CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op.11 – Noel Mewton-Wood, piano / Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra / Walter Goehr
Pristine Audio PASC114, 38:39 www.pristineaudiodirect.com (either download or actual CD-R available) ****:
Noel Mewton-Wood (1922-1953) made this recording of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto (actually written just after No.2) in 1952 with the Netherlands Philharmonic, a combination of players from three orchestras, not long before his untimely death aged just 31.
Mewton-Wood was not only a very accomplished pianist; he was well-read, knowing Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of Ancient Rome almost by heart, and could quote tracts of The Arabian Nights. He had a deep knowledge of nuclear physics, was an excellent tennis and chess player and driver of sports cars. In addition to the more popular repertoire, he was a keen supporter of contemporary music; Bliss wrote his Piano Sonata for him, and Hindemith, whose Ludus Tonalis he played, said “If you want to hear my music played as it should be, you must hear it played by Mewton-Wood.” Dame Myra Hess said after a performance of Ludus Tonalis in 1945 “The boy is truly remarkable, and what he shall be like at 40-odd….”
The photographs show a very handsome, confident man; however, he was easily plagued by doubt and frustration, difficult to accept when listening to the recordings he made. This performance of the Chopin No.1 – and it has the life of a performance – is a delight in its spontaneity, with the second movement effortlessly beautiful. Mewton-Wood’s passage-work is so well-articulated.
Whilst he may have been frustrated at not being taken up by a major recording company for concerto projects – though he did record solo works for Decca – his association with Walter Goehr was a true meeting of minds. The orchestra is slightly less polished here than in the Tchaikovsky recording recently reviewed, and the recording quality not quite as good, but this should not put anyone off enjoying this superb performance to the full. It is hoped that the recording of the Second Piano Concerto will follow soon.
Pristine Audio’s recordings are available to buy direct as CD-Rs, or as downloads in MP3 or FLAC (lossless) form; the website also offers instructions on downloading and burning your own disc. Andrew Rose has done an excellent job restoring the sound from an LP for this issue, and deserves many thanks for making available again this five-star performance.
— Peter Joelson
