Search - Cesar Franck, Maurice Ravel, Camille Saint-Saens :: Alfred Cortot

Few artists can match Alfred Cortot's ability to penetrate the emotional core of the music he played, and to bring listeners along for the ride. That it was a sometimes bumpy ride can be heard in the Ravel, where the wrong note quotient is pretty high. But, like everything on this disc of 1930s recordings, it's still an exciting performance. For despite his cavalier attitude toward note-perfect playing, Cortot was a front-rank virtuoso with immense communicative powers and an absolute identification with the music in his repertory. That helps explain why many of his recordings are so revered. The Franck is near-definitive, with few rivals in Cortot's understanding of the composer's style and the spontaneity of his playing. He makes the neglected Saint-Saëns Concerto sparkle and the Etude is played with vivacity. Mark Obert-Thorn's exemplary transfers make the vintage sound bearable, and Naxos's budget price makes purchase painless. --Dan Davis