Wilhelm Kempff Edition

Five stars for Wilhelm Kempff, One star for DG = Three stars.-- In 2011, Deutsche Grammophon issued a 35 CD box of “Wilhelm Kempff:  Solo Piano Recordings ”.-- In 2013, DG followed it up with a 14 CD box of “Wilhelm Kempff:  The Concerto Recordings ” (see photos).“Wilhelm Kempff: Solo Piano Recordings” claimed to include one recording of every solo work that the pianist recorded for DG.All of Kempff’s stereo recordings were in that box, but it only included mono recordings if the pianist did not re-record the music in stereo.It would have been simpler to just include all of Kempff’s recordings (mono and stereo) in a comprehensive box.DG has partially corrected that issue with their new 80 CD “Wilhelm Kempff Edition”.It includes some (but not all) mono and stereo recordings regardless of duplication, + all concerto recordings from the 2013 box + Kempff’s complete chamber music recordings (already available on CD, but never before in a big box devoted to the pianist).To these DG adds some historically important 78rpm recordings that were licensed from a third party (Appian Records).Pre-war and wartime recordings.For details, enter “Kempff APR” in Amazon’s search bar.MISSING BACHAnother problem with the 2011 “Wilhelm Kempff: Solo Piano Recordings” box was that DG forgot five 1953-1955 mono recordings of music that Kempff never re-recorded in stereo.Music by Bach, Beethoven, Couperin, Handel and Rameau.By DG’s stated policy, all five should have been included.Fortunately all five were issued on a nice CD from Eloquence:  Baroque Recital  (the actual title is “Für Elise: Kempff Transcriptions & Encores” - see photo).Four of the five are included in the new Complete Edition box, but for a second time DG forgot Kempff’s only recording of Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor BWV 903 (recorded 1953). Aargh!So for the “Complete Kempff Edition”, you will still need the Eloquence CD.ONE MORE COMPLAINT:Thanks to Hank Drake for pointing this out.This is screwy.There are eight missing bars in the 1951 mono recording of Beethoven’s Sonata 23 “Appassionata”.It happens @4:47 in the third movement coda, where the sequence of galloping presto chords should be heard four times - twice in F minor, twice in A-flat major.All four statements were played on DG’s original LP (and on the 1964 stereo remake).But on CD, the sequence is played only three times.This is an editing error.It dates to 1995 when DG transferred the mono performance to CD (Kempff died in 1991).DG even posted a sample of their questionable work on Youtube. *That DG would not bother to correct a 25 year-old editing error speaks volumes for the production values of the “Wilhelm Kempff Edition”.I was not expecting a wholesale remastering of this material, but DG certainly should have corrected their obvious mistakes.* The third movement of Kempff’s 1951 Beethoven Appassionata Sonata with the missing 8 bars is on Youtube.Amazon does not permit me to post URL numbers, which makes things difficult.On Youtube, look up:“ Beethoven Sonata 23 Allegro ma non troppo Kempff 1951 ”DG has posted all three movements - scroll down the page until you come to “III Allegro ma non troppo”You might have to scroll down a long way.The wrongly edited passage starts @ 4:47

No complaints on the musical content. Kempff was one of the greatest pianist of the 20th century. His recorded legacy is essential for lovers of classical music. This set however has been a major disappointment and a shocking missed opportunity. Incomplete and lazily, poorly packaged. Surely in this day and age, the whole point of a package like this is exactly that...the package? Where are the original album jackets? Where are the rest of the Decca Liszt, Schumann and Brahms recordings from the 50’s? Where are the alternate Beethoven sonata takes from the early fifties? Why repackage the previous poorly configured and laid out DG boxes, with their awkward jumble of mono and stereo era recordings when this was an opportunity to represent Kempff’s recorded legacy in proper chronological and historical context? Surely the producers could have found a few interesting previously unheard live tracks or unissued takes to provide collectors with some kind of incentive to purchase this ludicrously expensive set? The bottom line is, if you have not previously purchased any or only a few Kempff CD’s in the past and want to jump in at the deep end, then go for it. If you are, like myself a seasoned Kempff enthusiast you will already have 98% of the contents of this box. The 160 page booklet is pointless with only a short and unilluminating essay and a track listing for the 80 CDs. Rather than a lovingly produced celebration of one of the greatest of musicians, we have yet another cynical exercise in corporate exploitation. Just in time for the holidays. Mine’s gone back: Watch for it, coming soon in Amazon warehouse deals.

This 80-disk box issued by Deutsche Grammophon does not pretend to contain the Wilhelm Kempff’s complete recordings for that label and Decca. Given that the pianist remained in Germany during World War II it’s possible some of the original masters and documentation were destroyed. What this set DOES include is the contents of the solo and concerto boxes issued in 2011 and 2013, plus 14 discs of chamber music, plus the pianist’s 1950s complete and 78rpm mostly complete Beethoven Sonatas cycles, along with mono versions of various works he later recorded in stereo (most notably Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, Fantasy and Kreisleriana).After Schnabel, Kempff, who studied with Karl Heinrich Barth, was the principal exponent of the German school of piano performance. (Indeed, Schnabel recommended Kempff in the event he would be unable to complete his own cycle of Beethoven Sonatas). Like Schnabel (and unlike many later exponents of that school) Kempff had a beautiful, individual sound. While he was generally faithful to the score, he did not get caught up in details and was not a purist (he occasionally eschewed repeats and doubled bass notes). In these respects, but few others, Kempff was similar to another Barth pupil: Arthur Rubinstein.Kempff was primarily a pianist of poetry, introspection, and understanding. His technique was reliable, but he was not a virtuoso and never thundered. Kempff appeared to take Terence's dictum to heart: Moderation in all things. Thus, faster movements are never rushed, slow movements are never dragged. This works especially well in Mozart and most of Beethoven - but less so for Liszt and Chopin.ConcertosKempff recorded nine Mozart concertos and the Concert Rondo, K. 382, in which the pianist skillfully kept the music on a small scale without resorting to the porcelain doll approach. Most of the performances here are beautifully fluid and flexible, reminding me of Mozart's dictum that the music should "flow like oil". However, Concertos 21 and 22, recorded in 1977, suffer from notably tired rondos. Kempff plays his own cadenzas in Concertos 8, 20, 21, 22, & 24, and Mozart's cadenzas in Concertos 9, 23, 27, and the Concerto Rondo, K. 382. Kempff plays his own cadenza in the opening movement of Concerto 15, and his arrangement of Mozart's cadenza in the finale.Kempff recorded two complete cycles of Beethoven Concertos (he did not record the Triple Concerto or the piano transcription of the Violin concerto), and 78rpm versions of all but the Second Concerto. Kempff's first recording of the C major Concerto, from 1925, was the first ever made of that piece. It was recorded using the old acoustical process and is primarily of historical interest. On balance, I prefer the middle cycle with Kempen to the later one. Some will disqualify it since it's in mono, but the piano tone is more robust and Kempff's playing is freer and more imaginative. Still, there are lovely moments in the stereo cycle with Leitner, especially the pacing of the slow movements of the Third and Fourth Concertos. Kempff also plays his own cadenzas for the Beethoven Concertos (except for the Emperor concerto, where Beethoven forbade a cadenza) and his own arrangement of Beethoven's cadenza in the opening movement of Concerto 1.Kempff recorded the Brahms D minor concerto only once, in 1957. Even under the best of conditions, this is a difficult piece to pull off: the piano writing is awkward and not well balanced with the orchestra. There are several issues with this performance, including poor balance within the orchestra, and weak & out of tune winds. The high point is the slow movement, where Kempff's flowing tempo and straightforward phrasing clarify the structure. But this is undone by a finale lacking in energy and an ending buried in a haze of pseudo-reverence. He's no match for Rubinstein/Reiner or Fleisher/Szell.Kempff recorded Schumann's Concerto twice. The earlier version, from 1953, features an ardent opening movement, followed by a mellow middle movement and beautifully balanced passage work in the finale. The later version, from 1973, is permeated by a sense of caution throughout the outer movements, while the middle movement has a lovely, simple poetry. While Kempff's conception is beautiful in its way, one gets the impression he's husbanding his strength - a common issue with Kempff's post-1970 recordings.Apart from the composer's later, impressionistic works, Kempff was not temperamentally suited to Liszt's music. Both the Liszt concertos are lethargically paced, flabbily phrased, and lacking in rhythmic verve.Chamber worksWe get the smallest glimpse of Kempff the composer (he was apparently quite prolific), when he accompanies Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in four of his own songs – charming if old-fashioned compositionally.This set includes the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas with Yehudi Menuhin, Piano Trios with Henryk Szeryng and Pierre Fournier, and works for Cello and Piano, also with Fournier. The Violin Sonatas are more intimate, lyrical, and subtle than the relatively straight-laced set with Zino Francescatti and Robert Casadesus, and Menuhin’s sweet tone is a strong asset. The Piano Trios represent some of the best chamber playing I’ve ever heard, a true melding of instruments and interpretation.Solo worksFor those used to Glenn Gould's Bach, Kempff performances will come as a shock. This is nowhere truer than in the Goldberg Variations. Kempff never tries to make the piano sound like anything other than a piano, complete with liberal use of the sustaining pedal - and he omits most of the ornaments. Listeners will either love it or hate it - and while I find Kempff's playing enchanting on its own terms, I found myself longing for Perahia's more detailed recording. Also included here are several of the Preludes and Fugues from both books of the WTK. Kempff disliked Busoni's Technicolor arrangements of the chorale preludes and worked out his own, more discreet versions.Kempff is most persuasive in Beethoven’s early Sonatas - where he captures the composer's humor, and in the late works - where the structure emerges clearly. Certain "virtuoso" Sonatas, such as the Waldstein and Appassionata, are let down by Kempff's temperament - which was warm but never ran hot. This doesn't seem to be an issue of technique, since the most difficult of all, the Hammerklavier, emerges with clarity and solidity. Some of the early Beethoven recordings feature bracingly fast tempi, including the last movement of the 1928 Les Adieux, and as a general rule he’s a bit more emphatic in the more dramatic works, a bit freer with doubling bass notes, in the earlier renditions and mellows as time goes on. (There is an odd edit at the end of the 1951 Appassionata which deletes eight bars from the coda.)For me, the high point of this set is Schubert. The complete Sonatas are here (excepting the abandoned movements), along with both sets of Impromptus, the three Klavierstücke, Moments Musicaux, and Wanderer Fantasy. The virtues of Kempff's Schubert are in the lovely tone painting, understanding of structure, unforced poetry, and refusal to turn the composer's later works into morose sarcophagi. Those virtues are what makes Kempff my favorite Schubert pianist, although in some works, like the Wanderer Fantasy, one senses the limitations in his technique.The weakest part of this set is Kempff's playing of those staples of Romantic pianism: Chopin and Schumann. Some of those composers' lighter works, such as Chopin's Impromptus and Schumann's Papillons, are copacetic to Kempff's interpretations. But more dramatic pieces, including Chopin's Second and Third Sonatas, and Schumann's C major Fantasy and Kreisleriana, fall flat. Some may try to rationalize Kempff's low-key approach and even turn it into a virtue. But very few will respond to the tame Chopin, where there are no canons buried in the flowers - or to the Schumann, which completely eschews the composer's Florestan side. Likewise, the Brahms is a mixed bag, with lovely late pieces, but a bogged down Third Sonata. Kempff recorded a fine LP of Liszt’s more lyrical, poetic solo works and that recording is included here, along with some mono performances.The recordings date from 1920-1980. The earliest recording is of Beethoven’s Bagatelle, Op. 33/5 where Kempff smudges a bass note and can be heard uttering “Donnerwetter!” in frustration. Naturally the sound varies considerably. Unlike many boxed sets, this does not include the original album covers or liner notes. The booklet includes an essay by Gregor Willmes.

There are numerous critical reviews of this product, and I assume that the views are well founded, as they appear informed and reasonable.My five star rating is based upon having only his second Beethoven concerto and sonata cycles, one on CD and the other in a vinyl box set that had received less than loving care from a previous owner.Therefore, the content at the price is worthy of the highest stars.For those who don't know Kempff, his playing (to my ears) contrasts nicely with Barenboim, with the latter seeming more emotional and slightly freer with tempo ("indulgent" would be the negative way of seeing that), and with Kempff being more restrained ("repressed" if you don't like this).His patrician looks and gaze in the well-chosen photograph are a good indication of the aesthetic. If you like it, go ahead, it will not disappoint.

Les immenses du piano au XXe ont pour la plupart été réédités, dans des superbes écrins: je pense au magnifique coffret Gould Studio (plus de 80 cd) , Arrau (un coffret decca sublime) ou encore Horowitz (dans des éditions plus anciennes). Hélas, tous ces coffrets sont désormais introuvables et épuisés (Arrau avait été réédité en 2018 ... ).Kempff, pianiste best seller de la Deutsche Grammophon, avait eu droit à deux coffrets d'anthologie , pour le piano solo et les concertos. Néanmoins, la musique de chambre manquait cruellement à l'appel (les deux intégrales des sonates piano violon de Beethoven avec Schneiderhahn et Menuhin, celles pour violoncelle avec Fournier, les trios et le piano solo était tronqué (absence de la première intégrale des sonates de Beethoven notamment).Le présent coffret , dans un bel écrin plutôt sobre, nous libre "l'intégrale" (on y reviendra...) du legs de Kempff. Je ne sais pas si le son a subi diverses remastérisations, mais de ce que j'ai écouté, le bruit de souffle parfois très présent dans les anciens pressages cd de kempff m'a semblé fort diminué voire absent (c'était notamment très pénible dans les sonates de Beethoven des années 60). Visiblement, DG a fait un effort sensible sur la restitution sonore.Les pochettes ne reprennent aucun visuel de l'époque, c'est un peu dommage, même s'il est vrai que les pochettes de l'époque reprenaient pour 90% le visage de Kempff toujours sévère. J'aurais bien aimé à défaut quelques reproductions des pochettes dans le livret, comme cela avait été le cas pour Arrau. Que nenni, quelques photos sévères de Kempff devant son piano, c'est tout, même pas de texte en français. DG a été moins mesquin par le passé. Mais l'objet demeure néanmoins très esthétique, solide, avec un vernis sur le coffret du plus bel effet, et des pochettes par code couleur ... sobres. L'esprit kempffien est finalement bien restitué.Kempff, c'est une vision toujours extrêmement claire et limpide , rayonnante, sans emphase, sans pédale, hellénique comme on a pu le lire. Ses quelques Bach (écoutez notamment ses Goldberg, aux antipodes de Gould) ou ses quelques préludes et fugues du Clavier bien tempéré sont d'un superbe mettant beaucoup de pianistes à l'amende. Ses Beethoven ont toujours été à côté de ceux d'Arrau, l'éternel concurrent dans un genre différent. Ses Schubert ont permis de faire redécouvrir l'oeuvre pianistique de ce compositeur. Ses Brahms et Schumann sont rayonnants (même si dans Schumann cela manque de folie). Je ne comprendrai jamais pourquoi Kempff n'a pas plus enregistré Mozart (une sonate pour piano seulement!!! et que quelques concertos...).Ce coffret pour tout amoureux du piano est à posséder. Et achetez le vite, car il risque de vite disparaître comme Gould et Arrau!J'enlève quand même une étoile car plusieurs enregistrements sont incompréhensiblement absents comme dit par un commentateur amazon uk. Absence des gravures de Schumann Liszt Brahms des années 50 notamment. Cela fait lourd ! Cela conjugué avec une présentation décevante et un classement des enregistrements qui n'est pas des plus limpides, en espérant que dg ne refasse pas des éditions bâclées comme celle là !

Let me separate this review into three parts: the recordings, the engineering, and the presentation (in order of importance). Let's start with the presentation. This is a huge letdown, compared to some of the other fantastic boxes that DG has released (such as the DG anniversary box, and the Archive Karl Richter box, both of which are gorgeous box sets with extra content books). The Kempff box is attractive enough, inside which are 80CDs in generic numbered cardboard slipcases, each numbered and coloured to indicate the type of music and a title of the works, and there's a booklet with a (disappointing) bio and a list of works. The whole presentation is just reeking of "push it out and let's make some money" and not a good retrospective for Kempff. Missed opportunity to do something nice and special, alas.As for the recordings, these are not remastered. While DG has always been high quality in the engineering, and perhaps remastering would have had minimal effect on the music presentation, it would have been nice to hear what modern technology could have done to these analog-mastered recordings. Again, a missed opportunity. Thankfully, the recordings are good, just not great.Finally, the music. This is, as expected, quite good. The CDs are broken into categories: concertos, other orchestral works, solo piano, and (nice to see) a set of transcriptions from (presumably) lacquer originals from the mid 1920s (mono, obviously). The quality of the latter is poor, of course, but it's instructive to heard Kempff's early recordings. There's the usual list of works: concertos by the biggies, all the solo piano works you would expect, and they are, almost across the board, well performed and interpreted. There is a huge amount of chamber music here, so if you're not into chamber, this is probably not a set to invest in!Back when I was collecting classical LPs as a teenager, seeing Kempff's name as a performer meant something, because I never bought a record of his I didn't like. In some ways, relistening to some of these works brought back good memories, but it was also interesting to compare today's interpretations to what we thought of as "modern" back then! Kempff was a true artist, and his skills are easily evident here. Keep in mind there's a lot of duplication of works here: do you need Kempff's three passes on all the Beethoven Violin and Piano sonatas (one in mono)? They chew up multiple discs, so hopefully you like hearing his evolving interpretations!So what we have is a decent-priced collection of Kempff playing staples of classical piano repertoire, in some cases over three recording dates (which reduces the number of unique works in the box dramatically). The box set is decent, but nothing special. A little extra attention by DG to the box presentation and perhaps remastering some or all of these recordings would really have made this a must-have. As it is, DG dropped the ball. Thankfully, Kempff's music still justifies purchasing this box set with the provisos mentioned above.