Quote from: AnotherSpin on Today at 08:51:37 AMOne thing is consistent, continuous decline.
Quote from: Brian on April 22, 2024, 11:00:03 AMThe one everyone's going to spend all summer talking about!
Retro cover art style (including the logo) from Decca. Lim recently presented these works live in concert at Carnegie Hall - attended by our friend (poco) Sforzando - and it would be interesting to hear how the two performances compare. This album was recorded in mid-December 2023 and seemingly rushed to press by Decca. One more strange housekeeping note: every nickname ever accorded to any of the etudes, and quite a few nicknames that I had never heard before, are listed on the digital release. (e.g. Qobuz says Op. 10 No. 4 is "Torrent", and No. 8 from the same set is "Sunshine")
The best etudes here are characterized by crystal-clear accuracy and balances that reveal the melodic appeal of the works behind or amid the cascades of notes. Lim is so technically assured and confident that he can treat Chopin's challenges as the means, not the end, of the works. This is clear in pieces like Op. 10 Nos. 2 and 4, and Op. 25 Nos. 6 and 9 (the last of which is the jauntiest and cheeriest I have ever heard). Meanwhile the slower, more poetic works occasionally also give Lim a chance to impress: I very much like his way with the fragile beauty of Op. 25 No. 7. The final etude of the 24, meanwhile, is simply relentless - he does make some attempts to differentiate the repetitions, but, basically, it's a shock-and-awe speed run that is meant to show what humans are capable of.
On the other hand, sometimes Lim gets a little too facile with the technical challenges. Op. 10 No. 11 seems "oily" to me, which I guess is another way of saying slick. Op. 25 No. 1 is a dreamy impressionist blur, but at 2:16 maybe a little too rushed to achieve the kind of poetry he is trying to find. Op. 25 No. 4 (which apparently is nicknamed "Paganini"?) is simply too fast to achieve the kind of fun syncopated bounce that is possible in this work (compare to Yukio Yokoyama, a.k.a. Joyce Hatto) [EDIT: Yuki Matsuzawa, not Yukio Yokoyama].
I do not like the rather dry recorded sound, which puts the piano squarely on the left of the acoustic picture and reduces the effect of the bass. This kind of cold, tinny sound quality makes it very hard for a pianist to offer any emotional expression, so in that respect, Lim has been done a disservice by Decca. The label had better address this for future releases if they want to do right by an artist that they (and much of the musical establishment) see as a future superstar. I was more impressed by the live Liszt recording and wonder if it will set a pattern of an artist more interesting live than in studio.
Using the ClassicsToday model of an "artistic quality" rating and a "sound quality" rating, both out of 10, I'd probably go with a disappointed 7/7. Maybe 8/7.
Quote from: prémont on Today at 07:55:43 AMIndeed, she seems tailor-made for this business, yet she may be swiftly forgotten.
Quote from: Roasted Swan on Today at 08:23:44 AMHarry - our tastes are aligned on so much! Sadly with Ethel Smyth much less so...... I find much to admire in her sheer determination and perserverance but strikingly little in terms of real musical inspiration. For a political/social radical she is a musical conservative I reckon.
Quote from: Harry on Today at 07:38:53 AMEthel Smyth.
Orchestral Works.
Recorded: 1995 at Studio 7 New Broadcasting House, Manchester, UK.
See for further details back cover.
It is by now well known, that I am an admirer of her music, all the way. I bought this CD when it was released, and return after many years back to this gorgeous disc. Were there is so much music, this production stands out as a bright star, dazzling one's ears. A good solid performance and SOTA sound.
Quote from: prémont on Today at 07:55:43 AMIndeed, she seems tailor-made for this business, yet she may be swiftly forgotten.
Page created in 1.459 seconds with 18 queries.