All the music here is based on music of Schubert and all but one of the pieces is a fairly straightforward transcription of his music by pianist/composer Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938). But the big piece here is the Passacaglia which is a twenty-minute original work based on the first few measures of the Schubert Unfinished Symphony (not the big tune, but the misterioso opening). Here pianist Konstantin Scherbakov has superior competition in the recording of Marc-André Hamelin whose interpretation is also available at Amazon coupled with his gargantuan (and important) Piano Sonata. If your main reason for considering this CD is to get the Passacaglia I'd advise you to go to Hamelin; Scherbakov, while competent, comes across as a bit subdued in the Passacaglia. However, 50 minutes of the music here is made up of Godowsky's transcriptions and they are a delight. All but two of the 16 transcriptions are from songs. The exceptions are Ballet Music from 'Rosamunde,' and the 3rd Moment Musical, Op. 94, No. 3, each of which is elaborated in Godowsky's virtuosic style and played with sparkle by Scherbakov.
The real treasures, though, are the song transcriptions. Presumably Amazon will eventually list them, but they haven't at the time of this review so I will list them here: Trockne Blumen; Ungeduld; Gute Nacht; Das Wandern; Heidenröslein; Am Meer; Liebesbotschaft; An Mignon; Morgengruss; Die Forelle; Wiegenlied; Wohin?; Die junge Nonne; Litanei. As you can see they are all very familiar to those of us who love Schubert's lieder. Some are more elaborated than others. For instance, 'Ungeduld' ('Impatience') is a real barn-burner; as you undoubtedly know (as I do from having accompanied the song), the piano accompaniment is itself quite virtuosic and when Godowsky adds in the singer's melodic line and then further fills in the harmonies it becomes a real knucklebuster, and the tag-end of each verse 'Dein is mein Herz, und soll es ewig bleiben' ('Your heart is mine and shall ever be') bursts with joy. In the same vein is 'Das Wandern' ('The Wanderer'), the first of the Schöne Müllerin songs. Godowsky's elaboration makes the song all the more insouciant by adding crushed notes and leggerissimo arpeggios. Clever fellow.
Entirely different in character is 'Morgengruss' ('Morning Greeting') whose peaceful character is altered subtly by slyly changed harmonies. Shades of Percy Grainger and 'Blithe Bells'! Still, it's quite effective. Much the same thing is done with 'Wohin?' ('Whither?', sometimes called 'The Brooklet').
Scherbakov does a beautiful job catching the mood of each piece. He seems to be in the process of recording a lot of Godowsky's music, I see, but this is the first volume I've come across. On the evidence of this disc I'd say I'll have to reserve judgment about how that will go. Certainly we already have several complete recordings of the Chopin/Godowsky Études (foremost of which is the set by Hamelin). But there is plenty of other Godowsky music that either has not been recorded or has not been recorded well (I remember being put off Godowsky years ago because of what I now realize was a poor performance by a German pianist whose name I have mercifully forgotten) and Scherbakov could fill in a big gap in the recording of these works.
TT=69:34
Scott Morrison
