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Live Radio Broadcasts from the 1940's EARL WILD AT 30 EARL WILD AT 30

Live Radio Broadcasts from the 1940's - Home / Ivory … · Prelude in G Major (from Thirteen Preludes, op. 32) (Track ) Immediately following his graduation in May of 1892 from the

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Live RadioBroadcastsfrom the 1940's

EARL WILDAT 30

EARL WILDAT 30

Remastering Producer: Michael Rolland DavisRemastering Engineer: Ed Thompson

24-Bit Remastering

Scarlatti - Sonata in D Major K. 96, L. 465............................ 4:04

Mendelssohn - Capriccio Op. 16, No. 2.................................. 2:20

Daquin - Le Coucou ................................................................ 2:06

Mussorgsky - Ein Kinderscherz in D ...................................... 2:25

Rachmaninoff - Polichinelle Op. 3, No. 4 ............................... 3:12

MacDowell - Hexantanz – Witches’ Dance Op. 17, No. 2....... 2:42

Rachmaninoff - Prelude in G Op. 32, No. 5........................... 2:20

Liszt - Sonata in B minor ...................................................... 27:48

Chopin - Polonaise in A flat Major Op. 53 ............................. 5:52

TOTAL TIME: 53:40

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• Live Radio Broadcasts from the 1940's •�

EARL WILD AT 30EARL WILD AT 30

DOMENICO SCARLATTI (1685-1757)Sonata in D Major K. 96, L. 465

(Track )

The Sonata as a form has been evolvingthroughout the centuries and it was with theSonata in D Major (K. 96, L. 465) that Scarlattiliberated himself from the formal restrictionswhich dominated his early works. At this point,the Sonata had evolved from the symmetricalbinary form and began to utilize the opening sec-tions of each of the work’s halves for free andspontaneous material. In keeping with traditiononly in the symmetrical ends of each half,Scarlatti was now able to compose an unprece-dented display of spontaneous fantasy.

In this harpsichord work Scarlatti employs two of his most frequently usedeffects. Possibly the most conspicuous among wind and brass effects are the trum-pet fanfares, which can be imitated either realistically or simply implied. Many ofScarlatti’s keyboard compositions, in fact many of the period, incorporated thesebrass fanfares, recalling the royal processions. Another favorite device is the brisk

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EARL WILD AT 30Radio Broadcasts from the 1940’s

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repeated notes that highlight many of hiscompositions; these passages recall both thestrumming of mandolins and the playing ofcastanets.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)Capriccio (from Three Fantasies for

Piano, Opus 16) (Track )

In 1829, Mendelssohn traveled through-out England and, for a time, visited the fami-ly of John Taylor, a mining engineer, in CoedDu in Flintshire. The Taylor family had threedaughters, Honora, Susan, and Anne, andMendelssohn spent much time with themduring many excursions to the countryside.“Yes, children,” Mendelssohn wrote in a letter,“I do nothing but flirt, and that in English!”

It was for these three daughters that Mendelssohn would compose the Three WelshPieces, as he referred to them. Inspired by a stream, an arrangement of carnations androses, and “little trumpet-like flowers” that one of the girls wore in her hair, Mendelssohnconsidered these works to be “three of my best” piano compositions. Anne Taylor, her-self an accomplished artist, recalled Mendelssohn and his music by saying, “His way ofrepresenting [the hills and the woods] was not with pencil; but in the evening his impro-vised music would show what he had observed or felt in the past day.”These three vignettes would later be published as Three Fantasies for Piano, Opus 16.On this release Mr. Wild performs the second of the three works, the Capriccio.

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LOUIS-CLAUDE DAQUIN (1694-1772)

“Le Coucou” (from Premier livre de pièces for Harpsichord) (Track )

Considered to be the leading organist of his generation, Louis-Claude Daquinwas born in Paris on July 4, 1694. Also an accomplished harpsichordist and com-poser, Daquin was a child prodigy as both a performer and composer. At the age ofsix Daquin performed for the French king and at the age of eight he directed a per-formance of his Beatus vir à grand choeur avec symphonie. Most of his compositionsare now lost, and unfortunately the surviving works do not help to explain his rep-utation as a prominent composer and musician. With a few notable exceptions, hisbook of harpsichord pieces, Premier livre de pièces, does not demonstrate the samelevel of invention or technique as the music of Couperin or Rameau. There is, how-ever, a distant “naturalness” about some of the pieces, as was to be expected in themusic of the period; this is most exemplified in the famous piece, “Le Coucou.”

All that is known of Daquin comes from his few surviving compositions or fromhis son’s documentation of his career. His other remaining compositions include abook of twelve Christmas carol settings, titled Nouveau livre de noëls, and although hewrote a great number of vocal works (mostly in manuscript only), all that remains isa single cantata, La Rose, and one piece for solo voice.

Daquin died in Paris on June 15, 1772.

MODEST MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881)

Ein Kinderscherz (Track )

In September of 1859, Mussorgsky became suspicious that he was experiencinga kind of nervous disorder and sought treatment through relaxation at the waters inTikhvin in the Novgorod district. One of the works which he completed during thisperiod of treatment was a scherzo for piano, originally simply titled as such. Later

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referred to as both Ein Kinderscherz andChildren’s Games - Puss in the Corner, thiswork was an early effort by Mussorgsky toproduce a picturesque scene within thelimits of music’s salon style. In this grace-ful, Schumannesque piece, Mussorgsky’schief aim seems to be nothing more thanprettiness, for there is little to suggest themature works that would follow later inthe composer’s career.

The most interesting element of thisscherzo is the transition to the trio, aninterruption of the work’s gentle, undulat-ing flow. This provides a sense of anticipa-tion for the listener, a device which recallsBalakirev’s Islamey, a work which wouldnot be composed for ten more years.

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)Polichinelle (from 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, op. 3) (Track )

Prelude in G Major (from Thirteen Preludes, op. 32) (Track )

Immediately following his graduation in May of 1892 from the MoscowConservatory, Rachmaninoff sold to his publisher Karl Gutheil two pieces for celloand piano, six songs, and his opera Aleko (which was set to receive its public pre-miere at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow a year later). Following a monotonous sum-mer spent offering private instruction in piano and proofreading the publication of

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his compositions, Rachmaninoff returnedto Moscow where he moved into an apart-ment in the fashionable district of Arbat. Itwas there that during the autumn monthsof 1892 he would compose, at Gutheil’srequest, a set of five works for solo piano.Rachmaninoff’s first published solo pianoworks, the 5 Morceaux de fantaisie of Opus3 were met with a certain kind of success;one piece in particular would propel him tounfathomable fame, the remaining fourpieces would be lost in the mix.Rachmaninoff was offered two hundredrubles by his publisher for five short piecesfor piano which included the Polichinelleas well as the famous Prelude in C-SharpMinor, whose immediate success cast ashadow of abandonment on the remainingfour works of Opus 3.

From the set of five pieces, this preludespecifically provided the most powerful cat-alyst in his worldwide recognition as an

emerging composer. Unfortunately, international copyright at that time did notextend to Russia; therefore, Rachmaninoff had not considered copyrighting the pianoworks of Opus 3 in any way. He had to wonder if he had somehow traded financialsuccess for success of another kind, a kind that was ensuring the positive promotionof his music. Rachmaninoff commented on his mixture of fortune by saying,

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Rachmaninoff’s Opus 32 Preludes marks the work of a mature composer.Composed in 1910, these thirteen preludes, when combined with the ten preludesof Opus 23 and the Prelude in C-Sharp Minor of Opus 3, amount to a set of twen-ty-four and include one work in each key, akin to Chopin’s Preludes of Opus 28 and,more remotely, Bach’s Preludes and Fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier.Rachmaninoff’s prelude in G Major provides a startling change in temperament whenheard within the set as the two preludes which precede it feature a kind of heavy-handed drama. When heard out of context as a single piece, the prelude seems dis-armingly simple. With the gentle rise and fall of the accompaniment, Rachmaninoffspins an expressive, yet simple, melody. Only in a few measures does the harmonyexpand beyond the comforting home of G Major, and upon its return the mood istinged with a sense of melancholy.

Under the circumstances, I should be thankful, I suppose, that I wrote thecomposition. But I am undecided whether my oversight in neglecting tosecure international copyright for it was altogether fortunate for me. HadI copyrighted it, I might have had wealth as well as fame from it. Andagain, I might have achieved neither. For when I learned of the wide suc-cess of this little work I wrote a series of ten preludes, my Opus 23, andtook the precaution to have them copyrighted by a German publisher. Ithink them far better music than my first preludes, but the public hasshown no disposition to share my belief. I cannot tell whether my judg-ment is at fault or whether the existence of the copyright had acted as ablight on their popularity. Consequently it will always be an open ques-tion with me whether intrinsic merit or absence of copyright was respon-sible for the success of my earlier work.

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EDWARD MACDOWELL (1860-1908)Hexantanz - Witches’ Dance (from Two Fantastic Pieces, Op. 17)

(Track )

MacDowell was a Romantic by tempera-ment. His music was inspired largely by natureand literature and although there is nothing dis-tinctly American in his compositions, he was, inhis time, considered to be the greatest ofAmerican composers.Born in New York on December 18, 1860,MacDowell began studying piano by the age ofeight. Upon moving to Paris in April 1876 withhis mother, Edward started attending classes atthe Paris Conservatoire and on October 31,1877 he received a scholarship to begin study asan official student. His time at theConservatoire was brief, however, and afterattending a performance at the Paris Exhibitionon September 9, 1878 of Tchaikovsky’s PianoConcerto in B-Flat Minor with NikolaiRubinstein at the piano, Edward left forGermany with the hopes of pursuing a career asa concert pianist.

In May of 1879, at the age of eighteen, Edward entered the piano studio of CarlHeymann at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt am Main, where he also began tostudy advanced composition with the director, Raff. MacDowell’s first concertappearance was on June 9, 1879 where he and another student performed a two-

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piano transcription of Lamento e Trionfo, from Franz Liszt’s symphonic poem Tasso ata concert dedicated solely to Liszt’s music. The composer was in attendance.

Perhaps fate had a hand in the young pianist / composer’s first meeting, for Lisztbegan to take an interest in MacDowell’s work. After composing his First ModernSuite for Piano, Opus 10 under Raff’s guidance in 1881, Edward’s teacher suggestedthat he should send the new work to Liszt for his consideration, a suggestion that ledto Liszt’s recommendation that it be performed at the Allgemeiner DeutscherMusikverein in Zurich on July 12, 1882. One month before this concert, MacDowelltraveled to Weimar to visit Liszt and play his First Piano Concerto for him. He wasgreeted with strong encouragement from the master Romantic, encouragement thatincluded a recommendation that his works be published. In 1883 Breitkopf &Härtel published MacDowell’s First and Second Modern Suites for Piano, Opuses 10and 14, a decision based in no small measure upon Liszt’s glowing praise. By 1884,Breitkopf & Härtel and three other German firms had published ten of the twenty-four year old composer’s pieces, including a two-piano version of his First PianoConcerto which was dedicated, not surprisingly, to Franz Liszt.

MacDowell’s success was largely due to Liszt’s quick recognition of him, andupon his return to the United States in 1884 he was hailed as one of the country’sleading composers. It was during this period of success that his Two Fantastic Piecesfor Piano, Opus 17 were published; the movements were titled “Legend” and“Witches’ Dance” - Hexantanz. On July 9, 1884 he married, in secret, Marian Nevins,who had been his student since August of 1880. With his growing reputation as ateacher and performer, however, MacDowell found less time to compose.

He never aspired to compose nationalistic music and was disturbed by the con-sensus that he was the most prolific American composer. Believing that musicshould be presented based on the composer’s merit rather than his nationality,MacDowell had a strong dislike for concerts devoted entirely to American composersand refused to allow his works to be performed in such venues.

MacDowell was the first American composer to receive international recognition.Though his creativity was limited to the traditions and conventions of his period andthough he was not revolutionary, his music is well-constructed, clearly displaying theinfluence of Grieg, Raff, Rubinstein, Schumann, Wagner, and, of course, Liszt.

MacDowell’s later years were plagued by tragedy. In December of 1904, he wasrun over and injured by a Hansom Cab, a two-wheeled covered carriage. He beganto show definite signs of mental illness and by the following autumn had regressedto a childlike state, experiencing only intermittent periods of advanced cognitiveability. He passed away in New York on January 23, 1908 from paresis (general par-alytica); his body was interred in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

His position as a leader in American music remained unchanged for many yearsbut his reputation gradually declined following his death. Today, much of his musicis out of fashion and only a handful of works, including his Second Piano Concertoand some of his smaller character pieces, are still performed.

FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)

Piano Sonata in B Minor (Track )

When looking back at the career of Franz Liszt, one sees a series of impressiveaccomplishments. Liszt’s endeavors, as both composer and as pianist, were met witha great measure of success. In the long view of history, Liszt’s compositions weretruly groundbreaking. Each work aimed the way for future composers to see theentire orchestra in a new light and, perhaps more importantly, to realize muchgrander possibilities for the piano. Liszt’s pianistic skills were unrivalled, cementedby enlightened interpretation and awe-inspiring technique. Indeed, Franz Liszt isthe reason why, today, we have composers who understand what the piano can doand pianists who possess the virtuoso abilities to execute such requests. But while

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each composition and each virtuoso recitalpaints an individual picture of Liszt, it isonly when one examines the whole of hiscareer that one realizes the debt owed by his-tory to this extraordinary man.

It is generally agreed that the Sonata inB Minor is Liszt’s greatest pianistic master-piece. He composed the work in 1853 whileliving in Weimar, but it wasn’t until 1857that the work would receive its public pre-miere in Berlin, and even then the perfor-mance was given by Liszt’s pupil, Hans vonBülow. The Sonata exemplifies “pure” musicrather than programmatic music; the musicserves itself and does not rely on a programor story, nor does it exploit virtuosic pas-sages for their own sake. Liszt’s Sonata, likehis symphonic poems, encompasses bothfreedom in form and orchestral grandeur.

Liszt’s Sonata is more evolutionary thanrevolutionary. It is the next step in a genrethat had been continuously evolving over the preceding century, encompassing amost important step in evolution, a step first taken by Beethoven. Gone are the threeor four movements of the Classical-era sonata, instead replaced by a single half-hourmovement (an innovation which was most likely a shock to audiences of his time).While the thematic treatment and arrangement of themes are similar to those appear-ing in works of the past, they are presented in a more “cyclical” pattern recalling theadvanced concepts anticipated by Beethoven in his final sonatas and the Ninth

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Symphony.In the opening of the Sonata, Liszt introduces three seemingly independent

musical ideas reminiscent of the Wagnerian leitmotif. A musical device frequentlyemployed today by Hollywood composers, leitmotif is, at least in the Wagnerian def-inition, a brief, recognizable musical fragment that references a character, an emo-tion, a situation, or even an inanimate object (such as Siegfried’s sword). In appro-priate dramatic moments, this musical fragment will return, usually in an unalteredform, to direct the listener’s attention to an important aspect of the story. A leitmotifis thus an effective, if overly simplified, way to keep the music at the heart of thestory. Liszt uses this device in his Sonata as a means of handling thematic ideas, butsince his Sonata is not programmatic, he treats these leitmotifs in a different mannerthan Wagner might have. Since Liszt is not trying to depict a dramatic situation, heis free to sculpt his musical ideas in varying ways; the motifs are presented in differ-ent tempi and even explore different rhythmic possibilities in order to present dif-ferent meanings.

The prologue to Liszt’s Sonata differs greatly from the prologue in the Classicaltradition. In the Classical-era sonata the prologue was used to create tension or raiseexpectations for what was to follow. These introductions, however, were indepen-dent from the movement which would follow, both in thematic content and dramat-ic appeal. Introductions were often “detachable” from the movement (aside fromonly a few exceptions, Brahms and Schumann followed the Classical-era composersin this respect) and it wasn’t until Beethoven’s “Pathétique” sonata that the introduc-tion would be featured as a repeated section later in the movement, perhaps as ameans of strengthening the psychological motivation for having a separate introduc-tion in the first place. Liszt, however, utilizes the introduction as a way of present-ing his three Dramatis personæ, displaying them unclothed in their Urform as if to say,“These are the characters who will be acting upon the stage; they will cry, laugh, suf-fer, live and die, all according to the laws of their natures.” With the exception of the

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Andante sostenuto, all the material in the Sonata uses these three main themes.Liszt’s sole Piano Sonata was not without critics at the time of its premiere.

While playing the piece for Brahms, Liszt glanced over only to find the great com-poser dozing in his chair. He finished the piece and rose quietly, leaving the room.Today, however, the Sonata in B Minor is considered to be Liszt’s greatest achieve-ment. It is a work which all pianists must study in order to be fully aware of theirinstrument’s (and their own) capabilities; likewise, it is a work which all composersmust study in order to fully understand a most important step in musical evolution.

FREDERIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)Polonaise in A-flat Major,

Opus 53 “Heroic” (Track )

Chopin’s third largest Polonaise is a sub-ject of great debate among historians, both forthe conflicting stories surrounding its birth aswell as for the validity of the increasingly fasttempi contemporary pianists seem to favor.

Contrary to early belief that the “Heroic”Polonaise was composed in the early 1840s, itseems clear now that Chopin composed thework during or before 1836. On September12th of that year, he presented a manuscriptcopy of the piece to Clara Wieck (who was,four years later, married to Robert Schumann),bearing the inscription “from her admirer;”Clara was, in fact, Chopin’s favorite German

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pianist. It wasn’t until almost eight years later that the work was published, plentyof time for speculation regarding the possible genesis of the piece. In a letter datedDecember 15, 1842, Chopin wrote to his publisher, Breitkopf & Härtel, offering thePolonaise in A-flat Major for five-hundred francs. This published edition carries adedication to the banker Auguste Léo.

In both form and scope, this Polonaise is surpassed only by the Polonaise in F-sharp Minor and the monumental Polonaise-Fantaisie. Many musicologists arguethat Chopin had intended for the piece to be performed only at a moderate tempo.Modern audiences, it seems, have grown to love the work’s muscle-spasm inducingleft-hand octaves to such a degree that modern pianists have become forced toindulge them. Regardless of the tempo, it is through this work, one of Chopin’s mostenduringly popular, that many pianists continue to astonish audiences around theworld.

© 2004 Christopher Weiss

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Earl Wild is a pianist in the grand Romantic tradition. Considered by many tobe the Last of the Great Romantic Pianists, he is often heralded as a super virtuoso. Thiseminent musician is internationally recognized as one of the great virtuosopianist/composers of all time. His legendary career, so distinguished and long, hascontinued for more than 80 years. One of only a handful of living pianists to meritan entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, he is therein describedas a pianist whose technique, “is able to encompass even the most difficult virtuosoworks with apparent ease.” He was included in the Philips Records series entitled,Great Pianists of the 20th Century, with a double CD, which included all piano tran-scriptions. He has been featured on two separate occasions in TIME magazine; themore recent one was in December 2000 honoring his eighty-fifth birthday.

Born on November 26, 1915, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Earl Wild’s technicalaccomplishments are often likened to what those of Liszt himself must have had.Born with absolute pitch he started playing the piano at three. Having studied withgreat pianists such as Egon Petri 1881-1962, his lineage can be traced back to XaverScharwenka 1850-1924, Ferruccio Busoni 1866-1924, Maurice Ravel 1875-1937,Eugen d’Albert 1864-1932 and Franz Liszt himself 1811-1886.

Earl Wild’s career is dotted with musical legends. In 1942, he was soloist withthe Maestro himself, Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony. Since then he hasperformed with virtually every major conductor and symphony orchestra. SergeiRachmaninoff was a friend and an important idol in his life. It’s been said of EarlWild, “He is the incarnation of Rachmaninoff, Lehvinne and Rosenthal rolled intoone!”

In 1986 after performing three sold-out Carnegie Hall concerts, devoted to the

Earl Wild Biography

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music of Liszt, honoring the cen-tenary of that composer’s death,the New York Times critic said, “Ifind it impossible to believe thathe played those millions of noteswith 70-year-old fingers, so fresh-sounding and precise were they.Perhaps he has a worn-out set upin his attic, a la Oscar Wilde’sPicture of Dorian Gray.” Also in1986 the People’s Republic ofHungary awarded the Liszt Medalto Earl Wild in recognition of hislong and devoted association withhis music.

He’s one of the few Americanpianists to have achieved interna-tional as well as domestic celebri-ty. He has also had the singularhonor of having performed at theinvitation of six Presidents of the

United States, beginning with Herbert Hoover. This includes a performance at theinauguration of President John F. Kennedy on January 19, 1961.

Earl Wild began performing on the radio in his home town of Pittsburghin the late 1920s at the age of twelve. He even worked at Pittsburgh's KDKAradio station on and off for the next eight years when he went to New York Cityto work at the famous NBC radio network in Rockefeller Center. From 1937

Earl Wild

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to 1946 Earl Wild performed countless times on the radio - both in solo pianorepertoire as well as in chamber music with many of the great artists of the day.One of his many duties at NBC was to remain in standby studio 2B for hourson end where he would practice for concerts between playing required radiobroadcasts. He would never know when the red light in the studio was goingto switch on but as soon as it did he would begin playing live over the networkand continue to do so until the red light went off again. There were alsomany solo piano music periods on the radio at that time in which Mr. Wildwould perform selections of his choice. Many of these wonderful old liveradio broadcast performances have been lost but fortunately a few of the piecesstill remain on old 78 acetates and Ivory Classics is pleased to be able to offerthe historic performances on this disc.

In 1927, NBC radio had two national networks in operation the 'red' net-work fed by WEAVE and the 'blue' network fed by WJZ. When the govern-ment deregulated monopolies in 1943, the Blue Network split from the Red andcreated ABC. NBC continued to be called the Red Network. The BlueNetwork (WJZ) officially became WABC after acquiring a group of radio sta-tions on the west coast called ABC. In 1943 the Blue Network (WABC) wasbought by entrepreneur and philanthropist Edward J. Noble for $8,000,000.Mr. Noble was the inventor of the lifesaver candy.

In 1946, Mr. Wild moved over to the WABC radio and TV network where hecontinued to frequently perform live over the radio. ABC debuted a popularradio program airing it every Sunday morning called 'The Piano Playhouse.'Three wonderful pianists held forth each week performing the classics, jazzand everything in between. The program quickly became an audiencefavorite. Besides Earl Wild playing the classics the other two staples on theprogram were Stan Freeman and Cy Walter, both jazz pianists. Ivory Classicsis pleased to be able to present one of the pieces Mr. Wild performed on that

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program in 1949 - the Liszt Sonata.While serving in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1944 he was frequently requested to

accompany First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on her many speaking engagements, atwhich he performed the national anthem as a prelude to her speeches. In 1939, atthe NBC studios in New York City he was the first classical pianist to give a live recitalon the new medium of Television and on March 7, 1997 he became the first pianistto perform a live recital on the broadcast medium of the 90’s – the Internet.

At fourteen he was performing in the Pittsburgh Symphony under the baton ofOtto Klemperer as well as working at radio station KDKA, where he played many ofhis own compositions.

In addition to his distinguished concert career, which encompasses performanceswith other eminent conductors such as Stokowski, Reiner, Maazel, Solti,Mitropoulos, Horenstein, Leinsdorf, Fiedler, Grofe, Ormandy, Sargent, Dorati,Copland and Schippers; and great singers like Maria Callas, Jenny Tourel, Lily Pons,Lawrence Melchior, Jan Peerce and Grace Bumbry, Mario Lanza and Zinka Milanov.Earl Wild successfully shines as both a conductor and composer. The ABC televisionnetwork broadcast his Easter oratorio, Revelations, in 1962 and again in 1964 withMr. Wild conducting. His composition, Variations on a Theme of Stephen Foster forpiano and orchestra (Doo-Dah Variations), was premiered with Mr. Wild as soloistwith the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra in 1992 – and recorded that same year.His Piano Sonata 2000 was composed and also recorded in 2000 on Ivory ClassicsCD-71005.

As a virtuoso pianist, composer, transcriber, conductor, editor and teacher, Mr.Wild continues in the style of the legendary great artists of the past and has takenhis place in history as the direct descendant of the golden age of the piano tran-scription.

Mr. Wild has also been called, “the finest transcriber of our time.” His manypiano transcriptions are widely-known, respected, performed and recorded today.

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His transcriptions can be purchased through his publisher: Michael Rolland DavisProductions ASCAP HYPERLINK "http://www.mrdproductions.com" www.mrdpro-ductions.com Tel. (614) 761-8709

This eminent pianist has built an extensive repertoire over the years, whichincludes both the standard as well as modern piano literature. He is one of theworld’s most recorded pianists today, having made his first disc for RCA in 1939.Since then he has recorded hundred’s of discs on 20 different record labels andbecome world renown in particular for his brilliant performances of the virtuosoRomantic works.

In 1997 he became an exclusive IVORY CLASSICS artist and to date he has 22different CDs released on the label.

Today at 89, Mr. Wild still continues to record new CDs and perform concertsthroughout the world. In 1997, he won a GRAMMY® for his CD entitled, TheRomantic Master – Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions, which included thirteen piano tran-scriptions (nine of them his own works). Praised by critics and music lovers aroundthe world and featured in Time Magazine, this disc is now available in its originalHDCD state-of-the-art audiophile sound on Ivory Classics (CD-70907).

At age 79, he recorded an extremely well received disc of Beethoven pianosonatas which included the monumental Hammerklavier Sonata, as well asanother CD dedicated to the music of Sergei Rachmaninov - Preludes and theSecond Piano Sonata both of which will be re-released on Ivory Classics in 2005.

In 1997, for the initial release of the newly formed IVORY CLASSICS label, EarlWild recorded the complete 21 Chopin Nocturnes (CD-70701) – which the eminentNew York Times critic, Harold C. Schonberg wrote in the American Record Guide,“These are the best version of the Nocturnes ever recorded.”

In May of 2003 the 88 year old dean of the piano recorded a new CD of solo mate-rial he had never put on disc before. Recorded on the exceptional new limited edi-tion Shigeru Kawai Concert Grand piano, it included his piano transcription of

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Marcello’s Adagio, Mozart’s Sonata in F Major K. 332, Beethoven’s 32 Variations in Cminor, the Balakirev Piano Sonata No. 1 in B flat minor, Chopin’s Four Impromptus andhis own piano transcription of the Mexican Hat Dance (Jarabe Tapitio). This disc wasreleased in November of 2003 by IVORY CLASSICS (CD-73005).

He presently holds the title of Distinguished Visiting Artist at his alma mater,Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. In 1996, Carnegie Mellon honored Mr.Wild with their Alumni Merit Award and in the fall of 2000 they further honored himwith their more prestigious Distinguished Achievement Award.

Mr. Wild is currently working on his memoirs to be published in 2005.Mr. Wild's home page can be found at: www.earlwild.com

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Earl Wild on Ivory Classics

EARL WILD’S Legendary Rachmaninoff Song Transcriptions (CD - 74001) (ADD & DDD)

Nobody plays Earl Wild piano transcriptions better thanEarl Wild. Definitely one of Earl’s pearls.

EARL WILD at 88 (CD - 73005) (DDD)

“At 88 Earl Wild’s fabled technique remains staggeringly intact, while his artistry continues toevolve! When you hear this disc, you'll believe in miracles. Buy it.” Jed Distler, ClassicsToday

EARL WILD plays Brahms (CD - 72008) (DDD)

Sonata No. 3 in F minor Op. 5Paganini Variations (Books I & II)

EARL WILD - Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions1997 GRAMMY® Award (CD - 70907) (DDD)

Bach, Handel, Saint-Saëns, Chopin, Rachmaninov,Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Faure, J. Strauss Jr., and hisFantasy on Snow White.

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EARL WILD plays Beethoven (CD - 70905) (DDD)

Sonata Op. 10, No. 3Sonata Op. 57 (Appassionata)Beethoven/Liszt - Symphony No. 1

EARL WILD plays Liszt in Concert(CD - 73002) (ADD)

Recitals in London - 1973, Chicago - 1979 and Tokyo - 1983. La Leggierezza, Un Sospiro,Transcendental Etudes, Funérailles, Valse Oubliee,Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4.

EARL WILD - Historic Gershwin (CD - 70702) (ADD)

1945 Rhapsody in Blue (Paul Whiteman, Cond.), 7 Virtuoso Etudes and Fantasy on Porgy and Bess.

EARL WILD - Reynaldo Hahn 53 poèmes for piano (2 - CDs - 72006) (DDD)

EARL WILD plays Liszt - The 1985 Sessions (2 - CDs - 72001) (DDD)

Dante Sonata, Sonata in B minor, Ballade No. 2, Three Sonetti del Petrarca, Les jèux d’eau à la Villad’Este, Liebesträume Nos. 2 & 3, Un Sospiro,Funérailles and Fantasia & Fugue in G minor.

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EARL WILD Goes To The Movies (CD - 70801) (ADD)Rodgers Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Rozsa’s SpellboundConcerto, Steiner’s Symphonie Moderne and MozartConcerto No. 21 (Elvira Madigan).

EARL WILD plays Schumann (CD - 71001) (DDD)Etudes Symphoniques Op. 13 (Five posthumous variations)Fantasie in C Major Op. 17Toccata in C Major Op. 7

EARL WILD plays Spanish and French Gems (CD -70805) (ADD)Albeniz, Granados, Falla, Mompou, Ravel, Moszkowski and Debussy.

EARL WILD plays Russian Romantic Masters (CD -70903) (ADD)Mussorgsky Pictures at an ExhibitionTchaikovsky The SeasonsMedtner Improvisation No. 1

EARL WILD - 20th & 21st Century Piano Sonatas(CD - 71005) (DDD)Barber Sonata, Hindemith Sonata, Stravinsky Sonata andEarl Wild Sonata 2000.

The Virtuosity of EARL WILD(2 - CDs - 70901) (DDD & ADD)Liszt, Dohnányi, Moszkowski, d’Albert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Paganini, Schubert, Schumann and Tchaikowsky.

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SCHUMANN & DOHNÁNYI Piano Quintets (CD -71003) (DDD)Schumann E-flat Major Quintet Op. 44Dohnányi C-minor Op. 1

WOLF TRAP CHAMBER GROUPLive Carnegie Hall Concert (1979)(2 - CDs - 73003) (ADD)

Beethoven Violin Sonata ‘Kreutzer’Tchaikovsky Piano TrioBarber Cello Sonata

EARL WILD plays Schumann in Concert (CD - 73001) (ADD)Papillons Op. 2Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 11Waldszenen Op. 82

IVORY CLASSICS 5th Anniversary (CD - 72010) (ADD) & (DDD)Turina Rapsodia sinfónicaPaderewski Fantaisie Polonaise

Dances for Two Pianos EARL WILD andCHRISTIAN STEINER (CD - 70803) (ADD)Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances Op. 45 and Waltz fromSuite No. 2, Op. 17Ravel LaValse

EARL WILD - Complete Chopin Nocturnes (2 - CDs - 70701) (DDD)

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❖ CREDITS ❖

All tracks from off-air live radio broadcasts from NYC in the 1940’sTracks , , , , and were NBC radio broadcasts

from NYC early 1940’sTracks , and were ABC radio broadcasts

from NYC late 1940’s

24-Bit Remastering

Recorded direct to the Sadie Artemis 24-Bit High Resolution disk editor.

Remastering Producer: Michael Rolland Davis

Remastering Engineer: Ed Thompson

Generous assistance came from the Ivory Classics Foundation

Liner Notes: Christopher Weiss

Cover photo by: Bruno of Hollywood 1940’s

Design: Samskara, inc.

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Phone: 888-40-IVORY or 614-761-8709 • Fax: [email protected] • For easy and convenient

shopping online, please visit our website: www.IvoryClassics.com

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