Harmonious Blacksmith Variations - recording?

[falala]

What's your favourite recording of these (on piano)? My daughter has become obsessed with listening to them (having first heard me playing them) and the idea of learning them. She's not quite at that level yet but probably will be soon.

I bought her a copy of Murray Perahia playing it, but I really hate it. It seems to be nothing more than an exercise in how to play as fast as possible.

Having listened to a couple of versions on Youtube (Alicia de Laroccha; Jeno Jando etc.) they all seem strangely free with tempos to me. In particular, they play the variations faster than the theme, and seem to speed up the underlying beat as they go through them.

I've always thought the whole point with pattern-based baroque "doubles" like this is that the different note-values written into the piece create the variety and progression through the variations, while being held together by a steady underlying beat. Maybe an early music specialist on harpsichord would be more to my taste, but I'm really looking for a version on piano to make sense to my daughter.

Any ideas?

[j_menz]

Have a listen to Dame Moura Lympany:

The second half is Cherkassy, who does accelerate.

The acceleration is actually marked in the von Bulow edition of the piece. so isn't quite new. Other editions do not indicate tempo at all, so the von Bulow ones appear to be editorial.

[falala]

Oh yeah that's SO much better (the Lympany one, I mean). Thanks.

I can't find any reference to a commercially available recording of it though, anywhere. Do you know where it might be lurking on some compilation or something?

Why on Earth would someone want to stick bloody great accelerandos over a baroque piece that already has a perfectly clear and effective rhythmic structure? The Romantics really have a lot to answer for in what they did to that music.

[falala]

FOUND IT!

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Dame-Moura-Lympany-Best-Loved-Piano-Classics-2/release/3904090

And one for sale on Amazon second hand (must have somehow eluding my searching before).

Thanks!

[j_menz]

Why on Earth would someone want to stick bloody great accelerandos over a baroque piece that already has a perfectly clear and effective rhythmic structure? The Romantics really have a lot to answer for in what they did to that music.

Von Bulow has quite a lot to answer for. Apart from this, he's responsible for most of the Chopin nicknames we're lumbered with, and quite a few Beethoven travesties as well. Editorially prolific, but not a great example of the art.

Kharma, however, blessed him with a suitable wife.

[alistaircrane4]

Von Bulow has quite a lot to answer for. Apart from this, he's responsible for most of the Chopin nicknames we're lumbered with, and quite a few Beethoven travesties as well. Editorially prolific, but not a great example of the art.

Kharma, however, blessed him with a suitable wife.

Cosima was also blessed with an outstanding second husband. 

[j_menz]

Cosima was also blessed with an outstanding second husband. 

Unfortunately, she had to marry the man, not just the composer.