Alfred Cortot – Tarantelle, Op. 43 / Fantaisie, Op. 49

These July 4th and 5th, 1933 performances were recorded on 12 inch, rather than the usual 10 inch, 78 rpm record at EMI Studio No 3, Abbey Road, London.. After the second World War magnetic recording tape allowed mixing and editing recordings. Back in 1933 each record was a full one take recording. Performances for twelve inch records were rare as they required 5 flawless minutes instead of the 2 and a half to three minutes of perfection on  the standard ten inch record. Not only is this record of Alfred Cortot on piano, from an artist capable of performing…