, a discography of all her other acoustic recordings is also included.

Another gem of a release from the Solstice label, featuring the pianist Yvonne Lefébure. Both the Debussy and Bach/Concerto were recorded ‘live’ in 1957, whilst the Prelude and Fugue dates to 1971. On the ballet for children piece Yvonne Lefébure works wonders in recreating the composer’s imaginative world, at her side is Pierre Bertin, who is a marvellous accomplice. No editing here, just simple start to finish and in the process producing something very special.

All tracks arranged for percussion duo

Certainly the most glamerous of the Matthay students, Harriet Cohen was also the most extrovert and to the general public was known as a socialite as much as a pianist. Her friends included George Bernard Shaw and Ramsay MacDonald and she became notorious as the lover of the married Arnold Bax. Behind this apparently superficial exterior lay a surprising intellect and her repertoire favoured Bach and earlier music or contemporary music (much of it dedicated to her) rather than the more popular, and frequently played, romantic repertoire.

Few of her recordings have been reissued on CD so this will be an eagerly awaited set. It includes the first ever (acoustic) recording of Bach’s D minor concerto, and the later post-war remake, and also several of the works Bax wrote for her.

English born pianist Harold Bauer originally hoped to make his career as violinist but his piano playing so impressed Paderewski that he subsequntly focussed on that instrument. He had huge success in the USA and as a result became a US citizen in 1917. Bauer was not a crowd-pleasing virtuoso firebrand but rather a true musician; there is always a wonderful poetry to his art and he excelled in miniatures, such as the Grieg presented here, though his legendary recording of the Brahms F minor sonata (still a benchmark) shows he had the requisite virtuosity when needed. These new transfers by Ward Marston are the only ones currently available of Bauer’s legacy.