This album is two re-releases in one: the live recording of
Gerald Moore's retirement "party" in 1967 (which was actually a live recital in London's Festival Hall) and the tribute LP EMI released in 1969. Both are worthy celebrations of the famous collaborative pianist, made even better by being combined into one package. That this album even exists is a testament to
Moore, who elevated the status of the accompanist to that of artist. Disc one features
Moore in concert with
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and
Victoria de los Angeles. Each of them delivers an outstanding group of solo selections (though
de los Angeles'
Brahms is vocally tenuous), but in keeping with the evening's collaborative spirit, they also perform trios of
Mozart and
Haydn, and duets of
Schumann,
Rossini, and
Mendelssohn. Hearing these singular personalities invest themselves so well in ensemble singing reveals a great deal about their respect for the man at the keyboard. The
Rossini efforts, in particular, are great fun.
Moore's farewell speech to the audience is a nice plum, as is his solo performance of
Schubert's An die Musik. The second disc features still more song selections, but it also includes a number of duo instrumental selections performed with
Leon Goossens,
Jacqueline du Pré,
Yehudi Menuhin, and others. This gives a broader picture of his musical endeavors to those who might only know him through his vocal recordings, and also points up the extent of his chops at the keyboard. The facility that freed him to play song literature with such expressivity allows him to take center stage in virtuosic pieces like
Weber's Variations on a Theme From "Silvana"; it casts an entirely different light on his playing.