Classical Corner Classical Music Corner

One of the greats. His recording of the 2nd Sonata (original version) is superb. Have you heard his new recording of Granados' "Goyescas"? It's excellent, too.

 

I posted this in the "other" forum--hope it's OK to repeat it here. I think it's going to be my favorite overall.

 

I've not heard that, but I don't doubt his performance is superb. In fact, I've never heard a recording by Collard that wasn't impressive.

 

Maybe one day we'll get a nice big box of his recordings, like we have for other great pianists. (And maybe they won't screw up the mastering. )

 

Indeed! I have LPs by him on both RCA and Philips, so I don't know who would put that together.
As for the mastering, well, we can only hope.

 

Congratulations, George! Perusing the first thread I see a lot of poster names and their recommendations that I enjoyed.
I started posting late in Thread #1 of the Classical Music Corner. Of the regulars then, I see that drh, George, and myself (dale 88) are still going strong.

 

Thanks Dale! And thanks for your participation over the years!

 

This thread has been a regular source of pleasure and education, and I never cease to be grateful to George for starting it and nurturing it along. As for me, well, I've been spending a lot of "shut-in" time playing and sorting out hundreds of 78 RPM dupes from a massive collection that I took on--11 years ago! I've never had the time to go through them until now, so I'm making hay while the horse refuses to drink, or whatever the saying is.

In the process, I made a lovely discovery Friday: "The Brook," a song by one Ellen Dickson, a highly successful 19th century English composer of ballads and salon songs who wrote under the pen name "Dolores," setting a poem by Tennyson. Popular concert soprano and recording stalwart Alma Gluck (wife of violinist Efrem Zimbalist and mother of actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) waxed it for Victor in 1913, and when I first played it time just came to a screeching halt. My immediate reaction was to ask, rhetorically, "Why is this song forgotten? Any recital program would be brightened by its presence." A friend has posted the record to YouTube; be aware that we're in the midst of a (friendly!) debate over what is correct pitch for this record. I think my friend transferred it at 75 RPM, a common speed for Victor records of that day, at which it plays in E Major. Score pitch, at least in the two copies I was able to find online, is D Major, meaning E would be transposing a whole step up. Playing the record at 72 RPM puts it a half step up in E-Flat, which to my ear sounds more "right" and seems a more plausible transposition--but 72 would be a really strange speed for a Victor record of the period. (I should add that getting it to score pitch would mean dropping it to 68 RPM, a *really* weird speed, and when I tried it poor Alma ended up sounding more like a chesty mezzo than her soprano self. So I think that speed, at least, can safely be ruled out.)

Now you know what I've been doing instead of writing posts here!

An update to something I wrote earlier: the Brunswick Reinberger/Handel organ concerto set arrived in today's mail. First off, I misspoke before; I meant to say that given the recording date I would expect it to be an early electrical, but I inadvertently indicated late acoustical. Moral: proofread! Anyhow, the records, as I had feared, are in pretty rough shape. One side in particular looks as if somebody spread a bunch of sand on a table top and then rubbed the record across it. I'll need to clean them before I do anything else in hopes some of the unattractiveness is dirt--but I'm much afraid it's wear. You never know with 78s until you play them, as sometimes what looks like a wreck can play like a dream and vice-versa, but let's just say I'm keeping my hopes firmly in check.

 

Starting off today with some light piano fare... Schubert Waltzes. Performed by Paolo Bordoni.
My photo might look like a single album, but it's a 3-record box set. There are well over 100 waltzes here... (!) Who knew Schubert composed so many?
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, in November 4-5, 1976; March 8-9, 1978; and May 15-16, 1978.



I believe this is my only recording by this artist.
Some detail from the back of the box:

 

I got curious to see where and, with trepidation, how I started. Just missed making the first page--my first post is the first on page 2--but I'm relieved to see some things haven't changed: in response to a question about favorite accounts of Schubert's "Great C Major" sym., I wrote pretty much the same thing I would write today: Toscanini/NBCSO and Frederick Stock/CSO. Alas, one other thing that hasn't changed: the latter apparently still has not achieved a transfer to make it available to those who don't dabble in 78s.

 

This morning listened to some more Faure with Collard and company. Great stuff!

 

On the turntable this afternoon: Brahms Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op.25, which was first performed in Hamburg on November 16, 1861, with none other than Clara Schumann at the piano.
This budget Turnabout LP (with fanciful cover art) from 1966 features a fine performance by members of the Hungarian String Quartet. Georges Szolchàny, Piano.

 

What a great work! My favorite recording is by the Hollywood Quartet and Victor Aller, which I have on an old Capitol LP. I think it has emerged on CD in more recent years. Another fine performance is by Myra Hess and the Griller Quartet, recorded in concert at one of those courageous wartime London National Gallery concerts on 8/25/1942; it's been released on APR 5646. The work is also terrific, albeit not as often heard, as a sonata for two pianos, four hands, op. 34b. Eschenbach and Frantz put in a good performance in that guise; I would advise avoiding the icy-cold Kontarsky brothers on DG.

[Edit: I should note that I agree with some critical opinion I've seen, Hess was not at her best in the recording studio, and the "real" Myra Hess can be heard only in her recital/concert performances.]

[Further edit: OOPS! I misread the piece--I'm speaking of the piano quintet. Sorry! ]

 

With all the enthusiasm for the G minor Brahms Quartet, I decided to dust off my complete Rubinstein Collection box set and enjoy his 1967 recording, which was made at Webster Hall in NYC.

 

Wednesday, May 20: POPS! Goes Chronicle

 

Hey, David, no problem! I love the Op. 34 Quintet as well... maybe even more than the Quartet I played today. There are a lot to choose from, but my favorite is the 1969 DG recording by Christoph Eschenbach and the Amadeus-Quartett. These guys hit all the right marks for me, easily capturing Brahms' shifting moods from passionate to heroic with aplomb, and every movement is paced at just the right tempo. The sonics are superb, too; one of the best chamber music recordings I've ever heard from DG. It is close-miked, yet the piano is kept in perfect balance with the strings.



Interesting that you mention Eschenbach for the two-piano version! I've not heard that; however, given his performance in the Quintet, I can imagine he nails the duo-piano edition along with Frantz. I guess that's on CD? I'll have to look it up. I agree with your assessment of the Kontarsky brothers's take. I acquired that DG album in an estate sale lot, played it once, and it has been collecting dust on the shelf ever since.

My favorite two-piano recording is on this London (Decca) LP with pianists Bracha Eden and Alexander Tamir. I bought it in 1975 after hearing it played on the radio (by your favorite Washington station ).
The recording is from 1967. A really stunning, dynamic performance.

 

George, I don't have that sumptuous Rubinstein CD mega-box, but I happen to have the original 3-LP box set of the Guarneri Quartet w/Rubinstein performing Brahms and Schumann. Great performance!



Not sure if your CD includes the original liner notes by New York Magazine music critic, Alan Rich, but he gives a splendid personal account of attending one of the actual recording sessions for a day.
I'm reproducing that part of it below:

 

No, it doesnt, so thanks for that, Wes!

 

Thanks for sharing. I miss Webster Hall and all those other hideous old Northeast music venues with more history to share then I've even scratched the surface of.

Not to go off-subject, but if I've learned one thing recently, it is to not put off hitting up all the venues on my musical bucket list.

 

I'm not at all familiar with the pianist but I am enjoying this album on Qobuz right now.

 

So the opera book I'm reading convinced me to buy used copies of four of Mozart's from Amazon, my first purchase from them since everything went to ****.

Which ones? The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute; the recordings included in Philips' Complete Mozart Edition.

 

Wondering where to go after all that Faure, I thought a logical move would be to listen to the Saint Saens concertos, as played by Collard/Previn and as wisely recommended in this very thread by @Rose River Bear. Thanks again, my friend!

 

Great choices (the operas, I'm not familiar with those specific recordings). To me, nobody before or since wrote operas like Mozart did. I don't know if you speak German, but if you're a native English speaker I recommend Charles Mackerras' english-language recording of the Magic Flute on Chandos. Musically it's top-notch, and it brings out the humor and drama to hear it in one's native language.

Becoming familiar with the operas also made me appreciate his other works more, especially the piano concertos.

 

I had a music professor in college who said that he could hear Opera in many of Mozart's non-opera works.

 

On the turntable: Brahms Hungarian Dances, performed by Jean-Philippe Collard and Michel Béroff (one piano, four hands). Lively performance--these two really tear into these works, sometimes with breathtaking speed. I would love to have watched them perform together!

Liner notes by Martin Bookspan, author and radio host. I well recall his syndicated classical music show that aired every afternoon as I listened to my portable radio at the office. (Back in the '70s. )
Bookspan also wrote a monthly column in Stereo Review called the The Basic Repertoire (IIRC)-- his recommendations on recordings of essential classical works. About this recording he says, "These performances... exude the special joy and spontaneity that mark ensemble performance at its very best."

The sonics on this Pathé Marconi EMI recording are first rate, as is the 1975 Connoisseur Society pressing.