Rudolph Ganz (1877 - 1972)

Ganz was interested in contemporary music. Busoni dedicated his Sonatina No. 1 to Ganz, who played music by his teacher as well as introducing works by Loeffler, d’Indy, Bartók, Dukas, Debussy, Dohnányi and Korngold, whose Piano Sonata in E major he premièred in America. The most famous work to be dedicated to Ganz was Ravel’s Scarbo from Gaspard de la nuit, and this dedication gives an indication of Ganz’s level of virtuosity.

Although an impressive virtuoso, Ganz nevertheless made few recordings. Most representative are some 1940s radio broadcasts issued by Dante in 1996. Ganz plays piano solos by Edward MacDowell, an American composer he championed, including the Piano Sonata No. 2. Also on the compact disc is a live performance of Ganz playing his own Piano Concerto in E flat Op. 32, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Frederick Stock. In the 1930s Ganz recorded some sides for Victor as conductor of the St Louis Symphony Orchestra, as well as a few piano solos.

However, Ganz also made some early discs for Pathé from around 1917 to 1921. He recorded just over forty sides. His Chopin Nocturne in E flat Op. 9 No. 2 and Liebestraum No. 3 of Liszt are rather uninteresting and it would appear that the record company required popular short works such as Sinding’s Rustle of Spring, Chopin’s Polonaise in A major Op. 40 No. 1 and Waltz in E minor Op. posth. Around 1930 Ganz recorded one ten-inch and one twelve-inch disc for Victor and then just after World War II he recorded an album of 78rpm discs of the music of Edward MacDowell. Ganz seems to be much happier in more unusual repertoire; his radio broadcasts and talks featured works by Rameau, Scriabin and Honegger; and a student reported finding a work by Boulez on Ganz’s piano. An LP on the Veritas label from 1967 includes a broadcast of Ganz playing Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D major in his own edition which was published in 1945 with ‘two ample cadenzas’.

Courtesy of Jonathan Summers