Arthur Friedheim was a pupil of Liszt from the late 1870s, and acted as Liszt's secretary during the 1880s until Liszt's death in 1886, with daily contact and experience of all that Liszt did in that period: he is our best witness to Liszt's performance and thoughts from that time. Liszt greatly admired Friedheim's playing, declaring that his interpretation of his now famous B minor piano sonata was just as he wanted it to have been.

Friedheim's own playing was aristocratic and elevated. There is a sense of what we now call "classicism" to his interpretations. Control, balance and concentration, though not without excitement when needed. The few recordings he made are fascinating.

I am also putting a few piano roll recordings of Friedheim online to give a better idea of this pianist, as the acoustic recordings stretch to so few minutes.

This recording of Liszt's sixth Hungarian Rhapsody dates from 1912/13.

свернуть