Posted by Albert Frantz on September 20, 19100 at 19:56:18:
What is most remarkable about all comments, Mr. Manildi’s included, regarding Madge’s recording of the Godowsky-Chopin Etudes is their collective understatement. Madge, who could turn out often reliable, if not earth-shattering, Busoni performances, can add severely under-prepared and even more severely irresponsible to the list of criticisms of his set, which deserves precisely no consideration whatsoever. Albert Frantz
Just yesterday I received from Carlo Grante a prerelease copy of his forthcoming second recording of the cycle, this time for Music & Arts. Grante possesses precisely the same ease as Hamelin, but his playing offers something equally critical to their interpretation, namely the most detailed attention to counterpoint. Grante reveals, with spectacular finish, sparkling clarity and a daredevil mechanism, innumerable details of voicings that Godowsky sought, as can be evidenced by an acute study of these scores. Grante’s recording succeeds further in his rhythmic characterization, where he pushes, pulls, teases if never quite seduces melodic lines and inner voices, intuitively emphasizing subtle dissonances and their resolutions for their intrinsic emotional value. Never does Grante impress upon the listener a need to impress through his mechanism, which is in any case perfect in its precision, velocity, and most importantly its direction by the most acutely perceptive listening apparatus. Grante’s pearly clarity and stunning ease of execution alone are worth the price of admission, but as a complete set even the venerable Hamelin, whose recording will be rightly no less desirable among collectors, may find himself taking a back seat to this astounding accomplishment of concentration, poise and authority.