Just picked up some used classical bargains yesterday. Both are from Murray Hill of NY. 5 discs of Alfred Brendel Plays Liszt's Greatest Piano Works, S43636. The box is near mint with the 4 page liner notes in perfect condition. Once cleaned the records are near mint.
Also another 5 record set S-4358 Legendary Piano Immortals: Paderewski, Hoffmann, Ravel, Prokofiev, Gershwin, Camille Saint-Saens, Wanda Landowska, and Ferruccio Busconi. This stereo recording appears to be from the mid '60s. These recordings were made from player piano rolls from the Duo-Art system that was added to Steinway pianos.
The box notes states that almost every major artist from 1916 to 1925 made record rolls for Dual Art. It also adds; "The pricipal feature of the Duo-Art system is its reproducing action, which it possesses in addition to the actions of both regular and player pianos". It goes on to add; "It must be emphasized that the Duo-Art not only produced the notes as the great virtuosi played them, but by incorporating all the previous advances in player-piano technology, was able to accurately reproduce dynamics, pedal-effects, methods of attack, and many other subtleties of expression."
The reality is that this was probably not achieved in total until the creation of the Bosendorfer piano that Robert Silverman played and recorded on for the Stereophile boxed set of 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas, recorded by JA.
The sound is very good for the time. For only a few dollars some treasures can be found. I have always admired Alfred Brendel's playing.
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I will add now that I have enjoyed the "player" discs that they sound wonderful in stereo for being 40+ years old. Whether or not the playback action of the player piano is "accurate" is open for debate for sure. To hear George Gershwin play Rhapsody In Blue is remarkable for his interpretation of his own work. Well worth the measly few dollars I paid.
Jim Tavegia
Just picked up some used classical bargains yesterday. Both are from Murray Hill of NY. 5 discs of Alfred Brendel Plays Liszt's Greatest Piano Works, S43636. The box is near mint with the 4 page liner notes in perfect condition. Once cleaned the records are near mint.
Also another 5 record set S-4358 Legendary Piano Immortals: Paderewski, Hoffmann, Ravel, Prokofiev, Gershwin, Camille Saint-Saens, Wanda Landowska, and Ferruccio Busconi. This stereo recording appears to be from the mid '60s. These recordings were made from player piano rolls from the Duo-Art system that was added to Steinway pianos.
The box notes states that almost every major artist from 1916 to 1925 made record rolls for Dual Art. It also adds; "The pricipal feature of the Duo-Art system is its reproducing action, which it possesses in addition to the actions of both regular and player pianos". It goes on to add; "It must be emphasized that the Duo-Art not only produced the notes as the great virtuosi played them, but by incorporating all the previous advances in player-piano technology, was able to accurately reproduce dynamics, pedal-effects, methods of attack, and many other subtleties of expression."
The reality is that this was probably not achieved in total until the creation of the Bosendorfer piano that Robert Silverman played and recorded on for the Stereophile boxed set of 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas, recorded by JA.
The sound is very good for the time. For only a few dollars some treasures can be found. I have always admired Alfred Brendel's playing.
--------------------
I will add now that I have enjoyed the "player" discs that they sound wonderful in stereo for being 40+ years old. Whether or not the playback action of the player piano is "accurate" is open for debate for sure. To hear George Gershwin play Rhapsody In Blue is remarkable for his interpretation of his own work. Well worth the measly few dollars I paid.
Jim Tavegia