What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[PerfectWagnerite]

Schiff's Beethoven Piano Sonata lectures on my IPOD.

If he ever stops playing the piano for a living he would do just as well being a stand-up comedian

[The new erato]

Harry, I'm curious if you've had a listen to Beethoven's String Trios yet?  The ST's are something I want in my collection this year, so I'd like to know some good performances of these. 

Archibudelli on Sony. If they still are available.

Sorry. Didn't see the previous exchange on these. Which kind of makes the point even stronger.

[Que]

Are these full priced cd's Que?

Mid price, but got it awfully cheap at jpc - must have espaced your attention!    (Which is quite rare! )
But still cheap at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.fr

Also available as two single budget issues - but not worth the trouble if the complete set pictured in the previous post can be found cheaply.





Now listening to this:


                (picture is linked)

Q

[Harry]

Mid price, but got it awfully cheap at jpc - must have espaced your attention!    (Which is quite rare! )
But still cheap at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.fr




Q

Will act on it, thanks Que. And it is indeed unfortunate that I missed this box....and rare too, yes, quite so...

[Harry]

Beethoven.
Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, opus 2, No. 1.
Yukio Yokoyama, Piano.

Coming from the big Sony box, this performance is a mixed blessing. Yokoyama is a clean straightforward musician, with a clear tone, but not so subtle a tone as to endear it to me. He hits rather hard at times, very explosive at times, a dangerous pianist so to speak.
There is some poetic insight however, when he is in the contemplative mood, but the crossovers from soft to loud are frightening, every time again when he grabs the moods Beethoven is projecting.
Where does this recording leave us? Well on the active side, no rest here. Tempi are good, but uneven at best. He could do with a little attention to gracefulness, and a fine legato would not come amiss, especially in the second movement.
Sound is good.

[marvinbrown]

  Its been Liszt during the past 2 days.  Listening to this at the moment:

 


  A COMPLETE recording of all 3 years and a real joy to listen to!

  marvin

[Harry]

Beethoven.
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, opus 2, No. 2.
Robert Casadesus, Piano.

To begin with, the sound is not that swell.
But he is quite another entity than Yokoyama, and the contrast could not be bigger, while she is playing the first sonata as a top romantic work, Casadesus in the second is classical in his approach, almost frugal, very precise with a somewhat fuzzy tone, but he steers it clear through the stormy waters. Little or sparse pedal work, but at times he is hammering away in a crude fashion, in the second movement from 4:00 on. And he is missing some crucial points in the details, accentuates not when he should, so it sounds a bit like a Landler from Schubert. And in this respect that is no compliment. Nevertheless Casadesus conjures some magical tones out of the Scherzo Allegretto, allthough the tempi is far to slow, albeit a clear vision of this movement he has.
The last movement Rondo: Grazioso, is done marvelously, a finely structured attempt for excellence...

[Harry]

  Its been Liszt during the past 2 days.  Listening to this at the moment:

 


  A COMPLETE recording of all 3 years and a real joy to listen to!

  marvin

I am getting into this music slowly. I bought a box by Jorge Bolet, with quite a lot of pianomusic in it. Sceptical at first, Liszt/Bolet, but it turned out quite a good gamble. Naturally I did not warm towards Liszt, and I avoided him, but not anymore though.

[marvinbrown]

I am getting into this music slowly. I bought a box by Jorge Bolet, with quite a lot of pianomusic in it. Sceptical at first, Liszt/Bolet, but it turned out quite a good gamble. Naturally I did not warm towards Liszt, and I avoided him, but not anymore though.

Liszt can be a bit of a challenge to listen to on first hearing, I find that he is not as accessible as Chopin to the first time listener but his piano compositions never cease to amaze me, so much depth and feeling.  Perhaps it is best to avoid the later piano compositions as they are darker and perhaps bordering on the "vulgar" until you are better acquainted with his music.  that said the late piano compositions are worth knowing of course.

  marvin

[Harry]

Liszt can be a bit of a challenge to listen to on first hearing, I find that he is not as accessible as Chopin to the first time listener but his piano compositions never cease to amaze me, so much depth and feeling.  Perhaps it is best to avoid the later piano compositions as they are darker and perhaps bordering on the "vulgar" until you are better acquainted with his music.  that said the late piano compositions are worth knowing of course.

  marvin

Whenever a recording comes by, with a suitable price, and acceptable performers, I will go for it.
But what is meant with "vulgar"?
Could you describe that?
And it which works that would be pray?

[SonicMan46]

Cant believe I missed out on this music for decades (Mozart's chamber music didn't work for me before I went HIP). At least I got the recording right 1st time around.
Recommended.

 

Might also see the Lubin recordings in an earlier release, which I own (inserted 2nd pic above) - superb recordings! 

[Brian]

Liszt can be a bit of a challenge to listen to on first hearing, I find that he is not as accessible as Chopin to the first time listener but his piano compositions never cease to amaze me, so much depth and feeling.  Perhaps it is best to avoid the later piano compositions as they are darker and perhaps bordering on the "vulgar" until you are better acquainted with his music.  that said the late piano compositions are worth knowing of course.

  marvin

Indeed; my first Liszt loves were the Hungarian Rhapsodies, unsurprisingly, followed by After a Reading of Dante. The Italian "year" as a whole is really marvelous.

A lot of folks consider much of Liszt's works to be "vulgar" since they value virtuosity for its own sake - opportunities for the pianist to just show off. However, a great Liszt CD is a wonder to behold. This is such a great CD, by the way:



Incidentally one very famous (very short) late Liszt piece is "Nuages gris".

[Harry]

Beethoven.
Piano Sonata, No. 3 in C major, opus 2, No. 3.
Yukio Yokoyama, Piano.

Well this is much better as the first sonata I heard from him.
First of all, there is more poetic relevance to the work, allthough his approach is still explosive at times, he has much to say by way of communicating clearly what his goal is.
Again a clear and straightforward  vision, but more attentive to details and phrasing. Not playing over the fine details, but finding them and then highlight by a beautiful touche. The second movement "Adagio" is a marvel, so much insight, and strenght, yet not oblivious to the finer points. Powerful emotive outburst, but well done. Pedalling at a absolute minimum.
Both the Scherzo and following Allegro assai are done really good, and had me on the edge of the seat.
Sparkling, and a flowing tone, that rocks.
Controlled energy, and well recorded.

[marvinbrown]

Whenever a recording comes by, with a suitable price, and acceptable performers, I will go for it.
But what is meant with "vulgar"?
Could you describe that?
And it which works that would be pray?

 By "vulgar" I meant not suited to be played to a civilzed crowd.  When Liszt's pupil Gollerich saw Liszt's Csardas he asked "Is it permissible to write something like that?".  Liszt's final composition are bitter, dark, dissonant and obsessive.  At the later stages of his life Liszt was filled with bitterness resulting from the death of his children and disappointment with his friendship with Wagner and Bulow and this bitterness is refelected in the following pieces:

 Valse oubliee
 Unstern, sinistre- disastro
 Mosonyis Grabgeleit
and obviously Csardas macabre.
  also Nuage Gris as posted by Brian is another example of a very dark composition.

 Not sure if you noticed this Harry but these piano compositions reflect a depressed mood unlike anything Liszt has composed in his past.

 marvin  

[FideLeo]

Beethoven.
Piano Sonata, No. 3 in C major, opus 2, No. 3.
Yukio Yokoyama, Piano.

Well this is much better as the first sonata I heard from her.

Don't feel embarrassed - a lot of us in the East thought "Jean" has to be a she, or "Jan" has to be a he... 

[Harry]

 By "vulgar" I meant not suited to be played to a civilzed crowd.  When Liszt's pupil Gollerich saw Liszt's Csardas he asked "Is it permissible to write something like that?".  Liszt's final composition are bitter, dark, dissonant and obsessive.  At the later stages of his life Liszt was filled with bitterness resulting from the death of his children and disappointment with his friendship with Wagner and Bulow and this bitterness is refelected in the following pieces:

 Valse oubliee
 Unstern, sinistre- disastro
 Mosonyis Grabgeleit
and obviously Csardas macabre.

 Not sure if you noticed this Harry but these piano compositions reflect a depressed mood unlike anything Liszt has composed in his past.

 marvin  

Thanks Marvin, I will keep that in mind while encountering those works.

[Harry]

O, dear I seemed to get it all wrong today! Must be in the air. Thanks for noticing that. I will correct it.

[Harry]

Beethoven.
String Quartet No. 1, opus 18 No. 1 in F major.
Alexander SQ.

This is a fascinating performance in many ways. Hefty, vigorous, and at times hard driven. But it brings about a young ensemble, that is eager to make a mark on posterity. But not all is fine. They can be fairly crude as in the last few measures in the second movement. It completely misses the point and destroys all what came before. They can play very loud and overrule all the poetic content, and many a time details are masked by to aggressive playing.
The Scherzo goes fairly well but again the dynamics and unsubtle shadings destroy a little of the magic.
What remains is a exhilarating performance of substantial merit. They trot happily along in a dare devil approach which is not unflattering, but to push and pull to make me entirely happy.
The sound tends to be a tad forward.

[George]

Beethoven.
Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, opus 2, No. 2.
Robert Casadesus, Piano.

Here's a great example of how that Sony box could have become an essential purchase. They could have the 32 sonatas by some of the great Sony artists, like Casadesus, Serkin, even Gould or Perahia. Instead, we (or rather you) get pianists that very few people would bother to buy outside of the set. 

[Harry]

Here's a great example of how that Sony box could have become an essential purchase. They could have the 32 sonatas by some of the great Sony artists, like Casadesus, Serkin, even Gould or Perahia. Instead, we (or rather you) get pianists that very few people would bother to buy outside of the set. 

That is true George.