William Kapell in Performance: Brahms & Prokofiev Piano Concertos
William Kapell died at 31 in a tragic plane crash, just as he was on the cusp of a maturity that promised to ally an extraordinary technique to interpretive wisdom. He's at his best in these live performances. The Brahms, from a 1953 Carnegie Hall concert months before his death, shows a new lyricism in his art, along with sheer power and technical mastery. Mitropoulos's volatile accompaniments help create a masterful reading. The 1949 Prokofiev has all the dynamism and glittering pianistic fireworks that made Kapell famous, with the added plus of Leopold Stokowski's conducting. It's preferable to Kapell's more cautious studio recording of the piece for RCA. Sonics are on the raw side but no bar to enjoyment.--Dan Davis