The Complete Josef Hofmann Vol. 6

The Casimir Hall Recital

COMPLETE TRACK LISTING
LINER NOTES

Josef Hofmann is arguably this century's greatest pianist. His memory was infallible, his repertoire was almost limitless and his technique was flawless. Hofmann is a legend and his final Casimir Hall Recital on 7 April 1938 is the pinnacle of a remarkable career. It is no wonder that this is one of the most anticipated piano recordings to debut on CD. Also included on this, the sixth in a series of eight volumes of the complete works of Josef Hofmann, is a 1936 broadcast of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata which has never before been issued and an unforgettable 1941 performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, op. 58. With great pride, I present one of the most important CD sets that we have produced. --Ward Marston

[return to main menu]

Track Listing
CD 1 (74:57)
CADILLAC HOUR
15 MARCH 1936
BEETHOVEN:
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 27, no. 2, "Moonlight"
1. I. Adagio sostenuto 5:26
2. II. Allegretto 1:35
3. III. Presto agitato 5:22
CHOPIN:
4. Nocturne in F-sharp, op. 15, no. 2 3:39
5. Waltz in A-flat, op. 42 4:02
6. Waltz in D-flat, op. 64, no. 1, "Minute" 1:43
 
CASIMIR HALL RECITAL
CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC, 7 APRIL 1938
BEETHOVEN:
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C, op. 53, "Waldstein"
7. I. Allegro con brio 10:23
8. II. Introduzione: Adagio molto 2:57
9. III. Rondo: Allegretto moderato--Prestissimo 8:49
SCHUMANN:
Kreisleriana, op. 16
10. I. Agitatissimo 2:21
11. II. Con molto espressione, non troppo presto 4:36
12. V. Vivace assai 3:08
13. VI. Lento assai 2:44
14. VII. Molto presto 2:08
15. VIII. Vivace e scherzando 2:54
CHOPIN:
16. Polonaise in E-flat Minor, op. 26, no. 2 7:27
17. Nocturne in B, op. 9, no. 3 5:43
 
CD 2 (74:06)
CASIMIR HALL RECITAL
CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC, 7 APRIL 1938
CHOPIN:
1. Waltz in E-flat, op. 18, "Valse Brillante" 4:48
2. Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, op. 52 9:38
CHOPIN-HOFMANN:
3. Waltz in D-flat, op. 64, no. 1 "Minute" 1:43
STOJOWSKI:
4. Caprice Orientale, op. 10, no. 2 4:14
SCHUBERT-GODOWSKY:
5. Moment Musical, op. 94, no. 3 1:59
HOFMANN:
6. Kaleidoskop, op. 40, no. 4 4:25
7. Penguine, No. 1 from "Three Impressions" 2:44
Broadcast
26 OCTOBER 1941
BEETHOVEN:
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, op. 58
8. I. Allegro moderato 15:40
9. II. Andante con moto 4:29
10. III. Rondo: Vivace 9:29
(Symphony Orchestra Conducted by John Barbirolli)
BEETHOVEN:
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 27, no. 2, "Moonlight"
First Movement - Adagio sostenuto
11. U.S. Columbia (48946-4) unpublished--13 October 1916 5:04
12. U.S. Columbia (48946-5) unpublished--13 October 1916 4:12
13. Bell Telephone Hour--31 July 1944 5:40
Hofmann's performance of Schumann's "Kreisleriana" is slightly abridged. It is only recently that pianists have made a practice of performing the many-movement works of Schumann in their entirety. The tradition of omitting sections of the work can be traced to Clara Schumann herself, who wrote to Brahms on 21 December 1858: "Everybody has been imploring me to play 'Kreisleriana', but they seem to me so unsuitable for a concert... I will make a selection, it would never do to play them all... "
In his performances of "Kreisleriana" during the 1937/38 concert season Josef Hofmann omitted pieces three and four entirely; in the second piece he omitted the second intermezzo and the modulatory section which follows immediately. Concerning his plans to play the work in this abbreviated fashion, Hofmann wrote to his manager Richard Copley on 25 October 1937: "this may be an unusual thing to do, but it is justified, from [an] artistic point of view."
Marston would like to thank the I.P.A.M, Daniel Barolsky, Frank Cooper, Francis Crociata, Robert Fazio, Terry McNeill and Donald Manildi for their help in the production of this CD release.

Produced in association with the Estate of Josef Hofmann

Producers: Gregor Benko and Ward Marston

Photographs: Gregor Benko

Audio Conservation: Ward Marston

Booklet Design: Takeshi Takahashi