LVB FFG (!)

[Todd]

Hot damn!  Could this be The One?  You know, the one cycle to rule them all.  The one I have been waiting for.  The one that gets everything right.  Well, not quite, but it sure comes closer than most in this first installment.

I figured this would be good, and certainly well played, but Francois Frederic Guy's Emperor did not quite wow me, so this really does surpass expectations.  The three disc set of early/mid sonatas – Opp 7-27 – has nary a miss.  It's all hits. 

Things start most auspiciously with a superbly played and expertly judged Mondschein – slow and moody, but not too heavy to start, a no-nonsense middle, and a propulsive end.  Delightful, tastefully virtuosic Op 14 sonatas follow, and there's a bit more gravitas in the slow movement of 14/2 than normal, rather reminiscent of Richter, though not to that extreme.  An Op 22 possessed of energy, drive, lightness, and elegance follows.  (French pianists always seem to do well with this sonata.)  That's one heck of a disc one.

The Pathetique could be more fiery, I suppose, but the cooler, more classical approach suits Guy's style.  The Op 10 trio is superb.  The first is generally quick and upbeat, the second light and witty, and the great third is high energy with restrained drama in the slow movement.  The third disc starts off with a punchy, much faster than normal 27/1, which I really dig.  Op 26 finds Guy stretching out some of the variations to good effect, and the funeral march is satisfyingly heroic.  The set concludes with an Op 7 that manages to sound both relaxed and tense at the same time, and has a slow movement that is daringly slow in parts.  All told, each sonata comes off very well, indeed, and each is unique.

Throughout the set, Guy displays masterful technique, playful energy where called for, subtle tonal variation, lyricism, and a willingness to embellish in a most tasteful and satisfying fashion.  No sterile, studio-bound efforts these!  If the rest of the cycle is this good, Guy could supplant the great Eric Heidsieck as my preferred French interpreter of LvB, and he will deliver the most satisfying overall cycle since Andrea Lucchesini.  I've listened through the set twice now, each time greedily devouring each disc in its entirety.  I do believe I shall listen again, starting tomorrow.

Sound is generally excellent.  The live recordings have a most "natural" sound about them.   

One of my purchases of the year, there's no doubt.

[springrite]

I only have him in the Brahms sonatas (Veiled Symphonies) and Tanguy and really liked his pianism.

Have you heard his Beethoven PC 4 and the Brahms 2? Are they good, too?

[George]

Throughout the set, Guy displays masterful technique, playful energy where called for, subtle tonal variation, lyricism, and a willingness to embellish in a most tasteful and satisfying fashion.  No sterile, studio-bound efforts these!  If the rest of the cycle is this good, Guy could supplant the great Eric Heidsieck as my preferred French interpreter of LvB, and he will deliver the most satisfying overall cycle since Andrea Lucchesini.

But not at the level of Annie Fischer, Gulda or Backhaus, right?

EDIT - the set is on Spotify.

[Todd]

Have you heard his Beethoven PC 4 and the Brahms 2?

No, but I may very well have to.

But not at the level of Annie Fischer, Gulda or Backhaus, right?

It's too soon to say definitively, but I'd say no.

[George]

It's too soon to say definitively, but I'd say no.

Ok.

I am listening to it now and I am finding his playing refreshing and unique, without being the least bit weird. An achievement, for sure.

[Mandryka]

I listened to him playing op 27/1, just because it's one of the sonatas I like. It was OK, but not really special I thought. Actually I did the same with Peter Takacs and thought the same. I don't think I would listen to either Op27/1s again.

I thought I was maybe losing interest in the music so I tried an old favourite -- a live one from Arrau on Ermitage. And no, it remains one of my favourite sonatas and the Arrau is wonderful.

It would be interesting if anyone who feels differently would post why - I could well have missed something. And listener's mood is a factor too, as you all know I guess.

I'll try to do the same with the Op10s on the Guy disc, just because I like the music.

[Oldnslow]

Guy's recent 3 CD Liszt set is also superb.

[Oldnslow]

Sorry, I meant the 2 CD Liszt (Harmonies Poetiques et Religieuses and Sonata)set, on Zig Zag.

[Holden]

Guy's LvB is available for listening on NML for those who are subscribed. I quite liked what I heard - a somewhat different approach in many of the sonatas.