Chopin Recordings

Started by George, April 06, 2007, 06:00:36 AM

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Mandryka

#1460


I feel quite inspired by this. He plays delicately, there's never anything very loud and uncouth, he creates poetic textures, intricate as lace. And maybe most impressively of all the rubato seems natural and fluid. In some ways he reminds me of Moravec, maybe it's his reticence about strong dynamic variation. I find myself enjoying it for longer than with Moravec in fact, though that's of no consequence to anyone but me I suppose. I don't know what type of piano, credit is given in the booklet to the tuner but I don't know if he's done anything special.

I just mentioned Goerner's reticence about exploring the extremes of a modern piano's dynamic range, there's another reticence too -- an emotional reticence. Or rather, an emotional complexity. I hear in this interpretation very little by way of jejune romantic effusion. There is expression aplenty, but it's complex, nuanced. These nocturnes are full of relief, full of twists and turns.

In the booklet there's an essay by someone called Christophe Ghristi which says this, which I thought was food for thought, and it just may be the there's some mutual inspiration between copy writer and musician here (not that I know much about Liszt, still less about Field, so take that with a pinch of salt! But it is lyrical, and it does make me want to hear Goerner play Mozart!)

Quoter. If we have
to look for a source for Chopin's inspiration, we should rather look to the fantasies of Mozart,
with their sense of freedom and constantly changing lyrical flow. The other inspiration, one
immediately adopted by Liszt, was romantic Italian bel canto, sublimated into its idealized
form by Bellini and Donizetti.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Florestan

Quote from: Mandryka on May 18, 2019, 05:32:49 AM


I feel quite inspired by this. He plays delicately, there's never anything very loud and uncouth, he creates poetic textures, intricate as lace. And maybe most impressively of all the rubato seems natural and fluid. In some ways he reminds me of Moravec, maybe it's his reticence about strong dynamic variation. I find myself enjoying it for longer than with Moravec in fact, though that's of no consequence to anyone but me I suppose. I don't know what type of piano, credit is given in the booklet to the tuner but I don't know if he's done anything special.

I just mentioned Goerner's reticence about exploring the extremes of a modern piano's dynamic range, there's another reticence too -- an emotional reticence. Or rather, an emotional complexity. I hear in this interpretation very little by way of jejune romantic effusion. There is expression aplenty, but it's complex, nuanced. These nocturnes are full of relief, full of twists and turns.

In the booklet there's an essay by someone called Christophe Ghristi which says this, which I thought was food for thought, and it just may be the there's some mutual inspiration between copy writer and musician here (not that I know much about Liszt, still less about Field, so take that with a pinch of salt! But it is lyrical, and it does make me want to hear Goerner play Mozart!)

Paul VERLAINE
1844 - 1896

Art poétique

De la musique avant toute chose,
Et pour cela préfère l'Impair
Plus vague et plus soluble dans l'air,
Sans rien en lui qui pèse ou qui pose.

Il faut aussi que tu n'ailles point
Choisir tes mots sans quelque méprise :
Rien de plus cher que la chanson grise
Où l'Indécis au Précis se joint.

C'est des beaux yeux derrière des voiles,
C'est le grand jour tremblant de midi,
C'est, par un ciel d'automne attiédi,
Le bleu fouillis des claires étoiles !

Car nous voulons la Nuance encor,
Pas la Couleur, rien que la nuance !
Oh ! la nuance seule fiance
Le rêve au rêve et la flûte au cor !

Fuis du plus loin la Pointe assassine,
L'Esprit cruel et le Rire impur,
Qui font pleurer les yeux de l'Azur,
Et tout cet ail de basse cuisine !

Prends l'éloquence et tords-lui son cou !
Tu feras bien, en train d'énergie,
De rendre un peu la Rime assagie.
Si l'on n'y veille, elle ira jusqu'où ?

O qui dira les torts de la Rime ?
Quel enfant sourd ou quel nègre fou
Nous a forgé ce bijou d'un sou
Qui sonne creux et faux sous la lime ?

De la musique encore et toujours !
Que ton vers soit la chose envolée
Qu'on sent qui fuit d'une âme en allée
Vers d'autres cieux à d'autres amours.

Que ton vers soit la bonne aventure
Eparse au vent crispé du matin
Qui va fleurant la menthe et le thym...
Et tout le reste est littérature.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Florestan

Nancy en hiver, une neige mouillée
Une fille entre dans un café
Moi, je bois mon verre, elle s'installe à côté
Je ne sais pas comment l'aborder
La pluie, le beau temps, ça n'a rien de génial
Mais c'est bien pour forcer son étoile
Puis vient le moment oû l'on parle de soi
Et la neige a fondu sous nos pas

On s'est connus au café des trois colombes
Au rendez-vous des amours sans abri
On était bien, on se sentait seuls au monde
On n'avait rien, mais on avait toute la vie

Nancy au printemps, ça ressemble au Midi
Elle m'aime et je l'aime aussi
On marche en parlant, on refait la philo
Je la prends mille fois en photo
Les petits bistrots tout autour de la place
Au soleil ont sorti leurs terrasses
Mais il y avait trop de lumière et de bruit
On attendait qu'arrive la nuit

On se voyait au café des trois colombes
Au rendez-vous des amours sans abri
On était bien, on se sentait seuls au monde
On n'avait rien, mais on avait toute la vie

Nancy, c'est très loin, c'est au bout de la terre
Ça s'éloigne à chaque anniversaire
Mais j'en suis certain, mes chagrins s'en souviennent
Le bonheur passait par la Lorraine
Il s'en est allé suivre d'autres chemins
Qui ne croisent pas souvent le mien
Je t'ai oubliée, mais c'est plus fort que moi
Il m'arrive de penser à toi

On se voyait au café des trois colombes
Au rendez-vous des amours sans abri
On était bien, on se sentait seuls au monde
On n'avait rien, mais on avait toute la vie
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

milk


I like this old Pleyel. It's delicate, fragile and dreamy. I like the Berceuse because it's ambient. It just turns but never gets anywhere. Chopin's nocturnes, on the other hand, just get too loud.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Mandryka on November 01, 2018, 01:49:59 PM


How many Chopin nocturnes can you listen to in one go?

My own attention span is normally pretty low, 15 minutes worth of nocturne is quite enough normally - 2 or 3 max.

But these performances by Jan Smeterlin are quite something else, because honestly, once you start you can't stop. They're the most moreish nocturnes I know, Chopin flavoured Pringles.

Why? It's not because he's a great colourist, or a flamboyant speed merchant or a pianistic muscle man. Neither is it because he is psychologically deep, nor does he project a sense of a great mind probing the music for its most profound poetry. And he certainly doesn't make them into piano analogues of Bellini operas.

No, he's a really great musician because he can tell a story - somehow there's an unfailing logic to the way the music progresses which keeps you strapped to your seat. And in C 19 music this sense of the music's logic, and the ability to express it in sound,  may just be the most important thing.

There are two transfers, one on Philips, and the one shown above on Forgotten Records. The Forgotten Records one has significantly superior sound.

I hadn't heard of Jan Smeterlin before now, but thank you for bringing up his recordings.  I just sampled them on Presto Classical's website:  beautiful.  I noticed that they have a 2-CD set for sale on Eloquence (download is also an option though no digital booklet).

Looking at Forgotten Records' website, I wish that they had some sound samples so that you could compare the two though.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

milk

Quote from: milk on October 27, 2020, 06:29:57 AM

I like this old Pleyel. It's delicate, fragile and dreamy. I like the Berceuse because it's ambient. It just turns but never gets anywhere. Chopin's nocturnes, on the other hand, just get too loud.
I've been spending more time with this. The pleyel is one of the most beautiful sounding period pianos I've heard and Demindenko is thrilling.

Mandryka

Quote from: milk on October 30, 2020, 06:18:04 AM
I've been spending more time with this. The pleyel is one of the most beautiful sounding period pianos I've heard and Demindenko is thrilling.

I'm not much interested in the music on that cd but I know that DemiD is a thoughtful Chopinist in, for example, the complete Scherzos and Preludes on modern piano. Some people would argue that the pianos in that series are maybe over-restored.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on October 27, 2020, 07:48:33 AM
I hadn't heard of Jan Smeterlin before now, but thank you for bringing up his recordings.  I just sampled them on Presto Classical's website:  beautiful.  I noticed that they have a 2-CD set for sale on Eloquence (download is also an option though no digital booklet).

Looking at Forgotten Records' website, I wish that they had some sound samples so that you could compare the two though.

PD

Yes I listened to some of that again when you posted this and when que made a comment somewhere and it is indeed very enjoyable. I have other things by Smetelin - Brahms, some mazurkas - he was an interesting pianist with ideas of his own.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Florestan



Louis who? Never mind, this is about the only recording I've heard that makes sense of the 1st Sonata, presenting it as a Classically-contoured structure rather than an amorphous fantasy in four disconnected parts. Haven't yet listened to the other sonatas but on the strength of the 1st alone I'd say this is a disc worth listening.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

amw

What are people's recommendations for the Polonaise in F-sharp minor Op. 44? At the moment I have: Małcużynski, Cziffra x2, Ashkenazy, Anderszewski. Generally prefer the first but the playing isn't technically ideal.

Mandryka

#1470
Quote from: amw on January 12, 2021, 06:58:11 PM
What are people's recommendations for the Polonaise in F-sharp minor Op. 44? At the moment I have: Małcużynski, Cziffra x2, Ashkenazy, Anderszewski. Generally prefer the first but the playing isn't technically ideal.
Bashkirov, maybe Pogorelich too. But the Bashkirov is special.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka



A really good Chopin third sonata here.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

staxomega

Quote from: Mandryka on April 02, 2021, 08:07:29 AM


A really good Chopin third sonata here.

Agreed, slowly making my way through this box now not in order. I was the thread starter for this set on the other board ;)

Beethoven Op. 101 has a fresh/inspired sounding closing movement on it as well.

Mandryka



This may be stupid but I'm going to say it anyway just to see if anyone has an opinion about it. Listening to Perahia play op 58 just now, the thought crossed my mind that this style is Mozartian! I mean elegant, poised Chopin, classical Chopin. That may well be a really valid way of making sense of the music, and a valuable thing to have on record.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

George

Quote from: Mandryka on April 05, 2021, 01:40:50 PM


This may be stupid but I'm going to say it anyway just to see if anyone has an opinion about it. Listening to Perahia play op 58 just now, the thought crossed my mind that this style is Mozartian! I mean elegant, poised Chopin, classical Chopin. That may well be a really valid way of making sense of the music, and a valuable thing to have on record.

Vladimir Horowitz has been quoted as saying that Mozart should be played like Chopin and Chopin should be played like Mozart.
"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

Artem

This is supposed to be first time on CD. Released in February. Is it good?


George

Quote from: Artem on April 23, 2021, 10:53:42 AM
This is supposed to be first time on CD. Released in February. Is it good?



Just sampled some of this on Spotify. I think it's good. Nice, strong, youthful approach to this music.
"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

Brian

Any thoughts on the recent Ruth Slenczynska box which mostly focuses on Chopin?

Florestan

Quote from: George on April 23, 2021, 11:12:29 AM
I think it's good. Nice, strong, youthful approach to this music.

+ 1. Enthusiastically recommended, actually.


Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Florestan



The premise of this recording id deeply flawed (that Chopin's Preludes are actual preludes to actual works) --- but the recital is nicely conceived and beautifully executed. Recommended.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini