Siloti Plays Fragments from Liszt,Rachmaninoff Rec.1930's
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ค. 2008
- Alexander Siloti,(1863-1945),was a pupil of Nikolai Rubinstein and later Franz Liszt. He studied composition with Tchaikovsky. He made many editions and transcription of Bach and other composers. It was Siloti who suggested the cuts in the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.2,which the composer approved. An introduction written by Mark W. Grant for Siloti's "My Memories of Liszt" states, "In turn of the century Russia,it was Siloti(Rachmaninoff's cousin)who was a more famous pianist,and perhaps a more highly regarded one,than Rachmaninoff;whereas Rachmaninoff was concidered precise and over perfect, Siloti's was said to have more charm and sentimentality. This distinction would align Siloti in style more with such players as Paderewski,de Pachmann,et al; Rachmaninoff's more with the later Hofmann and Lhevinne." The Siloti student Bernardo Segall is quoted as saying,"he played from the heart--direct,with great simplicity and nobility and a beautiful singing tone."
Listening to these "fragments' is a mixed blessing. We are lucky to have these home recordings as Siloti made no commercial recordings.However, listening to them makes one realize that this was a pianist who had the rare abilities to make the piano sing and control all of the registers of the piano--and all we have are these scraps. But how wonderful thet are!
Siloti was a respected member of the Julliard School of Music in New York from 1924 until his retirement in 1942.
The "fragments" 1. Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 2.Liszt Sospero 3.Gounod's Faust and Rachmaninoff's Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos. - เพลง
This is extraordinary beautiful. His quality of tone is not achieved by modern pianists. Makes me cry. 🥰
Siloti made a number of piano rolls includings rolls of two of Liszt's works. These were Hungarian Rhapsody no. 12 and Benediction de Dieu. I have transferred these two to CD and they are included with "Rediscovering the Liszt Tradition."
My grandmother was close family friend of the Silotis, and she was the only singer he ever accompanied in public. She said that no recording ever did justice to his tone, and that that was why he didn't record. I believe that the recording we hear here was made by his daughter (and my piano teacher), Kyriena, as an experiment.
I studied with Kyriena in NY from the time I was 10, in 1962, till 1966 when we moved away. Then again after college off and on. She never mentioned recordings, said there weren't any. Maybe I'm misremembering. She was a fantastic person and teacher. Talked constantly of her father. We were very good friends for many years. I think of her always.
@@DonaldSosinJoannaSeaton , I'm almost certain Kyriena made these recordings. Perhaps, when she said there were no recordings, she meant there were no commercial recordings? BTW, I remember Kyriena speaking of you. Nice to make your acquaintance.
What evidence is there to assume that these private recordings were not made by Siloti, but instead by his daughter Kyriena? These recordings have been available for decades (I used to have them on a Pearl CD) and I remember that some collectors had the entire reel from which, apparently, these fragments have been taken. These fragments have always been identified as being played by Siloti, so I would really like to know what indications there are that this was played by his daughter.
I.m.h.o. it's much more likely that this was actually Siloti and not his daughter, but I'll keep an open mind in the absence of definitive proof.
@@j.vonhogen9650 I believe the intention of the statements above is that his daughter operated the machine making these home recordings, not that his daughter was playing the piano
@@ThePianoFiles- That makes sense, thanks!
Hard to believe that I read in Alan Walker's Early Liszt volume that at his death in 1886 Sophie Menter, Siloti and Stavenhagen were denied entry to his bedroom by Cosima, his daughgter and all 3 can still be heard today!!!
This is how all of us help keep this immortality alive, A word of thanks cannot suffice:)
Alexander Siloti in his interpretations saved my live! I didn't know such a beautiful and complete piano-interpretation was possible till I heard Alexander Siloti ❤️
People often associate Liszt with pyrotechnics and glitter but pupils going back to Tausig’s time extolled his noble breadth, which we hear from Siloti. Thanks for sharing. Pearl coupled this with recordings by Arthur Friedheim, who taught Cliburn’s mother. His great reputation is not borne out on that disc. (Friedheim made a piano roll of the Liszt sonata but I haven’t heard it well transferred. )
Siloti also studied briefly with Anton Rubinstein after the death of Anton's brother, Nikolai.
Thank you so much for your comments. How wonderful to hear from a pupil of a pupil of Siloti!
Alexander Sverjensky, who taught at the Sydney Conservatorium for many years and was regarded as the top teacher there, was a pupil of Siloti.
this singing line around 1:51-2:54... magical. and to think about his words that nobody could play as beautifully as F. Liszt. we can only guess what his playing sounded like.
Wow, I never knew recordings of Siloti existed either! Many thanks!
Those arpeggiations in the upper octave at the beginning are so clean, he makes the piano sing like a harp
Thanks for posting this. Lovely glimpse into the past. Real singing. He seems to be extemporizing almost entirely ad libitum, conflating the Gounod with the Rachmaninoff because he recognized similarities between them (unless this was a later feat of editing?). Fascinating.
His own. Probably improvised at the moment he made these intimate homemade recordings.
The final melody is surely the very well known one of Chopin, from his Etude op.10 no.3 ", rather abruptly interrupting the melody of Valentin's aria from Faust, 'Avant de quitter ces lieux'.
Quite lovely and delicate. Thank you so much.
I am so touched...amazing!
Thank you for sharing this information.
@nlasoff Thank you so much for sharing this information.
Thank you for this information.
thank you !!!
thanks for this recording, is beatifull, is there any recording of the Bach-Siloti chaconne transcription?
Yes. Risto Lauriala on Naxos.
Or better yet, from a pupil of a pupil of a pupil of LISZT!!! : )
I am curious to learn how you came by the Segall quote and, might there be more of it? You know he was not at Julliard but rather, lived with the Sillotis where he studied, no? And the tale of the morning when Rachmaninoff and Godowsky showed up for breakfast? He was then only 14 or 15, having been born in late 1911.
As Beckmesser notes, he is quoting from the introduction I wrote for the 1986 book "Remembering Franz Liszt" (Google it) which also contains Arthur Friedheim's memoir of Liszt. The source of Bernardo Segall's quotation is a long distance telephone conversation I had with Mr. Segall in 1984. By the way, Kyriena Siloti always told me that her father made these recordings "just for fun." Her words verbatim. I think it would be misguided to make too definitive a judgment of Siloti's playing based on these 'just for fun" home recordings.
As Beckmesser notes, he quotes from the introduction I wrote to the 1986 book "Remembering Franz Liszt". Bernardo Segall's comments come from a long distance telephone conversation I had with Mr. Segall in 1984. By the way, Kyriena Siloti always told me that her father made these home recordings "just for fun" -- her words. They were not to be taken too seriously, and I think it would be misguided to make any definitive judgments about Siloti based on these "just for fun" recordings, tantalizing as they may be.
concertobub - coud the pitch be off? do the rest of the keys match but for that one?
I couldn't recognize what he played after Un Sospiro, was that Rachmaninoff or an improvisation?
What transcription of rachmaninoff valse from 2nd suite he plays?
What's the piece after Un Sospiro
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