DESCRIPTION:
Josef Hofmann (1876-1957) was a pianistic genius, a child prodigy who played Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto when he was seven years old. In the first decades of the 20th Century, he was one of the most celebrated pianists.
However, the last years of his life were troubled by personal problems: family difficulties, alcoholism and a forced resignation from the Curtis Institute in 1938.
Some of his playing that was recorded in the 1940s is shockingly bad, compared to what he was capable of earlier in his career. As a result, his reputation was a bit damaged.
In March 1945, one year before he retired from the concert stage, he gave a recital in Carnegie Hall.
Only a handful of Chopin pieces survived on an acetate disc, and these were transferred onto CD by Ward Marston/VAI Audio ("The complete Josef Hofmann, vol. 2").
The Chopin Nocturne in C minor opus 48 no. 1 from that recital is already available on Truecrypt's channel. I selected two more pieces where there is still a glimpse of the magic of Hofmann's earlier playing:
1. Andante spianato, from Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22
2. Mazurka in C major opus 33 no. 3