William Kapell (September 20, 1922 – October 29, 1953) was an American classical pianist who recorded for RCA Victor.
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Recordings
Many of Kapell's recordings were originally issued as 78RPM records. Some were issued on LP, but by 1960, all of Kapell's commercial recordings were out of print. RCA reissued Beethoven's Concerto No. 2 and Prokofiev's Concerto No. 3 on LP in the early 1970s, and bootlegged copies of the commercial recordings and unlicensed recordings of "live" performances circulated among collectors.
In the 1980s, RCA released two compact discs of Kapell's recordings, including the Prokofiev Third and Khatchaturian piano concertos, and an all-Chopin disc.
A nine CD survey, The William Kapell Edition, released by RCA in 1998 contains all of the pianist's authorized recordings with that label, several previously unreleased tracks, and an interview. The set sold well internationally and sparked a revival of interest in Kapell's artistry.
In addition, recordings taken from radio broadcasts of live performances have been issued on several labels, including Kapell ReDiscovered, which documents his final appearances.
Discography
The listing below contains only Compact Disc releases and does not contain 78rpm, LP, Cassette, or 8-track tape releases.