I just listened to the Karajan Tchaikovsky 6th on EMI CD. I found the performance quite powerful and excellent but you are right the sound is a little rough at times. Still the performance might be my favorite I've heard so far.
That work was a specialty of his. He recorded it seven times over a 50 year period! My favorite Classical Guidebook reports that the 1948 EMI recording is "stoic but exquisite performance, particularly notable for the sweetness of the playing. Movements II and IV are the slowest of all his 7 recordings, with a bittersweet poignancy..." They also say that his 1958 EMI recording is his "most spontaneous and compassionate of his performances" of the work. And of the 1976 DG recording (the one that I have) they say "the effect is like a painter who draws a master canvas from a landscape he has visited and revisited over the decades...the sound is the most enveloping of all seven recordings. And what a sound Karajan could produce! The passage toward the end of the first movement development sounds as if all the molten lava of Hell has risen up to surround you and singe the flesh of your mortal bones." OK, so a bit over the top there, but you get the idea. I have this 1976 DG recording in the big, now OOP, 38CD Karajan Symphony edition but it can be had in this two-fer:
I'm a big Anton Nanut fan. Nanut's recording of Gorecki's Symphony #3 is outstanding. As good as Zinman's performance is, I think Nanut's is even better. All of the Slovenian conductor's recordings are dirt cheap, but most of excellent.
I bought the Serkin box in the Amazon.de 3 for 2 sale. It ended up being cheaper than just looking for the individual CDs I didn't have that I was interested in hearing, plus the unreleased early mono recordings. This might not have been the case if Amazon hadn't started kicking off smaller sellers.
Nice grab! I am still working through the set. I am up to disc 47 of 75. Now enjoying this one: I have yet to figure out what to do with my old, original Serkin CDs, which are now doubled by the set. I can say that I am happy to get all that shelf space back!
What do you think of Serkin's Diabelli Variations? I streamed them last night and enjoyed the performances but felt I still liked Pollini more.
Have not heard that one, but Arrau's performance of this work with Haitink and the Concertgebouw (on Philips) is a favorite of mine.
Now listening to 13 Barcarolles, by French composer Gabriel Fauré, played by French pianist Jean-Philippe Collard. Although I'm not really familiar with this music, I like Collard's expressive touch and the recorded sound is very satisfying. Connoisseur Society, 1975.
Now playing, CD 41: George Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Piano Concerto — Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – André Previn, pianist and conductor (Philips)
Same here, that is a great performance. Now listening to Brahms Piano Sonata 2 played by Arrau. I wish the first two were recorded more
Any Sorabji fans here? I am thinking I'll start my bi-annual Sorabji trek I have some notes at my parents house how I broke up Opus Clavi (Ogdon's recording) to make it more reasonable to listen to over multiple sessions. Interesting, hearing Brahms Piano Sonata 2 reminded me of Sorabji...
would love to hear how you do that! Love Sorabji. Waiting on the next transcendental studies release.
Sure, I will be seeing them at Christmas will update the thread then. Is it Jonathan Powell that is doing these?
I concur. The performance is superb indeed, while the recording is a disappointment. His recordings with EMI from the 1970s are not well regarded. The exceptions are a few such like Wagner’s Die Meistersinger complete recording in Dresden. His EMI stereo recordings from the1950s are another story BTW.
Me too. And not just his solo stuff. I still believe you cannot beat Ashkenazy with the Piano Concertos too. Especially accompanied by Previn. He touches the soul of the music. I've heard many others. There is some fine competition. But none have that certain something.
