Walter Gieseking
Walter Gieseking was a German pianist known for his sensitivity and control of tone, color, and dynamics. His recordings of Debussy and Ravel remain an important legacy. He was born in Lyon, France in 1895, and his father was a respected doctor and entomologist. Gieseking started playing the piano when he was four years old and made remarkable progress, especially considering that he was largely self-taught. At the age of 16 he began his first formal piano instruction with Karl Leimer at the Hanover Conservatory. Until then he had received a private education, as he constantly traveled France and Italy with his family throughout his childhood. In 1915, he performed nearly all of Beethoven's piano sonatas in a series of recitals in Hanover. The following year, he was drafted into the German army where he served in the regimental band until the end of World War I in 1918. After completing his military service, he worked as an accompanist, vocal coach, and performed in chamber ensembles. He also resumed his career as a recitalist in 1920, with a debut performance in Berlin that proved to be massively successful. By popular demand, he performed a series of seven additional recitals of Debussy, Ravel, and also newer, lesser-known works by Hindemith, Szymanowski, and Schoenberg. He performed the premiere of Hans Pfitzner's Piano Concerto in London with conductor Fritz Busch in 1923, and in 1926 he debuted in the United States at the Aeolian Hall in New York. Gieseking enjoyed a very prosperous career as a recitalist and soloist throughout Europe and the U.S. until the second World War, when he was accused of being a Nazi sympathizer and was temporarily blacklisted. However he still managed to perform in South America, Japan, and Europe. He was eventually cleared of the accusations, restoring both his political reputation and his career in the U.S., which resumed in 1953 with a recital at Carnegie Hall. This marked a high point in his career that continued until he passed away in 1956. In addition to a busy schedule of performing, Gieseking also recorded a vast repertoire consisting of the complete solo piano music of Mozart and Debussy, and a large selection by Ravel. He started to record all 32 piano sonatas by Beethoven, but was unable to finish before his unexpected death.
© RJ Lambert /TiVo
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Mozart: Concerto pour piano No. 23 (Mono Version)
Walter Gieseking, Herbert von Karajan, Philharmonia Orchestra
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 In A Major, K 488 - Piano Concerto No. 24 In C Minor, K 488
Herbert von Karajan, Walter Gieseking
Symfonische muziek - Released by RHI on 2 jul. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Walter Gieseking: Schumann
Concertmuziek - Released by Claves Records on 1 okt. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert & Schumann: Piano Works
Klassiek - Released by Urania Records on 29 apr. 2016
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MOZART: Horn Concertos Nos. 1-4 / Piano and Wind Quintet (Brain, Karajan, Gieseking) (1953, 1955)
Dennis Brain, Walter Gieseking, Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan, Philharmonia Wind Ensemble
Klassiek - Released by Naxos on 25 jan. 2007
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Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I& II BWV 846-893
Klassiek - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 jan. 1990
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Mozart: Piano Works
Klassiek - Released by Urania Records on 9 jun. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Homage to Scarlatti
Aldo Ciccolini, Vladimir Horowitz, Walter Gieseking, Emil Gilels
Klassiek - Released by Artemisia on 22 mrt. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Piano Works (2021 Remastered Version)
Klassiek - Released by Archipel on 26 mrt. 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms, Schubert & Schumann, Piano Works
Piano solo - Released by APR on 2 jun. 2017
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Debussy: Suite Bergamasque
Klassiek - Released by Regis Records on 30 apr. 2012
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Debussy: Preludes, Books I & II
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The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73 (Mono Version)
Herbert von Karajan, Philharmonia Orchestra, Walter Gieseking
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Piano Concerto, Op. 16 - Franck: Variations symphoniques, FWV 46
Walter Gieseking, Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 13 jan. 2023
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Complete Works for Piano
Klassiek - Released by Regis Records on 1 jan. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravel: The Complete Works for Solo Piano
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Walter Gieseking (1933-1947)
Klassiek - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 1 apr. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Sonatas 8, 9, 10, 13, 14 - Beethoven
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 1 jan. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Klavierstücke, D. 946 & Impromptus, D. 899 & D. 935 (Mono Version)
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Homocord Recordings & Other Rarities
Walter Gieseking, Lambros Demetrios Callimahos, Gustav Scheck
Klassiek - Released by APR on 30 sep. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Live)
Concertgebouworkest, Willem Mengelberg, Walter Gieseking
Klassiek - Released by Archipel on 22 okt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo