Monthly Focus

Started by Judith, July 01, 2020, 02:39:21 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

amw

Quote from: some guy on September 06, 2020, 10:16:10 PM
Shostakovich is tricky. Performances can be heavy on the dour for this guy, particularly ones made after his death. It's as if everyone is saying, OK, here is A Master; we must be reverent. But it's never really genuine reverence. More like lugubriousness. Reverent would respect the music, letting it be itself without needing to force it into a long-faced version of itself.

I got interested in various recordings of the piano trio nr. 2. It's a lively work, full of dance and sparkle. But you'd never know that in most recordings of it. The most interesting pair, for my thesis, are the ones the Beaux Arts did, one while Shostakovich was alive, one after he had died. The early one is the finest performance of it I've ever heard, precise, lively, moving through all the quick changes with elegance and elan. It fair crackles with spirit and liveliness. The later one is funereal. It's slow and solemn and sanctimonious. It is a pompous rendering of A Great Work by A Great Master.
I think my entire conception of this piece changed when I heard the two recordings Shostakovich himself made at the piano, both in the 1940s. He plays fast, often much faster than any modern musician would dare to, & his playing is clean and objective and completely lacking in sentimentality. The work has dry humour but also a kind of ferocious relentlessness, especially in the last movement, which recalls that his personal reaction to unjustified or premature death was always anger. The piece is a memorial, sure, but he believed death was something to be fought against, not a reason to slow down and contemplate.

I had a similar reaction to the 24 Preludes & Fugues which I got to know originally through a number of recordings made after Shostakovich's death by artists who worked with him: Tatyana Nikolayeva (the dedicatee), Vladimir Ashkenazy, individual selections by Sviatoslav Richter etc. Then I heard the complete recording by Roger Woodward, who not only attempts to emulate Shostakovich's clean, objective piano style but also takes seriously Shostakovich's notoriously fast metronome marks (even Nikolayeva's first recording, made in the presence of the composer, disregards them; Shostakovich was clearly comfortable with a wide range of interpretations of his own music). The 24 Preludes and Fugues have often been reviewed as anodyne, soporific, etc (most famously by Richard Taruskin) but while one might initially rebel at the tempi Woodward sets in the C major, as one keeps listening they're revealed to be definitely not anodyne or soporific, but rather witty, quirky, neoclassical and sometimes exceptionally violent. Even the slower movements have an inner agitation to them that keeps them moving. This is why I make a big deal about metronome marks; they do a great deal to indicate the character of a piece, even if you as the performer aren't going to follow them to the letter all the time.

(Everything by Shostakovich is generally these days performed 15-25% slower than he indicated. He is of course not the only composer with this problem.)

some guy

Quote from: amw on September 12, 2020, 01:17:32 AM
I think my entire conception of this piece changed when I heard the two recordings Shostakovich himself made at the piano, both in the 1940s. He plays fast, often much faster than any modern musician would dare to, & his playing is clean and objective and completely lacking in sentimentality.
I would love to hear this. Composer performances are often revelatory. (I've got it playing on youtube right now. I should probably wait until I've listened to it all the way through before posting. I will say that the sound is astonishingly good for 1946. And so far--I waited for a bit--what I'm hearing certainly bears out your conclusion.)

Quote from: amw on September 12, 2020, 01:17:32 AM(Everything by Shostakovich is generally these days performed 15-25% slower than he indicated. He is of course not the only composer with this problem.)
I remember reading years ago that later performances of practically everything are slower than when the pieces were new. I have certainly noticed that recordings made by composers are often quite remarkably fast compared to later performances by others.

Judith

Well just started October's monthly focus which is a lovely Brahms Piano Sonata no 3 which is beautifully performed by Stephen Hough.  A Brahms I'm not too familiar with so want to know this work more🎹🎹🎼🎼

Mandryka

#43
Quote from: amw on September 12, 2020, 01:17:32 AM
Then I heard the complete recording by Roger Woodward, who not only attempts to emulate Shostakovich's clean, objective piano style but also takes seriously Shostakovich's notoriously fast metronome marks (even Nikolayeva's first recording, made in the presence of the composer, disregards them; Shostakovich was clearly comfortable with a wide range of interpretations of his own music). The 24 Preludes and Fugues have often been reviewed as anodyne, soporific, etc (most famously by Richard Taruskin) but while one might initially rebel at the tempi Woodward sets in the C major, as one keeps listening they're revealed to be definitely not anodyne or soporific, but rather witty, quirky, neoclassical and sometimes exceptionally violent. Even the slower movements have an inner agitation to them that keeps them moving. This is why I make a big deal about metronome marks; they do a great deal to indicate the character of a piece, even if you as the performer aren't going to follow them to the letter all the time.


Yes very good, the Woodward, and an eye opener for me too, so thanks for prompting me to find it. Have you seen this?

https://asq4.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/zak-on-roger-woodwards-dsch-recordings/

(That being said I'm not sure that what The Alexander Quartet do is really like Woodward, at least in the C minor.)
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Judith

My November focus is one of my favourite French composers Saint Saens.  Violin has been neglected recently so chosen his Violin Sonata no 1 op 75. 
Recording by Joshua Bell  and Jeremy Denk from French Impressions CD🎻🎻🎼🎼

Judith

Well, said farewell to Saint Saens Violin Sonata no 1(not literally because I love it and will be listening to it lots)and hello to Ravel Violin Sonata from same "French Impressions" album by Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk🎻🎻🎼🎼

Irons

Quote from: Judith on December 01, 2020, 11:42:46 PM
Well, said farewell to Saint Saens Violin Sonata no 1(not literally because I love it and will be listening to it lots)and hello to Ravel Violin Sonata from same "French Impressions" album by Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk🎻🎻🎼🎼

Great piece. Classical meets the Blues and thanks to Ravel it works.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Judith

Starting this new year with January's monthly focus and it's Mendelssohn Symphony no 1. Didn't know it very well and  it is a lovely work and want to know it better🎼🎼

Judith

Well, February's focus is
Elgar Symphony no 1.
A work that I hardly know but exploring this month.
Using a lovely recording by
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko 🎼🎼

DavidW

My long term focus (not specifically a monthly project) is to listen to and get to know Villa-Llobos' symphonies.

Judith

Well, my this month my focus is
Dvorak Piano Concerto in G minor
Listened a couple of times already and feel as though it's a shame it is underrated when it's a beautiful Concerto.
Using a lovely recording also by Stephen Hough CBSO and Andris Nelsons🎹🎹 🎼🎼

DavidW

Quote from: DavidW on February 03, 2021, 05:37:57 AM
My long term focus (not specifically a monthly project) is to listen to and get to know Villa-Llobos' symphonies.

Well I screwed that up!  Guess I'm not focused.

aligreto

Quote from: Judith on March 02, 2021, 11:50:33 PM
Well, my this month my focus is
Dvorak Piano Concerto in G minor
Listened a couple of times already and feel as though it's a shame it is underrated when it's a beautiful Concerto.
Using a lovely recording also by Stephen Hough CBSO and Andris Nelsons🎹🎹 🎼🎼

I have always liked this work from the first time that I heard it. I only have three versions of this work in my collection but I like them all:


Dvorak: Piano Concerto [Firkusny/Susskind]






Dvorak: Piano Concerto [Moravec/Belohlavek]






Dvorak: Piano Concerto [Ponti/Rohan]






I will write a comment on each one in the Dvorak's Den Thread

Judith

Well, this month, staying with Dvorak and it is a cello Concerto. Not the popular B minor but the underrated A major (I think it is anyway).

The one I'm listening to is:-
Steven Isserlis
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Harding🎼🎼

aligreto

Quote from: Judith on April 03, 2021, 04:48:59 AM
Well, this month, staying with Dvorak and it is a cello Concerto. Not the popular B minor but the underrated A major (I think it is anyway).

The one I'm listening to is:-
Steven Isserlis
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Harding🎼🎼

What an unusual, interesting and wonderful choice. I would like to know what prompted that decision.

The only version that I have is the wonderful version from one of the Supraphon Dvorak box sets with Neumann conducting Milos Sadlo on cello and the ever wonderful Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.





This recording is very powerful and has a great presence.

Judith

Quote from: aligreto on April 05, 2021, 02:53:40 AM
What an unusual, interesting and wonderful choice. I would like to know what prompted that decision.

The only version that I have is the wonderful version from one of the Supraphon Dvorak box sets with Neumann conducting Milos Sadlo on cello and the ever wonderful Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.





This recording is very powerful and has a great presence.
It is on same CD as B Minor and because it is so popular,  was curious to know the A major.  Pleased I did because it is beautiful🎼🎼

Judith

Well, this month it's Tchaikovsky SQ no 2. Love the no 1 but not so familiar with this one and want to know it better.  Recording is by Endellion SQ🎻🎻🎼🎼

aligreto

Quote from: Judith on May 03, 2021, 04:22:33 AM
It is on same CD as B Minor and because it is so popular,  was curious to know the A major.  Pleased I did because it is beautiful🎼🎼

Thank you for that. Enjoy your Tchaikovsky. I will follow you at some stage as I am not familiar with that work myself.

Brahmsian

Quote from: Judith on May 03, 2021, 04:24:30 AM
Well, this month it's Tchaikovsky SQ no 2. Love the no 1 but not so familiar with this one and want to know it better.  Recording is by Endellion SQ🎻🎻🎼🎼

A great work, and probably my favourite of the three string quartets.  I have the Borodin Quartet historical recordings, which include a B flat major early movement, plus the Souvenir de Florence string sextet, which is probably my favourite Tchaikovsky work.  Enjoy!  :)

Florestan

Quote from: OrchestralNut on May 03, 2021, 04:43:15 AM
A great work, and probably my favourite of the three string quartets.  I have the Borodin Quartet historical recordings, which include a B flat major early movement, plus the Souvenir de Florence string sextet, which is probably my favourite Tchaikovsky work.  Enjoy!  :)

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21492.msg828070.html#msg828070

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21492.msg828105.html#msg828105
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini