Engdahl did not make many records. As far as I can tell, her output was limited to four LPs on the M-G-M label, dating from 1955 and 1957.
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| Lenore Engdahl |
The pianist's musical tastes ran to Chopin, Brahms, Schubert and Beethoven, according to an obituary in her hometown newspaper, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. But M-G-M had her attempt different repertoire, including the present LP of compositions by the American Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920). She also recorded works by Dukas, Franck, Kabalevsky, Milhaud and Villa-Lobos.
The Griffes pieces here are in an impressionist vein, as are most or all of his most widely recognized compositions. These include one of the works heard here, "The White Peacock," which the composer later orchestrated. You can find an introduction to Griffes here. The detailed cover notes also are helpful.
The Griffes pieces here are in an impressionist vein, as are most or all of his most widely recognized compositions. These include one of the works heard here, "The White Peacock," which the composer later orchestrated. You can find an introduction to Griffes here. The detailed cover notes also are helpful.
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| Charles Tomlinson Griffes |
Engdahl's readings are sympathetic. Writing in High Fidelity, the critic Alfred Frankenstein was impressed by the record, calling it "a performance of marvelous sensitivity, penetration and technical resourcefulness."
The recording is excellent, and has now (July 2023) been enhanced by ambient stereo processing.
My transfer is from one of those 1960s M-G-M reissues that repurposed the original back cover as the front. I did find a reproduction of the original cover (at top), which is included in the download.
