CARL SEEMANN

CARL SEEMANN
(Last amended 19/01/2009)

Carl Seemann was the house pianist of DG in its early days, and straddles the mono/stereo divide. He is also better known as the piano partner of violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan, both on DG as well as in recitals (much documented on ORFEO).

This unusual CD has a somewhat misleading title, for it includes a previously never released (not even on LP) Debussy sonata with Schneiderhan (the only item in stereo), one of the reason why I bought it.

The performance of the Debussy is fluent and better than most. Some may like a little more flight but I appreciate the classicism. One wonders why it was never released (booklet has no info). The duo's Stravinsky Duo Concertant is equally impressive, not as sinewy as Szigeti/Stravinsky but it has a momentum all its own.

Opening the CD was a beautiful performance of the Concertino for piano and winds, more classical than Stravinsky's more outgoing version with Entremont, but equally valid with its fine sentiment. The ensuing Serenade in A also compares favorably with Stravinsky's own ancient version.

I played this CD twice using different equpiment and was startled by the different feelings I get. That's sign of a good CD. The mono sound is excellent. Comparison with performances from the Stravinsky edition was interesting. This one is for the collector of Wolfgang Schneiderhan as well as follower of a whole generation of under-rated German pianists (think also of stablemate Stefan Ashkenaze).

After the excellent Stravinsky I grabbed its companion release, the Bach recital. I was not disappointed.

The performances are wholesome, at once both spirited and reflective. The performances don't have Gould's flight nor his extremism; neither do they smother the music to death in beauty (like Schiff and Perahia sometimes do). The classicism, for lack of a proper word, is impressive. Sound is very good and mostly stereo.



I am not so thrilled by his Mozart.

I got this 6-CD Mozart sonata set from the library. Just went through it. The playing is nice and objective but some more flavor is needed, particularly as a cycle. I doubt I shall return to this cycle instead of Ingrid Haebler and Reine Gianoli.