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.
August 2009
*****
“A treasure-trove that should revive interest in this too-neglected master pianist. From Couperin through Brahms to his own transcriptions, Bauer is mercurial, fiery, a glory.”
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