Balakirev - Islamey - Simon Barere, p (11-11-47, live) [Philidor; FLAC]

Simon Barere is considered one of the greatest technical wizards of the piano. Only a constant run of bad luck prevented him from getting the kind of contracts that Horowitz received: a debut on the eve of World War I, a manager who ran away with all the proceeds from a triumphant tour, his death by heart attack on stage, towards the beginning of the Grieg Piano Concerto. He left few commercial recordings. However, during the late 1940s a number of private recordings were made of his concerts. This dates from 11 November, 1947, at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Barere's Australian tour had gone remarkably well, and he came back in world-beating mood. So it proved on that November night, with the audience going hysterical (as can be heard at the end of the piece). Islamey is an extremely difficult tour-de-force, but it holds no terrors for Barere, who pushes the pace in the outer sections for crackling excitement. He wasn't a "serious repertoire" musician, but one with the gift to make showier fare seem more weighty than it was; and despite the only moderate quality of the tape recording, the excitement is palpable.

Bio enclosed. You can find my uploads by searching on Philidor, or by checking this thread:

http://kickasstorrents.ee/community...l-stuff/?page=5#post15716026