Caesar Plays - Caesar Giovannini

 

Ritual Fire Dance

Caesar Plays

Caesar Giovannini, Pianist

At two Steinways, through the magic of Sound-On-Sound recording

Concert-Disc CS-40

1959

From the back cover: It is an unusual picture, at that. Our cover picture.

How else could we get the point across? The point being that nobody can stand a piano on its ear like Caesar Giovannini. Nobody can hold the listener – including our beauteous Miss Concert-Disc – in the palm of his Steinway. None but our Maestro Cesare.

By the way, that's two Steinways you hear. Through the magic of sound-on-sound recording, Caesar is heard playing duets with himself. and it true stereo, too. Each of the "two" pianos has been recorded stereophonically, in its proper spatial placement: first piano on the left, second piano on the right, as you face your speaker system. And the stereo is truly Concert-Disc's Balanced Acoustic Stereo, the real, full sound of the live performance, resounding with life and depth, free of any exaggerated, distortion separation. The recording was made, incidentally, in an actual concert hall; this accounts for the live, warm acoustics.

Giovannini earned his Bachelor of Music and his Master's degree (in composition) at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. In World War II he was pianist for the official U. S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C. He was the first to broadcast live music via FM in Chicago. In 1949, Giovannini joined NBC in Chicago, and, until 1956, was the delight of millions via appearance on the Dave Garroway and Ransom Sherman shows, and many others.

Not for nought did Oliver Dragon (of Kukla, Fran and Ollie fame) respond in such lusty song to the pianism of his music director – for it was indeed Giovannini! Caesar, Kukla, et al. worked together until the Kukla show left the networks recently. Giovinaaini is now busy freelancing on radio and TV, arranging and performing. And he records exclusively for Concertapes/Concert-Disc.

Caesar's playing is forceful, yet delicate; imaginative, urbane, polite. Good listening. You'll be playing this record often, and for many varied occasions.

For the technically-minded: this recording was made with Telefunken U-47 microphones, Ampex 350-2 recorders, and Western-process disc-cutting equipment. No echo or other coloration of any kind has been added. Nothing but the true concert-hall sound is heard in this recording.

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Ritual Fire Dance