Schumann solo piano music

Started by Sean, August 22, 2007, 07:57:24 AM

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Sean

There are quite a number of Schumann piano works beyond those established in the repertory and here's what appears to be a complete recording. I don't buy much these days but I just ordered it- can anyone comment on Demus or the lesser known Schumann?

Holden

Harking back to your Kempff/Schubert thread, he also has a Schumann box set which is probably better than this.
Cheers

Holden

Sean

Sure thing Holden, though this one is a 13 CD survey: I got it for a bargain £30 with a bosted box- otherwise is £100.

Don

Quote from: Holden on August 22, 2007, 12:15:31 PM
Harking back to your Kempff/Schubert thread, he also has a Schumann box set which is probably better than this.

Definitely better.  Demus' Schumann is good, but there's much better out there; also Demus isn't afforded very good sonics.

Josquin des Prez

Demus is serviceable. As far as i know it's the only complete set out there so it's not like there's much in terms of choices.

Klara Wurtz released a 3cd set under Brilliant which is the first volume in what i assume is going to be a complete set. Her Mozart was very good so i'd keep an eye on her.

Sean

Thanks Josquin- I'll be playing it over the next few weeks.

Don

Quote from: Josquin des Prez on August 23, 2007, 06:10:37 AM
Demus is serviceable. As far as i know it's the only complete set out there so it's not like there's much in terms of choices.


I think there's another complete set on the Thorofon label; the pianist is Franz Vorraber, and he's quite good and not mainstream at all.

Mandryka

Amazingly there doesn't seem to be a thread.


Let me kick it off with a question/request


I'm keen to hear Edwin Fischer's Schumann Fantasie, but as far as I can see it's completely unavailable except through a highly priced big Schumann box from andante.

Can anyone help?    :D
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Holden

hello Mandryka

I can't help but would be interested to see what this thread develops into.

Schumann's output for solo piano is quite small when compared to his contemporaries (Chopin, Liszt, etc) but it's overall  quality is another matter.

While you are interested in the Edwin Fischer Op 17 can I strongly suggest that you also seek out Sergio Fiorentino (if you don't already have it).
Cheers

Holden

mjwal

Can't help either, but a review here: http://pianistes.ifrance.com/schumann.htm
suggests it is "laboured and heavy", to temper your disappointment! The Fantasie is one of the greatest and most enigmatic of piano masterpieces, I find, and I don't know of a performance that reconciles its staggering technical demands with the profound poetic suggestion it requires (see Rosen on this work). I haven't heard Fiorentino, though.
I have Klara Würtz, Freire, Pollini, Richter EMI, Annie Fischer, Horowitz, Kempff (mono), Moisewitsch, Gieseking, Backhaus - not so many, I don't know why, I suppose I heard a few more on the radio and came to the conclusion nobody was going to master this piece. Of the above, I dislike Horowitz (in general, actually, but there are a few things...), Kempff can't really bring it off. I hven't listened to it for a while so hesitate to comment on the others; Freire came with advance plaudits, I remember, and certainly masters it technically but I missed the depth, somehow. If you surprise me and say that for instance Arrau or Curzon really cuts it, I would go for that. I haven't heard the Richter on Doremi - is it good? If only I could afford the Dino Ciani box.
The Violin's Obstinacy

It needs to return to this one note,
not a tune and not a key
but the sound of self it must depart from,
a journey lengthily to go
in a vein it knows will cripple it.
...
Peter Porter

Mandryka

#10
A few more records I am curious about:

Catherine Collard's (first) Erato Fantasie and DBT



Schumann Op 11 sonata by Vanessa Wagner (no pic)

Old piano Schumann -- Paul Komen maybe



or maybe Piet Kuijken (sorry about the enormity of the image) Changed it  :), Que



Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Holden

Quote from: mjwal on September 17, 2010, 01:56:52 AM
Can't help either, but a review here: http://pianistes.ifrance.com/schumann.htm
suggests it is "laboured and heavy", to temper your disappointment! The Fantasie is one of the greatest and most enigmatic of piano masterpieces, I find, and I don't know of a performance that reconciles its staggering technical demands with the profound poetic suggestion it requires (see Rosen on this work). I haven't heard Fiorentino, though.
I have Klara Würtz, Freire, Pollini, Richter EMI, Annie Fischer, Horowitz, Kempff (mono), Moisewitsch, Gieseking, Backhaus - not so many, I don't know why, I suppose I heard a few more on the radio and came to the conclusion nobody was going to master this piece. Of the above, I dislike Horowitz (in general, actually, but there are a few things...), Kempff can't really bring it off. I hven't listened to it for a while so hesitate to comment on the others; Freire came with advance plaudits, I remember, and certainly masters it technically but I missed the depth, somehow. If you surprise me and say that for instance Arrau or Curzon really cuts it, I would go for that. I haven't heard the Richter on Doremi - is it good? If only I could afford the Dino Ciani box.

I have the Ciani and while it is extremely good, Fiorentino is even better. BTW, there are TWO Fiorentino recordings of this work and they are so similar it's hard to tell them apart.
Cheers

Holden

SonicMan46

Just wanting to join this 'new' thread (not sure that we've not done this before?) - but, in the last few years, I've been trying to accumulate recordings of Schumann's Solo Piano Works - below is a list of what I currently own but am completely open to criticisms and further recommendations.  I'd also be quite interested in 'complete' sets and/or those perform on pianos of Bob's times, i.e. fortepianos - thanks for all comments -  :D

SCHUMANN'S SOLO PIANO WORKS

Op. 02: Papillons - Marc-Andre Hamelin
Op. 06: Davidsbundlertanze - Murray Perahia
Op. 09: Carnaval - Marc-Andre Hamelin
Op. 11: Piano Sonata, No.1 - Eric Le Sage & Klara Wurtz
Op. 12: Fantasiestucke - Marc-Andre Hamelin & Murray Perahia
Op. 13: Etudes symphoniques - Eric Le Sage
Op. 15: Kinderszenen - Martha Argerich
Op. 16: Kreisleriana - Klara Wurtz & Martha Argerich
Op. 17: Fantasie - Murray Perahia & Klara Wurtz
Op. 20: Humoreske - Eric Le Sage
Op. 22: Piano Sonata, No.2 - Klara Wurtz
Op. 26: Faschingsschwank aus Wien - Klara Wurtz
Op. 99: Bunte Blatter - Eric Le Sage

Holden

You can hear/watch Fiorentino in Op 17 here

My research tends to suggest that he played this in Naples in 1979 or is it a recording of his famous German1993 concert?

Anyway, his two CDs are



it's worth going to Amazon's site to read the reviews

and



This recording was rated by IPQ as the best ever from over 60 including the famous Richter's. I still have a soft spot for the live recording (the CD has much better sound than the Youtube clips). There is something more atmospheric that really lends itself to this, my favourite Schumann piano work.
Cheers

Holden

Verena

#14
Some beautiful Schumann comes from Fabienne Jacquinot. I bought her two CDs having read very strong recommendations of her recordings on a different forum:

http://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symphonic-Etudes-Childhood-Papillons/dp/B001NQEZ8I/ref=sr_1_11?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1284776860&sr=8-11

There is another one where she plays the Carnaval and Davidsbundlertanze. These are among my favorite Schumann CDs.
I have both of her Schumann CDs, I'd attach a jpg, but somehow I seem unable to do so.
Don't think, but look! (PI66)

Coopmv

There should be some excellent Schumann's solo piano music in this box.  No?


Herman

Quote from: Holden on September 17, 2010, 01:03:38 AM
Schumann's output for solo piano is quite small when compared to his contemporaries (Chopin, Liszt, etc) but it's overall  quality is another matter.

Are you sure about this? I have never checked a library to see the actual inches on the shelf, but I would not consider Schumann's piano solo output small.

Herman

Quote from: SonicMan on September 17, 2010, 02:49:42 PM
Just wanting to join this 'new' thread (not sure that we've not done this before?) - but, in the last few years, I've been trying to accumulate recordings of Schumann's Solo Piano Works - below is a list of what I currently own but am completely open to criticisms and further recommendations.  I'd also be quite interested in 'complete' sets and/or those perform on pianos of Bob's times, i.e. fortepianos - thanks for all comments -  :D

SCHUMANN'S SOLO PIANO WORKS

Op. 02: Papillons - Marc-Andre Hamelin
Op. 06: Davidsbundlertanze - Murray Perahia
Op. 09: Carnaval - Marc-Andre Hamelin
Op. 11: Piano Sonata, No.1 - Eric Le Sage & Klara Wurtz
Op. 12: Fantasiestucke - Marc-Andre Hamelin & Murray Perahia
Op. 13: Etudes symphoniques - Eric Le Sage
Op. 15: Kinderszenen - Martha Argerich
Op. 16: Kreisleriana - Klara Wurtz & Martha Argerich
Op. 17: Fantasie - Murray Perahia & Klara Wurtz
Op. 20: Humoreske - Eric Le Sage
Op. 22: Piano Sonata, No.2 - Klara Wurtz
Op. 26: Faschingsschwank aus Wien - Klara Wurtz
Op. 99: Bunte Blatter - Eric Le Sage


If you like the music I think you'd do yourself a real favor by going back in time a little and seek out recordings by Sv Richter, Arrau (his early Carnaval), Horowitz (Kinderszenen), Rubinstein (Fantasiestucke, Carnaval) and Michelangeli. Oh, and Papillons by Sofronitsky and Yves Nat.

Bulldog

#18
Some favorites:

Humoreske - Schein, de Larrocha, Horowitz, Kempff

Davidsbundlertanze - Backhaus, Schein, Cortot, Gieseking, Anda, Kempff

Kinderszenen - Nat, A. Fischer, Oppitz, Arrau, Haelbler, Haskil, Moiseiwitch, Kubalek, Schnabel, Horszowski, Moravec.

Kreisleriana - Gieseking, Cortot, Schliessmann, Moiseiwitch, Brand, Horowitz, Karnavichius

Waldszenen - Wirssaladze, Richter

Sym. Etudes - Brand, Okashiro, Schliessmann

Fantasy - Richter, A. Fischer, Arrau, Freire, Horowitz

Toccata - Horowitz, Nat

Papillons - Freire, Richter

Romances - Collard, Kempff, Nat

Sonata No. 1 - Gilels, Wirssaladze

Sonata No. 2 - Collard, Berezovsky, Wirssaladze, Blanchard, Kempff

Bunte Blatter - Richter, Varjon, Egorov

Mandryka

#19
Quote from: Bulldog on September 17, 2010, 10:16:38 PM
Some favorites: . . .
Kreisleriana -. . .  Moiseiwitch. . .


You mean the LP or the CD?

If it's the LP, could you please transfer it beautifully and upload it for me :D I think Moiseiwitsch was good in Schumann -- but the CD of Kreisleriana doesn't do much for me. I've heard the LP is much better.

Quote from: Bulldog on September 17, 2010, 10:16:38 PM
Some favorites: . . .

Davidsbundlertanze - Backhaus . . . 

I would love to hear this  :D

Very good you mention Brand. The Symphonic Etudes is crazy -- was this guy on acid in concerts, or what? Too much for me. But the multiple orgasm style works better in Schumann than in Chopin I think. Thank god he never played the Fantasie!

Did anyone here see him?

One slight disappointment about your list is the lack of late works. Maybe you don't like them. Me the more I hear Album for the Young at Heart (Weissenberg, Ranki)  and the late Fantasiestueke (Horowitz)  the more I value them.

Actually I notice the earlier Fantasiestueke is not on your list either. Maybe it's not a favourite.

By the way, that was one of Yudina's pieces.

There are lots of names I haven't heard in Schumann : Schliessmann, Karnavichius, Okashiro (good Sdcriabin I think) , Varjon. It would be nice if you could sell them a bit -- you know, their style, idiosyncrasies . . .
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen