Myra Hess and Harold Bauer, piano
Although her fame today is as a harpsichordist, Landowska never abandoned the piano. Her interpretations of Beethoven and Mozart on this disc are such that we, today, consider her style to be in advance of her time. Forgoing the rallentando and the imprecise cording to be found in the playing of many pianists of her day, she held concert audiences spellbound throughout her career. She made rolls for Hupfeld, Welte and Aeolian spanning some twenty-five years of her concert work. Beethoven’s Andante Favori is played here with affection and great beauty of tone, while she will be found to be incomparable in the eighteenth century music. It must not be forgotten that she was a pupil of Moriz Rosenthal and that she grew up in the era of high Romanticism. This gives her performances a special interest to listeners who value style as we know it today Dame Myra Hess was born in London, she studied with Tobias Matthay at the Royal Academy of Music. He regarded her as a most exceptional talent. The dozen or so rolls she made for the Duo-Art piano give a good idea of her repertoire. The Beethoven Sonata Op.79 and the two Brahms pieces demonstrate the dedication in her playing, while the Scarlatti Sonata, the Paradisi Sonata and the little Bach Toccata show off her impeccable technique. She was created Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1941 for her work organizing concerts in London during the blitz. Her playing for the Duo-Art is characterized by warmth, thoughtfulness and taste.