Strange sounds in Arrau's Transcendental Recordings

[Waldszenen]

For those of you who own Arrau's recording of Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, do you notice a strange sound on some of the notes? It sounds like a strange "woosh" sound or like fabric being rubbed against each other.


Anyone know what it is?

[bearzinthehood]

I've noticed that, I always thought it was just him breathing.

[shasta]

Yeah, I think it's heavy breathing.  You can really hear it in the Chopin Nocturnes he recorded with Philips.

[fiasco]

I've also noticed a clicking sound...  listen to the beginning of the Mazeppa.  During the first opening broken chords, there's that sound you're describing during each one.  Then, during that long scale, there's like this clicking / squeaking noise... I don't know what it could be.  Wood creaking?  A variation on his breathing sounds?  I've noticed it throughout the disc.  It's too bad because I feel that Arrau's is the definitive recording of these etudes.

[stevie]

i just dont like his sound and the way he plays, i find it hard to enjoy his playing most of the time.

[brewtality]

You probably need to listen to him more. His TE's are better than Cziffra's studio performances with the exception of the Mazeppa trill. I haven't listened to the set in like a year so I don't remember the noise. I noticed his heavy breathing in some of his other recordings and while it is annoying, its not as bad as Gieseking.

[lisztwasgod]

another thing to consider (a noted problem in some of andre watts' first recordings) is the piano itself, as when not properly stabilized can slightly move back and forth on a wood floor during hard playing, or a loose part can jiggle back and forth and give off a slight clicking...the other sound is almost assuredly his breathing...after all, Arrau, the God of the TE's as far as I'm concerned, was the heavest breather...I have a vdeo of him in concert playing the first liszt conceto with eugene ormady and the Philly Philharmonic (what a duo) and i can hear him breathing over the opening of the first movement!

[prometheus]

His etudes are the best I heard.

[arensky]

I've never been a big fan of his recordings, I mean they're not terrible, just kind of... "stodgy" ?

I heard him live in 1981 or 82, he played Beethoven's op.10 #3, op.109, Debussy's Estampes and Liszt's Dante Sonata. Extraordinary concert! I've rarely heard a tone like that, and what projection; I've never heard anyone more alive, and so involved with and committed to what they were playing. I think he was one of the pianists who had to be heard live; I think piano was easy for him, and maybe without the stimulus of the live audience, in the studio he just cranked it out; he needed the people there to really express himself, or maybe it just doesn't come through the recordings. People who heard Rubinstein say much the same thing, "oh his records are wonderful, but when I heard him live!"......wish I had.....

[Waldszenen]

Hmm, I always did think it was his breathing, or perhaps even his sleeves moving around or something, because they occur mainly on heavy, strong chords.


And that clicking noise in Mazeppa; I wouldn't doubt it being his fingernails.

[cherub_rocker1979]

You can hear it in his Chopin Scherzos too.