Here, a real gold mine is offered to all the numerous fans of the great Franco-Brazilian pianist Magda Tagliaferro. From the Ballade by Fauré in its first orchestral version, recorded in 1928, to the 5th Concerto of Saint-Saëns recorded for Philips in the famous Apollo Theatre in Faubourg-du-Temple, Paris in 1954. A vast repertoire is reestablished for us here with pearls such as Mozart’s Concerto n° 25 lead by the famous Reynaldo Hahn in 1930, or even his own Concerto in E Major dedicated to Mozart and recorded seven years later under his baton. A permanent feature of the APR label is the quality of sound reproduction which manages to considerably reduce friction pick up and unwanted sounds, all while conserving the dynamics and precision of the original sound.
Magda Tagliaferro greatly impressed the jury at the Paris Conservatoire in 1907 when she was awarded the Premier Prix at the age of fourteen in front of Albéniz, Fauré and Alfred Cortot, who immediately made her their student. Known for the quality of her playing, Magda Tagliaferro was also graced with an exuberant temperament that verged on eccentricity. She has magnificently championed the work of Romantic composers but also her French and Spanish contemporaries whose music she passionately plays on this series of recordings including Debussy, Fauré, Mompou, Granados, Albéniz and Reynaldo Hahn alongside Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Weber and Mendelssohn. Here, the spirit of Paris in the 1930s is brought back to life, to our great pleasure! © François Hudry/Qobuz