Recordings That You Are Considering

[nut-job]

Landowska I know nothing of.  Weiberger is outstanding (at least the relatively small fraction of it that I have listened to so far), an emphasis on clarity rather than grandeur.  van Asperen is just what it should be, no more no less.  Turek is outstanding but sound is not good.

[Mandryka]

Paul Jacobs Busoni and Stravinsky and Brahms amd Messaien discs.

If you know it -- is it any good?

If you don't know it you can sample a bit here:

http://hypem.com/track/407514/Paul+Jacobs+-+Classical+Keyboard+Busoni+Sechs+Kurze+Stuke+zur+PflegeNach+Mozart+Adagio

coopmb I can't recomend the Tureck -- despite all the hype. I've owned it for years.  If ever I compare a piece, she always comes off less interesting than, say, Feinberg or Richter. This was a big disappointment to me, beacause I love hear early partitas and the very early Goldbergs (GPOTTC)

[Coopmv]

[Coopmv]

[Coopmv]

[Coopmv]

Her WTC is excellent ...

[Coopmv]

[Renfield]

Very good. No Huberman, but nothing is.

Well worth it for how consistently they streamline the work, without flattening it; and the usual superb playing from Jansen.

[Coopmv]

The new WTC from Angela Hewitt ...

[Mandryka]

The new WTC from Angela Hewitt ...

Head her play them in London and thought she was bland.

[Harry]

Haynd is a major strength of Harnoncourt, and indeed the casting is mouthwathering.

Q

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Coopmv]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Harry,

I recall you are a major-fan of Emma Kirkby.  The following recording is a challenge to that great CD Handel Italian Cantatas she recorded with Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music some 30 years ago, which I think has set the gold standard for this work and I listen to it quite often.  This new recording will come up short in comparison IMO, what are your thoughts?  BTW, I know nothing about Marc Minkowski.  How is his conducting style? 

[SonicMan46]

The new WTC from Angela Hewitt ...

   

Will be interested in your assessment of this 'new' recording vs. the Jill Crossland - had the older Hewitt WTC (inserted above - believe this is now a 4-CD offering), but after hearing the Crossland recordings, I decided to sell off Angela's discs - 

[Coopmv]

Will be interested in your assessment of this 'new' recording vs. the Jill Crossland - had the older Hewitt WTC (inserted above - believe this is now a 4-CD offering), but after hearing the Crossland recordings, I decided to sell off Angela's discs - 

I have the Jill Crossland's WTC and generally think it is a very nice CD set.  I also have the older Angela Hewitt's WTC (the same ones you have) and really have not listened to them in a while.  Jill Crossland clearly belongs to a new generation of pianists and really has not made that many recordings.  Angela Hewitt made her mark with this original DG recording, which I have.  Indeed, I will be curious to hear what the new WTC is like ...

[nut-job]

Will be interested in your assessment of this 'new' recording vs. the Jill Crossland - had the older Hewitt WTC (inserted above - believe this is now a 4-CD offering), but after hearing the Crossland recordings, I decided to sell off Angela's discs - 

You can listen to generous excerpts of the new WTC on hyperion's web site.  I did not like them.  The original set was sort of neutral, but very nicely played and with clarity of the voices in fugues without Gould-ish clarity of the voices.  New new set seems more self-indulgent without being more insightful.  (I would take my comments with a grain of salt since I have only listened to excerpts.)  I will not be getting it because I checked out my favorite bits and was disappointed and there are too many other pianists with a totally different approach to sit through Hewitt take-two.

[Coopmv]

I am very interested in this WTC



offered by a UK-based e-tailer but hesitate to spring for the set since I do not know the sound quality or the e-tailer ...

http://www.silveroakmusic.com/silveroak.html

[DavidRoss]

I'm listening to Hewitt's new WTC samples on hyperion's site and they sound pretty good to me...and would make an inviting alternative to the cool and somewhat detached set I now have by Gulda.

[Harry]

Harry,

I recall you are a major-fan of Emma Kirkby.  The following recording is a challenge to that great CD Handel Italian Cantatas she recorded with Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music some 30 years ago, which I think has set the gold standard for this work and I listen to it quite often.  This new recording will come up short in comparison IMO, what are your thoughts?  BTW, I know nothing about Marc Minkowski.  How is his conducting style? 

Minkowski is a very different conductor in many ways. And he lives in a different authentic awareness as Hogwood. Hence they are I think almost opposites of the same world. Hogwood likes a clean and relatively brisk tempi, not too rich in its expression, and with enough room to give each instrument and the voice space to breath. Minkowski likes a rich sound and is more playful with crecendi and decrecendi's. He goes from nothing to passionate, and back again, and likes the hush all to silence and then turn on the volume high again. I think Kozena's voice too rich for these cantatas, but she has a lovely voice, but I would rather hear them from Suzie LeBlanc.

[Coopmv]

I'm listening to Hewitt's new WTC samples on hyperion's site and they sound pretty good to me...and would make an inviting alternative to the cool and somewhat detached set I now have by Gulda.

But is "cool" really a bad quality when it comes to works of Bach?  I finally got what I believe to be the worst recording of any works of Bach I own - Die Sonaten fur Viola da gamba und Cembalo with Keith Jarrett playing the piano.  While the piano playing is good, it sounds distant and background-music like.  The miking of the recording session was screwed up big-time.

[Coopmv]

Minkowski is a very different conductor in many ways. And he lives in a different authentic awareness as Hogwood. Hence they are I think almost opposites of the same world. Hogwood likes a clean and relatively brisk tempi, not too rich in its expression, and with enough room to give each instrument and the voice space to breath. Minkowski likes a rich sound and is more playful with crecendi and decrecendi's. He goes from nothing to passionate, and back again, and likes the hush all to silence and then turn on the volume high again. I think Kozena's voice too rich for these cantatas, but she has a lovely voice, but I would rather hear them for Suzie LeBlanc.

Harry,

Thanks for sharing the insight.  Emma Kirkby's has that purity in her voice that is uniquely suited for early and baroque vocal works while I must admit I do not have that many recordings by Kozena to make a judgment call.  I do not own a single recording by Marc Minkowski and wonder if his Handel oratorios and other baroque choral works are good or not ...