Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #39)

Thanks everyone for the hints re Rachmaninoff. I look forward to receiving the Gavrilov Rach piano music CD. Maybe that's the RX for me.

 

I suspect that he just may not be your cup of tea. I say this because he is probably the easiest composer for me to enjoy. I suspect that he's one of those love/hate composers. I will be happy to be wrong, though.

 

Now, this one sounds like it was recorded with microphones supplied by Hasbro...

 

Idée fixe

That's Orion for you.

Here's another superb Lute recording, I suspect you'll detect a certain theme here:

 

I have that CD and listen to it quite often..Lots of energy!

 

Nice, uh, butterfly.

 

Ten years after its release, I got around to the movie Shine. I enjoyed it well enough, though not as much as the reviews promised. Later I saw the Helfgott at my local library. By then I knew better... besides, it was Rachmaninoff.

 

Forgot to mention earlier about the 3rd Symphony that when I heard it recently for the first time in a long time and I couldn't immediately recognize the composer, I thought parts of it actually sounded quite Sibelian - and apart from being a bit conservative in their treatment of harmony and tonality, the two composers could not otherwise be any more different. So if you like Sibelius, you might enjoy at least this symphony. It's also much shorter than the more popular 2nd (40 minutes to that work's 60).

 

Another recent Princeton Records Exchange find, this one is a Pyramid CD that has Richter playing Chopin's Rondo, Op. 5 and Ballade 1. It also has Debussy's Preludes, Book Two (Prague 1968.)

This was a particularly sweet find, as this is the only CD source I know of for any of these live performances.

 

doesn't get any better!

 

John S. I have to plead... Helfgott does not in any way 'represent' Rachmaninoff as a composer..Being an Australian, I have witnessed that whole embarassing trumped -up Helfgott 'bandwagon'. To think one can put one's hands on Richter, Janis, Argerich, Ashkenazy, Horowitz, Lugansky, Gravilov actually playing Rachmaninoff....

The first record I ever brought in what is now an at least 8000 collection, too many decades ago, was Richter on DG stereo playing the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto. It is still just as much, loved today.

 

First spin of this 2011 release of 2CDs worth of mostly (only the Diabelli's were previously released in Korea) unreleased Richter Beethoven performances. The performances come from Moscow recitals held on January 29, 1951 and on June 23, 1950.

 

In case it was not mentioned before, November 2nd will be a special day:



http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B008V1IR4Q/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF

 

^

EMI told a friend of mine that there will be some newly released stuff in there. I hope it will be the fabled complete Beethoven sonata recordings. They also told my friend that 40 is just an estimation and the project hasn't been finalized yet. And finally, this seems like it will (unfortunately) not be his complete EMI recordings, but an Anniversary Edition.

$67.74 is a damn cheap price for 40 CDs.

 

More Richter, this time Chopin (his is better than I remembered it) and later, some Liszt from the same 2CD set.

 

Over the last week, I have been listening to pretty much only Classical CDs that I haven't heard yet, in an effort to try and catch up on my listening vs. buying.

I just counted how many unheard CDs I own. I am embarrassed to say the total is 171 CDs.

Now to get back to listening...

 

George, you're back to my favorite avatar (fingers on keys).

 

Thanks!

I figure it's the most appropriate one for me and the black and white implies my historical piano interest. In fact, it's Josef Hofmann's hands in the photo.

 

Guys, I have 2 questions regarding some obscure instrument called piano.

One of them is posted here.

The other is: there's two Satie cycles by Ciccolini on EMI, the first was done by him alone (even on the duo works) and was recorded in analog, the second, digital, added a second pianist and is being re-issued by EMI countlessly. Which one to get? The earlier cycle isn't OOP but costs more. Any input is highly appreciated.

 

You are doing better than I ...

 

I have heard the earlier performances have better sound. I forget exactly why I bought it (and not the late), but the 2CD set of Ciccolini's Satie I have comes from the earlier set. I have only heard this set once, because I like others a lot more.

Having said that, I'd go with the superb Thibaudet set, excellent sound and the best Satie performances I have heard. Roge was my prior favorite.

 

Somehow I could have guessed that...

 

Thanks George, I'll check the Thibaudet then.

 

I probably should confess - George, you are not even the second on that list. But I'm trying to restrict myself from buying those super evil cheap box sets harder than ever. I even succeed - in my sleep...