Reviews | RH-007 | PIETRO SCARPINI | BUSONI & LISZT

1 April 2019 | Stephen Greenbank | MusicWeb International | Pietro Scarpini Edition - Busoni & Liszt «Having recently reviewed a 2-CD set of Pietro Scarpini playing Mozart on the Rhine Classics' label, I'm pleased to have the opportunity to do the same for this more ambitious 6-CD set of the pianist's Busoni and Liszt recordings. Once again the recordings derive from 'discovered tapes' and constitute another fascinating volume in their Pietro Scarpini Edition. [...] There are a number of versions of the Fantasia Contrappuntistica, Scarpini opts for the two-piano version and takes both parts, overdubbing them himself in his home studio in 1974. They sound excellent. [...] Scarpini's late Liszt performances offer a wealth of insights. He instils a sense of foreboding in Nuages gris, Unstern! and La lugubre gondola II, whilst En rêve: Nocturne, in his hands, is not only evocative and dream-like but has a bittersweet quality. [...] As an added bonus we have Scarpini's first known recording from 1938, a transcription by Busoni of Liszt’s “Grandes études de Paganini”, No.2 . It's a perfect showcase for the pianist’s scintillating virtuosity. The source is a private 78rpm disc, which has been carefully restored. This set will appeal especially to aficionado’s of great pianism and will be of added value in enhancing Scarpini’s scant discography. The CDs are complemented with a beautifully illustrated booklet. Rhine Classics have carefully restored and remastered these valuable aural documents in 24bit 96KHz sound. This set will appeal especially to aficionado’s of great pianism and will be of added value in enhancing Scarpini’s scant discography. »

March 2019 | Rob Cowan | GRAMOPHONE (pg. 98-99) | Rhine gold: an archive treasure trove «Rob Cowan welcomes a historic label that has unearted some remarkable treasures. -- [...] Piano-wise Rhine Classics has given us a stimulating six-CD set of Pietro Scarpini playing Busoni and Liszt [...] all played with intelligence and the odd tell-tale flashback to old-world performing gestures. | A double-pack of Scarpini playing Mozart [...] in its finely crafted classicism reminded me of Robert Casadesus. | So here's to the next Rhine Classics releases. I'll be filling you in as soon as they arrive.»

14 January 2019 | Victor Eskenasy | Suplimentul de Cultura No.629 | Revelations at the beginning of the year - Pietro Scarpini Edition: (Re) Discoveries «In a volume of memoirs that was also translated in Romania, but in an edition with a limited circulation, Romanian-Italian composer Roman Vlad evokes the figure of a great and original italian pianist, known mostly by professionals and music lovers from the piano world. He is Pietro Scarpini (Rome, 1911 - Florence, 1997). If I talk about him, it is because of the appearance at the end of last year of an excellent edition of his recordings, two sets of eight (6+2) CDs under the aegis of Rhine Classics (RH-007 and RH-014), remastered and presented by a good friend of ours, Emilio Pessina.»

1 January 2019 | Mark Ainley | THE PIANO FILES Favourite releases of 2018 | Pietro Scarpini Edition - Busoni & Liszt - Mozart «A wonderful end-of-year release from Rhine Classics includes two fantastic sets devoted to the Italian pianist Pietro Scarpini. A wonderful pianist not well represented on records, Scarpini was an elusive figure who played with marvellous tonal colours and disarming directness. One six-disc set focuses on works by Busoni & Liszt (including a stupendous Busoni Piano Concerto in glorious sound) while another two-disc set features his Mozart: glowing, sumptuous, forthright playing of two piano concertos and some solo works.»

30 December 2018 | Jean-Charles Hoffelé | ARTAMAG' - Le disque du jour | P ietro Scarpini Edition - Busoni & Liszt - Mozart «Récemment, j’appelais de mes vœux une édition de bandes de concerts de Pietro Scarpini, génie du piano trop peu illustré au disque et ignoré des grands éditeurs. Le hasard fait bien les choses parfois, me voici rapidement comblé. Rhine Classics regroupe dans un premier album tout son legs Busoni ajoutant au Concerto avec Kubelik, la divulgation des Sonatines (dont celle sur Carmen, irrésistible), trois Elégies, le Journal indien et deux opus avec orchestre, le rare Romanza e Scherzoso (Abbado dirige !) et la plus courue Fantaisie indienne. La virtuosité transcendante de Scarpini ressuscite celle de Busoni, mais son intellect brillant rend ces pages absolument modernes. [...] Personne ne s’étonnera que cette défense de la modernité s’étende aux deux ultimes disques de ce premier coffret, dédiés à des opus rares de Liszt ! [...] Lecture imparable, indispensable. [...] Mais il ne faudrait pas que cet ensemble saisissant vous détourne du mince étui Mozart qui l’accompagne : deux disques seulement, mais bluffant par l’engagement physique, la hauteur de vue, la perfection pianistique, l’exigence stylistique et simplement la personnalité. [...] L’éditeur annonce pour janvier un troisième volume: 12 CD. Je suis certain que 2019 va bien commencer.»