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

The only certainty about Long’s birth town appears to be that it began with a B; Brentwood, Brentford, Bury St. Edmunds…? The latter is most likely but what is certain is that she was playing in public by the age of eight after studies with her aunt Emma Long and was studying under Herbert Sharpe at the Royal College of Music when she was fourteen. The excellent notes by Jonathan Summers combine biographical notes with clips from contemporary concert reviews as well as giving an insight into the astonishing breadth of her repertoire; Chopin, Brahms, Schumann and even Liapunov amongst the romantics, early composers such as Rameau, Couperin, Muffat and music from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book right up to Bridge, Stravinsky and premieres of music by Gordon Jacob and Hans Gal. French music was a big part of her repertoire; she studied Ravel’s Ondine with the composer himself and was awarded the Palmes Académiques for her services to French music.

Her recording career began in 1927 with disc for the National Gramophonic Society and included only the second recording of the Ravel Sonatine albeit the first with Ravel’s autograph inscribed on the label as well as works by Mozart, Haydn, Couperin and others. Her next sessions between 1933 and 1938 were all Mozart and included three each of the Concertos and Sonatas; while the Sonatas and shorter works were for HMV or the obscure American label Musicraft, the concertos were her first outings with Decca; the present twofer gathers together all her solo recordings for the company between 1941 and 1945.

Her selection opens with Siciliana, a transcription by Respighi from his Ancient Dances and arias, in a grander interpretation than Carlo Zecchi’s 1937 Cetra recording. At a time when many pianists’ Scarlatti was Tausig’s transcriptions, the pastorale and capriccio (or both), Long chooses mostly less well known sonatas. Her Scarlatti Sonatas display her clean lines and no-fuss, unruffled virtuosity with no hint of unnecessary flamboyance.  The spirit of the dance sparkles through many of these, particularly the two G major sonatas and F major K.366 and this continues into the Bach Fantasia. The Toccata by Paradies finds a nice balance between Eileen Joyce’s smoothly romantic version and Irene Scharrer’s whirlwind 1925 recording. She couples these two recordings with a breezy Sheep may safely graze in a transcription by Albert Lévêque, a Bach specialist who had apparently memorised the Well-Tempered Clavier by the age of ten. The two Schubert Sonatas appear to be first recordings; a certain David Branson recorded just the trio of the third movement of D.568 but these are the first complete versions I can see. Long’s approach in both is ideal for me in terms of tempo and buoyancy of rhythm. Her control of voices is clear from a few bars into the first movement of the C major Sonata where the left hand voice sings against the slower octave melody in the right hand, both equally valued, neither fighting to be heard. The allegretto quasi andantino is brisk without seeming rushed and the octave melody never seems forced even where the left hand begs for more attention. The E flat Sonata shares the same qualities of unmannered, fresh playing, no need for point making when everything Schubert wants is clearly presented. Long’s beautifully lyrical playing is evident in the andante molto where she balances the melodic and dramatic contrasts skilfully and there is plenty of finesse and hushed dynamics in the elegant menuetto. Her fingerwork in the playful finale is a delight.

As in the Scarlatti sonatas Long doesn’t necessarily opt for the familiar in Grieg Lyric pieces; papillons and notturno are here but there is also the irrepressible scherzo from op.54 as well as a beautiful peasant’s song and deliciously intimate performances of Shepherd boy and Once upon a time. Summer’s eve’s simply hearted sentiment is a perfect foil to the flashes of sunlight that break through and Long avoids sentimentality in the almost jazzy harmonies at the end. Puck is a lesson in crystal clear fingerwork but still keeps its impish character.

Fauré was a staple of Long’s repertoire and she was invited to play the orchestral version of the Ballade for his centenary in 1945 and recorded it twice, once in 1944 with Boyd Neel and again in 1954 with the LPO under Jean Martinon. Here are just three of her solo recordings – she recorded a couple more nocturnes in 1949 – and they are particularly successful examples of her art; the unforced nature of her playing produces readings that navigate Fauré’s often enigmatic changes of harmony with ease. She plays with delicacy and spectacular fluency and a gorgeous sense of line; take the first variation of the Theme and Variations where her left hand glides through the melody with casual disdain for the percussive nature of the instrument and in variation 4 where one is conscious of the melody with all other passagework effortlessly moulded into the texture while maintaining transparency, a feat equalled in the duet of variation 6. She easily challenges the more extrovert playing of Carmen Guilbert who made the only other recording of the Theme and variations in the 78 era (review ~ review). All these qualities are evident in the recording of Debussy’s second book of Préludes; terrific technique, beautiful sound and admirable balancing of voices. Occasionally I wanted a bit more personal characterisation; the habanera rhythms of la Puerta del Vino are almost too literal and don’t convey the languid heat drenched atmosphere and General Lavine’s cake-walk is suave and urbane rather than eccentric but these are minor points amongst a well conceived set.

I had not heard Long’s playing before this and it has been a pleasure getting to know her style. I say there is no flamboyance in her playing but this by no means equates to cautious or dull playing. She simply plays what’s on the page in the best way she can and the results speak for themselves. APR has treated us to a cornucopia of treasures in its French Piano School series but I have to say that this English pianist does not suffer by comparison in their own repertoire. Her concertante recordings have been issued elsewhere so it is wonderful to welcome these solo recordings back into the catalogue.

Rob Challinor

Previous reviews: Jonathan Woolf (April 2023) ~ Stephen Greenbank (July 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