Bach on the piano

Started by mn dave, November 13, 2008, 06:12:24 AM

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Mandryka

#1000
Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on April 07, 2021, 11:04:08 AM
The Bach on this one is quite nice, indeed. (And the lion's share; more interesting than the Tchaik. & Mahler, I find.)



Who do you prefer -- Rach playing that partita on the recording he released or Chochieva? For me it's a close call, I think I prefer the lady. And I definitely prefer her to Fiorentino. 

(It turns out I have on my hard-drive an unreleased performance of Rachmaninov playing it in 1935, which sounds good. )
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on October 26, 2019, 02:18:35 AM
Confirming what many have already pointed out in this thread:

(Also heard him in concert a few days ago and it was stunning. Review to follow as well.)


Icelandic #Bach With Heart and Panache

https://classicstoday.com/review/icelandic-bach-with-heart-and-panache/

10/10


Here comes the box set, which might equally fit under Debussy, Glass, or Rameau. Uh, well, Bach it shall be:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0d0PCxX0AEx7UO?format=jpg&name=large[/img]]Triad: Víkingur Ólafsson's Greatest Hits

Triad: Bach, Glass, Rameau & Debussy

...I first heard the Juilliard-taught student of Ann Schein and Seymour Lipkin when he was a stiff tween performing at the Icelandic Ambassador's residence back in the days. Already then his pianism was excellent, his manner understated. His image has changed, but none of the essentials. Finally: A major label artist who is actually worthy of the hype; an unpretentious musician where the music is the focus, not his (or her) personality, whose performances are better than his self-promotional showboating. If you've missed out on these albums before, this is an excellent way to catch up...

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: Mandryka on April 07, 2021, 11:34:46 AM
Who do you prefer -- Rach playing that partita on the recording he released or Chochieva? For me it's a close call, I think I prefer the lady. And I definitely prefer her to Fiorentino. 

(It turns out I have on my hard-drive an unreleased performance of Rachmaninov playing it in 1935, which sounds good. )

Good question. I don't recall the Rachmaninoff AT ALL, though I suspect it's in my RCA box of R-playing-R.

milk

I hadn't listened to this, or much of any, Bach in a while. I'm really surprised by the uniqueness of this and by how much I like it.
I don't think there is anything quite like this concept of Bach on keyboard, certainly not piano. At least I don't recall anything like it.

premont

Quote from: milk on September 29, 2021, 07:49:56 AM
I hadn't listened to this, or much of any, Bach in a while. I'm really surprised by the uniqueness of this and by how much I like it.
I don't think there is anything quite like this concept of Bach on keyboard, certainly not piano. At least I don't recall anything like it.

Precisely my reaction to this recording (and Rübsam's other Bach on piano recordings) about twenty years ago. This is why I eagerly recommend him all the time.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

milk

#1005
So I'm listening to Richer through Amazon Prime Streaming and I notice different releases of the Well Tempered Clavier but they are all the same whether Alto or Sony BMG or something called Olympia. So, is there a different recording worth having? I've seen somewhere that there's a live one?

This interesting, puzzling at times, a bit strange in its sound design, but worth taking in. MacGregor goes all in on her way of doing things. That's not bad. She's highly entertaining but I don't know if she's deep. 

ETA: I've been listening to this Richter a lot. It goes against what I've previously thought about Bach recordings, particularly ones on the piano. What I'm saying is that I like this despite the fact that every description I can give goes against what I usually prefer. Richter is kind of fast and straight - something that usually turns me off. But Richter has some kind of magic touch, some kind of fascinating color and ambience and dreaminess - yet he is unpretentious and unaffected. 

milk

#1006

Here is tasteful playing. He doesn't rely on dynamics too much and he gets the point across with subtle rubato and ornamentations. He takes some liberties with ornamentations but I find them enlightening. Maybe I'm making this sound bad? It's good. He brings out his own sense of the counterpoint with a touch of pianism - not too much. I think he does understand counterpoint and there's a sense of baroque. I guess he studied with Tureck but he sure doesn't sound like her. 
ETA: this is my new favorite.

Iota

Quote from: milk on October 06, 2021, 07:00:37 AM
This interesting, puzzling at times, a bit strange in its sound design, but worth taking in. MacGregor goes all in on her way of doing things. That's not bad. She's highly entertaining but I don't know if she's deep.

This has been my experience of her thus far too. Though because of it, I've not heard a lot, so there may yet be words to eat. And I've certainly heard her talk interestingly about music.

milk

I don't know if there's supposed to be more of this? Why only 12? I really like this. There's something very warm and embracing and personal about the way he plays these. The rubato is unique, very particular and compelling. The tone of the piano is a bit too bright and the way it's recorded kind of throws me. There's too much stereo separation. Anyway, that aside, I wish there were more.

milk

I think she can compete with the best contemporary Bach pianists actually. This is thoughtful and intense even while avoiding much dynamics (although she picks her spots for that kind of drama). It's rubato, touch and tempo mostly. She can be very contemplative and sometimes she drags a bit in the fugues. Overall, this is worthy of a listen.

milk


I don't know how to compare piano Goldberg-s at the moment. I'm listening to this though. There are merits in here even though he does some things that might rub some people the wrong way. The recording is very atmospheric. That doesn't bother me. It's reverberant. I feel like this takes a lot of advantage of the capabilities of the piano. Just my personal take is that this is more interesting than some of the other high profile piano versions that have come out recently. But it's particular in the way it's recorded and in the way he uses dynamics and maybe pedaling. He's certainly NOT asleep at the wheel.

JBS

#1011
My take on Fray, just posted to WAYLT2.

First listen.

87 1/2 minutes long. Sort of ruminative/meditative, starting off with a gorgeous 5 minute statement of the Aria. The faster passages are taken briskly but not quickly.  But there are no langorous moments. Initial impression: like it.

ETA
Perhaps a bit too slow. At the least one has to be in the mood for it.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

vers la flamme

Quote from: JBS on December 15, 2021, 06:44:27 PM
My take on Fray, just posted to WAYLT2.

First listen.

87 1/2 minutes long. Sort of ruminative/meditative, starting off with a gorgeous 5 minute statement of the Aria. The faster passages are taken briskly but not quickly.  But there are no langorous moments. Initial impression: like it.

ETA
Perhaps a bit too slow. At the least one has to be in the mood for it.

Damn, I really like Fray's Bach, but that's too long for a Goldberg I reckon. (Not piano but) Rübsam is already pushing it at just under 80 minutes.

JBS

Quote from: vers la flamme on December 15, 2021, 07:37:35 PM
Damn, I really like Fray's Bach, but that's too long for a Goldberg I reckon. (Not piano but) Rübsam is already pushing it at just under 80 minutes

On its own terms it works. But it's not for those times you want a quick peppy approach.

Egarr's recording is 100 minutes, but that includes the canons. Definitely too long and too slow. Almost as if Egarr was trying to prove the work was in fact written as an antidote to insomnia.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

milk


I've taken a long break from this music. Gosh, there isn't any pleasure like Bach - at least for me. Janssen is better than I remember. Judicious rubato and ornamentation, as well as sensitivity, are evident. I also like the straightforwardness of the recording: the piano is right in front of you with no big room sound. I'm just comparing the E Flat Major a bit. Janssen brings the melancholy. 

Perahia has a brighter piano sound. I feel like he's more elegant but that's not a selling point for me necessarily. There's a kind of pianism here that I don't love. It's just a touch too much. But I'm sure he's very good for many people's tastes.
I think Sheng is very good. He's another one who uses rubato and lays off the "pianism" (I guess I mean dynamics and pedals). At least that's what I'm hearing. But even when he does use a bit of dynamics they're very appropriate and organic to my ears.  I think he finds some drama. His piano is also straightforward. I actually wonder what kinds of pianos these respective artists are using.   
Janssen seems to go in for ornamentation more than Sheng. They both play with tempo to create their rhetoric.

MacGregor sure is something different. She starts the Allemande fast and furious. Her piano his on a big stage - sonically. I'm open to her ideas, but do I like them? I'm not sure. She's interesting at least but it wears.
Is there another Schiff? This one started off very bouncy and, honestly, I got impatient and skipped it. It just sounded too pretty.
I was bumming around and found this. Wow. Richter brings something. I don't really care what he's doing. It's not what I might like in other artists but somehow, in him, it works. He has a way of bringing joy and sadness and profundity and clarity. I wouldn't say he's consistent though.

OK. I'm starting to get tired. Rubsam is a weird dude perhaps. Sometimes he annoys me. He's got chutzpa though. That's for sure. I'm not sure if I can enjoy this much. But it's not boring the way some others are (Luisi, Derzhavina IMO).
Someone I'm a bit surprised by is Papastefanou. Her piano has an interesting tone and she seems to use those piano techniques in a different way. Again, I'm not sure what I think but she does stand out from some of her peers. She has command and touch. She has a vision. I'm not sure it's to my taste though. Maybe, in the end, she just does too much too self-consciously.
OK, what about Schepkin?
Yeah, I tend to like this approach. It reminds me more of Janssen and Sheng. It's mellow. His Steinway is nicely recorded, not too bright or reverberant. He's subtle with dynamics. Maybe he's more subtle with rubato too. Gosh I think I like Janssen and Sheng the best out of these.


George



You left out my favorite. Have some kookies with your milk!
"I can't live without music, because music is life." - Yvonne Lefébure

Jo498

Have you heard Gavrilov's?
I have not heard Koroliov but I imagine him to be quite good, a bit like a "moderate" Richter in perfect modern sound.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

milk

Quote from: Jo498 on February 07, 2022, 09:19:23 AM
Have you heard Gavrilov's?
I have not heard Koroliov but I imagine him to be quite good, a bit like a "moderate" Richter in perfect modern sound.
I don't think I've heard Koroliov. I'll check if he's on apple.

milk

Quote from: George on February 07, 2022, 08:52:50 AM


You left out my favorite. Have some kookies with your milk!
I don't like Gould so I can't really be impartial. But if I try to set aside my prejudices, the French Suites still seem like exactly the wrong music for Gould. That makes me a little curious. Does he try to change tactics? Or is it a case of "let Gould be Gould"?

Jo498

I also find the French suites among the less convincing Gould recordings (he is neither lyrical nor intimate nor elegant) although I like his approach in general so I find stuff to like about them. The positive exception is the 4th suite where Gould includes an optional movement and creates a great sequence of the last 3 or 4 movement played almost without a break so that one gets the impression of speed and energy being cranked up from each movement to the next. Might just be because it was the recording with which I encountered the music for the first time, though.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal