Kathleen Long (piano)
The Decca Solo Recordings 1941-1945
APR 6041 [70 + 73]

This recent release from APR spotlights the English pianist Kathleen Long (1896-1968). After studying at the Royal College of Music in London with Herbert Sharpe from 1910-1916, she herself held a teaching post there from 1920 to 1964. Perhaps her best-known pupil is Imogen Holst. During World War II she performed in many CEMA concerts, often with violinist Eda Kersey. Other artists she partnered included Pablo Casals, Albert Sammons and Guilhermina Suggia. Yet, it was with violinist Antonio Brosa that she had the longest working relationship, one lasting almost twenty years from 1948 to 1966. As a concert pianist she toured extensively throughout Europe, North America and South Africa. Her repertoire focused on J.S. Bach, Scarlatti, Mozart, Haydn and Robert Schumann. She performed a good amount of French music in her recitals, especially Debussy and Fauré. In addition, she was an ardent champion of British music.

Long was one of the first pianists to broadcast regularly for the BBC. She launched her recording career with some early inscriptions for the National Gramophonic Society (1927-1929). In 1933 she was embraced by HMV. Meanwhile, whilst in the States giving her debut recital in New York, she was approached by the American label Musicraft. She signed with Decca in the mid-1930s, and her first recordings were Mozart piano Concertos with the Boyd Neel orchestra. Those superb recordings have been issued on the Dutton label (CDBP 9714), and I would wholeheartedly recommend them. APR’s 2 CD set focuses on Decca’s solo recordings she set down between 1941 and 1945.

The eight Scarlatti Sonatas are astonishing. I’m pleased that Long has avoided the well-known ones and opted for a selection most will be less familiar with. Among them are some of the most virtuosic I’ve ever heard e.g. the Sonata in G major K201 and Sonata in C minor K84. The nimble articulation and florid ornamentation, allied to rhythmic flexibility and supple phrasing make these sonatas sparkle. Throughout, there’s a freshness to her interpretations.

There are also eight Lyric Pieces by Grieg. These are richly varied, evocative and, at times, nostalgic. There’s the sylph like Butterfly (Op.43, No. 1), the melancholic Shepherd Boy (Op. 54, No. 1) and the capricious Scherzo (Op.54, No. 5). With the beautiful sound she creates, the colour she achieves and the wondrous technique at her disposal, she succeeds in bringing these charming miniatures to life.

I wouldn’t imagine that the two Schubert Sonatas had been recorded before. The A minor D537 is better known than the E flat D568. The latter is a captivatingly lyrical score, and Long savours its melodic richness. There’s a certain nostalgia in her playing of the slow movement, whilst the finale is delightfully light on its feet.

I mentioned at the beginning of the review that Long had a particular affinity with French music, especially that of Fauré and Debussy. I’m particularly fond of Fauré’s piano music and, though there are only three works recorded here, without a doubt Long’s take on them rivals the very best I’ve heard, e.g. Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, Jean Doyen and Kathryn Stott. Long’s Fauré is idiomatic and stylish, and although the Nocturne No. 6 offers the pianist some acute technical challenges, Long nails it firmly. In the Second Barcarolle she imposes a gentle lilting style.

The Debussy, here she plays Book 2 of the Préludes, is polished, rhythmically flexible and, most of all, engaging. Brouillards is enveloped in an impressionistic haze, with La Puerto del Vino agreeably buoyant. There’s plenty of character in Général Lavine – eccentric and Hommage à S Pickwick Esq. Feux d’artifice, which ends the cycle, brims over with nervous energy and coruscating brilliance.

These inscriptions are served up in Andrew Hallifax’s splendid transfers. The release is expertly documented, in English only, by Jonathan Summers. Hopefully, this highly desirable release will restore Long’s consummate artistry to collective memory.

Stephen Greenbank

Previous review: Jonathan Woolf (April 2023)

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Contents
CD 1
Anon/Respighi (1879-1936)
Siciliana, from Antiche danze et arie
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sonata in C-sharp minor, K247
Sonata in G major, K201
Sonata in C minor, L84
Sonata in F-sharp minor, K447
Sonata in A major, K62
Sonata in B-flat major, K47
Sonata in F major, K366
Sonata in G major, K235
Pietro Domenico Paradisi (1707-1791)
Toccata (Allegro) from Sonata No 6 in A major
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Fantasia in C minor, BWV906
Sheep May Safely Graze from Cantata BWV208 arr Albert Lévêque
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Sonata in A minor, D537
Sonata in E-flat major, D568

CD 2
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Lyric Pieces – Butterfly, Op 43 No 1
Lyric Pieces – Shepherd Boy, Op 54 No 1, Notturno, Op 54 No 4, Scherzo, Op 54 No 5
Lyric Pieces – Peasant’s Song, Op 65 No 2
Lyric Pieces – Once upon a time, Op 71 No 1, Summer’s Eve, Op 71 No 2, Puck, Op 71 No 3
Gabriel Fauré (1854-1924)
Barcarolle, No 2 in G major, Op 41
Nocturne No 6 in D-flat major, Op 63
Thème et variations, Op 73
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Préludes, Book II