Schubert Piano Recordings

Started by George, April 06, 2007, 04:17:43 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Madiel

Well symphonyshare ain't working so I'll scratch that option off the list...
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

The new erato

I see Badura-Skoda's PI set are to be reissued.

Going by the success of his Beethoven cycle it ought to be interesting.

Que

#442
Quote from: The new erato on April 20, 2021, 03:37:59 AM
I see Badura-Skoda's PI set are to be reissued.

Going by the success of his Beethoven cycle it ought to be interesting.

Personally I think his Beethoven is more successful. His Schubert cycle features a number of interesting fortepianos, of which some seem unfortunately not properly restored. In addition his approach seems willful, or perhaps too "literal", with rather eccentric choices in tempi and accents and abrupt transitions. It feels like a ride on a roller coaster in a rickety cart.... ::) Tiring on the ear and mind.

Try before you buy!  :)
Or just stick with Jan Vermeulen (complete cycle on EtCetera and a great incomplete cycle on Vanguard (on a Tröndlin)), Andreas Staier and Alexei Lubimov.

Florestan

Quote from: Que on April 20, 2021, 05:19:53 AM
Jan Vermeulen (complete cycle on Etcetera

That's a great cycle. That Nannette Streicher 1826 fortepiano is something else.

Warmly recommended.

(And I'm not even a HIPster.)
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

JBS

Quote from: amw on April 19, 2021, 10:23:25 PM
Yes that's correct, the 1990s EMI recordings (including the semi complete set I recommended) are not available on streaming services as far as I can tell, even unusually with none of them appearing as individual bleeding chunks in "Best of Schubert" compilations. The same is true of much of the Dalberto set (some services have more than others, Tidal seems to have the most volumes at the moment). I suspect attempting to upload the recordings to youtube or a similar website would result in an automatic copyright block from Warner Music (or whoever owns Denon now) but which has also not made available any options to purchase the physical CDs except from second hand retailers.

For options for trying things out online you can either wait upon the generosity of streaming services (noted for paying $0.0007 per listen per track to artists, or something like that), or for Warner Classics to reissue the EMI recordings in however many years they decide to do that, or alternately visit a file sharing website such as symphonyshare etc.

The blue & white set of the 1990s set is listed on AmazonUS MP for $20.88 (vendor: Rarewaves), so it may not be OOP in Warner's eyes. Of course Warner probably neither knows nor cares that Amazon hates Australia.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

staxomega

Quote from: Que on April 20, 2021, 05:19:53 AM
Personally I think his Beethoven is more successful. His Schubert cycle features a number of interesting fortepianos, of which some seem unfortunately not properly restored. In addition his approach seems willful, or perhaps too "literal", with rather eccentric choices in tempi and accents and abrupt transitions. It feels like a ride on a roller coaster in a rickety cart.... ::) Tiring on the ear and mind.

Try before you buy!  :)
Or just stick with Jan Vermeulen (complete cycle on EtCetera and a great incomplete cycle on Vanguard (on a Tröndlin)), Andreas Staier and Alexei Lubimov.

Of all of PBS fortepiano recordings of Schubert the ones I find the best are the Impromtus, IMHO still unmatched by any other fortepiano performance.

I agree with you on the piano sonatas, I prefer his RCA recordings to the fortepiano ones. When the RCA box came out I did some blind testing with the early and mid sonatas (not the incomplete sonatas he chose to complete) against Kempff and aside from knowing Kempff's playing/interpretations ruling it out being a fair blind comparison, PBS still did exceptionally well.

Quote from: Florestan on April 20, 2021, 06:36:13 AM
(And I'm not even a HIPster.)

I have to make sure I'm wearing my HIPster hat when I'm on GMG, *tips fedora*

milk

Here's a review of Edna Stern's new Schubert recording. I know and appreciate Stern a bit for her Bach, which I liked. I've rarely seen a review so harsh as this:
"Tributes to golden age pianists invite comparisons to them, unflattering ones in Stern's case."
Hmm...I wonder if it could be that bad. I'm not big on Schubert so it's hard for me to tell.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Feb/Schubert-tape-ORC100192.htm

MusicTurner

#447
Only thing on my wish-list is the big Dalberto Brilliant Classics box, should it turn up cheaply somewhere ...

Mandryka

Quote from: milk on February 02, 2022, 11:05:59 PM
Here's a review of Edna Stern's new Schubert recording. I know and appreciate Stern a bit for her Bach, which I liked. I've rarely seen a review so harsh as this:
"Tributes to golden age pianists invite comparisons to them, unflattering ones in Stern's case."
Hmm...I wonder if it could be that bad. I'm not big on Schubert so it's hard for me to tell.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Feb/Schubert-tape-ORC100192.htm

Try Tobias Koch D 959. It is an improvisation preserving Schubert's pitch patterns.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Madiel

Quote from: milk on February 02, 2022, 11:05:59 PM
Here's a review of Edna Stern's new Schubert recording. I know and appreciate Stern a bit for her Bach, which I liked. I've rarely seen a review so harsh as this:
"Tributes to golden age pianists invite comparisons to them, unflattering ones in Stern's case."
Hmm...I wonder if it could be that bad. I'm not big on Schubert so it's hard for me to tell.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2022/Feb/Schubert-tape-ORC100192.htm

It's not that harsh about the performances. But it was a fun read.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

Florestan

Quote from: Madiel on February 02, 2022, 11:33:34 PM
It's not that harsh about the performances. But it was a fun read.

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

Florestan

Quote from: Mandryka on February 02, 2022, 11:25:09 PM
Try Tobias Koch D 959. It is an improvisation preserving Schubert's pitch patterns.

I remember you were particularly annoyed by such travesties some time ago...
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Mandryka

Quote from: Florestan on February 02, 2022, 11:52:30 PM
I remember you were particularly annoyed by such travesties some time ago...

It is a travesty if seen as a performance of Schubert's sonata, and it is misleading that it is marketed as such. However, if you reframe it as a structured improvisation then it is forgivable.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Florestan

#453
Quote from: Mandryka on February 03, 2022, 12:04:02 AM
It is a travesty if seen as a performance of Schubert's sonata, and it is misleading that it is marketed as such. However, if you reframe it as a structured improvisation then it is forgivable.

Grande fantaisie brillante sur des motifs harmoniques de la sonate pour piano D959 de Schubert.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

Madiel

Quote from: Florestan on February 03, 2022, 12:27:32 AM
Grande fantaisie brillante sur des motifs harmoniques de la sonate pour piano D959 de Schubert.

Well that's the song "Star Whisperer" by Tori Amos, actually...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0neckDFmJU
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

milk

Quote from: Madiel on February 02, 2022, 11:33:34 PM
It's not that harsh about the performances. But it was a fun read.
it's well written. Does anyone know the writer? I haven't seen the name before. It sounds like the concept and packaging were a misfire. Maybe recording in analogue tape is fine as an experiment without the whole megillah about its superiority. It'd be interesting to have a thread about wildly different piano recording sounds and about what's truly terrible/great. I'm curious what people think are the best examples of the best pianos recorded in the best ways.

MusicTurner

Quote from: Madiel on February 03, 2022, 12:49:27 AM
Well that's the song "Star Whisperer" by Tori Amos, actually...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0neckDFmJU

If I were in the rock/pop/jazz business & running short of inspiration, I'd use fragments of lesser known classical works as an unending source for inspiration and variation.

Madiel

Quote from: MusicTurner on February 03, 2022, 03:12:17 AM
If I were in the rock/pop/jazz business & running short of inspiration, I'd use fragments of lesser known classical works as an unending source for inspiration and variation.

The idea for the album was Deutsche Grammophon's, not hers.  They approached her, not the other way around. Also I'm fascinated at the proposition that D959 is a lesser known classical work.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

MusicTurner

Fascination can come from unexpected sources   ;D

Madiel

If I knew what joke you were trying to make I might work out whether to laugh...

Anyway. I perhaps should note that I personally find "Star Whisperer" one of the least interesting tracks she produced for the classical-themed album, though I know lots of Tori fans went nuts for it (apparently 10 minutes long and a big instrumental interlude is what they wanted, whereas I find the interlude repetitive). What she did with Debussy, Granados and Alkan was a lot better in my view. But this is a Schubert thread.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!