Spinning this fine CD. A great Grand Canyon Suite on this one. And, speaking of themes showing up later in works, I like how the Sunrise theme gets reused in different sections.
I've just stumbled across this excellent new recording of the Goldbergs by Klara Wurtz. I found it on Qobuz. Another pianist, I'm ashamed to say, I've never heard of before. She's no newcomer either.
This morning(1954 recordings remastered from original master tapes according to CD notes). Mozart Sonatas 1-5.
Still on a Mozart piano concerto kick. After listening to the first 4 from the above set, I continued in order with the set below. I'm now up to the 14th piano concerto. Absolutely gorgeous music. No wonder Mozart was Chopin's favorite composer.
As for me, last night it was mostly 78s: Claudia Muzio on Edison, Frances Alda on Victor, and the Pro Arte Quartet and friends (also on Victor, but a decade or two later, in a transfer I did myself a while back) playing the Brahms first string sextet. We briefly mentioned the Pro Arte Haydn series a bit upthread; this recording is another of that ensemble that really repays listening. I find it hard to imagine a more affectionate, warmhearted performance. The format exception was the Brahms Variations on a Theme of Schumann, op. 9, played by Frieda Valenzi, which I'd copied from an LP on Plymouth (the ultra-bargain-basement label of the bargain label Remington, from the late 1940s/early 1950s). That last was long a bit of a mystery record, as the cover and label attributed the performance to "V. Frieda." In a bit of wishful thinking, some took that to mean Etelka Freund, a member of the Brahms inner circle in her youth who lived long enough to make an LP or two (Remington again). I myself, in pure speculation, wondered if it might be concealing one of my favorites, Friedrich Wuhrer; the performance has a bit of his kind of sound. But no: eventually it emerged that the attribution was just the Remington people geting confused by "Frieda V." inscribed on the master tape box when it arrived from Vienna. That said, I feel slightly--don't know if "vindicated" is quite the right word, but it will do; evidently Valenzi did study some with Wuhrer. In all events, low-rent pressing quality and all, it's a terrific performance of this seldom-played work.
Stravinsky: Violin Concerto Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Cho-Liang Lin, violin Los Angeles Philharmonic Esa-Pekka Salonen Sony, 1992 a violinist with excellent tone and technique
Seeing that Busoni arrangement of the Magic Flute overture reminds me of an oddity in a Chicago SO b'cast box: a concert ending he wrote for the overture to Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail, here in a performance under Barenboim dating to February 8, 1996. Busoni's addition goes on for around a minute, and I'd be surprised if it's received another recording. Let's just say it's pretty strange.
Hungry for more recordings of my favorite piano works, I picked these two up today. The first one was reviewed to be played in the grand manner and I know that she was friends with and recorded with my favorite pianist, Sviatoslav Richter. So I expected to love her nocturnes. Pollini I fully respect but generally prefer in modern repertoire. Then, I gave both sets a listen. Boy, was I surprised! I really enjoyed Pollini's unique take. His tempos are faster than almost everyone else I have heard in this repertoire. Only Smeterlin is in his league in this area. Sure, a number of the nocturnes come off as sounding rushed, but others sound uniquely elegant. And his dynamic shifts, his impeccable technique and some fine engineering make for a splendid set! Leonskaja's set, on the other hand, this one is a real stinker. Tempos are slower than I have ever heard and unlike her friend Richter, she doesn't manage them well. It comes off as bland and boring at first, and after a half dozen nocturnes it gets downright annoying. It's like all of the life is sucked out of the music.
I don't have this one, but I heard the 1st cto. on the radio some time ago and remember liking it. I'll be interested in your take! For me, tonight it's been back to that big collection I'm sorting, auditioning duplicate 78s of Rosa Ponselle to chase out which copies to keep. Right now: Ponselle and Martinelli in the "Miserere" from Il Trovatore.