Topic: "Golden Age Pianists":Cortot, Moiseiwitsch,Sofronitsky,Ney,Michelangeli etc

[Jo498]

I don't know what Quobuz is offering. But the soundbits at amazon for the Hansen sound like a historical fortepiano to my ears?!? Certainly not like a 1940s or 50s piano recording...

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01BCP3WWY/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

[Mandryka]

Yes is believe it is a fortepiano, not a very good one IMO, though I can’t find the details.

Hansen was a pupil of Edwin Fischer, and it shows, in fact I like his style more than I like Edwin Fischer’s! 

[Mandryka]

He recorded the Trout Quintet with The Strub Quartet, which I'm keen to hear if anyone knows of a transfer.

This turns out to be available for free here, a very good transfer IMO and an excellent performance, with surprisingly "dark" moments and both pianists and Strubs inspired by their encounter,  better than the one that the Strubs made with Ney IMO

https://paulmichaelvonganski.wordpress.com/tag/strub-quartett/

The Strub Quartet are amazing IMO, I have them in this recording of the Schubert string quintet



If anyone sees a transfer of their recording of the Schubert G major quartet please let me know.

[Mandryka]

If you can understand French this is fun

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/YBuYX62w_mw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/YBuYX62w_mw</a>

[Jo498]

Thanks for the Hansen/Strub link! Interesting and as you say, rather "serious" interpretation. And the sound is very good as well. (I am not the biggest fan of the "Trout" but it still is a great piece once in a while, maybe Schuberts first instrumental masterpiece together with the sonata D 664.)
It's surprising that there are so few recordings with the Strub Qt. I had not been aware that they were active for 20 years after the war until the mid 60s. I thought I had more Strub from some private transfers, but I can't find it...

[Mandryka]

I very much enjoy Petri's late Beethoven and for the first time I've started to listen to his Brahms op 117. Vigorous youthful late Brahms, no romantic effusion or Edwardian gentleman wiping away a tear of nostalgia here! No mystery neither but we can't have anything. 

 Anyone else appreciate this pianist?

Years ago when I first heard this approach to late Brahms in Grimaud, I thought of it as "modern", but nothing could be further from the truth. It may be modernist, but it's not modern.

[Mandryka]

. 

Comparing the 1955 Munich recital of Chopin preludes on these two transfers, I find myself much preferring the Urania. The Warner transfer (CD 28)  seems to have a boomy bass.

[George]

. 

Comparing the 1952 Munich recital of Chopin preludes on these two transfers, I find myself much preferring the Urania. The Warner transfer seems to have a boomy bass.

Interesting findings, as I generally find Urania's work to be inferior to their competitors. I haven't compared a ton of them, though.

The Urania cover reads 1955/56 and your post references 1952. But Disc 28 on Warner/EMI is a 1957 London performance. 

[Mandryka]

28.

I too was surprised. It sound much closer, I think that the closeness is putting me off, you probably hear more of the piano tone, but at a cost.

[George]

28.

I too was surprised. It sound much closer, I think that the closeness is putting me off, you probably hear more of the piano tone, but at a cost.

Thanks, I just edited my post above, can you clarify?

[Mandryka]

Thanks, I just edited my post above, can you clarify?

No . . . tomorrow  . . . it's late here!

[George]

No . . . tomorrow  . . . it's late here!

OK. The reason for the difference in sound is that they are actually two completely different performances, recorded in different places and in different years.

And yes, the Warner/EMI transfer is overly dark and heavy on the bass. A shame, since it is the latest recording in that box. In 1957 they should have been able to get MUCH better sound than this.   

[Mandryka]

OK. The reason for the difference in sound is that they are actually two completely different performances, recorded in different places and in different years.

And yes, the Warner/EMI transfer is overly dark and heavy on the bass. A shame, since it is the latest recording in that box. In 1957 they should have been able to get MUCH better sound than this.

Ah, that explains it! Thanks

[George]

Ah, that explains it! Thanks

No problem. Thanks for getting me to pull out the Cortot box. It has been gathering dust for too long now.

[vers la flamme]

Does Vladimir Horowitz count? The guy created some absolutely amazing recordings.

These are some Horowitz CDs that I really like, made up of recordings from different points in his career:





^This disc contains an astonishing recording of Poulenc's C major Novelette. It's two minutes long but it blows me away every time I hear it





^Great, arch-Romantic Scarlatti. Horowitz gives a new meaning to what Jan Swafford once wrote about Scarlatti: that he was to the harpsichord what Chopin was to the piano. If you do not like "anachronistic" music then steer clear.

[j winter]

Love that Scarlatti disc, anachronistic or no....  even in some of his very late recordings, Horowitz's technique is just jaw-dropping....

[Mandryka]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/mmQigJQM9JQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/mmQigJQM9JQ</a>

Benno interview from the BBC. Good comments on Schumann, as you would expect.

[George]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/mmQigJQM9JQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/mmQigJQM9JQ</a>

Benno interview from the BBC. Good comments on Schumann, as you would expect.

Yeah, that's on his most recent Testament release, a 3CD set.