It was a well-seasoned programme that Rudolf Serkin performed at London’s Royal Festival Hall on June 4th 1973: the little-known Capriccio BWV993 also opened his Carnegie Hall recitals of 1939 and 1947; the Reger Bach-Variations were played at his Carnegie Hall debut in 1937; and the Op.78 or Op.53 sonatas of Beethoven were also played at each of these earlier recitals. The performances on the current disc, at their best points, by no means sound contrived or lacking in freshness however – and, to greater or lesser extents, elements of Serkin’s "intellectual penetration, structural and spiritual grandeur, lyricism, and virtuosity" are all apparent, as of course is his unquestionable artistic integrity.
It used to be said, especially of his London recitals, that Serkin’s playing did not really take off until the second piece on the…
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