Recordings That You Are Considering

[kishnevi]

Ok, so I've decided that I want to add the Argerich/Chailly recording of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto to my collection. But, which pairing should I choose? The one with the Tchaikovsky 1st with Kondrashin or the Philips 50 one with the Second Rachmaninoff Suite for Two Pianos with Freire? Anyone have a suggestion?

Best solution:  buy all the Argerich boxes.   I may be slightly biased, of course.
Second best solution:  the Tchaikovsky coupling.  This will allow you to her other recordings of the Suite without making you feel like you're duplicating something you already own.
I was going to say this one, but I see it's got the Symphonic Dances and not the Suite
[asin]B002N1RM4G[/asin]
Further investigation reveals that she's only recorded the Suite once with Friere; the other recording is with Rabinovitch.
[asin]B000PMFTEA[/asin]
I'd say get both CDs--the one with the Tchaikovsky and the A/F duo recording, but I suppose the decision should really be which work--the Tchaikovsky concerto or the Rachmaninov suite--interests you more.
Or get the box set--in all seriousness, the pertinent set (all her Philips recordings) is not much more than both CDs combined.
[asin]B004Q2MZPG[/asin]

[admiralackbar]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Much appreciated! (I may end up with the box set. )

[Todd]

[Brian]

Kertesz didn't leave a massive legacy; surely a 'Complete Recordings' box is achievable.

[Todd]

Kertesz didn't leave a massive legacy; surely a 'Complete Recordings' box is achievable.

UMG seems to prefer the multi-box approach, a la Martha Argerich.

[Wanderer]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Much appreciated! (I may end up with the box set. )

That would be my suggestion, as well.

[jlaurson]

Ok, so I've decided that I want to add the Argerich/Chailly recording of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto to my collection. But, which pairing should I choose? The one with the Tchaikovsky 1st with Kondrashin or the Philips 50 one with the Second Rachmaninoff Suite for Two Pianos with Freire? Anyone have a suggestion?

I second the Tchaik/Kondrashin choice. They're both such humdinger concertos, they're perfectly matched and, without regards or disrespect to the enormous musical value of the Freire/Argerich coupling, a much more suitable pairing for every-day listening. (Which the disc is bound to become, for a while at least.) Heck, it's even the 'Intro-to-Classical-Music disc' in this ditty of a hyperbolically titled article: How To Build A Top Quality Classical Music Library For $100

[Wakefield]

Just a few examples from Richter's Goldbergs:

1.  I love the heroic nature of vars. 18 and 22.
2.  I'm mesmerized by the rhythmic flow in var. 19.
3.  The emotional intensity of var. 21.
4.  The playfulness of var. 23.
5.  The joyful interpretations of vars. 24 and 27.
6.  Love the bleakness of his "Black Pearl", no. 25.

Overall, I'm even more enthralled with his Partitas.

Premont:

Over the years, I've noticed that you place much greater priority on rhythmic flexibility than I do.  That's just the way it is.

I agree with Premont. At least his Goldbergs are a suffocating experience.

Although you have probably chosen the best examples to illustrate your position, IMO, even there Richter sounds like a stiff and mechanical sewing-machine.

I think the best are the variations 19, 21 & 24, but even these are merely "acceptable" in regards our modern tastes/criteria-of-interpretation.

IMO, his organ interpretations are way better.

[prémont]

I agree with Premont. At least his Goldbergs are a suffocating experience.

Although you have probably chosen the best examples to illustrate your position, IMO, even there Richter sounds like a stiff and mechanical sewing-machine.

I think the best are the variations 19, 21 & 24, but even these are merely "acceptable" in regards our modern tastes/criteria-of-interpretation.

IMO, his organ interpretations are way better.

What about the Brandenburgs?

Even if I do not appreciate his work as harpsichordist and a as conductor of instrumental works, I consider a purchase of the new collection of Bach Cantatas. Do you know this box?

[Sammy]

I agree with Premont. At least his Goldbergs are a suffocating experience.

Although you have probably chosen the best examples to illustrate your position, IMO, even there Richter sounds like a stiff and mechanical sewing-machine.

My wife does a lot of sewing on her machine.  It sounds nothing like Richter's playing.

Out of curiosity, what are your favored recordings of the Goldbergs?

[The new erato]

Out of curiosity, what are your favored recordings of the Goldbergs?

Say this. and we'll have an interesting discussion;



Seriously though, I like that a lot, though it's not even close to what Bach had in mind.

[jlaurson]

Say this. and we'll have an interesting discussion;



Seriously though, I like that a lot, though it's not even close to what Bach had in mind.

Well, it's perhaps my favorite. 

Much more subtle than one would think, in any case.

[Wakefield]

My wife does a lot of sewing on her machine.

You're lucky, ladies don't have sewing-machines anymore... My mother had a newer version of this "Singer" machine (very appropriate to this board, isn't it?):

Out of curiosity, what are your favored recordings of the Goldbergs?

I like Leonhardt (3rd version, DHM) and Hantaï (both of them). I also think very highly of Pieter-Jan Belder (sorry, Mandrika  ), Christiane Jaccottet, Céline Frisch and the double version of Jaroslav Tůma. 

[Wakefield]

What about the Brandenburgs?

Even if I do not appreciate his work as harpsichordist and a as conductor of instrumental works, I consider a purchase of the new collection of Bach Cantatas. Do you know this box?

I don't still have the Brandenburgs, so I don't have heard them.

I purchased the 26-CD set with the cycle of 75 sacred cantatas recorded on Archiv. But so far I have just heard three disks. What I have liked the most of these interpretations is their sense of reverence for the music played which is almost physical and matches very well with its original liturgical function.

That said, it's impossible to ignore how much progress has been done in interpretative matters by the HIP movement, particularly in choral and instrumental parts (some soloists are excellent). Sound quality is extremely variable what it's a torture against some very massive choruses. At this point I'm not sure if I will explore the complete set, considering the alternative use of this time.   

[Sammy]

I like Leonhardt (3rd version, DHM) and Hantaï (both of them). I also think very highly of Pieter-Jan Belder (sorry, Mandrika  ), Christiane Jaccottet, Céline Frisch and the double version of Jaroslav Tůma. 

I think those are great choices.  The newer Hantai is probably my favorite Goldbergs on harpsichord.

[milk]

I like Leonhardt (3rd version, DHM) and Hantaï (both of them). I also think very highly of Pieter-Jan Belder (sorry, Mandrika  ), Christiane Jaccottet, Céline Frisch and the double version of Jaroslav Tůma. 

I recently went back to Frisch and confirmed that I like her recording very much. It's dreamy!

[Octave]

That said, it's impossible to ignore how much progress has been done in interpretative matters by the HIP movement, particularly in choral and instrumental parts[....]

[...]I have given up the superstition of "progress". 

[Octave]

I recently went back to Frisch [Bach GOLDBERGs] and confirmed that I like her recording very much. It's dreamy!

I am keening to get a physical disc of this, but it seems that it is gone gone gone.
At first I thought it was odd that there was no artist page for Frisch at the Outhere site, but I think they simply think of her as "Mrs. Zimmermann".

[Wakefield]

progress

Oh no, that's mere polysemy. In a perfect world every thing would have a different word to name it, but it doesn't happen in the actual world.

I don't believe in progress as a philosophical idea suggesting that every new generation of human beings is better than the previous one.

But I use the word "progress" as a synonym of "improvement". For instance: "Penicillin was a progress for mankind."   

[prémont]

I purchased the 26-CD set with the cycle of 75 sacred cantatas recorded on Archiv. But so far I have just heard three disks. What I have liked the most of these interpretations is their sense of reverence for the music played which is almost physical and matches very well with its original liturgical function.

That said, it's impossible to ignore how much progress has been done in interpretative matters by the HIP movement, particularly in choral and instrumental parts (some soloists are excellent). Sound quality is extremely variable what it's a torture against some very massive choruses. At this point I'm not sure if I will explore the complete set, considering the alternative use of this time.

I read between the lines, that my money would be better spent on Cantata recordings by Pierlot, Coin, Milnes, Thomas (Jeffrey) et.c. ??