Various Artists - Complete Solo Electrical - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Australian pianist William Murdoch (1888-1942) is almost forgotten today but was a major UK Columbia recording artist in the 1920s. A consummate musician, he was known as a chamber player as much as a soloist, as evidenced by many recordings, but was also the first pianist to record Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto (acoustically in 1925). Amongst his solo recordings, pride of place must go to the two Beethoven sonatas which burst with energy and passion while never descending into superficiality. A little known and fascinating part of his legacy is his recording of the eight test pieces written for the National Piano Competition of 1928 organized by the Daily Express. This unique event was open to pianists of all abilities from beginner to advanced and the specially commissioned pieces, by contemporary British composers, reflected these different levels. Murdoch's recordings originally came with spoken commentaries on interpretation. Album Tracks 1. Mendelssohn Song Without Words in a ?At Major Op. 38 No. 6 'Duetto' 2. Mendelssohn Song Without Words, Op. 62 No. 6 in a Major 'Spring Song' 3. Chopin Étude Op. 25 No. 1 in a Flat Major 'Aeolian Harp' 4. Mendelssohn Waltz in F Major Op. 34 No. 3 5. Mendelssohn Berceuse in D ?At Major Op. 57 6. Mendelssohn Ballade No. 3 in a ?At Major Op. 47 7. Schumann Romanze in F Sharp Major Op. 28 No. 2 8. Liszt Liebesträume No. 3 S541 / 3 9. Excerpt, Liszt Grandes Études de Paganini (6), S. 141 10. Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 12 in C Sharp minor 11. Liszt 'Hark, Hark the Lark' Lieder Von FR. Schubert, S558 / 9 12. Schubert Marche Militaire, D733 No. 1 13. Brahms Waltz, Op. 39 No. 15 in a Flat Major 14. Paderewski Minuet in G Major, Op. 14 No. 1 15. Grieg Brudefølget Drar Forbi (No. 2 from Folkelivsbilder, Op. 19) 16. Sibelius Valse Triste, Op. 44 No. 1 17. Rachmaninoff Prelude