Barenboim

[San Antone]

One of the several WTC recordings on piano I've been investigating recently is Barenboim's.  I've seen two reviews, .htm]one positive the other rather negative but not a pan. 

I have a low threshold for enjoyment, and can listen to Barenboim's Bach without any reservations.

[George]

Cross post from WAYLT thread



Disc 4, D894 & D958

George said about this disc that the tempi in the outer movements are "heavy and plodding". While I agree they are on the slow side (but then again, the first mvt of D894 is marked Molto moderato e cantabile), it didn't seem to me that they detracted anything from my enjoyment. Barenboim lets the music breathe and take his time to smell all the roses in the garden. An approach which imho works better in this music than rushing headlong through it. I like it.

Rushing headlong is not I would want in Schubert either. Richter's Schubert (my personal favorite Schubert performer) is usually on the slow side (and often slower than most), but to me, it never sounds heavy and plodding. His Schubert is dramatic, exciting and alive. Barenboim's Schubert, like his Beethoven DG set, adds little hesitations here and there which impede the forward momentum of the music. When I am in the mood for that, Barenboim's approach can be enjoyable. It's just that I am not often in the mood for that, at least not often.

I'm glad that you are enjoying his Schubert, though.   

I plan to compare Barenboim's performances in this set to those in Kempff's DG set, as I am curious to see which one I like more. I also don't have room on the shelf for both.   

[Florestan]

Richter's Schubert is usually on the slow side, but to me, it never sounds heavy and plodding.

Richter's Schubert is unknown territory to me, which I should explore asap.

Barenboim's Schubert, like his Beethoven DG set, adds little hesitations here and there which impede the forward momentum of the music. When I am in the mood for that, Barenboim's approach can be enjoyable. It's just that I am not often in the mood for that, at least not often.

I'm glad that you are enjoying his Schubert, though.

George, please, don't get me wrong. My post was not meant as a criticism to your taste or judgment --- God forbid! --- but as my two cents on Barenboim's Schubert.

[George]

Richter's Schubert is unknown territory to me, which I should explore asap.

I think you are in for a treat!

George, please, don't get me wrong. My post was not meant as a criticism to your taste or judgment --- God forbid! --- but as my two cents on Barenboim's Schubert.

Thanks for clarifying. Yes, I read your post as your take on Barenboim's Schubert, which is always welcome. Myself, I have yet to form an opinion. I'd like to come back at a later date, but first I want to see how Kempff's set stands up. I never loved his Schubert, though I enjoyed it enough to keep it, especially because it's the most complete set I have owned.

[George]

Disc 1, D537 & D568

I decided today to begin a second listen to this set and so far, I am enjoying this a lot more than before. Maybe I am in a more relaxed mood, I don't know. What I do know is that I am glad I learned early on in my collecting to not judge something on just one listen. Heck, I didn't even like Richter (my favorite pianist) very much the first time I heard him.