Ivo Pogorelich

[George]

Somehow we don't have a thread for this guy yet.

I wanted to ask people about this CD:



Second time through this CD and I am not sure if I am any closer to deciding if I like it or not. One thing's for sure, this is the most mannered Brahms playing I have ever heard.

[Verena]

I remember liking his early DG CD containing Brahms and Scarlatti. Other than that I have similar problems with his recordings as George.

[George]

I remember liking his early DG CD containing Brahms and Scarlatti. Other than that I have similar problems with his recordings as George.

Is the early Brahms one you refer to the one I pictured above?

I like his Scarlatti too.

[Verena]

Is the early Brahms one you refer to the one I pictured above?

I like his Scarlatti too.

Oh sorry. I was still half asleep when writing apparently.. I meant BACH (rather than Brahms) and Scarlatti 

[George]

Oh sorry. I was still half asleep when writing apparently.. I meant BACH (rather than Brahms) and Scarlatti 

Oh, OK. Haven't heard his Bach.

[Todd]

Second time through this CD and I am not sure if I am any closer to deciding if I like it or not. One thing's for sure, this is the most mannered Brahms playing I have ever heard.

Mannered, yes.  Brilliant, possibly.  I was initially taken aback by Pogo's tempo choices, but he manages to make them work.  Give it time.  You may not like it in the end, but it is unique.  Almost as extreme as his Haydn slow movements. 

[Kontrapunctus]

Mannered, yes.  Brilliant, possibly.  I was initially taken aback by Pogo's tempo choices, but he manages to make them work.  Give it time.  You may not like it in the end, but it is unique.  Almost as extreme as his Haydn slow movements.

I haven't listened to it in a while, but I recall liking it. It's not a traditional approach, certainly, but there are plenty of those recordings. I love his Bach and Ravel/Prokofiev CD. Has anyone heard him in the last few years? My god, what has happened to this man? Glacial tempi, bizarre accents--he almost seems to want to antagonize people! For instance, how about a 16 minute Mephisto Waltz? (part one)

http://www.youtube.com/v/I9axwuoEygU

[Dancing Divertimentian]

There've been a few Pogorelich sightings:

Here's one thread.

Here's another.

[Mandryka]

Somehow we don't have a thread for this guy yet.

I wanted to ask people about this CD:



Second time through this CD and I am not sure if I am any closer to deciding if I like it or not. One thing's for sure, this is the most mannered Brahms playing I have ever heard.

It's too beautiful.

[George]

Mannered, yes.  Brilliant, possibly.  I was initially taken aback by Pogo's tempo choices, but he manages to make them work.  Give it time.  You may not like it in the end, but it is unique.  Almost as extreme as his Haydn slow movements.

Thanks, Todd. I do hope that DG gets around to doing a box for him like they did for Richter and Argerich, since a lot of his CDs are OOP or Import only. 

[George]

There've been a few Pogorelich sightings:

Here's one thread.

Here's another.

Yeah, saw those, thanks, but I wanted to have a general thread for him, since we have one for many other pianists.

[George]

I haven't listened to it in a while, but I recall liking it. It's not a traditional approach, certainly, but there are plenty of those recordings. I love his Bach and Ravel/Prokofiev CD. Has anyone heard him in the last few years? My god, what has happened to this man? Glacial tempi, bizarre accents--he almost seems to want to antagonize people! For instance, how about a 16 minute Mephisto Waltz? (part one)

Yeah, it's like he's taken his style to an extreme. It sure doesn't work for me. 

[snyprrr]

I was just studying up on him the other day, looking for something to compliment this most awesome Prokofiev/Ravel disc. I definitely feel that one.

[Mandryka]

I was just studying up on him the other day, looking for something to compliment this most awesome Prokofiev/Ravel disc. I definitely feel that one.

Try and hear his Ravel Valses, snyprr. I would love to know what you think.

[Mandryka]

I listened to a couple of things last night -- the Brahms C sharp minor intermezzo Op 117/3 and the Mozart Fantasie in D minor KV397.

I thought there were some interesting things in the Brahms: the transition from the central section to the final section is very memorable. Altogether I thought in these recordings there was too much emphasis on beauty, which to some extent made the music making slightly slick and polished and sweet. His style reminded me a bit David Fray's Schubert. Another example where he's sweet like this is in the Scarlatti CD.

On the whole I prefer him in three places:

1. When he's being startlingly creative, as in the  Ravel Valses or the bootleg Rachmaninov Moments Musicaux and Chopin Op 62/1 I found on the web. It's very challenging his music making there. And sometimes when he plays like that it's tempting to just rapidly  dismiss it as weired or mannered or apply some other pejorative like "bad". But sometimes I think he has stuff to say, interesting stuff, and it's worth making the effort to interprate his art. The slower Valses are like distant haunting echoing memories -- ghosts.

2. When he's playing laser sharp fast music. Someone once said to me that they thought the ideal Chopin Op 26 would be Cortot in the slow preludes and Pogorelich in the fast -- that's quite a good idea. Some of his faster Bach is also impressive like this, and the 6th Ravel Valse and the Chopin Scherzos. The Scherzo disc is particularly successful I think.


3. Sometimes he just touches all the right emotional buttons for me. That happens particularly in Haydn Sonata 19 and in the Chopin Mazurkas and Etudes.