by Those of us who were lucky enough to visit London in London in the late 1970s and early 80s are now looking back as a golden age. Not only Were the Postwar Generation That Included Maurizio Pollini, Radu Lupu, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim and Murray Perahia Perahia at the Height of their Powers, and Martha Argerich was still Giving Solo Recitals, but almost All of the Greatest Pianists of the 20th Century – Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Annie Fischer, Rudolf Serkin – were more regular visitors to the capital. And although his reputation and considerable heir have seemed to have disappeared since his death in 1991, Claudio Arrau undoubtedly belonged to this high -ranking elite, including each of his appearances, be it in concerts or concerts.
A reminder of Just How Rewarding Arrau’s Playing Could Be in Those Years is provided by this collection of recordings of Three Recitals That The Chilean Pianist Gave In The Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, California, 1981 and 1986. The Layout of the Discs Follow the Original Programs Exactly -The First Recital Beethoven, Liszt and Brahms, The Second Servoted to Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy, Chopin and Liszt, the third to four Beethoven sonatas, including the extensively satisfactory services of the Waldstein Sonata OP 53 and Les adiux op 81a. Arraus rich, almost polar -piano sound can be seen from the first bars, as well as his emphatic phrasing, which sometimes appears out of place in Debussy or Schumann, but is wonderfully appropriate in Beethoven, Liszt and Brahms and is combined with an uninterrupted meaning of the structure. So that where every performance is and where it leads is never doubtful. Everything is wonderfully clear game that has not dated the slightest.
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