Pogorelich- Gaspard de la nuit

[Todd]

The Debussy preludes from 1977 are complete in this set (three are missing in Vol. 1) and these are so good I nearly cried.

You need to get the other 10-disc set for the complete set of both books.  It's worth the outlay.  (I got both just because its Michelangeli.)  I agree that the sonics in the set are not the best, and are highly variable, and may not reflect his idea of what he should sound like, but his playing takes on a greater energy live that erases any doubt due to sound.  His Schumann and Chopin live are better than in the studio, for instance.  Keep listening! 

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

You need to get the other 10-disc set for the complete set of both books.  It's worth the outlay.  (I got both just because its Michelangeli.) 

I have it. Listening to Book II will commence tonight. We'll see whether Michelangeli's playing can interest me in this music. I've always loved Book I more than just about anything written for piano, but Book II has always left me cold.

Todd, do you play the piano yourself?

[olivetta]

Unless the only cd that deserve to be considered here are those from Deutsche Gramophon, I am very surprised than nobody  seems to have heard of Samson Francois's Gaspard de la Nuit. Both of his recordings (1947 at the age of 23 and twenty years later 1967) are the most impressive I ever heard.

[ragman1970]

I'll throw in another - Naida Cole



She plays as well as she looks 

Yes, but Decca doesn't release new recordings with her! 

[SimonGodders]

Yes, but Decca doesn't release new recordings with her! 

No, she's left the music business and now training as a doctor! 

[sidoze]

Unless the only cd that deserve to be considered here are those from Deutsche Gramophon, I am very surprised than nobody  seems to have heard of Samson Francois's Gaspard de la Nuit. Both of his recordings (1947 at the age of 23 and twenty years later 1967) are the most impressive I ever heard.

This is the one, the '47 in particular. He created the sort of character you would never want to meet alone on a dark quiet street.

Otherwise Michelangeli, the London recital on BBC Legends I think.

[MishaK]

Just last night (this morning at 4am) I listened to the Michelangeli's astounding, jaw-dropping rendition of Gaspard on my new 10 CD set (Aura label). And, I have to say, I'm not sure I like it; I'm not sure I dislike it either, but it will take much more listening to better comprehend his approach.

First, either the recording, the piano, or both are very bright and metallic in the upper registers. As the recordings in this set span many years and a variety of venues, they are of highly variable quality and it is impossible for me to determine to what degree the sonics of this highly unusual sounding recording correspond to Michelangeli's wishes. As usual, Michelangeli's playing is very highly detailed and transparent, and he exposes melodic motifs and harmonies not heard in any other pianist's readings. However, I don't know whether this super-detailed approach serves this music all that well. Gieseking's approach is very much the opposite; he paints his Gaspard with very broad brush strokes, subordinating detail to the overall feeling and flow of the pieces. His Ondine is flowing and mysterious, while Michelangeli's sounds dissected and analytical by comparison. Much the same is true for Gibet and Scarbo. Anyway, these are my first impressions.

The Debussy preludes from 1977 are complete in this set (three are missing in Vol. 1) and these are so good I nearly cried.

XB, I don't have tha Aura recording, so I am not sure which one it is. Michelangeli never recorded Gaspard in the studio unfortunately. There are at least two live recital recordings that have shown up. The more common one is from London in the late 1950s. This one was officially issued on the BBC's own label and also in the Philips Great Pianists series. That recording is very fine, beautiful tone, if emotionally a bit cold. The far better one, in my opinion, is a later, I think, 1970s recital from Prague, that used to be available on a double CD from Music & Arts. I am not at home so I can't check the exact dates. But this later one is mesmerizing. Nobody else I have heard comes anywhere near the perfection of sonic control Michelangeli achieves here. It is beyond technique or pianism. It is just the pure music leaping off the page, so to speak. Astounding. I put it on once for apianist friend who had never heard it and he asked me to replay the opening bars several times because he was in disbelief about the level of control Michelangeli has over the ostinato patterns. Neither of the two recordings is bright or metallic. It was always a hallmark of Michelangeli's sound to produce a very non-percussive tone ideally suited to Ravel and Debussy.

[Drasko]

Michelangeli never recorded Gaspard in the studio unfortunately. There are at least two live recital recordings that have shown up.

- London 30 June 1959 - BBC Legends BBCL 40642, Music and Arts CD-955, Music and Arts CD-4955, Philips 456 901-2
- Prague 22 May 1960 - EMI Vltava Classics (Japan) TOCE-8271, Multisonic 310193-2, Music and Arts CD-817
- Lugano 4 June 1968 - Memories HR 4368/69, Nuova Era CD 2218
- Helsinki 22 May 1969 - Arkadia GI 904.1, Hunt CD 904
- Città del Vaticano 13 June 1987 - Amadeus AMS 042-043, Aura Music AUR 204-2, Memoria 999-001, Memoria 999-105

[MishaK]

- London 30 June 1959 - BBC Legends BBCL 40642, Music and Arts CD-955, Music and Arts CD-4955, Philips 456 901-2
- Prague 22 May 1960 - EMI Vltava Classics (Japan) TOCE-8271, Multisonic 310193-2, Music and Arts CD-817
- Lugano 4 June 1968 - Memories HR 4368/69, Nuova Era CD 2218
- Helsinki 22 May 1969 - Arkadia GI 904.1, Hunt CD 904
- Città del Vaticano 13 June 1987 - Amadeus AMS 042-043, Aura Music AUR 204-2, Memoria 999-001, Memoria 999-105

Dude! Thanks for that. I wasn't even aware of the last three you list. Have you heard them? How do they compare?

[Drasko]

Dude! Thanks for that. I wasn't even aware of the last three you list. Have you heard them? How do they compare?

No dude, haven't heard all those and chances to find Lugano & Helsinki are pretty much nill (Memories disc might come up at BRO at one time or another).
That last one (which I heard maybe once, some time ago) is available both on Aura (BRO) or in second Membrane/Documents box, so you can check out that for youself. 

[sidoze]

The far better one, in my opinion, is a later, I think, 1970s recital from Prague, that used to be available on a double CD from Music & Arts.

I haven't heard this. Does anyone know if it's still available? I can't imagine it could be "far better" with only a year separating the two performances and the London recital already being "the best recital I've ever attended" (Ronald Smith). But maybe.

[Drasko]

Does anyone know if it's still available?

http://www.musicandarts.com/CDpages/CD817hi.html

On the other hand do you know is Francois '47 available?

[sidoze]

As far as I know, in '47 he only recorded Scarbo. It's in the Philips GPOC set dedicated to him, as well as in the big white box on EMI.

The one Gavrilov played in the Tchaikovsky comp is supposed to be stunning but I don't think it's released yet.

[snyprrr]

Is it da bomb?

[snyprrr]

I just got this. Not being intimate with these pieces, I "fear" these interpretations may become etched in m y mind. oh, well,...

I expect perfection in what I'm listening to, so I can't imagine hearing these pieces now with any less ummph that what Pogo is delivering. I'm probably not the best "notice-er" sometimes, but I do hear this guy hitting e-ver-y sin-gle note. There is certainly the feeling of "tickling" those ivories,... especially at the beginning of Scarbo, where Pogo does that "creaky" sound by playing the notes so fast.

The Prokofieff, too, is quite sparkling and twinkling. I'm no Prokof-nut, but I am now enjoying this and the PS No.7 with Pollini. I also tried the GD/Richter PS No.8, but I didn't find that piece as raucous as 6-7. Anyone?

At 50mins, though, it makes you want to hear more (though not Chopin for me right now, thanks!).

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I also tried the [Prokofiev] GD/Richter PS No.8, but I didn't find that piece as raucous as 6-7. Anyone?

What's the "GD" in GD/Richter stand for? Did you perhaps mean DG, as in the record label?

As far as the 8th sonata, the point of this work isn't to be "raucous". It has its raucous moments but overall it's a sort of sedentary listening experience. Listen to it for its meditative qualities and don't expect to be thrown out of your chair by it.

Admittedly the 8th can be a challenge to listen to with that sprawling first movement but give Prokofiev the benefit of the doubt. He rarely lets the listener down. Incidentally, Richter is MUCH more tightly wound in his live 1961 Moscow performance, pulling together all the disparate elements of that long first movement better than in his studio DG. But still, Richter is Richter in this music, so keep at it....

[snyprrr]

What's the "GD" in GD/Richter stand for? Did you perhaps mean DG, as in the record label?

As far as the 8th sonata, the point of this work isn't to be "raucous". It has its raucous moments but overall it's a sort of sedentary listening experience. Listen to it for its meditative qualities and don't expect to be thrown out of your chair by it.

Admittedly the 8th can be a challenge to listen to with that sprawling first movement but give Prokofiev the benefit of the doubt. He rarely lets the listener down. Incidentally, Richter is MUCH more tightly wound in his live 1961 Moscow performance, pulling together all the disparate elements of that long first movement better than in his studio DG. But still, Richter is Richter in this music, so keep at it....

I think I'm liking 6 the best out of those War Sonatas (will continue with Richter though). And the Pogo is so tickling!