Lili Kraus
Tue, Oct 23 2012, 10:27AM
I was looking through the little notebook listing the 78s I got given
back in 1981 and I noticed an unfamilar name, Kraus, which turned out to
be Lili Kraus. As the majority of the works were also unfamiliar to me I
decided to process them and a great joy it has been. The first two are
now uploaded and are
1) Mozart's Piano Concerto in B Flat K.456 with the
London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Water Goehr. This is a
wonderful composition with the emotional weight in the minor key slow
movement containing some weird false relations. There is an inkling of
what is to come when after a sunny start you arrive at a stop chord
where you might expect the piano to enter but no, a minor-key passage
ensues.
2) Beethoven's Violin Sonata Op. 96 No. 10. The violinist
is Simon Goldberg. This is very much a duo with each part having equal
importance in the overall scheme of things. The performance seems to be
very intimate as though they are playing for my ears alone. This is a
reflection of the composition itself which contains much that is pensive
and elegiac. I don't know how often LVB did this but the slow movement
doesn't come to a full-stop but segues into the Scherzo. This movement
is characterised by accented third beats in triple time as does a
sequence in the last movement of the Mozart.
Lili was born in Hungary in 1903, studied with Schnabel, Kodaly and
Bartok among others and after an international career in the 30s was
captured in Java and interned by the Japanese while touring. I hope you
enjoy these performances as much as I have done. You will find them
right at the end of the list when you click on the link below
http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/transcriptions_07.php
Googling "Lili Kraus R 20385" should get you to the April 1938 review of the Beethoven (they like it!) even to the extent of suggesting those short of funds only invest in the middle disc (slow movement and Scherzo) a feature re-available with some downloads!
Sat, Oct 27 2012, 5:37PM
#2
RE: Lili Kraus
Lili Kraus recorded the complete Mozart sonatas for violin and piano with Willi Boskovsky between 1954 and 1957. The set was released in two LP boxes by French EMI in their References series in excellent sound.
She also made recordings,some in stereo,for the budget Concert Hall label.I have only one - Mozart piano concertos K459 and K537.I have seen Beethoven PC4 and the Schumann concerto on the same label.These LPs often turn up at Charity shops.
Tue, Oct 30 2012, 12:19AM
#3
RE: Lili Kraus
Dear Early,
congratulations for your transcripcions, very good job, I ll repeat the link for the others interested in it:
http://www.cliveheathmusic.co.uk/transcriptions_07.php
Regards
oscar.olavarria
Mon, Nov 5 2012, 10:15AM
#4
RE: Lili Kraus
I have now uploaded Lili Kraus's recordings of the Mozart Fantasia and
Sonata in C minor together with Beethoven's "Eroica" Variations. As a
not very good but enthusiastic private pianist I have very particular
ideas of how the Mozart should go and while I could be picky about Lili
Kraus' performance, on the whole it is an utterly captivating reading,
blending shading of dynamics and tempi with a strong rhythmic sense
overall. The "Eroica" variations were written before the theme was used
in the Finale of the 3rd Symphony. This work is new to me and is, I
imagine, considered to be a lesser work than the Diabelli set but there
is plenty to enjoy with some of the variations being quirky to say the
least. The link is the same one as above.
Early, very interesting theme. Lili Kraus was a controversial and carismatic figure at his time, passionate, temperamental, she was the opposite side to Clara Haskil, she was a Martha Argerich from his time!. I have with him the Schumann s Op 54 piano concerto with swiss conductor Victor Desarzens (who was the Suisse Romande Orch founder!), recording that is only included in an expensive Scribendum s box dedicated precisely to Víctor Dezarsens, for me the best version of this work!. She recorded the integral of Beethoven s violin and piano sonatas with violinist Symon Goldberg, his partner in numerous tours across Europe. Best regards. oscar.olavarria