Pianistic Perfectionism

admiralackbar74 · August 11, 2009, 05:08:42 PM

Quote from: George on August 11, 2009, 02:21:43 PM
Stephen Hough also might be someone you would enjoy. Have you heard any of his stuff?

Now that you mention it, I can see Stephen Hough fitting my preferences quite well. All I've heard are snippets of his Rachmaninov concertos, though. Recommendations?

Thanks for whoever mentioned Marc-Andre Hamelin. I hadn't thought of him either. His two-disc Haydn sonatas set on Hyperion just went on my wish list.

George · August 11, 2009, 05:34:32 PM

Quote from: admiralackbar74 on August 11, 2009, 05:08:42 PM
Now that you mention it, I can see Stephen Hough fitting my preferences quite well. All I've heard are snippets of his Rachmaninov concertos, though. Recommendations?

Thanks for whoever mentioned Marc-Andre Hamelin. I hadn't thought of him either. His two-disc Haydn sonatas set on Hyperion just went on my wish list.

I mentioned Hamelin.

Hough has not impressed me in the small amount of stuff that I have heard him in (Liszt, Rach PC's) so I don't own too much by him. I recommended him because I figured that, based on what you told us, that you might like his style.

ChamberNut · August 11, 2009, 06:37:59 PM

Quote from: admiralackbar74 on August 11, 2009, 05:08:42 PM
Now that you mention it, I can see Stephen Hough fitting my preferences quite well. All I've heard are snippets of his Rachmaninov concertos, though. Recommendations?

If you like Saint-Saens' Piano Concerti, try out that Stephen Hough set on Hyperion.

Holden · August 12, 2009, 01:43:30 AM

Stunning technique vs musicality - an interesting equation. My take on it is if you've got the technique then musicality can easily follow. if playing every note in a work, no matter how hard it is, is easy then you have every chance of letting the music shine through. If you are working hard to get every note right then the music itself suffers. Based on this premise (which you are free to shoot holes through) then the superb technicians can become the superb musicians. This does not necessarily happen but it has for these pianists in my opinion.

Gyorgy Cziffra - it was just so easy for him and he made superb music - he is peerless IMO

Simon Barere - so underrated in this regard

Josef Hofman

Sergey Rachmaninov

Today, the likes of Hamelin impress yet Kemal Gekic does it in a totally different way. Both can make music speak volumes that none of the hothoused young virtuosi of today can even match. If they even attempted the repertoire of these two all we would hear is the notes and not much of the music.

George · August 12, 2009, 02:54:01 AM

Quote from: Holden on August 12, 2009, 01:43:30 AM
Gyorgy Cziffra - it was just so easy for him and he made superb music - he is peerless IMO

Oh, yes. I forgot him. Nice pick!

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Simon Barere - so underrated in this regard

Volumes 1 and 5 at Carnegie arrived yesterday, I look forward to digging into the 5 CDs soon, plus the HMV stuff on APR. For those who don't know, the Berkshire Record Outlet has volumes 2-4 at Carnegie for $6.99 each and the complete HMV recordings for $9.99.

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Josef Hofman

Another one I forgot. Marston will release their 9th and final volume of the complete Hofmann later this year. I have enjoyed getting better acquainted with his artistry. Volume 6, Casimir Recital, has been reprinted due to high demand (something Marston never does) and I highly recommend this 2 disc set to all pianophiles. That's the material that helped me really "get" this pianists artistry.

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Sergey Rachmaninov

Yes, another glaring omission. I feel lucky to have grabbed a nice new copy of the Complete Rachmaninoff recordings earlier this year, in it's much preferable original mastering, the Gold Seal release with the blue cover and the photo of the composer on the cover. I only wish he had recorded more of his solo works. I find it interesting that he recorded all of the Piano Concertos and only a handful of the solo works.

Of course there's that missed opportunity when RCA refused to record he and Horowitz playing the suites for two pianos.

Herman · August 12, 2009, 04:05:29 AM

Quote from: admiralackbar74 on August 11, 2009, 10:12:53 AM
I love perfection when it comes to the piano. Maurizio Pollini is probably my favorite pianist. Krystian Zimerman is growing on me every time I hear him. I can't stand live recordings and I love recordings that are close to the score and never miss a note.

Does anyone else here share my tastes?

I'll keep it brief. I don't share your taste. I prefer live recordings / broadcasts over note-perfect studio recordings.

I don't like most of Pollini's studio recordings. I often find them rather unmusical in comparison with other recordings.

MishaK · August 12, 2009, 11:33:43 AM

Back to Michelangeli, I found this on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhqanqbraLU

This is the same performance that DG released on CD. Unfortunately a lot of hiss on the video.

bwv 1080 · August 12, 2009, 11:46:00 AM

Ian Pace has the best technique of any pianist I am aware of

specializing in "New Complexity" repertoire, he has to

jochanaan · August 13, 2009, 01:43:13 PM

Quote from: George on August 11, 2009, 02:21:43 PM
Stephen Hough also might be someone you would enjoy. Have you heard any of his stuff?

Hough is interesting to me in that he likes to find obscure pianistic showpieces from the 19th century, and usually makes quite a good case for them; concertos like those from Weber, Hummel, Rubinstein, and other composers that were major in their day but aren't well-remembered now. (Of course we know Weber's Freischuetz, but what else do we know by him?) From what I've heard, which is radio broadcasts of Hough's recordings, his technique is stunning and flawless and his musicality admirable--a "virtuoso" in every sense.

Dax · August 17, 2009, 02:45:26 AM

Quote from: bwv 1080 on August 12, 2009, 11:46:00 AM
Ian Pace has the best technique of any pianist I am aware of

specializing in "New Complexity" repertoire, he has to

He can certainly learn a lot of notes quickly but his ability to present them musically is questionable. I suggest you investigate this gentleman:

http://jonathanpowell.wordpress.com/recordings/

(recordings of Finnissy, Sorabji, Busoni, Medtner etc)

Florestan · August 17, 2009, 02:59:35 AM

Quote from: jochanaan on August 13, 2009, 01:43:13 PM
(Of course we know Weber's Freischuetz, but what else do we know by him?)

Two clarinet concertos, two piano concertos and a conzertstueck, two symphonies, four piano sonatas, a clarinet quintett --- all delightful works worth checking.

Not to mention his other operas (ok, overtures only

): Oberon, Euryanthe, Abu Hassan, Silvana

Lethevich · August 17, 2009, 04:13:35 AM

Quote from: ChamberNut on August 11, 2009, 06:37:59 PM
If you like Saint-Saens' Piano Concerti, try out that Stephen Hough set on Hyperion.

I second this one as a possible introduction to the chap - not just technically, but also musically very beautiful.

admiralackbar74 · August 17, 2009, 11:52:04 AM

Thanks for the recommendations. I appreciate it!

Josquin des Prez · August 17, 2009, 01:02:11 PM

Two pages and nobody mentioned Gilels yet? The hell...

MishaK · August 17, 2009, 02:41:13 PM

Quote from: Josquin des Prez on August 17, 2009, 01:02:11 PM
Two pages and nobody mentioned Gilels yet? The hell...

Gilels is a formidable pianist, one of the greats no doubt. Had the pleasure of meeting him in person once when I was a wee lad. But the OP was asking for technical perfection and clarity of the kind that e.g. Pollini delivers. Gilels does not fit that category his stupendous musicianship otherwise notwithstanding.

admiralackbar74 · August 17, 2009, 03:49:01 PM

I have to agree here. Gilels is a fantastic pianist, no doubt, but definitely not in the same "typology" as Pollini.

Other suggestions? Or perhaps particular recordings of Gilels that might qualify?

Air · August 17, 2009, 04:45:50 PM

Moravec, Lhevinne...

Mandryka · August 19, 2009, 04:35:21 AM

Don't forget that a lot of pianistic perfectionism is the result of multiple edits in the studio.

Superhuman technique is really important to me -- I get a special pleasure from hearing Marc-Arndre Hamelin play impossible stuff so effortlessly -- Godowsky, Alkan . . ..

Whatever you think of the music, you've got to admire the dexterity.

A lot of dead pianists combined superhuman technique and musicality-- Weissenberg, Ogdon.

But there's also a pleasure to be had from hearing the struggle that the performer is going through to play the music -- sometimes you don't want it to sound effortless.

I hear that in Richter and Arrau and Horowitz. Their performances are pretty perfect -- but they're not as pristine and immaculate as Weissenberg's or Ogdon's

I wonder if the Pollini Schoenberg mentioned above was a studio or live performance -- there's been a live performance hanging around rmcr for ages, but I haven't had the time to hear it yet.

Josquin des Prez · August 19, 2009, 04:48:34 AM

Quote from: O Mensch on August 17, 2009, 02:41:13 PM
But the OP was asking for technical perfection

No, the OP asked for pianistic perfection, which is far from being the same thing. Indeed, he mentioned Zimerman, which would be my first choice for "pianistic perfection", Gilels being the second.

Josquin des Prez · August 19, 2009, 04:50:06 AM

Quote from: James on August 17, 2009, 02:06:42 PM
Gilels? I've recently heard his performance of Stravinsky's 3 movements from Petrushka where he butchers it and seems not to have a clue; fudges the rhythms, absolutely colourless. I give him props for daring to try it but...

Pollini's performance of it on the other hand.

I suppose different recordings may vary. I was personally thinking in terms of Beethoven, where Gilels leaves Pollini in the dust in so far as "pianistic perfection" is concerned.