Clara Haskil plays Schumann's Waldszenen (1954 recording)

Clara Haskil's glorious May 1954 recording of Schumann's Waldszenen Op.82.
The Romanian pianist had made an earlier recording of the work on 78rpm discs for Decca in October 1947 but this later tape version for the Philips label captures the range of her tonal colours and clarity of her textures to perfection.
Haskil was particularly celebrated for her Mozart and Schumann, revealing in both composers' works their emotionally childlike and unsettled qualities with her disarmingly direct interpretations.
In this reading, Haskil plays with straightforwardness and simplicity, with a minimum of tempo fluctuation and with remarkably fluid phrasing, lines appearing as seamlessly as they disappear. Her transparent voicing, refined dynamic shadings, and sumptuous singing sonority present both the architectural structure and the varied emotional content of the work with exquisite clarity.
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[@keybawd4023]

I'm spellbound- but then I was brought up on her recording of the Abegg. What tone colours! What legato! And what lovely phrasing!

[@ThePianoFiles]

Oh gosh yes, that's incredible indeed. Her transparency and lightness are just mindblowing.

[@petreshterjov9302]

Ce que d'autres pianistes doivent travailler pour créer de la belle musique Clara le possède naturellement ❤ Quelle belle personne... Je suis triste et nostalgique de ne pas l'avoir connue de son vivant

[@marksmale827]

Natural as always. The music just flowed out of this great pianist.

[@harrymckeithen3474]

Exquisitely sensitive performance of this great work. Many thanks for posting.

[@TheJvitorino]

I've treasure this record for many years. Quintessential Schumann playing.

[@marksmale827]

Schumann as whimsical as ever. Haskil, Kempff and their ilk will never be surpassed in this repertoire.

[@ZurichSee23]

Haskil was my first love in Mozart and her Schumann is equally beautiful. I didn't know Waldszenen until recently. Every bit as great as Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana, and Liederkreis Op. 24 and 39 but a more subtle work. She is ideal for it, maybe even more so than Richter and Kempff who are also super in it.

[@pianomaly9]

Simple, unpretentious beauty backed by decades of study and insight. Her rendering of "Vogel als Prophet" shows how earlier pianists (a couple of names come immediately to mind) played fast and loose with Schumann's notation in this piece, reflecting an esthetic crystallized in Harold Bauer's dictum that a composer's markings may or may not have relevance to a valid rendering of any particular work. This is Kryptonite to modern urtextian thinking.

[@pamelafrancis4476]

We only have the written instructions of the composer from which to create (or resurrect) a piece of music and to play fast and loose (what a great phrase!) with any of them is disrespectful. It is akin to paraphrasing Shakespeare at will.

[@andreiadacostacarvalho124]

Excelente Pianista, consagrada através dos geniais Mozart e Schumann. Bravo, Haskil !!!

[@gerhardschwindt3127]

Sie ist einfach die Größte!!!

[@stephenscottbrewer5184]

Total einverstanden!

[@jorgekratsman3576]

Einfach is simple the greatest

[@angersd1]

❤J'adore

[@1blairt]

A truly wonderful "vocal" treat.

[@eytonshalomsandiego]

immortal, agree with all @keybawd4023 says, below...tone color, legato, phrasing. she is in my top 5 favorites.

[@AntonioCastagna]

Very beautiful work !

[@АркадийХаритонов-ъ5ц]

Лучшее исполнение этого произведения

[@strawberry2206]

Thank you clara

[@thomasblair5694]

Die Beiden!

[@papapowley]

10:58 vogel als prophet