Gurn's Classical Corner

[SonicMan46]

I was surprised and interested to find Belder switching to the fortepiano. Are there many other recordings of Soler on the fortepiano? I have a few of his predecessor Scarlatti on fortepiano.  Anyway, it is a lovely sounding recording.

Hi Milk - if you may be referring to my post - Belder (at least in the first 2 volumes that I own) is on the harpsichord; the recording w/ Maggie Cole (just 1 disc) splits her playing of selected sonatas between the fortepiano & harpsichord evenly, so an interesting recording.  NOW, are there other recordings of Soler performed on the fortepiano, I'm not sure?   

[Antoine Marchand]

Hi Milk - if you may be referring to my post - Belder (at least in the first 2 volumes that I own) is on the harpsichord; the recording w/ Maggie Cole (just 1 disc) splits her playing of selected sonatas between the fortepiano & harpsichord evenly, so an interesting recording.  NOW, are there other recordings of Soler performed on the fortepiano, I'm not sure?   

Yes, Dave, precisely the sonatas of Vol. 4 are performed on fortepiano:

The sonatas on these CDs show Soler had moved away from the single movement sonatas of Scarlatti, and had adopted (like Haydn and Boccherini at the time) the four-movement form which became the norm for the classical sonata right up to and including the early sonatas of Beethoven. By the time Soler composed these sonatas in the 1760s, the new forte-piano had begun to make serious inroads and displace the harpsichord. This recording uses a forte-piano that enables the Alberti bass to be used to maximum effect - something a harpsichord cannot achieve.

[asin]B004MRX89M[/asin]

[SonicMan46]

Yes, Dave, precisely the sonatas of Vol. 4 are performed on fortepiano:

Antoine - interesting, guess I need to pick up Vols. 3 & 4 of Belder's recordings - how many more will he put out or is this the end of the series?     Dave

[Antoine Marchand]

I haven't those Soler's, but rather these disks on Pierre Verany label played by Jean Brosse;



Excuse the poor quality scan... nonetheless, there is nothi8ng poor quality about the playing. His Fandango is excellent! I am going to check out the Belder though. I have enjoyed his playing in some other things (Scarlatti & Bach).

I also like Belder's style a lot; both in Bach and Scarlatti, but still my favorite Fandango is played by Scott Ross... I love his rhythmic drive:



http://youtu.be/c54uQo76lbs

[Antoine Marchand]

Antoine - interesting, guess I need to pick up Vols. 3 & 4 of Belder's recordings - how many more will he put out or is this the end of the series?     Dave

Even if the series requires 30 additional vols., there is no problem. Belder is a hard worker.   

[Gurn Blanston]

I also like Belder's style a lot; both in Bach and Scarlatti, but still my favorite Fandango is played by Scott Ross... I love his rhythmic drive:



http://youtu.be/c54uQo76lbs

Antonio,
Thanks for the link. Yes, Scott Ross was a great loss, he was getting better and better all the time, and was already near the top of the heap. So it goes. I hadn't ever heard him doing Soler before. Cool!




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Now playing:
Quatuor Festetics - Hob 03 59 Quartet in E for Strings Op 54 #3 4th mvmt - Finale: Presto

[Antoine Marchand]

Antonio...

An hommage to "il Prete Rosso"... and, obviously, for me "Antonio" is more natural than "Antoine". 

[milk]

I also like Belder's style a lot; both in Bach and Scarlatti, but still my favorite Fandango is played by Scott Ross... I love his rhythmic drive:



http://youtu.be/c54uQo76lbs

Darn! I just checked and the Scott Ross youtube performance of Fandango has been removed!!!!! It was up on youtube for the last couple of years! There was a great live performance by Ross on youtube! I'll have to check out the Cole recording of Soler. I also wonder how many more Soler CDs are coming from Belder. Is everyone aware that, according to wikipedia, Soler's authorship of Fandango is considered doubtful? Well whoever wrote the piece, it's a lot of fun. I like Belder's Fandango. I also like this one by Cuiller. It's a fast one clocking in at 9:48!

[milk]

Can I add something else if I'm not cluttering up this forum? I buy a lot of recordings but here's another CPE Bach recording that I really enjoy. I get a lot of pleasure from this one. Also, Cummings plays the clavichord (accompanying the violin) on one of the tracks (harpsichord on the rest)! Really interesting!

[mc ukrneal]

Well, I finally got around to ripping and listening to the Kozeluch Piano Concertos:
[asin]B0021JLQA6[/asin]

Overall, this is an enjoyable listen. The sound is good and I particularly liked the piano playing. I don't feel the balance between the piano and the orchestra are ideal with the piano a bit too much forward (but this is only an issue for me when they are all playing together in the big moments, of which there are not too many). But the music is lovely indeed, and among Kozeluch's earliest piano concertos. Both orchestra and pianist are quite stylish, and the spirit of the music very much reminds me of Mozart, Haydn, etc. The piano is not a period one, which didn't bother me, but may be a consideration for others. The music made my foot tap and my head bob back and forth - it is very enthusiastic music and happy music. So no revelations here for me, but a ton of fun and enjoyment!

[Gurn Blanston]

Can I add something else if I'm not cluttering up this forum? I buy a lot of recordings but here's another CPE Bach recording that I really enjoy. I get a lot of pleasure from this one. Also, Cummings plays the clavichord (accompanying the violin) on one of the tracks (harpsichord on the rest)! Really interesting!

Milk,
Yes, that looks really interesting too. Here is a disk that we discussed back late last year;

which is the same music, clearly, since he only wrote 5 (maybe 6) of these sonatas. This one is accompanied on a fortepiano, which sounds great, but I would very much like to hear one done with a clavichord. It brings to mind that the roles are going to be reversed; the violin will have to be careful not to cover up the keyboard rather than the opposite! 

Don't ever be concerned about taking up to much space. Doors opening on new avenues of discussion are our lifeblood.

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, I finally got around to ripping and listening to the Kozeluch Piano Concertos:
[asin]B0021JLQA6[/asin]

Overall, this is an enjoyable listen. The sound is good and I particularly liked the piano playing. I don't feel the balance between the piano and the orchestra are ideal with the piano a bit too much forward (but this is only an issue for me when they are all playing together in the big moments, of which there are not too many). But the music is lovely indeed, and among Kozeluch's earliest piano concertos. Both orchestra and pianist are quite stylish, and the spirit of the music very much reminds me of Mozart, Haydn, etc. The piano is not a period one, which didn't bother me, but may be a consideration for others. The music made my foot tap and my head bob back and forth - it is very enthusiastic music and happy music. So no revelations here for me, but a ton of fun and enjoyment!

Excellent, thanks for the report back, Neal. I have been curious about this since you first brought it up. I'm not surprised over the overall tone of the music; not being funereal enough is one of the points where he has been criticized. Personally, that's usually what I am looking for in this type of music.

I see an interesting feature of your impressions; you mention that it is on a modern piano, and then mention elsewhere that the piano seems to dominate in places. Without inextricably linking those 2 things, might I point out the possibility that rather than a misjudgment of recording technology, perhaps it is rather a question of the capabilities of modern pianos that when playing in a freewheeling sort of way, they can't be dominated by an ensemble the size of a chamber orchestra. Just a thought...

I think though that I will pick this up. The world doesn't have enough Kozeluch's...

[Que]

Milk,
Yes, that looks really interesting too. Here is a disk that we discussed back late last year;

which is the same music, clearly, since he only wrote 5 (maybe 6) of these sonatas. This one is accompanied on a fortepiano, which sounds great, but I would very much like to hear one done with a clavichord. It brings to mind that the roles are going to be reversed; the violin will have to be careful not to cover up the keyboard rather than the opposite! 

That's such a great disc!  Enjoyed it tremendously - perfectly performed.

Q

[Marc]

I also like Belder's style a lot; both in Bach and Scarlatti, but still my favorite Fandango is played by Scott Ross... I love his rhythmic drive:

Probably not the best recording sound quality (produced in 1967), but there's also plenty of drive on this disc, with Rafael Puyana playing Soler:

[milk]

Milk,
Yes, that looks really interesting too. Here is a disk that we discussed back late last year;

which is the same music, clearly, since he only wrote 5 (maybe 6) of these sonatas. This one is accompanied on a fortepiano, which sounds great, but I would very much like to hear one done with a clavichord. It brings to mind that the roles are going to be reversed; the violin will have to be careful not to cover up the keyboard rather than the opposite! 

Don't ever be concerned about taking up to much space. Doors opening on new avenues of discussion are our lifeblood.

Well, I want to check out this one too! On the Cummings, it's only one track on which he uses clavichord. He uses harpsichord on the sonatas but he adds this piece on violin and keyboard: Arioso In a Major, Wq. 79, H. 535. Right, it's interesting to hear the soft violin technique on this one - as you say. You've added another recording to my list! Searching through my collection, I realize I have Stern on a PI performance of Chopin Cello sonatas (Ophélie Gaillard on cello). But that's for another forum! 

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, I want to check out this one too! On the Cummings, it's only one track on which he uses clavichord. He uses harpsichord on the sonatas but he adds this piece on violin and keyboard: Arioso In a Major, Wq. 79, H. 535. Right, it's interesting to hear the soft violin technique on this one - as you say. You've added another recording to my list! Searching through my collection, I realize I have Stern on a PI performance of Chopin Cello sonatas (Ophélie Gaillard on cello). But that's for another forum!

Well, it is my considered opinion that any disk which features a parrot in a blizzard on the cover is worth checking out in any case.   And then, of course, the music is splendid.

That little 1 movement piece intrigues me. I have this disk wishlisted now, it will likely make it in the next fiscal period.  0:)

Chopin who? 

[Mn Dave]

Chopin who? 

[karlhenning]

Well, it is my considered opinion that any disk which features a parrot in a blizzard on the cover is worth checking out in any case.

We have a parakeet of just the same opinion, Gurn!

[Gurn Blanston]

Now David. I have combed the lists for a Classical Era composer named 'Chopin', to no avail.

[Mn Dave]

Now David. I have combed the lists for a Classical Era composer named 'Chopin', to no avail.

Not much of a stretch from Beethoven and Schubert, Gurn. And oh such a rewarding one.