Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #26)

My set of Beethoven symphonies transcribed for piano by Liszt and played by Scherbakov arrived. I'm just listening to No. 7 & 8 and I'm again amazed by how good this music works on piano alone. An incredibly versatile instrument.

 

I think just about everything in Beethoven goes back to the keyboard. There's so much personality and development in his solo works for keyboard, it's the composer's natural voice. It's no wonder that there's so much Beethoven in the sound of Liszt's transcriptions.

 

If you like that, try Mozart's Quintet for the same instruments (K. 452 IIRC). I'm pretty sure it served as Beethoven's model, and as lovely as early Beethoven can be, I prefer mature Mozart.

Have you listened to the clarinet trio? (Op. 11) The slow movement is gorgeous.

BTW Op. 38 is one of several reworkings Beethoven did of his Septet, Op. 20, which was one of his "greatest hits" during his lifetime.

 

Funny - those are the three composers where I have Horowitz solo discs.

 

That's onew of the reasons why it's my favorite.

You chose wisely.

 

More Russian piano mastery

 

Yeah, I kinda knew you would agree.

 

It's like Liszt went back and recreated Beethoven's early demo versions of these pieces.

 

Mitten im Schimmer der spiegelnden Wellen

Yes!

His Schubert Song transcriptions are, if anything, even better.

 

Oooh!! Haven't heard that one. Tell me more!

Yes, I have a lovely CD of Bolet playing them.

 

Shabanova, who died recently at the age of 58, is largely unknown outside Russia. Here is her biography from the F.Chopin Institute.

http://en.chopin.nifc.pl/chopin/persons/detail/id/2882

There are also some clips of her playing Chopin in youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEoxQLM-R4I

The CD that I posted above is the only one that I have from her. Some people like her Chopin, some people don't.
http://www.classical-cd-reviews.com/2010/07/tatiana-shebanova-chopins-complete.html
I am one of those who like her playing, I find it very lyrical and intimate.

George, you know how much I value your opinion, so, If you get a chance to listen to the youtube videos let us know, I am interested to see what you think.

 

he's from the 'virtuoso showman' school of pianists, and if you take him in that way there's lots to appreciate. unfortunately, that's a style of performance i rarely listen to so he doesn't get much play around here. he was also better in his earlier years whereas lots of the recordings available now are from when he was much older... from the earlier stuff i'd recommend his liszt sonata from '32, rach #3 with ny/barbirolli from '41...

 

I have his early stuff on Pearl and APR and will revisit for sure.

Yeah, that Rach with Barbirolli is an absolute stunner. Poor sound but well worth enduring:

 

Will do. Work doesn't allow me to access youtube, but will check over the weekend.

 

Stop me if you heard this one before

There's a Philip K. Dick tale, written around 1961, where a neurotic, albeit telekinetic, Pianist is transmitting this thoughts to the Steinway Grand while the microphone feed is being transmitted to a recording medium of some high-tech protoplasm that sucks up those electrical impulses for true "Living Stereo" sound. The pianist's recurring nightmare is of his fingers shattering like glass as he physically plays the keyboard.

Every time I think of Horowitz, I think of that.

 

Now enjoying:

 

I'm listening to HvK's first version of Mahler's Symphony No. 9, the one that originally came in an LP box set with the rainbow-on-blue package design. I think it was one of you who told me it's out on CD, but I can't remember which one of you it might have been. All these years, I had no idea. I like it so much more than the other version (fatboy CD w/Karajan's photo against a brown background). Anyway, thanks.

 

I enjoy her playing, but unfortunately I am not a fan of the sound of those old pianos. Did she only record on fortepianos?

 

No, in the CD that I have she plays a regular piano. The recording is typical 80s Melodiya the piano sounds a little thin but not too bad.

Glad that you enjoyed her playing

 

Now playing CD1 from another version of JS Bach WTC Book II, which arrived a few days ago from one of my favorite Amazon MP vendors for a first listen ...

 

Tonight ...

Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924)
Concerto in C for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 39
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
The Cleveland Orchestra & Men's Chorus
Christoph von Dohnányi
(1989)

Busoni was born in Tuscany and lived most of his life in Germany. He was friends with Mahler and Schoenberg, but in spite of that his music paid homage to the past. Some compare this piece to Mahler, but that is apt only because of this work's size and scope. Actually one hears the musical influence of Brahms here.

The piece requires the pianist to play difficult stuff almost non-stop for over an hour, and when the fifth movement comes the piano must duel it out with a men's chorus and the 100 piece orchestra. Ohlsson's Bösendorfer takes a beating on this.

 

You're welcome Jay.

 

Now playing CD2 from another version of JS Bach WTC Book II for a first listen ...

 

It was Joe. Yaaay, Joe.

 

Bought these tonight, as I have yet to hear any early Benno and I have read that it the best of his recordings and the sound is a bit better than the Pearl release of the same material (thanks to Stuart for reminding me about these when he picked them up recently):