More Hatto matters

1) Debussy Preludes CACD 9130-2

Tateno on Canyon Classics (also Finlandia FACD 411) was suggested
early on but Wikipedia still states that side-by-side comparisons for
all 24 pieces have not yet been made. I have now done this and can
confirm it as a straight rip-off with no time-manipulation and the
usual messing with the sound picture. Amusingly the false beginning of
Bruyères, with the first two notes repeated, heard on a CA CD mainly
dedicated to Franck but not on the final copy of the Preludes, turns
out not to have been an editing mistake by WBC. It was there on the
original Tateno.

2) Brahms shorter pieces CACD 9030-2, 9031-2

Quite a while ago Mark Ettinger announced that op.118 nos. 1, 2, 3, &
6 were from a CD by Deszo Ranki issued by Harmonia Mundi (QUI 903083).
I have now been able to hear this disc. Mark Ettinger was commenting
on the version of op.118 coupled with the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto
now known to be by Ashkenazy (CACD 8001-2). I have confirmed this.
However, on "Brahms Complete Works Vol. 5" nos. 1 & 2 have been
replaced while 3 & 6 are retained.

Altogether 10 out of 13 tracks were ripped off from the Ranki disc, so
we now have identifications for:

Scherzo op.4
Ballades op.10 nos. 1, 2, 3
Op. 118 as described above
Op.119 nos. 3 & 4.

The rip-offs are straight without time manipulation but 3 seconds have
been cut off the final chord of op.118/6. The original sound was
rather brittle and it has been mellowed quite drastically.

The Ranki also has performances of op.116 nos. 3 and 6 which are not
matches and a "Hatto" version of op.10 no. 4 was not issued as far as
I know.

3) The Indjic Mazurkas again.

I have just had the opportunity to examine a cassette version of the
Chopin Mazurkas issued in 1993. I really thought this might be old
enough to be genuine. But I've listened to the first two and they were
Indjic even then. The order of the pieces has been changed in exactly
the same way as on the later CD, too. Whatever emerges from my
listening to the remaining pieces, the fact that 2 are by Indjic is
sufficient to prove that the scam goes back at least 14 years. So we
can drop any pietistic interpretations about the good, loving husband
lightening the final days of his dying wife.

Christopher Howell

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