​Budapest, December 1940​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​Pester LLoyd, 1 December 1940: Benedetti-Michelangeli also captivated the Budapest audience on his first evening (30 November). On December 5th, he will give his second piano recital. The new programme includes Bach—Busoni: Chaconne, Balakireff: Islamey, Chopin series, Debussy, Liszt. 

 

The first recital: 

“Ein musikalisches Phänomen. Der Klavierabend von Michelangeli”

It is impossible to describe the musical talent of the barely twenty-year-old young Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti-Michelangelo as anything other than a musical phenomenon. Those enthusiastic reports about his wonderful successes at the Florentine Maggio Musicale proved completely true yesterday evening at his first performance in Naples.
‘His psycho-physical characteristics alone predestine Arturo Benedetti Michelangelo to be a master of the piano: a hand born to be a pianist, with extraordinary range and elasticity, a youthfully vigorous organism of controlled strength and, finally, a nervous system of astonishing endurance and discipline; These are excellent qualities that make our artist one of the most "astonishing" pianistic talents of our time.

One might think that, in possession of such a gift, we are confronted with a youthful "storm and stress" (Sturm und Drang), a romantic hothead, who plays with the youthful impetuosity of his twenties, revealing either the sensitive romantic or the self-important virtuoso—for which, incidentally, he certainly possesses the technical capabilities.
What is astonishing, beyond all else, is the unparalleled intellectual discipline of his performance, which is nothing but classically solid in the best sense of the word. mature in conception. Any obtrusive esprit de corps is avoided in order to allow the great breath, the expression of the phrase, to stand out all the more monumentally. The tempi are grasped with exemplary precision and executed with iron consistency. The motif of entire movements is presented before us with exemplary clarity, something we find entirely natural in a son of "Italian" soil, the home of his great namesake, Michelangelo. The parallels to the visual arts are particularly evident in this divinely gifted designer; the liveliness and clarity of the architecture, the organic structure of large, harmonious surfaces, are among the most striking features of his piano playing. This performance has style in the best sense of the word.

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This specifically classical-Italian trait of his character in no way detracts from the universality of his comprehension, the comprehensive nature of which was already demonstrated by the compilation of Saturday's program. Anyone who can perform the late Baroque Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, the B-flat minor Scherzo of Chopin, the mighty C major Sonata Op. 2, full of Beethoven, or the Paganini Variations of Brahms with consistently consistent mastery, not only of the technical aspect, but also with this unprecedented intensity of intellectual habitus, is truly a universal artist. --* The evening's program was clearly designed to document the special versatility of the
phenomenal artist ad octilos
It was indeed a complete success; one didn't know what was more admirable about the performance: the sparkling fluency of the Scarlet Sonatas, which seemed to be thrown at me quite effortlessly, the classically captivated and yet highly expressive poise in the Beethoven Sonata (where the inner passages of the Adagio and the Scherzo, as well as the sparkling Finale, are highlighted as particular highlights), the somber, gloomy, and melancholic choral performances of the Beethoven Sonata, not to mention the mighty Paganini Variations by Brahms, the stupendous virtuosity of the minor works (Chopin Etudes, Polonaise by Liszt). It is almost unbelievable how a young man of barely 20 years of age was able to attain such a classical height of pianistic expression, which even made the performance of Chopin's Scherzo appear to us as a kind of classical music. In comparison, the fact that, for example, the tempi of the Chopin etudes were taken a little too quickly in youthful practice must be completely secondary in importance. The audience, who cheered ecstatically for the youthful phenomenon and demanded a whole series of encores from him, left the concert hall with the blissful feeling of having heard one of the greatest piano artists of our time. Indeed: when one listens to Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli's playing, one can perhaps get an inkling of the feeling with which, about 100 years ago, contemporaries may have listened, breathlessly captivated, to the appearance of the young Liszt.

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Dénes Bartha (1908–1993), the internationally renowned Hungarian music historian, known for his research on Joseph Haydn, worked as a music critic for Pester Lloyd between 1939 and 1944. He also played an important role in folk music research when Béla Bartók entrusted him with editing the booklet accompanying a set of gramophone recordings: A magyar népzenei gramofonfelvételek programja. From the 1949 communist takeover onwards, his opportunities in Hungary became increasingly limited and he was somewhat sidelined behind his also excellent colleague, Bence Szabolcsi.  The articles that Dénes Bartha wrote in German for Pester Lloyd between September 1939 and June 194414 comprise a very important part of this colourful oeuvre. The newspaper, founded in 1854, was the daily of the German-speaking bourgeoisie of Pest, and the high quality of the cultural section is reflected in the fact that in the 1930s and 1940s writings of such significant authors were published here as Thomas Mann, Franz Werfel, Felix Salten and Stefan Zweig, as well as Hungarian writers Dezső Kosztolányi and Ferenc Molnár.

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Olaszországban feltünt az "uj Liszt Ferenc"

 

Pesti Hírlap 1 September 1940

'The "new Liszt Ferenc" appeared in Italy. At the beginning of the summer, a report appeared in the Pesti Hirlap about the musical events of the festive games in Florence. The writer of the report, Countess Ceruttiné Paulay Erzsi (gróf Ceruttiné Paulay Erzsi) dedicated extremely warm lines to the praise of an 18-year-old Italian pianist, Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli. "Let us remember this name well," she wrote, "because the pianist we have been waiting for for years has arrived!" Other Italian and foreign press voices also confirm that a completely extraordinary phenomenon has appeared in the field of musical performing arts. This year, our audience will also get to know the young artist, the great winner of the Zurich [sic] piano competition two years ago; whom the great Cortot directly compared to Liszt Ferenc. In December, Benedetti-Michelangeli will organize a debut evening.

 

Pesti Hírlap 1 December 1940

Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli . . . is not an easily remembered name, but our audience will soon learn it Our readers may have already noticed it, because in these columns Countess Ceruttiné Paulay Erzsimár [= Erzsi Paulay, Hugrarian actress married to Italian ambassador Count Vittorio Cerrutti] wrote an interesting report about the young Italian pianist, who was celebrated as the “new Ferenc Liszt” by the audience of the Maggio Musicale in Florence this year. Surprised delight easily leads to exaggeration, but even moderate criticism must conclude: this twenty-year-old, slim-waisted, clean-faced, dreamy-eyed young man is a phenomenal talent. [ez a húsz esztendős, karcsú derekú, tiszta homlokú, álmodozó tekintetű fiatalember tüneményes tehetség]  The piano and he were made for each other. The instrument, wholeheartedly and enthusiastically, with all the magic dormant in it, with its entire magical repertoire of tones, shades of power, shimmering runs, octave themes, chord cascades, trill wonders, surrenders to its young master, offering him all this wealth, let him flourish in it as he pleases. Is it possible to resist such a temptation? Our artist does not abuse it unbridledly — he probably instinctively feels the responsibility of his talent — but he cannot even maintain sufficient order among his natural treasures.  In Beethoven, here and there, an etude-like self-interest, elsewhere an overdriven tempo, or an emotionality that has not been experienced, and therefore seems sentimental, can be blamed as his faults. But there are cases, as in the Chopin scherzo, where the very immaturity of the conception promises a classicizing interpretation free from any romantic mannerisms. All in all, an extraordinary technical prowess reminiscent of Horovitz awaits the full development of the artist's individuality. The dizzying performance of one of the Scarlatti sonatas, the two Chopin etudes and Brahms' Paganini variations made the Benedetti-Michelangeli debut an extraordinary concert experience.

L. V. 

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Second recital: The outstanding pianist began his concert today in the Redoute [= Vigadó, Budapest] with a charming little work by Tomeoni (18th century). From the very first bar, the listener is enchanted by the floating lightness and the subtlety of the nuances in Arturo Benedetti-Micheangeli's playing. The vivid voice leading is as clear as the beautifully rounded formal structure. His dazzling and unerring virtuosity knows no bounds, as was also demonstrated by the serious and balanced rendition of Bach-Busoni's Chaconne.  With the elegant assurance of a grand seigneur, he commands the passages, the octaves, and the chords, letting the tones roar tempestuously without showing the slightest effort or fatigue. Listening to these passages, one has the impression that everything is far too easy for him and that he could play even the most difficult passages just as effortlessly, and with his characteristic superior calm, twice as fast. This sovereign mastery of technique, in this absolute perfection, would offer considerable aesthetic pleasure in itself. In addition to this astonishing virtuosity, there is also a high level of musical culture that lends value and significance to this pianist's interpretations. He also has a particularly fine sense of sound and expressive phrasing, which his Chopin playing demonstrated. The Berceuse was a delicate whisper, softly passing by like a gentle breath of the warm, fragrant spring breeze. The F minor Fantasy was sweeping and brilliant, and the C sharp minor Étude, which he performed as an encore, set a tempo record that will probably be difficult to surpass. On the piano, Benedetti-Michelangeli has a velvety touch, and he knows how to conjure tonal subtleties and nuances from the instrument that are rarely encountered.

"Islamey" by Balakirev. This composition, which we had remembered as a not particularly entertaining or interesting work, was now unrecognizable. Benedetti-Michelangeli transformed it into a glittering (and also thunderous) firework of astonishing feats, playing them colorfully and charmingly, with a springy, idealistic rhythm, with fiery temperament, but above all with unparalleled pianistic bravura. Thunderous applause thanked the outstanding young artist.

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Pesti Hírlap 6 December 1940

There is something, barely expressible in words, light and yet meaningful, transparent and yet profound, in the piano sound of this young Italian artist. In some places — the artist is barely twenty or so years old — he can almost perform miracles. In the pre-classical pure piano style, in Tomeoni’s “Fuga and Allegro”, he realises the ideal of beauty of sound. The resonant splendour of Busoni’s Bach-Chaconne transcription was also able to approximate the sound experience that the original idea provides on the violin. Debussy’s “L’Isle joyeuse” or Liszt’s “Eglogue” were a veritable parade of colour effects. Of course, there are still heights that he cannot yet approach so closely. Chopin... The meticulous calculation of the "Berceuse", for example, was already somewhat bordering on the boundaries of ?flask music [a lombik-zene]. But this is not due to the artist's knowledge, but rather to his chords. At Benedetti Michelangeli's second piano recital, we already saw part of the audience that is "officially" present at every major concert event. As if the other part still had doubts, whether to believe the artist's reputation? We can reassure the doubters: Benedetti Michelangeli's piano recitals will be major events in the musical world within a year or two. (mja)

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There were two concerts with Herbert von Karajan in Berlin in December 1940 – the Grieg concerto was performed (Karajan's concertography: 8 & 9 December 1940).

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1941

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On 5 February 1941, L'Avvenire d'Italia reported on a recital in the Liceo Musicale, Bologna :

'Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli undoubtedly possesses a privileged nature. In him, virtuosity blends with temperament and the refinement of an acute and remarkably responsive sensitivity. His technique is extremely solid, rational, logical, complete, and constructive; governed by an inner control that elevates it to artistic thought and will. His sound can be, depending on the case, very sweet and powerful, diluted and solid, transparent, crystalline, robust and metallic. 

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'But Benedetti the artist is something more than Benedetti the virtuoso. He feels music in a very personal, intuitive, simple, and lucid way. A subtle engraver, revealer of every idea and of the great formal and constructive lines of the composition he performs, each of his interpretations seems to pass through the filter of a fervent intellect and a sensitivity that vibrates at even the slightest call.

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In lui il virtuosismo si fonde con il temperamento e con la raffinatezza di una sensibilità acuta e prontissima. La sua tecnica è solidissima, razionale, logica, completa, costruttiva; regolata da un controllo interiore che la innalza a pensiero e volontà d'arte. Il suono sa essere, a seconda dei casi, dolcissimo e potente, diluito e solido, trasparente, cristallino, robusto e metallico. 

 

Cesellatore sottile, rivelatore di ogni idea e delle grandi linee formali e costruttive della composizione che esegue, ogni sua interpretazione sembra passare attraverso il filtro di un fervido intelletto e di una sensibilità che vibra ad ogni pur tenue richiamo. 

 

'Benedetti amazes in the tumultuous transcendence of his technique no less than he captivates in the sweetness of his most tender, romantic, intimate pages of fantasy and feeling (let's even say this word that makes us shudder so much today!).

 

Benedetti stupisce nelle tumultuanti trascendentalità della tecnica non meno che avvinca nella dolcezza delle pagine più tenere, romantiche, intime di fantasia e di sentimento (diciamola pure questa parola che oggi fa tanto rabbrividire!)

 

And whoever yesterday listened to Chopin's "Berceuse", Respighi's "Nocturne", Beethoven's Adagio, should question his memory and cannot help but admit that he felt a profound and moving emotion.

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'The programme included a Fugue and an Allegro from the eighteenth-century Tomeoni (pieces reconstructed and elaborated by Benedetti himself with taste and stylistic propriety); Beethoven's Sonata Op. 2 No. 3; Chopin's Berceuse and Scherzo in B-flat minor; Martucci's Tarantella; Respighi's Nocturne; and Balakirev's Islamey.

 

'And the success, as expected, was resounding and enthusiastic: at the end of the concert, a veritable frenzy of cheers and ovations was quelled only by the kind concession of numerous unscheduled pieces. A huge crowd was present, the hall packed to the brim.'

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4 March 1941, Madrid

At the Teatro Español, pianist Arturo Benedetti-Michelangeli achieved his usual success, already a favourite with the Madrid public, with a program that included Beethoven's "Third Sonata in C Major," Brahms's "Variations" on a Theme by Paganini, and several works by Chopin and Liszt. (Ritmo XII, No.143)

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20 March, 1941 Pamplona, Spain: Grieg Concerto, conducted by [Fermín?] Muruzábal.  Encores included Tarantella Napoletana Op. 44, No. 6 (1879-80) by Giuseppe Martucci, and Scarlatti sonatas.

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7 April 1941, Madrid , Spain

In the splendid Teatro Coliseum, a piano recital was given by the man we do not hesitate to describe as a leading contemporary figure in the art of piano, Arturo Benedetti-Michelangell. There may be some virtuosos as good as this pianist in our times, three or four at most; better than him, we understand that none exist. He is a marvellous case. He is a true phenomenon. He is... musicality and piano technique made man and, if anything were missing, a man in the prime of his juventus, that is, one who has a long life ahead of him to dedicate to his art. It is frightening to think to what extremes Benedetti will be able to take his mastery of the piano; today, it is inexplicable that this astonishing security that leads him to interpret more and more works, the most difficult ones, those with the most intricate technique, without ever hitting a key wrong or violating for a single moment the precise intensity of the sound or the section of the rhythm.

​Hoja del Lunes, 7.4.41

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Saturday, 8 November 1941

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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