Classical Corner Classical Music Corner

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, May 29, 2015.

  1. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    Last night I listened to this set, which I don't think I had heard since I bought it a few years back. It is OOP, but can be heard on Spotify. A student of Godowsky, he shares his teachers fondness for speed in these works. Personally, I usually like them played a good deal slower, as Arrau and Wasowski do, but Smeterlin's way has a great deal going for it. He takes a number of liberties with the score and this, combined with his notably faster than average tempos result in very unique readings. Overall, it makes for a set that I will surely hold onto, even if it isn't one that I will likely put on and listen straight through, like I do with my favorites. Jed Distler, who is no fan of Weissenberg's Nocturnes, which I am enjoying more and more with each listen, really loves this set: Chopin: Nocturnes/Smeterlin - Classics Today

    Speaking of Nocturnes, I found a great comprehensive survey of many of the complete sets. It's a pdf, so I can't link to it, but if you Google "Chopin Nocturnes - Piano Enthusiast" it will be the first result.
     
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  2. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    Today I had a chance to compare the latest mastering of Ivan Moravec's classic set of the Chopin Nocturnes to the one I have had for years, the Nonesuch release. The Nonesuch was mastered by the original producer, E. Alan Silver. As I have said, I have owned and enjoyed this Nonesuch set for years. The sound is a bit dark, which makes for a nice subdued piano and a mood that is often ethereal, mysterious. On the other hand, the Supraphon is brighter, clearer.

    I compared a number of tracks, listened to a few from each, and in the end I have to say I prefer the Nonesuch. It may be because that is the way I got to know these works, or because on my stereo darker masterings tend to sound better than brighter ones, I can't say for sure. I can say that for me the piano sounds fuller, more like Moravec's piano on his other recordings (I own them all.)

    Of course the performances are excellent. Moravec's piano tone is gorgeous, he plays these works with an incredibly wide dynamic range and with great depth of feeling. His playing doesn't wow you right away, it doesn't call attention to itself. Instead, it slowly pulls you in until you don't want him to let go. These are the Nocturnes to play at 3am. I compared some individual works to those by Pires and Smeterlin and both paled next to Moravec. Still, Moravec is not my favorite, that spot is held by Arrau, but his are close behind.
     
  3. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    Continuing on my Nocturne binge, I ordered this last night from amazon and it arrived today, with a broken, slim 2CD case. I sampled each track and find the sound to be lacking warmth. The playing is solid, but not special. Luckily, amazon makes returns easy.
     
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  4. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    That's the one the author of that survey you linked liked so much, isn't it? I'll confess, when he made a big production of dumping on Moiseiwitsch because of "outdated sound," I started finding him a little suspect. ;)
     
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  5. dale 88

    dale 88 Errand Boy for Rhythm

    Location:
    west of sun valley
    I think E. Alan Silver had a "good ear". His legacy on Connoisseur Society recordings is considerable.
     
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  6. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    Listening to the favorite version of one of my favorite operas.[​IMG]
     
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  7. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    Original? Or Rimsky revision?
     
  8. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Yeah, it was the one the author gushed over. I have had mixed results with Barenboim, so I figured I'd give it a try. I missed that Moiseiwitsch diss, sounds like the reviewer is, sadly, limiting his options.

    :agree:
     
  9. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    The Rimsky-Korsakov version. I also have the Gergiev Kirov set which contains the 1869 and 1872 versions.
     
  10. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    Here's what he said:

    "Before I even begin discussing the subtleties of interpretation, I want to make clear one of my overriding views regarding these works, and whether you agree or not, you will have to keep this a priori precondition in mind. That is, I firmly believe that the piano tone and quality of the piano reproduction in your listening environment is integral to the overall experience, or more so, than whichever tiny details of rubato, or pedaling, or technical fluency you wish to discuss. Chopin would be beyond amusement to consider that there are fanatic collectors who listen to scratchy old Moissewitch [sic] recording fifty or sixty times to divine every last detail of the rubato. They certainly aren’t listening for the tonal qualities, as that is impossible to determine. The two earlier versions of Rubinstein’s recordings of the Nocturnes bare [sic] absolutely no resemblance to the tone I heard in concert and which he was famous for. Sensitive artists strive to create a beautiful tone, with many subtleties of dynamics and pedal nuance. Therefore, I have no tolerance for antiquated recordings which do not give an accurate sense of the pianist’s tone color. Although interesting from a studying point of view, I’d never put on one of those old recordings when I want to just sit back in bask in the beauty of these creations. And that is their purpose."

    As one who loves those "scratchy old recordings," I knew right then that the author and I were not going to see eye to eye. As it happens, I think older recordings, sometimes even acoustic ones, can convey a very nice sense of piano tone--if the playback is done correctly, without excessive filtering and so on. But that's an issue of playback/remastering, not of the old records themselves.
     
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  11. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    The recent DG 120 Anniversary box set contains old recordings from the very beginnings of the label’s recording history and continuing up through the end of the 78 era as a part of each music section in the box. These recordings have been a special treat and a revelation due to quality of the performances. It was my chance to discover many artists of whom I knew little or nothing. My surprise in these discoveries was akin to discovering and collecting the oldest recordings of the Bolshoi.
     
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  12. Robert Godridge

    Robert Godridge Forum Resident

    Predictably I entirely agree with this as a 78 collector, but my wife who loves piano music doesn't understand how I put up with them!
     
  13. dale 88

    dale 88 Errand Boy for Rhythm

    Location:
    west of sun valley
    Handel: Chandos Anthems. Vol 1, Nos. 1,2,&3
    Lynne Dawson
    Ian Partridge
    Michael George
    The Sixteen
    Harry Christophers, conductor
    Chandos, 1988.
    Well done.
    [​IMG]
     
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  14. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    Now enjoying a first listen to this CD, by one of my favorite pianists. Sound isn't that great, but the piano playing sure is.
     
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  15. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    Continuing on my Chopin Nocturne obsession, I picked up this 2CD set used this week. I owned it when it came out, but after a number of listenings, I just couldn't connect with the performances. So I gave it to a friend. Then, this week, years later, I saw it for $6 used and couldn't resist. I am listening to it now and I must say, I am enjoying it. Freire's way with these works is very much intimate, a Nocturne for the living room, not the concert hall. This is something I appreciate, as I feel that is how these works should be played. The recorded sound is lovely and Freire's tone is consistently gorgeous. However, his tempos are often faster than I'd like, and he plays these works straight, without a lot of sniffing of the flowers. I think these were the things I didn't like when I heard them the first time, but now, as a third or fourth choice (I can't have enough Nocturnes) his set now has a place in my collection.
     
  16. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    First listen to this CD. Many wonderful moments here and the recorded sound is great, if a bit top-heavy.
     
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  17. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    I played half the Cyprien Katsaris Beethoven set today (the first three of six CDs). It embodies an interesting concept--tracing Beethoven's development from his first work for piano to his last--and contains some off-the-beaten-track repertory, to say the least, such as chamber and orchestral works in piano transcriptions by Beethoven himself, Saint-Saens, Liszt, and Wagner, to name a few. I'll need to finish out the set and then revisit everything when I can pay more attention (I was at work, on headphones), but my initial impression was, to me, surprising: I expected something flashy along the lines of "virtuosity for its own sake," but in fact much of what I heard struck me as rather bland, with moderate tempos and fluent but not especially demonstrative playing. I'm happy to have it for the oddities, but so far I don't think anything there would threaten to dethrone any of my current favorites in the works I do know.


    [​IMG]
     
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  18. TonyACT

    TonyACT Boxed-in!

    The 7 CD Postnikova / Tchaikovsky box finally arrived after an extended stopover in the Sydney parcel sorting centre. The box is quite drab but the CD sleeves are quite nice:

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    I've started with one of the better-known pieces, which is coupled with a lesser-known student sonata, posthumously numbered Op 80.

    My first experience of either; nice playing and sound, and quite entertaining - I think I'm going to enjoy this box.
     
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  19. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    Hearing Postnikova live was a treat!
     
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  20. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    Listening now:[​IMG]
     
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  21. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    I've been, in a desultory sort of way, dabbling in the corresponding Michael Ponti set on LPs. Having played both the sonatas, I'd say the op. 37 (which Tchaikowsky did intend for public consumption, unlike the earlier-written but later-published "op. 80" ) is the better piece, but I don't think such sonata masters as Beethoven and Schubert need fear for their laurels. Of the three recordings I have of the op. 37 (the others are by Shura Cherkassky from a 1982 San Francisco recital, issued on Earl Wild's Ivory Classics label, and Peter Schmalfuss on an obscure label called Bella Musica, both CDs), I like Ponti's best in the first movement, as he really captures the "risoluto" marking, although Cherkassky not surprisingly shows more imagination and better piano tone. Unfortunately, "imagination" can do only so much in this music, which to my ear is mostly about drive and determination. If only Cherkassky had taken it a smidgen faster! In the rest, as I'm finding to be true in most of the works I've played so far, Ponti gives us the notes but not a lot more. I'll add sadly that Schmalfuss, a pianist whose work I've admired elsewhere, gives us neither Ponti's drive nor Cherkassky's imagination; definitely third place in this piece.

    As usual, the budget Murray Hill pressings are no models of the record manufacturer's art. The arrangement shows a complete lack of effort, too. I'm sure these records, sourced from Vox, originally would have conformed to that label's usual practice of appearing in three three-record "Vox Boxes." Murray Hill puts all nine records in a single box but, "for the convenience of the listener" (right), rather than reorganizing them to make sense in that guise presents them as three three-record groups with color-contrasted labels, doubtless each corresponding to a Vox Box, each separately arranged for automatic changers. Clumsy, to say the least. Adding insult to injury, the box takes much more shelf space than it needs to, because for some unaccountable reason Murray Hill fits it with a ca. half-inch cardboard riser in the bottom.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2020
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  22. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    Enjoying a first spin of this SACD. The sound is more open, more detailed than my old Eloquence CD (of the pastoral symphony.) However, my old Eloquence has a warmer sound and cost 10% as much as this SACD.
     
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  23. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Going to make my way through the EMI Celibidache Buckner set, starting with the above mass.
     
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  24. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

  25. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying this gem.
     

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