Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Vol.52 - William Kapell (1999, Philips) 2 CD

 

“Music isn't enough. Performers aren't enough. There must be someone who loves music as much as life.

For you, and remember this always, those of us with something urgent to say, we give everything.”

- William Kapell

Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Vol.52 - William Kapell (1999, Philips, 2CDs)

CD1
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) - Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18

(Mono Rec. 1950／William Kapell-piano, William Steinberg-maestro, Robin Hood Dell Orchestra)
1. I. Moderato
2. II. Adagio sostenuto
3. III. Allegro scherzando

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) - Piano Concerto No.3 in C major, Op.26

(Mono Rec. 1949／William Kapell-piano, Antal Dorati-maestro, Dallas Symphony Orchestra)

29. I. Andante. Allegro
30. II. Tema con variazion
31. III. Allegro ma non troppo

CD2
J. S. Bach (1685-1750) - Patita No.4 in D major, BMV 828

(Mono Rec. 1952／William Kapell-piano)

1. I. Overture
2. II. Allemande
3. III. Courante
4. IV. Aria
5. V. Sarabande
6. VI. Menuet

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) - Piano Sonata No.3 in B minor

(Mono Rec. 1951／William Kapell-piano)

7. I. Allegro maestoso
8. II. Scherzo. Molto vivace
9. III. Largo
10. IV. Finale. Presto non tanto

11. Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909) - Iberia, Book 1 - Evocation

(Mono Rec. 1945／William Kapell-piano)

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) - Annees de pelerinage - Deuxieme annee. Italie

(Mono Rec. 1945／William Kapell-piano)
12. Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
13. Hungarian Rhapsody No.11
14. “Mephisto” Waltz No.1

 

 

 

William Kapell (1922-1953) was an American pianist.

Kapell was born in New York City. His father was of Spanish-Russian Jewish ancestry and his mother of Polish descent. There he studied with Dorothea Anderson La Follette, then with Olga Samaroff in Philadelphia and at the Juilliard School.

Kapell won his first competition at the age of ten. The prize was a turkey dinner with the pianist José Iturbi. In 1941, he won the Philadelphia Orchestra's youth competition and the Naumburg Award. The following year, the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsored the 19 year old pianist's New York début which brought him The Town Hall Award for the year's outstanding concert by a musician under 30. He was immediately signed to an exclusive recording contract with RCA.

Kapell had achieved fame while in his early twenties, most especially by his performances of Khachaturian's Piano Concerto in D flat, his world premiere recording of which was an enormous hit. [Eventually, he became so associated with the concerto that he was nicknamed "Khachaturian Kapell". Besides his exciting pianism, Kapell's good looks and mop of unruly black hair helped make him a hit with audiences.

By the late 1940s, Kapell had toured the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia to immense acclaim and was widely considered the most brilliant and audacious of young American pianists. In 1947, he wed Rebecca Anna Lou Melson, with whom he had two children.

There was some tendency to typecast Kapell as a performer of flashy repertory. While his technique was exceptional, he was a versatile musician, and could also give memorably graceful performances of Mozart and Scarlatti. Kapell practiced up to eight hours a day, keeping track of his sessions with a notebook and clock. Kapell set aside time from his busy concert schedule to work with the artists he most admired, including Artur Schnabel, Pablo Casals, and Rudolf Serkin. He also approached Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Horowitz (who was a neighbor) for lessons, but they demurred. Horowitz later commented that there was nothing he could teach Kapell.

From August to October of 1953, Kapell toured Australia, playing 37 concerts in 14 weeks, appearing in Sydney, Melbourne, Bendigo, Shepparton, Albury, Horsham and Geelong. In Geelong, Kapell played his last performance on October 22, shortly before setting off on his return flight to the United States. The plane hit Kings Mountain, south of San Francisco, on the morning of October 29, 1953. None of the crew or passengers survived.

Isaac Stern set up the William Kapell Memorial Fund to bring notable musicians to the USA for wider experience. The Australian violinist Ernest Llewellyn, a long time friend of Stern's, was the inaugural recipient in 1955.

The fascination with Kapell's playing continues in the decades since after his death. Pianists such as Eugene Istomin, Gary Graffman, Leon Fleisher and Van Cliburn, and classical-fusion jazz pianist Suezenne Fordham, among others, have acknowledged Kapell's influence. Fleischer stated that Kapell was "the greatest pianistic talent that this country [The United States] has ever produced". Kapell's widow – Anna Lou Dehavenon, a social anthropologist in New York – was a factor in helping to keep her husband's name alive.

Kapell's estate sued BCPA, Qantas (which had taken over BCPA in 1954), and BOAC (which was alleged to have sold Kapell the ticket). In 1964 Kapell's widow and two children were awarded US$924,396 damages. In 1965 this award of damages was lost on appeal.

Recordings

Many of Kapell's recordings were originally issued as 78RPM records. Some were issued on LP, but by 1960, all of Kapell's commercial recordings were out of print. RCA reissued Beethoven's Concerto No. 2 and Prokofiev's Concerto No. 3 on LP in the early 1970s, and bootlegged copies of the commercial recordings and pirate recordings of "live" performances circulated among collectors.

In the 1980s, RCA released two compact discs of Kapell's recordings, including the Prokofiev Third and Khatchaturian piano concertos, and an all-Chopin disc.

A nine CD survey, The William Kapell Edition, released by RCA in 1998 contains all of the pianist's authorized recordings with that label, several previously unreleased tracks, and an interview. The set sold well internationally and sparked a revival of interest in Kapell's artistry.

In addition, recordings taken from radio broadcasts of live performances have been issued on several labels, including Kapell ReDiscovered, which 　　　documents his final appearances.

William Kapell in 1941

Discography

The listing below contains only Compact Disc releases and does not contain 78rpm, LP, Cassette, or 8-track tape releases.

Year of issue	Album title and details	Recording date(s)	Record label
2008	Kapell ReDiscovered – The Australian Broadcasts (2 CDs) Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30 Victorian Symphony Orchestra / Sir Bernard Heinze, conductor Traditional: God Save the King J. S. Bach: Suite in A minor, BWV 818 Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Mozart: Piano Sonata in B-flat major, K.570 Chopin: Barcarolle, Op. 60 / Nocturne in E-flat major, Op.55, No.2 / Scherzo in B minor, Op.20 Prokofiev: Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op.83 Debussy: Suite bergamasque	1953	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 1 Chopin: Twenty-nine Mazurkas	1951-1952	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 2 Chopin: Sonata in B-flat minor, Op.35 / Sonata in B minor, Op.58 / Waltz in E-flat major, Op.18 / Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op.9, No.1 Mendelssohn: Song without Words in B minor, Op.67, No.5 Schumann: Romance in F-sharp major, Op.28, No.2 W. A. Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K.545	1945-1953	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 3 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18 / Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43+ Robin Hood Dell Orchestra of Philadelphia / William Steinberg, conductor / Fritz Reiner, conductor+ Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op.3, No.2 Shostakovich: Preludes, Op.34: No.24 in D minor, No.10 in C-sharp minor, No.5 in D major	1944-1951	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 4 Khachaturian: Piano Concerto in D-flat major Boston Symphony Orchestra / Serge Koussevitzky, conductor Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 in C major, Op.26 Dallas Symphony Orchestra / Antal Doráti, conductor Shostakovich: Three Preludes, Op.34: No.15 in S-flat major, No.10 in C-sharp minor, No.5 in D major	1945-1949	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 5 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat major, Op.19 NBC Symphony Orchestra / Vladimir Golschmann, conductor Schubert: Moment Musical No. 3 in F minor, D.780, No.3 / Four Waltzes from D. 145 / Two German Dances from D.783 / Waltz, D.365, No.34 / Two Ländler, D.734 Schumann: Romance in F-sharp major, Op.28, No.2 Brahms: Intermezzo in E major, Op.116, No.6 Liszt: Sonetto 104 del Petrarcha, S.161, No.5 / Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in A minor, S.244 / Mephisto Waltz, S.110, No.2	1945-1953	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 6 J. S. Bach: Suite in A minor, BWV 818 / Partita in D major, BWV 828 D. Scarlatti: Sonata in E major, K.380 W. A. Mozart: Adagio from Piano Sonata in B-flat major, K.570 Albeniz: Evocación from Iberia, Book 1 Chasins: Piano Playtime: No.1, By the Brook; No. 5: Dancing Bagpipes; No.6, Tricky Trumpet Debussy: Children’s Corner Suite Palmer: Toccata ostinato	1945-1953	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 7 Brahms: Sonata for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op.108 Jascha Heifetz, violin Brahms: Sonata for Viola and Piano in F minor, Op.120, No.1 William Primrose, viola Rachmaninoff: Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op.19 Edmund Kurtz, cello	1947-1950	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 8 Frick Collection Recital- March 1, 1953 Copland: Piano Sonata Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat major, Op.55, No.2 / Mazurka in C major, Op.33, No.3 / Polonaise-Fantasie, Op.61 Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Schumann: Of Foreign Lands and People from Kinderszenen, Op.15 D. Scarlatti: Sonata in E major, K.380	1953	RCA
1998	William Kapell Edition, Volume 9 An Artist at Work Fragments Alternate Takes Interview		RCA
2000	William Kapell in Performance Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, Op.15 New York Philharmonic / Dimitri Mitropoulos, conductor Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 in C major, Op.26 New York Philharmonic / Leopold Stokowski, conductor	1949-1953	Music & Arts
1997	Kapell in Recital Beethoven: Largo and Rondo from Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37 National Orchestral Association / Leon Barzin, conductor Piano Concerto No.1 in C minor, Op.35 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition J. S. Bach: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (arr. Busoni)	1937-1951	Arbiter
1996	Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat major, Op.19 NBC Symphony Orchestra / Vladimir Golschmann, conductor Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43 New York Philharmonic / Artur Rodziński, conductor Schubert: Lieder Maria Stader, soprano Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat major, Op.53		Pearl
2002	Unissued Broadcasts Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18 New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein, conductor Khachaturian: Piano Concerto in D-flat major Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor	1944-1951	Music & Arts
1994	Broadcast Performances, Volume 1 Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30 Toronto Symphony Orchestra / Sir Ernest MacMillan, conductor Khachaturian: Piano Concerto in D-flat major NBC Symphony Orchestra / Frank Black, conductor	1945-1948	VAI Audio
1995	Broadcast Performances, Volume 2 Debussy: Children's Corner Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody in D-flat major, S.244, No.6 / Hungarian Rhapsody in A minor, S.244, No.11 Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition W. A. Mozart: Piano Sonata in B-flat major, K.570 J. S. Bach: Allemande and Courante from Partita in D major, BWV 828	1942-1953	VAI Audio

Great Pianists of the 20th Century, Vol.52 - William Kapell (1999, Philips, 2CDs)