A glimpse of an Australian Pianist: William Murdoch

[Lance]

Always seeking piano recordings, especially of the historical ones who bring to their performances the pianistic practices of their times. Now comes WILLIAM MURDOCH [1888-1942]. Leave it APR (Appian) of England to resurrect these now forgotten recordings and restoring them for the best possible sound. APR 6029 is a two-disc set covering Murdoch's solo electrical recordings made between 1925 and 1931. The program material includes Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Paganini-Liszt, Schubert, Brahms, Paderewski, Grieg, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff all on CD #1. On Disc #2 we have two Beethoven sonatas (Pathétique and Appassionata), Debussy, Bach-Busoni, Albéniz, and Falla. Added are nine (9) tracks used as test pieces in the Daily Express National Playing Competition .... music by Carse, Walthew, Dunhill, Lee, Morgan, Rowley, Swinstead, Dyson, Bowen and Ireland).

Naturally, given the 78-rpm process without editing, you will hear a few finger slips, and in some cases, noisy surfaces, which have been cleaned up as much as possible. Due to the time constraints of 78-rpm discs, you may hear faster tempi on occasion as well. Overall, a wonderful look into this Australian pianist who performed in England, the USA and elsewhere. I was most impressed by his color and shading in the four pieces included by Rachmaninoff. ♫