Liszt - Années de Pèlerinage

Started by marvinbrown, May 04, 2007, 05:58:11 AM

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Steve


val

Regarding the first two years, my favorite is Jorge Bolet. Beautiful phrasings, a very poetic conception as if he was telling us a story: the greatest moments are La vallée d'Oberman, Au bout d'une source, the Petrarch Sonnets, Mal du pays and Cloches de Genève.

I never liked Brendel, artificial, tempo too fast sometimes, with no emotion. The best is perhaps La Chapelle de Guillaume Tell. But, in the beginning of his career he recorded a splendid version of Dante Sonata for VOX.

The anthology recorded by Kempff is extraordinary, and the Dante Sonata by Arrau very powerful (but perhaps too massive).


Regarding the 3rd year, my favorite is Kocsis. Very detailed, dynamic. Could perhaps be a bit more mysterious in some moments.
But "Les jeux d'eau de Villa d'Est" is another great moment, played by Jorge Bolet. This great artist always gives me a sense of plenitude with his large phrasings, his deep meditation.

SimonGodders

#22
My vote goes with the Berman, but although highly incomplete, this CD is fantastic. Richter at his most exquisite:



For those interested, track listing is:
CD1: Annees de Pelerinage - Vallee d'Obermann. Au bord d'un source. La sposalizio. Aux cypres de la Villa d'este. Sonnetto 123 del Patraca. Venezia e Napilo. Gondoliera. Canzona. Tarantella

A wonderful hushed intensity purveys through the playing, and whilst the sound is rather on the dry side (way too over-filtered for my liking), when Richter plays like this I don't really care...


Josquin des Prez

#24
I like the Berman, finely chiseled, balanced and full of detail. Alas, i often find it to lack in spontaneity. This music should flow as easily and as gracefully as possible, and Berman is a bit too controlled, almost straight laced at times. The problem is that his performance is still better then most. There's a new recording by a pianist called Yoram Ish-Hurwitz that's actually pretty good. A bit metronomic at times but the detail is still there, and the sound quality is excellent. Still not Liszt though.

Holden

Cheers

Holden

Leo K.

As a lover of Bolet's Années de pèlerinage, I'm also finding Angelich's account really satisfying. Controlled but not restrictive, imaginitive execution, and with realistic sound quality.

Vallée d'Obermann, from the first year, is just so amazing to experience.




Mandryka

#27
Quote from: Leo K on May 13, 2012, 06:54:00 AM
As a lover of Bolet's Années de pèlerinage, I'm also finding Angelich's account really satisfying. Controlled but not restrictive, imaginitive execution, and with realistic sound quality.

Vallée d'Obermann, from the first year, is just so amazing to experience.



Angelich is too controlled for me. Has anyone heard Jerome Lowenthal's CD of it, which I'm kind of curious about since I think he's an interesting pianist?



I just noticed Bertrand Chamayou's record of it is on spotify. I heard a sort of marathon he gave of it late last year and I thought it was very enjoyable -- so this could be well worth catching. He's a fine pianist, not just in Liszt but also in Franck and  in Schumann and Dvorak chamber music (a concert I heard him do a few weeks ago.)

If you're exploring this music be sure to listen to the extraordinary recordings of parts of it that Ervin Nyiregyházi made -- they're probably on youtube. If you want I can let you have the FLACs of his LP, which includes the final three threnodies.

Also, of course, Sofronitsky's Dante Sonata is wonderful. I'm not as enthusiastic about Cziffra's and Bolet's studio records as others are here.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Leo K.

Quote from: Mandryka on May 13, 2012, 07:24:20 AM

If you're exploring this music be sure to listen to the extraordinary recordings of parts of it that Ervin Nyiregyházi made -- they're probably on youtube. If you want I can let you have the FLACs of his LP, which includes the final three threnodies.

Also, of course, Sofronitsky's Dante Sonata is wonderful. I'm not as enthusiastic about Cziffra's and Bolet's studio records as others are here.

I would be very interested to hear Ervin Nyiregyházi's accounts! I haven't heard or compared many accounts of Annees.

Thanks for your thoughts, Sofronitsky's Dante Sonata sounds interesting too.


Kontrapunctus

I like Yoram Ish-Hurwitz's set (actually, one has to buy them separately). Both the playing and the sound are stunning. The discs are a bit pricey, though.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002NBM0M/?tag=sacdinfocom-20

Lethevich

Since my earlier post, I have found a favourite integral: Bertrand Chamayou on Naïve. There is something so impressive in his technique, he seems to nail everything and in great recorded sound. Never once does he sound edgy, rough or languorous (in the later set), he has a simply scintillating way with the works. Samples here.

[asin]B005CX78GE[/asin]
Lortie is also brilliant, though not quite topping Bolet's incomplete set for me. It's been a good past few years for recordings of these works, given the praise for that HIP set (that I have yet to hear).
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

snyprrr

THE ALL CONSUMING DATABANK OF LISZT RECORDING DISCUSSION HAS SPOKEN!! >:D >:D >:D


I noticed no Liszt Thread in the Recordings that had made it passed Page One, haha, but, what gives? Are recordings just discussed in the Thread proper? I think we ALL need to chip in with out favorite Liszt disc,... I suppose this is a Piano Works Thread, but we'll see.

I'm wondering about:

Chui Annees 1

Barenboim Annees 1

Kocsis Annees 3 is pretty rxpensive by itself (thank you). The sound on that disc I'll remember forever, can you recommend an alternate that has that brilliant Philips' type sound, or something?

snyprrr


Brian

Quote from: Lethevich on May 14, 2012, 04:19:33 AM
Since my earlier post, I have found a favourite integral: Bertrand Chamayou on Naïve. There is something so impressive in his technique, he seems to nail everything and in great recorded sound. Never once does he sound edgy, rough or languorous (in the later set), he has a simply scintillating way with the works. Samples here.

Hmm, the samples sound really dry (acoustically) to me... are they an accurate reflection of what you hear on the CDs?

Lethevich

Quote from: Brian on May 19, 2012, 07:58:34 AM
Hmm, the samples sound really dry (acoustically) to me... are they an accurate reflection of what you hear on the CDs?

Hmm, I'm not very good at defining these qualities, but I didn't notice this until you mentioned it. It feels to me to be detailed, without being too closely miced. The notes don't decay too quickly, and there is a lack of strong bloom, but this is a neutral quality to me - this might be part of what you mean?

I uploaded a louder movement in lossless, if you would like to check: link (the top "direct dl" option is fastest).
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

Sammy

Quote from: Brian on May 19, 2012, 07:58:34 AM
Hmm, the samples sound really dry (acoustically) to me... are they an accurate reflection of what you hear on the CDs?

The sound on the samples is very close to that on the Cds.  I like piano recordings on the dry side, and Chamayou's sound is perfect to me.

Todd

#36
I've finished my exploration of complete sets of Liszt's Annees, at least for now, and I figured why not come up with my own arbitrary groupings based solely on that most elusive but determinative of criteria: What I like. 


Top Tier
Mûza Rubackyté
Bertrand Chamayou
Ragna Schirmer
Julian Gorus


Second Tier
György Cziffra
Seung-Yeun Huh
Aldo Ciccolini
Yoram Ish-Hurwitz
Michael Korstick
Lazar Berman
Nicholas Angelich
Sinae Lee


Third Tier
Louie Lortie (Year Three and the excessive lower registers sink it)
Ksenia Nosikova
Jerome Rose
France Clidat


Among the two incomplete sets I have – that is, Years 1 & 2 – Bolet would go into the top tier, and Craig Sheppard would go into the second tier.

If ever I listen to Ciccolini I, Jando, or Lowenthal, or any other complete sets I missed, I would (sub?) consciously group them into these three bands.

Now, as to wish lists, well, among pianists in their prime, I would very much like to hear Herbert Schuch's take on these works, and based on the pieces he has already recorded, Arcadi Volodos could deliver a monumental recording of the complete set.  Among younger pianists, I'm thinking Benjamin Grosvenor and Daniil Trifinov could do some great things.  And among older pianists, surely those great Lisztians Nelson Freire and Krystian Zimerman could offer great recordings, though I suspect neither will record the work.  And if ever Jean-Phillipe Collard decided to record the whole set, I'd eagerly snap it up, but I think his 1991 recording of the Dante Sonata and Petrarch Sonnets are all we are likely to get from him.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Brian

Thank you. I recently listened to the first two years of the Julian Gorus cycle and was captivated.

I don't know how Jando is in "Annees" but he's at his absolute best (and really anybody's best) in the Hungarian Rhapsodies, which has led me to think maybe his affinity for Liszt is stronger than his sure-I'll-play-it attitude toward most other composers.

Since you listed a few pianists who would be fun to hear in this music, I thought of a couple others. Where on your musical radar are Florian Uhlig and Yevgeny Sudbin?

Todd

Quote from: Brian on November 09, 2014, 04:39:20 PMWhere on your musical radar are Florian Uhlig and Yevgeny Sudbin?



Uhlig I've not heard, but I've seen you mention his Ravel, and I see that he's doing a Schumann cycle.  I may explore some of his stuff next year.  I've heard Sudbin's Scarlatti, and it didn't click with me at all.  I may try his Scriabin at some point.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Brian

Quote from: Todd on November 09, 2014, 04:57:43 PM
Uhlig I've not heard, but I've seen you mention his Ravel, and I see that he's doing a Schumann cycle.  I may explore some of his stuff next year.  I've heard Sudbin's Scarlatti, and it didn't click with me at all.  I may try his Scriabin at some point.
That Ravel is the first Uhlig I've been exposed to. So here's the Sudbin story: he sent a home-made audition CD to BIS, recorded probably in his living room, and they asked him to prepare a Scarlatti debut album. He'd never played Scarlatti before (certainly not on the demo) and quickly speed-read as many Scarlatti sonatas as he could, choosing his favorites. That album was the result.

The Scriabin is this weird combination of hallucination and complete, almost dictatorial control. It has some knockout mazurkas and Sonatas 2 & 9. My favorite Sudbin album is the Chopin (with Ballades 3 and 4 and the Fantaisie in F minor). His "Gaspard de la Nuit" was knocked out in the first round of the GMG game for being too operatic and staccato-ish: you listened to the "Ondine" and said "Quick, with some of the playing having a Scarbo-esque scampering about it.  Superb control, nice clarity –and is that a snort before the first climax?  For some reason the word "fun" popped into my head while listening."