Bach Goldberg Variations

Started by Mystery, December 03, 2007, 10:56:08 AM

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vers la flamme

I've been listening to the Rübsam in bite sized chunks ever seeing Mandryka profess it to be the greatest Goldberg ever and whatnot. I still hate it, but I think I'm making progress; I finally found a variation that I kind of like: No.21. But his rubato still strikes me as rather tasteless on the whole.

Maybe it would be better if I could see him performing it live? Idk.

JBS

Crosspost from Waylt2

Bought this earlier today.
[asin]B089TV17F7[/asin]

After a first listen, I think it's not too bad.  It runs for about 91 1/2 minutes, with the CD split coming in the middle, between variations 15 and 16.  Lang Lang's approach might be described as contemplative or meditative, with an emphasis on bringing out the melodic line.  Even the quicker passages are not as fast as other pianists play them, although they are sped up enough to make the necessary contrast. I wouldn't label it a "romantic" approach.

In the notes Lang Lang describes starting to play the work for Harnoncourt, only to be interrupted by the conductor, who told him the work needed "a greater sense of solitude" and that the pianist look for a place of "stillness" in himself. Maybe this Zen-like approach appealed to a pianist who comes from the land where Zen was developed. It certainly seems to inform his performance.

My version, the one linked, has only the studio performance.  There's a four CD version available with both the studio and a live concert performance. Obviously I have no idea of how the latter comes across.

I won't play it often, but I don't regret the purchase.  It is probably worth at least one listen via a streaming service.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Mandryka

#422
Quote from: vers la flamme on September 07, 2020, 01:57:01 PM

Maybe it would be better if I could see him performing it live? Idk.

Well that's never going to happen.

Quote from: vers la flamme on September 07, 2020, 01:57:01 PM: No.21. But his rubato still strikes me as rather tasteless on the whole.


I can't hear anything special about the approach to v21, that's to say what he does there is the same as what he does everywhere else.

What I would like to hear is the recording processed so that each voice was given a radically different timbre, one voice made to sound like woodblocks, another like a trumpet, that sort of thing, I think the result would be like Stockhausen.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

vers la flamme

Quote from: Mandryka on September 07, 2020, 11:25:33 PM
Well that's never going to happen.

Why? Doesn't Rübsam do live recitals? I guess that would explain how he's able to record so much so fast.

Quote from: Mandryka on September 07, 2020, 11:25:33 PM
I can't hear anything special about the approach to v21, that's to say what he does there is the same as what he does everywhere else.

What I would like to hear is the recording processed so that each voice was given a radically different timbre, one voice made to sound like woodblocks, another like a trumpet, that sort of thing, I think the result would be like Stockhausen.

No, I didn't think there was anything special about it either. It's just the only one I liked. Ie. maybe that approach fits some variations more than others...? Or maybe it just takes 21 variations for me to get used to it.  ;D

Mandryka

Quote from: vers la flamme on September 08, 2020, 02:01:13 AM
Why? Doesn't Rübsam do live recitals? I guess that would explain how he's able to record so much so fast.



He said to me that it's not worth it, you get three old age pensioners and a dog.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

milk

Quote from: Mandryka on September 08, 2020, 02:40:37 AM
He said to me that it's not worth it, you get three old age pensioners and a dog.
That's pretty sad that such an illustrious performer doesn't draw an audience. Hmm....does he live in the states these days? I suppose if you're a student where he's currently teaching you can find him performing the organ.
I saw Masaaki Suzuki Play in Japan in a small university chapel but it was packed with a few hundred people. Then again, in Japan, pensioners are a dime a dozen.

vers la flamme

I'm not sure if Rübsam is currently on faculty anywhere. Would be amazing to have him as a prof, even if I disagree with some aspects of his interpretation.

Iota

Quote from: Mandryka on September 08, 2020, 02:40:37 AM
He said to me that it's not worth it, you get three old age pensioners and a dog.

In these days of social distancing, that might be considered a reasonable crowd!

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: vers la flamme on September 07, 2020, 01:57:01 PM
I've been listening to the Rübsam in bite sized chunks ever seeing Mandryka profess it to be the greatest Goldberg ever and whatnot. I still hate it, but I think I'm making progress; I finally found a variation that I kind of like: No.21. But his rubato still strikes me as rather tasteless on the whole.

Maybe it would be better if I could see him performing it live? Idk.

His violin transcriptions could be enjoyable to some people.
How could you type the correct "u" for Rubsam?

vers la flamme

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on September 12, 2020, 03:58:09 PM
His violin transcriptions could be enjoyable to some people.
How could you type the correct "u" for Rubsam?

I have a Macbook, if you hold the option key and press "u", it gives you an umlaut: ¨ and then whichever vowel you type next goes underneath the umlaut, making it easy to type äëïöüÿ or anything else. Not sure how it's done on Windows.

Anyway, I am curious about those violin sonata transcriptions.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Quote from: vers la flamme on September 12, 2020, 04:02:31 PM
I have a Macbook, if you hold the option key and press "u", it gives you an umlaut: ¨ and then whichever vowel you type next goes underneath the umlaut, making it easy to type äëïöüÿ or anything else. Not sure how it's done on Windows.

Anyway, I am curious about those violin sonata transcriptions.

Umlaut? That sounds like a chocolate mousse in Belgium.
Since I don't expect to write about Rubsam much, I don't think I need to buy Macbook.

JBS

The common convention for those whose keyboards lack umlauts is to have the letter e follow the umlauted vowel.

Thus, Ruebsam.


Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Mandryka

Yes but Haendel and Furtwaengler look like spelling mistakes in English, writing Handel and Furtwangler is so common. And Händel and Furtwängler look pretentious!
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

André

I always try to write with the diacritics. I must be pretentious.

vers la flamme

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on September 12, 2020, 04:09:57 PM
Umlaut? That sounds like a chocolate mousse in Belgium.
Since I don't expect to write about Rubsam much, I don't think I need to buy Macbook.

You've been listening to classical music for how long, and you've just encountered this term for the first time? ;D

Re: Handel, that's one exception where I never add the diacritical mark because after he moved to England he dropped the umlaut, or at least became well known without it. I keep it in Furtwängler because it's a silly enough name, and it looks even sillier without the ¨.

JBS

Quote from: André on September 13, 2020, 05:40:42 AM
I always try to write with the diacritics. I must be pretentious.

No, you have a keyboard with diacritics.

My phone has them to, but you seem to need to two or three fingers to get the right key pressed in the right way.


Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

Old San Antone

Schönberg  Nice!

I learned something today.  What about all the ones in French?

vers la flamme

Quote from: Old San Antone on September 13, 2020, 07:37:00 AM
Schönberg  Nice!

I learned something today.  What about all the ones in French?

(Assuming you're a Mac guy too...)

´ = option+E then your vowel of choice, áéíóú
` = option+` (top left of the keyboard, a key that most of us probably never use) then your vowel of choice, àèìòù
ç = option+C
ˆ= option+I then your vowel of choice, âêîôû
œ = option+Q, hold shift for capital Œ
æ = option+' (the apostrophe), hold shift for capital Æ

André

I use an ipad. I just keep the vowel key pressed a second and a window pops up with all the choices, like this:ęêéèëėē.
Works for all the vowels, as well as a few consonants: čçć and ñń. For some reason the common reverse circumflex on the letter 'r', used to type correctly Dvorak is not available. Therefore, no need to put the acute accent on the a (á) if the reverse circumflex is absent. So it will remain Dvorak.

Old San Antone