It’s good, even instructive to have a comprehensive overview of Robert Casadesus’ earliest recordings, which appear for the first time in a long-playing format. His Chopin Ballades stand out for their clean, dependable fingerwork, crisply delineated textures, and straightlaced approach to the text. The dry brilliance of Casadesus’ sonority seems finger rather than arm-based. You get none of the juicy nuance or overt passion of Cortot’s contemperaneous versions (he did them twice on 78s), but also none of the older pianist’s erratic qualities. In a similar vein, Casadesus’ efficient yet earthbound Schumann Symphonic Etudes lack Cortot’s quivering harmonic tension and coloristic palette. On the other hand, the same composer’s fabled “Prophet Bird” takes easy flight after sipping from Casadesus’ cool stream.
A close friend of Ravel, the pianist’s solid yet appropriately transparent Sonatine surpasses his fluent, mechanical mid-’50s remake (Sony). The same is true for Le Tombeau de Couperin’s Menuet. Fauré’s ravishing D minor Prelude and forboding F-sharp minor Impromptu, though, are as beautifully shaped as De Séverac’s slight but sweet Cerdaña, which closes the disc. Seth Winner effects excellent, smooth transfers from difficult originals (the Chopin and Schumann selections lack the bloom and resonance of the best piano recordings of the period), and producer Teri Noel Towe’s notes include valuable personal insights on a pianist whose artistry I admire and respect more than love.
