Unpublished! Spalding and Dohnányi in Concert
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Sonata No. 3 in E major, BWV1016 (1717-1723)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 96 (1803)
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960)
Violin Sonata in C sharp minor, Op. 21 (1912)
Franz Schubert (1798-1827)
Grand Duo for Violin and Piano in A Major, D574 (1817)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera (1907)
Albert Spalding (violin)
Ernst von Dohnányi (piano)
Anthony Kooiker (piano: Ravel)
rec. early 1950s, broadcast and studio performances
Parnassus PACD96096 [79]
Though Parnassus’ booklet cover excels in the use of exclamation marks, it doesn’t quite obscure the significance of this disc for specialist collectors. The unpublished element relates to everything but the Beethoven Sonata, though I’ve never come across it. The Beethoven, Bach and Dohnányi Sonatas are all live performances given after Spalding’s retirement from the concert platform in May 1950. There is a studio performance of the Dohnányi recorded for – but not released by – Remington, which has since been released on Varèse-Sarabande on LP in 1978 and much more recently by Pristine Audio.
Albert Spalding and Ernő (Ernst von) Dohnányi had been colleagues since before the Second World War when the American performed von Dohnányi’s Violin Concerto with the composer conducting and they made some recordings for Remington – a rather uneven set of the Brahms Sonatas. Between Spalding’s retirement in May 1950 and his death in 1953 he taught and continued to perform in the context of his teaching duties at Boston and Florida State. The three sonatas were recorded by the pianist Edward Kilenyi, probably from the University of Florida State’s broadcasts, and can be heard in good sound for the time with applause retained.
I’ve always thought Spalding was at his best in Baroque-era music where his focused, fast vibrato could be heard to idiomatic effect. That’s certainly true of the Bach Sonata here where his directness and clarity can best be appreciated as, indeed, can Dohnányi’s energetic accompaniment. The Beethoven Sonata No.10 has a number of fluffs from both men, as did the Bach, Spalding’s nobly conceived but tonally limited playing still attractive in its way. Dohnányi is inclined to bang now and then and can be rhythmically lumpy but on its own terms – a largely ad-hoc meeting not intended for preservation – this gives a very decent idea of their joint performances.
The Dohnányi Sonata performance serves as a valuable appendix to the Remington. In some ways Spalding is on more consistent form here than in the studio and his intonation is better, his tone drawn from a wider palette. Both men find wit in the central Scherzo and there’s a definite feeling of increased intensity and daring throughout. Not surprisingly it’s also appreciably swifter than the more cautious Remington.
The other major performance is of Schubert’s Duo Sonata, D.574 with pianist Anthony Kooiker with whom Spalding recorded the Brahms Hungarian Dances for Remington, so conjecturally this is an unpublished recording from around the same time for the label. The notes tell us that this and the Ravel, with which the CD ends, came from the collection of an anonymous archivist. It’s a lively, trim performance with good ensemble and patrician qualities. The Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera offers a warm envoi.
Though these are fallible performances for a variety of reasons, they will be attractive to admirers of Spalding and, as importantly, the disc serves to extend examples of Dohnányi’s pianism on disc.
Jonathan Woolf
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