Godowsky's Chopin Etudes Paraphrases.

[lontano]

In the early 90's I bought G.D.Madge's 4-CD recordings of the complete Godowsky-Chopin etude paraphrases, and ordered a very nice set of scores via an Inter-Library Loan to get a better idea of how these works were conceived. Unfortunately, the performance of Madge on these works was mind-boggling awful, awful, awful. but the scores were amazing to read. Alas I had to return them before long, and haven't seen them since.

Does anyone know when these works might become PD in the USA?

Thanks,

Lontano

[thetamman]

Although this is admittedly rare for me, I would actually for once recommend Hamelin's recordings on Hyperion - in terms of virtuosity, he's second to none, and godowsky's etudes are surely some of the hardest pieces ever written. I have a photocopied score of one of them, and it's a 3 part fugue for the left hand alone :S:S. My library has a copy of them I'm pretty sure - except you'll have to let me know which ones are actually worth learning (life's too short to play them all-_-). What are your recommendations if I had to learn a few? I'm thinking of perhaps adding some to my repertoire.

Regards,

thetamman.

[thalbergmad]

https://imslp.org/wiki/Studies_after_Frederic_Chopin_(Godowsky,_Leopold)

The Scheslinger Edition is public domain and is freely downloadable from IMSLP.

I too wasted money on the Madge, which is now gathering dust somewhere in my loft. Whilst appreciating the recordings by Hamelin, i have always had a soft spot for Bolet, although he did not record all of them.

Thal

[lontano]

Although this is admittedly rare for me, I would actually for once recommend Hamelin's recordings on Hyperion - in terms of virtuosity, he's second to none, and godowsky's etudes are surely some of the hardest pieces ever written. I have a photocopied score of one of them, and it's a 3 part fugue for the left hand alone :S:S. My library has a copy of them I'm pretty sure - except you'll have to let me know which ones are actually worth learning (life's too short to play them all-_-). What are your recommendations if I had to learn a few? I'm thinking of perhaps adding some to my repertoire.

Regards,

thetamman.

Quite honestly, I have zero recall of any single piece, therefore I can't recommend any. There are some that appear on the page to be "harder or softer" technically, but I never attempted more than a very casual glaze over any of them at the piano. So thanks for the offer, but I wont at this time take it up.

And regardless of your opinion of Hamelin, on this specific issue Madge should be very glad his recordings are NO LONGER AVAILABLE! Bolet recorded a number of them and they are very good. So too, Grante and at least one other (name escapes me), and of those I haven't heard (yet).

L.

[lontano]

https://imslp.org/wiki/Studies_after_Frederic_Chopin_(Godowsky,_Leopold)

The Scheslinger Edition is public domain and is freely downloadable from IMSLP.

I too wasted money on the Madge, which is now gathering dust somewhere in my loft. Whilst appreciating the recordings by Hamelin, i have always had a soft spot for Bolet, although he did not record all of them.

Thal

Many thanks, Thal!! Now I feel free to roam about these works, free of charge or deadline.
I should note to anyone else following the link in the quoted text that it isn't quite accurate, but very close, so search around the file(s) associated with the Title and you should find it.

And be glad you were never duped into paying for and listening to the pathetic, and expensive, Madge 4-CD set of these works (which were comfortably released on 2-CDs by Hamelin!).

Lontano