CARL SEEMANN
German pianist (1910 - 1983)

Carl Seemann studied organ and piano at the Leipzig Conservatory, and with Liszt's grandson, Carl Adolf Martienssen.  He worked as an organist through his early twenties until he decided on the serious pursuit of a concert career as a pianist. 

Seemann, who believed strongly in the importance of the education of young musicians, also taught to the extent allowed by his busy concert and recording schedule.  He toured extensively as a soloist, traveling to USA and Canada, Latin America, East Asia, and south Africa  

Carl Seemann was an avid chamber musician and performed frequently with many the leading conductors of his time including such luminaries as Leopold Stokowski, Herbert von Karajan, Eugen Jochum, Ferdinand Leitner, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Carl Schurichtr, Fritz Lehman, Hans Rosbaud, Joseph Keilberth, Rudolf Kempe, Fritz Rieger, Istvan Kertesz, Ernest Bour and Paul Hindemith. To hear examples of his renowned partnership with the violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan, and his playing with some of these conductors, follow this link.

My verdict is still out on this pianist.  I do like his Brahms. He somehow manages to capture the essence of the music for me in an undersated manner.  Maybe it is because there is so much broiing under the surface of Brahms' music that enough of it comes through without the helping hand that can so easily make it a parody.  I also quite like his Bach partitas.  But I find his general understatement disappointing in his performances of the other works represented here.

In fact, I'll go so far as to say that I dislike his Mozart. I find it stilted, unemotional, boring. Mozart was full of surprises, sudden and sometimes frequent alternations between forte and piano.  I understand a desire to eschew the excesses of the previous generation, but in denying the very essence of Mozart's character he goes too far.  Listen to Mozart played by Mitsuko Uchida.  it is nothing sort of perfect.

Carl Seemann was one of the leading German pianists of his generation. I find the contrast between his style of playing and that of the great German pianists of the previous generation - Backhaus, Schnabel, Gieseking, to name a few - very interesting.

Bach  Partitas

1 in B♭ major, BWV 825

Prelude 
01:42 ➢ Allemande
04:52 ➢ Courante
07:37 ➢ Sarabande
12:14 ➢ Menuett I & II
14:48 ➢ Gigue