Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #18)

I recall these recordings as dissapointing, taking into account the artists involved. Same for their Brahms PCti as well.

 

I may guess that this is a case of the past.

Georges Pretre, one of the greatest French conductors dead or alive, conducts constantly Brahms symphonies and he is amazing. I still remember how the members of the rmcr reacted to his Brahms 3rd from 2007 or 08 with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester (former RIAS; Fricsay' s orchestra); they were thrilled and compared him even with ... Mengelberg!

Same goes for Munch of course.

 

Brahms's Second Piano Concerto is my favorite piece. Do you like Gilels in it? Gilels, Arrau, Barenboim . . . those may be my favorites. Geza Anda also is a pianist I love, but I have not yet heard his version. That may be a good choice for this afternoon . . .

In concert I have heard Yefim Bronfman perform it at Carnegie Hall and here in Philadelphia. For the latter I had a terrible seat, and/or the acoustical manipulations available in the hall were all wrong; he sounded small, and he most certainly is not a small-sounding pianist. At Carnegie Hall, however, he was a powerhouse. I vividly remember his ending the second movement with a flourish, and one member of audience spontaneously broke out into excited applause, but, realizing he was utterly alone in doing so, stopped almost immediately. Bronfman looked over at him directly, and gave him a forceful, acknowledgement nod of the head.

Hey Bear -- I cannot disagree with you. How do you feel about others though? Is this one of your favorite pieces as well? I trust it is; I know you have good judgment and taste, from your Mahler 5 preferences.

 

Would not be my first choice either.

On the other hand, Pollini's recent Mozart concerti discs are very special.

 

Münch had German blood.

 

Now playing CD6 from this set for a first listen. Bach organ works just suit the prevailing mood ...

 

Yes it is one of my favorite pieces of classical music. Not in the top ten but in the top 25 if I had to choose.

I also like Fleisher and Arrau and Hamelin for a recent recording. Listening to the Hamelin now on SACD. Fabulous. However, the Gilels/Jochum is the greatest recording in history of the piece IMHO.

PS- I recall it was Bronfman that I saw perform the 2nd in the past at Verizon Hall in Phila. He was great.

 

The Berg/Schiff disc is coming from Germany. Should get it in the next few days.

 

A classic.

 

Great story about Bronfman. Who conducted at the Philly and NY performances? I have no recordings by him, although I'm thiinking about the Brahms two piano arrangement of the piano quintet opus 34 with him and Ax.

Sorry to say, I have little experience with the other performances you mention of the Brahms PC2. All good people so they're not going to be terrible, I would think. (I would love to have the Anda Mozart PC cycle, but it's not in the cards for now.)

 

That's a great one! I was lucky to be in London when the Berg were doing a series of Schubert concerts (200 years since his birth I think). If I recall correctly, Schiff may have also been the guest extra cellist... I tried for several days to get tix to no avail, and then the day of the show they opened up some seats on the stage and I got to see a performance of the Quintet from literally 5m away! It was really one of the most powerful musical experiences of my life and I think the performance even surpassed the disc. At another of the concerts I also had the chance to have them all autograph my Schubert quartet/quintet discs... Great memories!

 

And not Richter? Or Fleisher? Awhile back I heard a program on the radio where a noted pianist (maybe Ax?) would listen to snippets of different performances and then talk about them. When they did the Brahms pc2 I remember him discussing a bunch of pianists and then saying 'and then there's Richter' who's in a league all his own in being able to meet the technical challenges of the piece...

 

In the tray:

Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 2 op. 83
Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Leinsdorf/Chicago
1960

The other half of my Brahms PC collection. I like this recording. But to be honest, I like the Gilels more.

 

Is it the hair?

 

I had it on cassette, and played it a lot back in the '80s. Very nice musicmaking.

 

I agree.

 

Comparison

I am enjoying comparing the Appassionata on these two discs. As I understand it, Richter recorded Sonata No. 23 live in Moscow (on the first disc pictured) and then some months later in a New York studio. They are very similar, but it soounds to me like Richter was just a little more authoritative and assured, especially in the last movement, in Moscow than in the studio in New York. Album notes for the Melodiya disc claim that Richter himself liked the live recording over the one he did in NY.

 

That Melodiya disc is a classic! Great stuff!

 

Maybe, but Richter would've had more matinee appeal if he hadn't looked so much like a truck driver. His was the complete opposite of the sensitive artist look.

 

Love the Bagatelles.

Is it me or was the Choral Fantasy not LvB's finest hour?

 

I enjoy it, but to me, his finest hour was Op. 110, his penultimate piano sonata.

 

I know now what I want for Christmas. This 5-SACD-set with Pieces De Viole by Marais played by Savall. Only 34 Euros at jpc.de. Since I'm a big fan of the "Suitte d'un gout etranger" this should be great.

 

Have you been a good boy?

 

In the tray:

Here's an early present I gave myself....

Complete Decca Solo Recordings
Radu Lupu, piano
CD 1

Beethoven I

Two Rondos, op.51
32 Variations on an original theme in C minor, WoO 80
Piano Concerto no.3 in C minor, op.37
Lawrence Foster/LSO
Piano Sonata no.19 in G minor, op.49/1
Piano Sonata no.20 in G major, op.49/2