Simon Barere

Simon Barere (1896 - 1951) Pianist

He was the owner of the fastest set of fingers ever to play at Carnegie Hall. His Schumann Toccata runs to less than five minutes--one of the shortest on records--and yet never sounds rushed. His early HMV recordings from the mid-1930s have been reissued (Appian 7001, 2CD), as have his Carnegie Hall recordings (Appian 700809, 2CD). The first set includes works by Liszt, Chopin, and Schumann, as well as pieces by Balakirev, Scriabin, and Glazunov. Liszt's La leggierezza, which opens the program, is the epitome of lightness, and Balakirev's Islamey is a brilliant showpiece; both are astounding for speed and accuracy. Few pianists could match Barere's precise runs of notes or rapid-fire staccato. The Carnegie Hall discs feature concertos by Liszt and Rachmaninoff and the Liszt Sonata. The sound quality of these private acetate recordings is poor, but they are rare and essential documents of one of the great keyboard artists.