Solomon
The English born soloist Solomon (the only name he ever used in his professional life) was fortunate in having found success in two separate careers as a pianist. From the age of eight until his early teens, he was one of the most celebrated child prodigies of his era, a national phenomenon in England right up until the time of the First World War. He developed a distaste for his instrument, however, and on the advice of conductor Sir Henry Wood, he gave up music for several years. Then, as an adult in the late 1920's, he reappeared as a prodigiously talented musician once again, beginning an international career that was to last him through the Second World War and into the 1950's.
Solomon was born in London, the son of an impoverished tailor from the city's East End. At the age of seven, he astonished all of the adults around him by playing his own piano arrangement of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. He began studying with Mathilde Verne, a one time student of Clara Schumann. He made his formal concert debut in 1910, playing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, and became an overnight sensation. The extensive touring and concertizing that followed, and additional study, proved to be too much, and he found himself loathing the piano by age 15. He disappeared from the musical world for the next six years, immersing himself in study, and re-emerged as an adult at age 21.
His playing as an adult was acclaimed for its clarity, brilliance, and overall poetic feeling. He was particularly respected by his fellow musicians for his immaculate pianism, and the easy, unobtrusive virtuosity of his work. The qualities most often cited were matchless austerity and an absence of all pianistic vanity. His ego was virtually non-existent in concert, and his performances were, virtually without exception, a stunningly clear expression of the composer's intentions.
He was well known for the Beethoven sonatas and piano concertos--though he never did record them all--but also for his Mozart, Chopin, Brahms, and Debussy, but was also comfortable with contemporary, early twentieth century works such as Sir Arthur Bliss's Piano Concerto, which he premiered at the 1939 World's Fair in New York and later recorded for EMI. Solomon's career on the concert stage and in the recording studio continued at a healthy pace into the 1950's, although a plan to have him record the Beethoven concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtwangler proved unsuccessful, owing to the pianist's objections to working with Furtwangler due to the latter's record of musical activity in Germany during the Nazi regime. Thus, he worked with other, lesser conductors on those recordings. In 1955, Solomon became part of a very promising piano trio with violinist Zino Francescatti and cellist Pierre Fournier, but it was not to last. In 1956, while on vacation in France, he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and ended his career.
His recordings, which date from the 1930's, were done for EMI and are all of interest--they have begun to appear on compact disc, either directly through EMI or under license to the Testament label. Despite the onset of his stroke in 1956, Solomon recorded a handful of works in stereo, but whether in stereo or mono, his recordings are all worth hearing, the clarity of his playing overcoming any seeming technical shortcomings in the recordings themselves. His performance of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," in particular, is notable for its poetic lyricism and natural, unforced passion.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas by Solomon Cutner
Clásica - Editado por Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording el 18 mar. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Beethoven: Piano Concertos No.1 e 2
Solomon, Herbert Menges, André Cluytens, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Música sinfónica - Editado por Infinity el 3 ago. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor (Mono Version)
Solomon, Philharmonia Orchestra, Rafael Kubelik
Varios - Editado por BNF Collection el 1 ene. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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It's All Downhill From Here
Alternativa & Indie - Editado por Meet Me There Music el 20 ene. 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Solomon plays Beethoven, Schumann, Bach, Chopin & Brahms (First Master Release, RIAS studio recordings from 1956)
Clásica - Editado por audite Musikproduktion el 28 sept. 2010
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Meteor (Edit)
Drum & Bass - Editado por DnB Allstars Records el 14 jun. 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Solomon plays Beethoven
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 1 abr. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Mozart: Piano Concertos 15, 23 & 24
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 1 may. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The First HMV Recordings (Recorded 1942-1943)
Solomon, Henry Holst, Anthony Pini
Música de cámara - Editado por APR el 1 ene. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nobody Knows
Alternativa & Indie - Editado por Meet Me There Music el 8 abr. 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Piano Moments
World music - Editado por Classic Music International el 15 jun. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Can I Call You Rose? (Cover)
Pop - Editado por Parlophone UK el 15 mar. 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor", Piano Sonata No. 21, "Waldstein", Piano Sonata No. 26, "Les Adieux
Solomon, Herbert Menges, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Música sinfónica - Editado por Infinity el 3 ago. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo