I don't really like "now playing" posts but I just listened to Rubenstein's "Chopin Nocturnes Vol 1" on RCA red label and OMG that guy could play a bit.
Just arrived in today's mail: The EMI double-CD set of Poulenc piano works, performed by Gabriel Tacchino. It's in my CD player this afternoon. The music is instantly familiar, the performance outstanding, the sound is great... I'm in heaven! Thank you, George, for pointing me to this set!
I like them, partly for the artwork; but mostly for ideas about new repertoire or performances to explore.
DEBUSSY: Préludes, I & II - Walter Gieseking (Disc one of The Complete Works for Piano, US EMI Classics CD, Musical Heritage Society edition)
Now enjoying Weissenberg's emotionally cool, modern approach to this works. I don't normally like my Chopin played in this style, but there is something about the way Weissenberg plays them that really makes it work for me. I wouldn't recommend his as a first set, though. That spot would be best occupied by Arrau and Moravec. The Nocturnes are my favorite piano works, so I have a lot of recordings of them.
Spinning my favorite Symphony Fantastique (out of 10 versions). Munch/BSO 1962 ....not the earlier one from 1954.
I've 'inadvertently' collected some pieces of music multiple times as they are commonly included in the big boxes I bought a few years back to rebuild my collection after an unexpectedly hasty downsize. That is one of them, including yet another version in a Berlioz box I 'advertently' purchased The Munch I have is the 1954 version from the Living Stereo box.
Isn't it disappointing when you go into a charity shop, find some great records only to inspect them and find they are unplayable due to damage. This morning I found a Brahms 3rd symphony by Fritz Reiner, a John Ogden solo piano of his favourite pieces and an early ('40s/'50s) Dutch (I think) Decca recording of music I didn't know, nor do I speak Dutch, but was happy to take a chance on, only to find they were all badly enough scratched not to be enjoyable to listen to. So I came away with nothing.
I have recently been listening to various Vivaldi concerto and string works. From a Decca Box, some fairly early recordings of a couple of bassoon concertos. I thought they were well-done for such an early recording. From one of the three Decca boxes of Ansermet. Ernest Ansermet Henri Helaerts bassoon L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Decca, 2014 31 CDs box -- The Great European Tradition Vivaldi: Bassoon Concerto in A minor, RV497 Bassoon Concerto in D minorm RV 481 Recorded 1952
Sorry. I have a box set of Bruckner but it's the Wurttemberische Philharmonie Reutlingen, conductor Roberto Paternostro.
I’m going to get a cd of Richter playing Scriabin in Warsaw ‘72. I see there are 3 or so single discs dedicated to this out there with this one here being the current one by the looks of it: Obviously the sound is limited by the original live recording but is there a particular edition that stands out as worth getting over another such as this one for instance?:
I have this CD Richter Scriabin/M&A - Classics Today Haven't heard the other releases of this material.
Thanks for the link to the review. Whenever I see a photo like this of Richter I can’t help but think of Morrisey looks like him I think.
Well, here's something new (at least to me) and interesting for pianophiles: a 19-foot-long piano. Story here: This 19-foot piano has the longest bass strings in the world – and it sounds huge - Classic FM A YouTube clip here:
Sorry, can't comment on the various versions but I have the same Music & Arts one that George posted and I enjoy it.
Just listened to the first disc. As noted earlier, first time I've heard them. Nice music, excellent variety - and conjures up some nice moods while listening. I really liked Ashkenazy's playing, and the sound on the CDs was good. I'm still exploring Rachmaninov (and solo piano music generally) so I'm happy with this purchase (even though it took an age to arrive).
Since you're in Australia, you probably can get this with less trouble and expense than it cost me--you might have a listen to your countryman (adoptive; he was born in England) David Stanhope in the op. 32 Preludes on Tall Poppies TP184 (Steinway; 7-2004). Although Musicweb damned the disc with faint praise (Stanhope Recital TP184 [RH]: Classical CD Reviews- March 2006 MusicWeb-International ), I like his way with those pieces--and, pace Musicweb, I think his account of the Schumann toccata here fights in the same league with the famous Simon Barere recording of the '30s. Incidentally, Stanhope's Beethoven-Liszt symphony recordings (nos. 4 and 8) on other discs are positively jaw-dropping, and he has recorded a generous serving of the Godowsky paraphrases on Chopin etudes. In short, the guy goes for knucklebusters.
Mischa Maisky, cello Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Vivaldi Boccherini Cello Concertos DG 1995 This is well done. The one memorable movement is the opening movement to Vivaldi's Cello Concerto in A minor RV 418.
Funny you should say-I was spinning some Rubenstein Chopin( various) earlier today as I was winding thru his complete recordings box set. BTW-I am certainly guilty when it comes to “playing now” posts and I always hope there could be more interesting discussions concerning the music we are enjoying or discovering in the classical threads.
