Edith Farnadi ∙ Piano Recitals 1966-1968

9.99 €

After the war in 1945, Vienna became Edith Farnadi‘s chosen residence. In the subsequent year, she commenced recording for the Columbia recording company at the Brahms-Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna. She embarked on a series of LP recordings for Westminster in 1948. Starting from 1950, she went on to perform with renowned orchestras across Europe. Her recitals garnered enthusiastic praise from European critics, including The London Times, which stated, “Miss Edith Farnadi’s debut London Recital left no doubt that she is an exceptionally skilled pianist. Watching her play Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody was a thrilling experience, almost as if the composer himself were performing. Her technical prowess was exceptional, demonstrating complete mastery of piano technique and interpretation. It was an unforgettable performance.” In the 1960s, Farnadi returned to Hungary for guest appearances. Balancing a teaching and performing career, she joined the faculty of the Music Academy of Graz in 1963, where she remained until her passing in 1973 at the age of 62. Our CD album includes several pieces that are absent from her commercial recordings. She never commercially recorded Brahms’ Piano Sonata No. 2 and the majority of Chopin’s works. These recordings were made in the studios of German and Dutch broadcasting institutions.

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EDITH FARNADI Piano Recitals 1966-1968

LISZT: Mephisto Waltz No 1, HS 514
Recorded ∙ 05 May 1968 ∙ Frankfurt ∙ Raum 3/B ∙ HR ∙ Radio Studio Recording

LISZT/GOUNOD: Valse de l’opéra Faust, HS 407
Recorded ∙ 07 May 1968 ∙ Stuttgart ∙ Funkstudio Berg ∙ SDR ∙ Radio Studio Recording

CHOPIN: Polonaise in G-sharp Minor, B 6, Op posth.
CHOPIN: Impromptu No 4 in C-sharp Minor, Op 66
CHOPIN: Nocturne No 5 in F-sharp Minor, Op 15, No 2
CHOPIN: Waltz in A-flat Major, Op 69, No 1
CHOPIN: Waltz in C-sharp Minor, Op 64, No 2
CHOPIN: Valse Brilliante in A-flat Major, Op 34, No 1
CHOPIN: Scherzo No 2 in B-flat Minor, Op 31
Recorded ∙ 06 March 1968 ∙ Hilversum ∙ NCRV Studio ∙ Radio Studio Recording

BRAHMS: Piano Sonata No 2 in F-sharp Minor, Op 2
Recorded ∙ 21 December 1966 ∙ Hilversum ∙ NCRV Studio ∙ Radio Studio Recording

Article number: MC 1066
UPC barcode: 791154050880
Release date: 1 April 2022
Booklet: 12 Pages
Total timing: 78:03
From the Original Masters ∙ © 2021 Meloclassic

August 2022 ∙ MusicWeb International ∙ Rob Challinor ∙ Edith Farnadi ∙ Piano Recitals 1966-1968
Farnadi was known as a specialist in Liszt and the first item here ably demonstrates why. She recorded the first Mephisto waltz on 5th May, 1968 and it is immediately clear that here is a pianist who not only has a blistering technique but also one who doesn’t use it to turn the piece into a tired warhorse. There is plenty of light and shade even in the most extrovert passages and she exhibits lightness of touch, quick-fire reflexes and sudden, startling changes of dynamics. In the lyrical central section her legato is silky smooth and the impish flashes of quicker figuration remind me of Cziffra. The speed and security of the fast leaps in the latter half of the piece– and she makes no concession whatsoever to their difficulty – is frankly jaw dropping. There is a lot to enjoy on this disc and for me it is worth the price for the Mephisto waltz. Some spectacular playing from this Liszt specialist.
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July 2022 ∙ British Gramophone ∙ Rob Cowan ∙ Edith Farnadi ∙ Piano Recitals 1966-1968
Another charismatic performance is Liszt’s First Mephisto Waltz, which is especially propulsive in the hands of Budapest-born Edith Farnadi, playing that has a Cziffra-like demonism about it. The Gounod-Liszt Faust Waltz that follows is crisp and elegant, and there’s a Chopin sequence, including a somewhat reckless Fantaisie-impromptu and a taut Second Scherzo, its opening an abrupt call to arms. One or two minor mishaps aside, it’s both thrilling and thoughtful, as is the account of Brahms’s Second Sonata that concludes the programme.
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