Regarded by many at the time of his greatest success as something of a gallant heart-throb specialising in the complete works of Chopin, Alexander Brailowsky's talents ranged much wider, as this second volume of his Complete Polydor recordings amply demonstrates.
There's a full recording of Liszt's Piano Concerto No.1 with the Berlin Philharmonic under Prüwer, as well as a number of other Liszt favourites to fill the first disc. The second disc ranges wider, with originals and arrangements of music by Debussy, Falla, Mendelssohn, Scarlatti, Schubert, Schumann, Scriabin, Wagner and Weber.
The critic Jonathan Summers wrote of these recordings: “Mendelssohn’s Scherzo in E minor Op. 16 No. 2 is rhythmically incisive, the Pastoral and Capriccio of Scarlatti is beautifully controlled with wonderful tone colours, and Liszt’s arrangement of Wagner’s overture to Tannhäuser is probably Brailowsky’s finest moment on disc.” These new transfers by Mark Obert-Thorn should surely grace any true pianophile's collection.
