Except for devoted fans of
Emil Gilels, few listeners will know of these recordings the great Russian pianist made in 1949 and 1950 as part of a two-piano team with fellow pianist
Yakov Zak. The first three items are arrangements of works of Mozart done by Ferruccio Busoni -- the Overture to The Magic Flute, K. 620; the Fantasia in F minor, K. 608; and the Duettino Concertante from the finale of the Concerto in F major, K. 459. The next two items are by Mozart himself -- the Fugue in C minor, K. 426, and the Concerto in E flat major for two pianos, K. 365. And the closing item is by
Saint-Saëns -- his Variations on a Theme by Beethoven for two pianos, Op. 35. As part of a team,
Gilels proves no less impressive than he was as a soloist, but, thankfully, he declines to dominate the lesser-known
Zak, and the performances are models of competitive cooperation, the two artists supporting but challenging each other in equal measure. Fortunately, they never go too far in either direction, and their performances here are wonderfully Mozartian in their balance of drama and lyricism. Appian's sound is surprisingly clear considering these recordings were remastered directly from Soviet-era LPs.