In anticipation of Michael Endres' upcoming release of Mendelssohn's complete* Lieder ohne Worte – a release I have exceedingly high expectations for – I decided to try a variety of recordings of Mendelssohn's collection of miniatures. I will be revisiting Daniel Barenboim's set, along with the recently acquired and listened to set by Roberte Mamou, along with eight others, at least to start. (Turns out there are at least twenty complete sets available, and that seems a bit too many even for me.) There are some gems in this music. I might as well get started.
* Turns out that the standard set of 48 may not be "complete". Roberto Prosseda's set includes 56 pieces.
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Daniel Adni. Using Daniel Barenboim as the baseline for timings, Adni is generally slower, most of the time only a bit, but sometimes a lot. 19/1 sets the pace with a very slow tempo, and a gentle, lovely tone and demeanor. The first Venetian Gondola Song (19/6) is stretched out to almost three minutes – a full minute longer than Barenboim – and sounds melancholy, but it's hard to imagine this as a song of any kind. The second (30/6) likewise takes over a minute more than Barenboim, while the third (62/5) is about forty seconds longer. But for real long, there's the Duetto (38/6), which is over two minutes longer. When one considers these are all miniatures, that's pretty darn long.
Adni can and does infuse more energy into playing works, with19/3 and 30/2 notable examples, and the Funeral March 62/3, while slow, has weight and seriousness aplenty. The famous Spring Song is pure delight, as it should be, and the equally famous Spinning Song is delightful and energetic in proper proportion. As Adni plays the later works, many of them become more refined and serious, and the playing reflects that well.
The additional works included in the set match the Barenboim set, except with the more famous Daniel, the Kinderstucke Op 72 is also included. Adni plays all the extras as well as he does the main works in the set.
Adni's set is more or less comparable quality-wise to Barenboim's, though not as tonally rich. Sound is early 70s SOTA transferred excellently to digital. He's at least as good here, and maybe better, as in Grieg's Lyric Pieces. Perhaps Warner will reissue all of Adni's recordings. It looks like he's sort of the Andre Previn of piano music: a great or near-great performer of second tier works.
I've got a few CDs of the Liedet Ohne Worte but this is the one I always return to:
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I wonder what you guys think of this
http://www.youtube.com/v/Al-tUbtb4G8
And this
http://www.youtube.com/v/gYxamRpjSQk
The only complete set I have is Barenboim's, so I'll be watching this thread closely.
I do enjoy the incomplete recordings by Geiseking, Richter and Friedman.
My only set is by Ilse von Alpenheim. Any opinions on her version?
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Quote from: Holden on November 17, 2014, 10:55:40 AM
I've got a few CDs of the Liedet Ohne Worte but this is the one I always return to:
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I'm exploring only complete sets, but the Babayan may very well end up in my collection at some point - provided I can find a copy. Based on his sublime Scarlatti and the extraordinary live recordings available online, I must say that he strikes me as almost the ideal pianist for this music.
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on November 17, 2014, 08:11:44 PM
My only set is by Ilse von Alpenheim. Any opinions on her version?
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In a week or two.
I'm not sure there is enough interpretive room in the Lieder to make comparing multiple sets a particularly productive experience. The set seems to operate within very limited emotional parameters, which makes (for me) even listening to two opuses successively a bit of a chore, let alone the whole cycle at one sitting.
Quote from: amw on November 18, 2014, 10:41:25 PMI'm not sure there is enough interpretive room in the Lieder to make comparing multiple sets a particularly productive experience.
Depends on what you mean by productive. I want to find, at least among what I listen to, the best available version. Perhaps even more important, since many of the pianists are new to me, I hope to find new artists who tickle my fancy, so I have more recordings of other repertoire to explore. None of this is really
productive, of course.
Quote from: Todd on November 19, 2014, 06:39:06 AM
Depends on what you mean by productive. I want to find, at least among what I listen to, the best available version. Perhaps even more important, since many of the pianists are new to me, I hope to find new artists who tickle my fancy, so I have more recordings of other repertoire to explore. None of this is really productive, of course.
I'll be curious to find out if you find a set better than Barenboim.
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Michael Korstick. The two-disc set opens with a serious, bright, at times metallic, but always expertly executed Variations sérieuses. The main attraction is similar. Korstick is generally just a bit slower than Barenboim, but sometimes he's quicker. He also manages to bring the beauty on occasion. Right out of the gate, 19/1 is wonderfully paced and very attractive. But then one hears a bit more of what the pianist is all about in the Hunt Song 19/3, which is dashed off quickly and to say effortlessly would overstate how easy it sounds. Granted, these works are not virtuosic showpieces, but Korstick takes the opportunity to display his technique, without overdoing it. The piano sound brightens up during the piece, too. The first Venetian Gondola song sounds attractive enough, but then immediately Korstick noticeably outdoes that with a 30/1 that is lovely and, often, delicate. The Duetto, nicely paced, displays a slight metallic patina that doesn't help it much. And that patina keeps making appearances, seemingly randomly. It can be viewed as adding a smidge of intensity, which is true, but for me it subtracts more than it adds. That written, Korstick can and does deliver in some other pieces, notably the famous Spring and Spinning songs, which are played with the same uber-effortlessness of the Hunt Song. Sound is close to SOTA. A nice set, but not a top choice for me.
Quote from: Todd on November 19, 2014, 06:39:06 AM
Depends on what you mean by productive. I want to find, at least among what I listen to, the best available version. Perhaps even more important, since many of the pianists are new to me, I hope to find new artists who tickle my fancy, so I have more recordings of other repertoire to explore. None of this is really productive, of course.
Listening to classical music is hardly a "productive" pursuit, yes. I suppose what I mean is "is the music substantial enough to reward multiple listens and interpretations?" which is not something I'm convinced of. Thus I'd appreciate some comments on the music itself and how different interpretations illuminate aspects of it, if the fancy strikes you to do so. I will of course read your mini-reviews in any case.
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Livia Rev. Aside from a couple YouTube videos of a nonagenarian Ms Rev playing a couple pieces, I've heard nothing from this pianist until now. This set showcases the playing of a younger Rev – she was around seventy at the time of the recordings. Ms Rev plays with slower tempos than Barenboim, and her style is unabashedly romantic. Her sound is warm, her tone rich with only the occasional hint of metal, her dynamics a bit narrower than the other sets I've heard up until now. Each piece comes across as its own little musical world. The faster pieces – 19/3 is a perfect early example – lack the energy of other readings, but they make up for it with a darker hued, more, well, more autumnal sensibility. There's also a pervasive feeling of escaping the world of Mendelssohn miniatures to something bigger. In some slower movements, the sound is sometimes Schubertian. Perfect examples of this include the Venetian Gondola Songs, which here sound uncommonly somber, almost like sketches for discarded songs from Die Winterreise. In some – many – faster or bolder pieces, the sound is more Schumannesque, and of the later Schumann variety, at that.
Sound is a bit distant, heavy, and slightly opaque, resulting in something akin to a wash of sound. The effect is generally very pleasant. This is warm blanket Mendelssohn. I mean that as a compliment. (Hell, who doesn't like warm blankets, especially in winter?)
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Balázs Szokolay. Szokolay's set presents the works in chronological opus number order, but jumbled order within each set. As such, the set opens with the 19/6 Venetian Gondola Song, which here sounds like a sorrowful waltz, with not so subtle and definitely not so unattractive rhythmic snap that none of the preceding sets display. Szokolay's prominent rhythmic drive remains constant throughout, with snappier pieces really benefiting. And while Szokolay doesn't deliver play with a lush or delicate tonal range, and does not really focus on little details, and his style can be forceful, with a "big" sound, the playing seems to flow better than, and avoids the metallic patina of, Michael Korstick's playing. Szokolay's timings tend to be slightly longer than Barenboim's, but at no point is the playing anything other than energized and taut. Again, this is not the most subtle playing around, sometimes pushing the music at the listener, but I found it effective. Not a top choice, but a fun, full-blooded one. I'd really like to hear Szokolay in showy Liszt and Beethoven and the Brahms concertos. His Scarlatti disc may be worth investigating, too. Recorded sound is clear and close.
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Daniel Barenboim. I figured I might as well revisit Barenboim's set. Having listened to the set multiple times, it was better known from the start, but now, after hearing several other versions, its individual traits are more noticeable. First, Barenboim tends to use swifter tempi than all prior sets in almost all works. Only occasionally does it seem that maybe – and that's a maybe – he pushes some pieces just a bit too much. Could the first Venetian Gondola Song, for instance, be just a tad more relaxed? Sure. Should it? Not so sure. The tendency to comparative swiftness makes some of the works sound just a bit tense, but never intense, and the lovely, full tone Barenboim coaxes from his piano, and the uniformly wonderful playing of the melodies, make each piece sound distinct. Indeed, Barenboim manages to produce more variation in style between pieces than any preceding pianist. One thing he does not do, at least like Lev on occasion, and Adni frequently, is lend greater depth to some of the pieces. Maybe Adni adds things that are not there. Perhaps Barenboim pursues surface beauty at the expense of something deeper. Both approaches work. Sound is excellent. Barenboim's set holds up.
At this point, do you like Adni or Rev's sets more, Todd?
Quote from: George on November 30, 2014, 09:20:40 AMAt this point, do you like Adni or Rev's sets more, Todd?
Adni.
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Roberto Prosseda. Specialization has its benefits. Until I decided to explore Lieder ohne Worte recordings, I can't recall seeing the pianist's name before, though I may have. He's something of a Mendelssohn specialist, having recorded all manner of works, including a variety of rarities and even a good number of world premieres. He's also something of a specialist in the pedal piano repertoire, but that's too gimmicky for me, so I'll just stick with his Mendelssohn, at least for now.
The set opens with 19/1 delivered with lovely legato and a most singing sound. So far, so good. 19/2 displays a unique, pronounced but still gentle left hand staccato at the end, and this trait appears again throughout the set. The first Venetian Gondola Song is dark and rich and moody and subdued. Rather than flowing smoothly throughout, Prosseda plays with a soft-edged staccato part of the time, and he lets the piece fade away to silence with a perfect touch. (Or the engineers made it happen.) 30/9 has hints of a light, Mendelssohnian Kinderszenen-like piece. The second Venetian Gondola Song is much like the first, and the way Prosseda dispatches the trills, ascending in volume with laudable precision, is unique and effective. 38/5, labeled agitato, is precisely that, with the beautiful warmth dropped for a more pointed, almost aggressive style, though it never sounds hard. Prosseda uses this style for many of the faster pieces. This is followed up by a lovely but taut Duetto, with rich bass notes underpinning the piece. The Spinnerlied, like 38/5, forgoes warmth in favor of a more pointed approach, though it hardly sounds anything other than attractive.
Overall, Prosseda uses tempi pretty close to Barenboim's. Sometimes he's faster, sometimes slower, but he's usually not too far away. In the slower, gentler pieces he deploys a lovely, smooth legato. In many faster pieces, he's a bit more fiery, deploying a slightly more strident staccato. One thing he definitely likes to do is use the pedals, and some pedal clomping can be heard throughout the set. These alternating traits lead to some pieces having much clearer voices than others, though nothing is ever really opaque. And certainly nothing ever sounds hard or ugly. Prosseda does not offer the stylistic variation of Barenboim, but every piece is so thoroughly well prepared and thought out that the set is a joy from start to finish. The extra eight Lied without opus number make a nice addition, and the fugues and the reconstructed Allegro con Fuoco, while not exactly mandatory listening, result in two generously filled out discs. Sound is close, clear, and warm. Overall, this set is at the same level as Barenboim and Adni. I think I may give Prosseda's Schumann a shot.
I assume this is an Italian Decca. Todd, where did you source this? I picked up an excellent Chopin CD by Prosseda in Italy a few years ago, but never found a reasonable or any source for that matter outside of Italy for Italian Deccas. Same for Pietro deMaria's wonderful Decca Chopin cycle, which I purchased over several years of travel to Italy.
Quote from: Oldnslow on December 03, 2014, 09:01:53 PMI assume this is an Italian Decca. Todd, where did you source this?
Amazon Germany. It was $27, shipping included.
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Ilse von Alpenheim. A swift, light, lovely 19/1 characterized by fluid legato quickly gives way to a more pointed, lean, comparatively lightly pedaled and often bright and more than occasionally metallic sounding approach in the faster works that follow. The first Venetian Gondola Song is stark. The second and third ones, too. Overly mellifluous Mendelssohn this is not. Rather, it strikes me as a lighter, slightly "smaller" version of Michael Korstick, though of course, Mrs Dorati recorded her set much earlier. The set is certainly consistent, never really wavering much in style, with no wallowing allowed at any time, and more attention lavished on structure than melody. While tonal beauty isn't really Alpenheim's thing, good dynamic control certainly seems to be. This dynamic control, married to more appealing than normal tonal beauty in the left hand playing, makes the Spring Song an unexpected delight. While I doubt this set gets many repeat listens around these parts, I can see some listeners enjoying this slightly stern set for its lack of excess.
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Daniel Gortler. Who is Daniel Gortler? Well, he's an Israeli pianist who has recorded next to nothing, and about whom little information is available. He's a professor at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, and he has been performing for a good while, and performs a wide variety of core rep. So far, so good, I guess. This set was recorded in 1997, but the Romeo release is from 2006. It's also the only release I own with Hebrew liner notes.
I wonder why it took so long for this set to get released, because really, everything just jells. Gortler's playing is lyrical at all times, and when it is not wonderfully warm and rich, it is bright and colorful. Dynamics are basically perfectly judged. Tempi are slower on the whole than Barenboim's, but Gortler's choices all make perfect sense. When he needs to be energetic, he is. When he needs to play slow, he does. When the music needs to be a bit darker, it is. And above all, Gortler plays the pieces as if they are, in fact, songs. Listening, it is almost always possible to think about a singer in the mix. Every piece seems just right. Perfect, even. If the praise seems too effusive, I can't help it. I think this may the one, the Lieder ohne Worte I cannot be ohne. The last time I experienced such a perfect blend of everything was when I listened to Paul Badura-Skoda's LvB cycle on Astree, but I have no quibbles with this set.
Sound is nearly ideal, offering a perfect perspective and just a bit of resonance.
I'd love to hear Gortler in as much Schubert as possible, but for now only a Schumann twofer appears to be available. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying it.
Gortler's first Song Without Words can be heard on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIU70B6K7Ls
It is beautifully played, but too fast for me. (Gieseking's EMI recording remains my favorite)
Quote from: George on December 07, 2014, 07:27:31 AM
Gortler's first Song Without Words can be heard on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIU70B6K7Ls
It is beautifully played, but too fast for me. (Gieseking's EMI recording remains my favorite)
If that's too fast, definitely, absolutely do not click this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac9l-0hIqpc). ;)
Quote from: Brian on December 07, 2014, 07:55:05 AM
If that's too fast, definitely, absolutely do not click this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac9l-0hIqpc). ;)
:-X
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András Schiff. A single disc, incomplete set, the only one I picked up for this survey. I figured that Schiff should be almost ideal for these pieces, but my enthusiasm was a bit misplaced. The first thing of note is the resonant and hard sound, with a few clangy passages thrown in, which are rare for Schiff. The second thing of note is how serious Schiff makes these pieces sound. These are not charming miniatures; these are significant, heavy pieces. (Well, sort of.) Schiff does manage to make a good chunk of the playing work, and he tends to adopt slow tempi – though sometimes too slow. 102/5 (Kinderstuck), usually a light, quick, purely charming piece, is here transformed into a slow meditation on an abstract notion of childhood. It is not entirely successful. He makes Rev seem light and frivolous. Not a first choice at all, but Schiff's talent is such that his heavier-than-it-should-be approach ends up offering an intriguing slant on a few pieces.
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Rena Kyriakou. Until now, my only experience with this pianist was her woefully recorded set of Chabrier's piano music, which also lacks a bit in the energy department. (This is mostly when compared to Naida Cole's blockbuster recording of two Chabrier pieces; Chabrier recordings aren't exactly super-abundant.) But I've read a few glowing comments about her Mendelssohn. On evidence of this set, Mendelssohn is more her thing. First of all, the recorded sound is more helpful. While aged (it is from 1962), with some distortion and drop outs, it nonetheless conveys the qualities of Kyriakou's playing. Second, no doubt aided by what sounds like a Bosendorfer, Kyriakou largely emerges as a full-blooded player of Mendelssohn's music. The tempi aren't necessarily fast – and sometimes, like right out of the gate in 19/1, they are incredibly slow – but they are generally well judged, and Kyriakou makes everything sound big and robust. Her playing tends to favor the melody over the accompaniment, with some nearly biting, often bright but never harsh right hand playing evident much of the time. I can't say the playing is nearly as lyrical as someone like Gortler, nor as deep as Adni, but it works. A pleasant, better-than-expected set.
It appears that the set is available on YouTube, so there's no reason to pay even the Vox price for this one.
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Roberte Mamou. Revisiting the set that kicked this whole thing off. After hearing so many different versions, Ms Mamou's comes across as a nice enough set. It generally sounds nice. It is generally lyrical enough. It may be a bit serious at times, but it also is devoid of excess rubato or dynamic fiddling. But ultimately it is a bit unmemorable. It isn't bad, it just isn't what I'm listening for. YMMV.
Ten-and-a-half sets of Mendelssohn should do it for me for a while – well, until the Michael Endres set is released, at any rate. I would group the sets thusly:
Tip-Top Tier
Daniel Gortler
Top Tier
Roberto Prosseda
Michael Endres
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Adni
Second Tier
Christoph Eschenbach
Livia Rev
Balázs Szokolay
Rena Kyriakou
Third Tier
Andras Schiff
Michael Korstick
Ilse von Alpenheim
Roberte Mamou
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Christoph Eschenbach. A perfect example of a recording being exactly what was expected. Eschenbach's playing is predictably meticulous, generally beautiful, and he never delves deep. It's pretty much all surface, which works well in this music. Everything stays light. In an all bon-bon collection, the sweetest treat is the no doubt too saccharine for some Op 19/1, which flows effortlessly for over four and a half minutes. Second tier and quite enjoyable. Good sound, but the remastering could be updated.
Eschenbach's Songs Without Words has been recently reissued as part of a 6 CD set on DG Eloquence, which I just purchased and look forward to hearing. It also contains Chopin, Schubert, and Schumann. He is (or was) a superb pianist--I recall some great Bartok solo pieces many years ago that I don't believe have ever been reissued. His Emperor with Ozawa on Pentatone is tempting too.
Quote from: Todd on December 12, 2014, 12:55:46 PM
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I´m actually quite fond of this one. People often complain about her playing too slow. Okay, there are a few pieces where she could have played faster but I am not sure she should have been, op. 19/1 included. She makes quite a convincing case for their being played slower than one would expect. What I like the most is that she doesn´t refrain from playing some pieces as if they were not songs without words but ballads without words. Overall she might not be as poetic as Gieseking (but then again who is?) and might not have the same beauty and purity of tone as Gieseking (but then again who has?), but in her best moments --- and there are many --- she is not too far.
Quote from: George on November 19, 2014, 07:30:42 AM
I'll be curious to find out if you find a set better than Barenboim.
You should try Knauer.
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Michael Endres. The set that kicked the whole thing off. It took a couple years for this set to hit the market, but it's here now, and it's basically what I expected. I decided to listen to Daniel Gortler play some of the works before sampling Endres, and while I still find Gortler to be my favorite pianist in these works, that doesn't mean Endres isn't superb, because he is. His style differs from Gortler's.
First, his playing, on the whole, is a bit faster. He plays slower in some pieces, but Endres does not ever stretch the pieces out. Second, Endres pedals more sparingly. Some might say more judiciously. Endres does not produce one even slightly unpleasant sound throughout, but the playing lacks the warm beauty of Gortler's. Third, Endres plays with greater clarity throughout. The closer sound helps in this regard, as does the sparer pedaling, but with Endres, the focus seems to be on making sure that no detail is left unaddressed, that melody and accompaniment both receive their due. Fourth, Endres plays with more precise dynamic and tempo gradations. There's a slightly analytical feel, though that is not meant in a negative fashion. It was uncommonly easy to listen to each disc all the way through. And when the predictable highlights pop up – the darker hued Venetian Gondola songs, the Spring song, Op 67/4 (a highlight for me) – Endres delivers.
Overall, Endres joins the ''Top Tier'', but not the tip-top tier occupied by Daniel Gortler alone. Fully modern sound, as expected for an Endres release.
Quote from: Todd on November 18, 2014, 05:40:10 PM
I'm exploring only complete sets, but the Babayan may very well end up in my collection at some point - provided I can find a copy. Based on his sublime Scarlatti and the extraordinary live recordings available online, I must say that he strikes me as almost the ideal pianist for this music.
In a week or two.
I've listened to the Gortler and agree that it is excellent. However, I think that the Babayan is the better intepretation. A pity it's not complete. The four Schubert/Liszt song transcriptions are also sublime
It's available here
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a bit pricey but definitely worth the money.
Quote from: Todd on November 16, 2014, 11:29:53 AM
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Daniel Adni. Using Daniel Barenboim as the baseline for timings, Adni is generally slower, most of the time only a bit, but sometimes a lot. 19/1 sets the pace with a very slow tempo, and a gentle, lovely tone and demeanor. The first Venetian Gondola Song (19/6) is stretched out to almost three minutes – a full minute longer than Barenboim – and sounds melancholy, but it's hard to imagine this as a song of any kind. The second (30/6) likewise takes over a minute more than Barenboim, while the third (62/5) is about forty seconds longer. But for real long, there's the Duetto (38/6), which is over two minutes longer. When one considers these are all miniatures, that's pretty darn long.
Adni can and does infuse more energy into playing works, with19/3 and 30/2 notable examples, and the Funeral March 62/3, while slow, has weight and seriousness aplenty. The famous Spring Song is pure delight, as it should be, and the equally famous Spinning Song is delightful and energetic in proper proportion. As Adni plays the later works, many of them become more refined and serious, and the playing reflects that well.
The additional works included in the set match the Barenboim set, except with the more famous Daniel, the Kinderstucke Op 72 is also included. Adni plays all the extras as well as he does the main works in the set.
Adni's set is more or less comparable quality-wise to Barenboim's, though not as tonally rich. Sound is early 70s SOTA transferred excellently to digital. He's at least as good here, and maybe better, as in Grieg's Lyric Pieces. Perhaps Warner will reissue all of Adni's recordings. It looks like he's sort of the Andre Previn of piano music: a great or near-great performer of second tier works.
Thanks for the heads-up on this set. It's gorgeously and expressively played. My only other complete set is Barenboim and I like the Adni quite a bit more. EMI really should put this set back in print.
[a bit of overlap with my other thread sorrynotsorry]
Anie Dorfman?
Ginette Doyen?
Two from the LP era (ca 1950s). Has anyone heard them?
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Rena Kyriakou. Until now, my only experience with this pianist was her woefully recorded set of Chabrier's piano music, which also lacks a bit in the energy department. (This is mostly when compared to Naida Cole's blockbuster recording of two Chabrier pieces; Chabrier recordings aren't exactly super-abundant.) But I've read a few glowing comments about her Mendelssohn. On evidence of this set, Mendelssohn is more her thing. First of all, the recorded sound is more helpful. While aged (it is from 1962), with some distortion and drop outs, it nonetheless conveys the qualities of Kyriakou's playing. Second, no doubt aided by what sounds like a Bosendorfer, Kyriakou largely emerges as a full-blooded player of Mendelssohn's music. The tempi aren't necessarily fast – and sometimes, like right out of the gate in 19/1, they are incredibly slow – but they are generally well judged, and Kyriakou makes everything sound big and robust. Her playing tends to favor the melody over the accompaniment, with some nearly biting, often bright but never harsh right hand playing evident much of the time. I can't say the playing is nearly as lyrical as someone like Gortler, nor as deep as Adni, but it works. A pleasant, better-than-expected set.
It appears that the set is available on YouTube, so there's no reason to pay even the Vox price for this one.
I've been listening to this the past couple of days. And at first if felt very satisfying because they are unassuming performances, as if she's just playing for herself. But after a while it felt a bit to plain Jane - though it could be that the recording quality is hiding all the nuances.
Quote from: Mandryka on December 23, 2022, 12:13:56 PMI've been listening to this the past couple of days. And at first if felt very satisfying because they are unassuming performances, as if she's just playing for herself. But after a while it felt a bit to plain Jane - though it could be that the recording quality is hiding all the nuances.
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Kyoko Tabe plays each piece as if it is a tone poem. I think it's a revelation! I never knew there was so much poetry in there.
She is the disproof of
@amw 's suggestion here
Quote from: amw on November 18, 2014, 10:41:25 PMI'm not sure there is enough interpretive room in the Lieder . . . The set seems to operate within very limited emotional parameters,
Can't resist posting Rzewski's programme note from a performance in California in 2008
The 'Songs Without Words' are usually seen as trivial salon pieces, a
mixed dish to be offered as light refreshment in an otherwise serious
program. I see them rather as a single unified work: a systematically
constructed secular oratorio for piano, a musical Bildungsroman,
painting a ranibow of life's changing patterns and emotions within an
unchanging structure of repetitive cycles.
If there is a single dominant theme, it is water: the naturalistic
evocation of babbling brooks in spring that opens each cycle, or the
splashing of oars that ends it. But other unifying links recur
constantly: the descending fourth or tritone, for example, or the
anapestic phrase structure that reappears everywhere: two short
repetitions followed by a longer answer.
In order to make the larger form perceptible, I choose fast tempi.
(The duration might vary from 90 to 100 minutes.) I see Mendelssohn as a
radical: a revolutionary romantic, but also firmly anchored in classical
rationality. He always returns to the chorale, somehow a symbol of
Reason in a time of social upheaval.
Why call it "songs without words?" Does that mean there are words?
Schumann thought so, maybe. Could it have something to do with the
Hasidic _niggun_? Apparently not. If there were words, they were
deliberately suppressed. Why? Is it about a secret? Is the Duetto at the
end of the third cycle a simple love song, or a mystical allegory? These
are all questions I cannot answer; but I try to ask them in my playing.
--Frederick Rzewski (August 2008)
Quote from: Frederic RzewksiI see Mendelssohn as a radical: a revolutionary romantic
This is an overstatement --- but Mendelssohn is probably the most underrated of the Romantics.
Quote from: Todd on December 07, 2014, 06:31:35 AMDaniel Gortler.
You were right about this.
Quote from: Todd on December 07, 2014, 06:31:35 AMI'd love to hear Gortler in as much Schubert as possible,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001HADEBE/ref=dm_rwpmb_pur_lnd_albm_unrg
There's also this Trout
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9cPhfQ0_pjQ&pp=ygURR29ydGxlciBTY2h1YmVydCA%3D
Whatever you make of her voice you will enjoy the piano playing for sure.
Quote from: Holden on November 17, 2014, 10:55:40 AMI've got a few CDs of the Liedet Ohne Worte but this is the one I always return to:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mS63wjatL.jpg)
One of my favorite albums for these Liszt/Schubert song transcriptions. He played some of them when I saw him in concert recently. Incredibly good performances.
(https://i.imgur.com/q3oiQgA.jpg)
Quote from: Florestan on December 24, 2022, 08:49:00 AM.... Mendelssohn is probably the most underrated of the Romantics.
Certainly. Just ask the equally underrated composer Saul Dzorelashvili:
https://wiki.youngcomposers.com/Profile:Saul_Dzorelashvili
Quote from: premont on May 28, 2023, 01:47:45 PMCertainly. Just ask the equally underrated composer Saul Dzorelashvili:
https://wiki.youngcomposers.com/Profile:Saul_Dzorelashvili
;D ;D ;D
Well, even a broken watch is right twice a day...
Quote from: Atriod on May 28, 2023, 04:38:50 AMOne of my favorite albums for these Liszt/Schubert song transcriptions. He played some of them when I saw him in concert recently. Incredibly good performances.
(https://i.imgur.com/q3oiQgA.jpg)
You lucky bugger. Here in Australia our access to classical music pianists have their limitations and most pianists who come here mainly give concerto concerts as opposed to solo recitals. I realised what I was missing in 2019 when I was in London and feasted on music from the smaller concert halls such as Wigmore, the Barbican etc. The highlight of these was Murray Perahia recital which was simply awesome. Doesn't happen here.
Quote from: Holden on May 29, 2023, 12:32:20 AMYou lucky bugger. Here in Australia our access to classical music pianists have their limitations and most pianists who come here mainly give concerto concerts as opposed to solo recitals. I realised what I was missing in 2019 when I was in London and feasted on music from the smaller concert halls such as Wigmore, the Barbican etc. The highlight of these was Murray Perahia recital which was simply awesome. Doesn't happen here.
Even here it is more common for big name pianists to play with the nearest major orchestra than give solo recitals. This was an even more extraordinary circumstance in that Babayan more often tours in Europe, this was a special concert for the anniversary of when Rachmaninoff gave a concert at this venue, as such I was expecting an all Rachmaninoff program but was just as happy when it was over to have got the variety including a Kreisleriana and Aria from GV that I've never heard matched. The Schubert/Liszt and Rachmaninoff were just as good as his respective CDs, just with the immediacy/better sound you get in person from a very good seat; allowing me to get a better feel of his demonic intensity of Richter or Lugansk'y first recording of Etudes-Tablaux. I really wish he had a recording of the Chaconne.
After putting off seeing Lupu on several occasions to not have to return home past 1 am I'm now going out of my way to see my favorite musicians. I had planned to see Pollini at Carnegie Hall in the fall and he has cancelled, I hope it's not something serious.
High-res download of the first volume of the HIP Brautigam traversal is discounted to US $6.90 today only (https://www.eclassical.com/performers/brautigam-ronald/mendelssohn-lieder-ohne-worte-books-1-4.html) (June 4).