Some Spanish Piano Music

Started by Todd, July 03, 2007, 07:15:07 AM

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RJR

Whether or not this collection represents all of De Larrocha's Hispavox recordings I cannot say, but really, isn't her reputation built mostly on Spanish music.  Anyway, I like this set.

I saw her play a Mozart Piano Concerto at the NAC in Ottawa some forty years ago.

Todd

Quote from: RJR on January 23, 2011, 04:22:17 PMI saw her play a Mozart Piano Concerto at the NAC in Ottawa some forty years ago.


Oh, she played a broad repertoire, and I plan on getting at least her late-career Mozart sonatas, but as time passes it seems as though her legacy is in Spanish music.  That may just be because that's was most frequently issued by record companies, though I cannot recall seeing her name mentioned among the greats in Brahms or Beethoven or Debussy for instance.  She may very well have been, and I wouldn't mind hearing more from her in core rep.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Mandryka

#22
This is an outstanding performance by a group of talented musicians who have a complete grasp of Albeniz's music.

Their textures are astonishingly colourful and varied. They are completely into the music: they transmit a feeling of total commitment and joy in music making.

In the simpler pieces from Books 1 and 2, their music making is just beautiful, full of sounds and evocations which continue to haunt long after the CD player has been turned off. The end of El Corpus Christi en Sevilla, for example, is as intensely hushed and rapt as I have ever heard, whatever the instrument.

And even in the big complex pieces in Books 3 and 4, like El Albecin and Jerez and Lavapies, they have a real sense of the logic and rhetoric of the music. So that the music makes complete sense, flows from one idea to the next dramatically and inevitability.

It's a wonderful performance and they are a wonderful trio. They have a CD of Granados's Goyescas too which I have just ordered. The Albeniz is on spotify here: http://open.spotify.com/album/3QFMRVqEpT9IpGdhTxTDg9

The Campanella Trio, who are an ensemble of Scandinavian guitarists, worked, I'm told,  with Alicia de Larrocha. I have no doubt that her influence was a contributory factor to the success of this remarkable interpretation.

What I would like most is for them to record some Bach. Wouldn't it be marvellous if The Campanella Trio recorded the Well Tempered Clavier?

L'espoir fait vivre . . .


Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka

#23
Alicia de Larrocha recorded Iberia twice for Hispavox, first in mono in 1954 and then in stereo in 1962. The latter is pretty ubiquitous, but the first recording, which appeared on a Columbia LP, is harder to find.

The recording contained here is from a 1959 reissue of that Columbia  LP. It's an amateur transfer -- no filtering or any other shenanigans.This is bear hardcore, as they say on the streets of London.

http://www.mediafire.com/?rqzgcub2rr62b

Out of copyright,  so no copyright issues as far as I know.

For me, this is the finest performance of Iberia by Larrocha that I've heard, maybe the finest tout court. That's because she transmits such a sense of wonder in the music. I feel very enthusiastic about it -- this and the Trio Campanella Albeniz and Granados has revived my interest in Spanish music.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Todd





Until I stumbled on this disc of Iberia, I'd never seen the name Peter Schaaf, and it turns out there's a good reason why.  While he studied piano at Juilliard under Rosina Lhévinne and has accompanied such artists as Yo Yo Ma and Jon Vickers - and he even recorded Winterreise with Vickers - he has made his career in music related photography for the last few decades.  In his gracious, self-deprecating liner notes, Mr Schaaf explains how he decided to undertake this Gilbert Kaplan-esque project (ie, one piece only) in 2008 (it appears to have been recorded in 2011). 

The disc is good, but it does not really match up to Sanchez (whom Schaaf praises highly) or Block or Larrocha, but that is not really surprising, and it does not detract from the disc.  Generally, Schaaf does a good job of bringing out the color and nuance and shadings of the individual pieces, with El Puerto especially appealing to my ears, but at other times he seems to be playing right up to his limit, and sometimes his approach sounds both slightly stiff and pointillistic, as in El Corpus en Sevilla, though I assume that's pretty much the effect he wants.  Overall, while not a world beater, Schaaf does bring enough individual insight to the work to merit multiple listens.

Sound is very close and dry, allowing one to easily hear all nuances, but here's a case where perhaps a hint more space would have allowed greater dynamic gradations to emerge, as well.

One other interesting thing about this disc is that it is the only non-copyrighted disc I have bought.  The back of the cover states expressly that the contents can be freely shared as long as the use is non-commercial and Mr Schaaf receives proper attribution.  That's just plain cool.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Mandryka

The Winterreise with Vickers isn't very good, though the I don't think it's entirely Schaaf's fault.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Todd




This is my first exposure to Artur Pizarro and his Blüthner stylings.  Granados' Goyescas is distended, taking just shy of an hour as compared to the roughly 50 minutes both Alicia de Larrocha (Hispavox) and Michel Block take.  Some of the shadings and quiet playing sound lovely, but Pizarro's rhythmic sense seems off, or at least not to my liking when compared to the other pianists mentioned.  I had to do some quick A/B, and the rhythmic snap that Larrocha brings is more pronounced, and take that and add the even greater flexibility of Block, and one can hear what this music can offer.  Not so much with Pizarro. 

Iberia is more successful.  Pizarro's rhythmic sensibility works better, and he sounds vibrant and in command in the faster music and nuanced and flexible in the slower passages.  He doesn't sound quite as languid or colorful as Hurwitz (below) in the slower passages, but Pizarro's approach is at least as successful.   The playing doesn't seem as "impressionistic" as some, I guess, instead being a bit more bravura, especially in those faster passages, but this approach has its benefits.

The 2009 vintage Blüthner does indeed sound different than a Steinway.  It's less brilliant, darker hued, possessed of less bass heft, and not as thundering in louder passages.  I wouldn't mind hearing some Ravel or Szymanowski played on the piano.

Recorded sound is a bit distant but otherwise superb, and it allows for HDCD playback as well as standard CD, SACD, and surround SACD. 









Yoram Ish-Hurwitz's recording of Iberia shares some traits with his recording of Annees.  First and foremost is the superb sound.  Any label that touts its high end credentials in the credits (dCS, Spectral, and Avalon in the recording chain) had better deliver, and sure enough, Turtle Records does, though the Liszt recording is even more more lustrous and has less of a tendency to sharp sound when pushed.  Would that all piano recordings sound at least this good.  Hurwitz also coaxes some luxurious, gorgeous sounds from his posh Steinway D.  He also like using pedals, and the sustain blurs details on many occasions.  His rhythmic sense lacks the same snap as the best versions.  Hurwitz is definitely at his best when playing more languid music, where he allows himself all manner of little personal felicities, though some may find the playing a bit mannered.  He, like Pizarro, doesn't match up to Larrocha (Hispavox), let alone Block or Sanchez, but the set is most enjoyable. 
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Spineur

Blasco de Nebra is my most interesting discovery of 2016.  Its a little bit like Mozart had a brother in Spain....

[asin]B0030UO9UY[/asin]

Roy Bland