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The Music Room => Great Recordings and Reviews => Topic started by: Todd on April 26, 2017, 10:12:45 AM

Title: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 26, 2017, 10:12:45 AM
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With the ever-increasing numbers of superb CKJ ivory-ticklers doing well in international competitions and producing high quality recordings, and after having discovered www.yesasia.com and it's large trove of Korean market releases to augment the ongoing flood of Japanese market releases available from HMV Japan, Amazon Japan, and CD Japan, I figured I'd devote a thread to such artists. Mostly, posts will focus on younger artists and/or artists new to me, though some more established artists may make an appearance from time to time.

I'll start with Hisako Kawamura's 2011 release of Schumann's Humoreske, Chopin's Third Sonata, and Liszt's Widmung as an encore.  (In this case, I picked it up for under five bucks as an Amazon Add-On item.)  Born in Japan, but mostly raised, educated, and now domiciled in Germany, Ms Kawamura counts Vladimir Krainev among her teachers (this album is dedicated to him), and she plays a wide array of core rep, as on this disc.  Kawamura starts off with the Schumann.  She opens with a measured tempo, allowing each note and chord its due, but she quickly plays with more gusto.  The Florestan side of the music is a bit more pronounced, as the quieter playing, which delicate and gentle, sounds a bit cool rather than dreamy.  This does dampen the contrasts a bit, and her dynamic nuance does not match my preferred Schumann pianists, but there is much to enjoy here.  The Chopin starts off with more intensity, but of the controlled variety.  This is not an unabashedly virtuosic recording like Weissenberg or Argerich, but one where Kawamura allows herself a bit more relaxed approach to dynamics and tempo, both of which are judged very well and her playing is quite fluid throughout the opening movement.  The Scherzo starts off energetic and articulate, but Kawamura backs way off in the middle section, then gently eases back into the opening material, before thundering out the coda.  Pretty nifty.  The Largo starts where the Scherzo ended, just slower, then transitions to some slower and much softer playing.  Kawamura seems at home here, playing with beauty and expressiveness without tipping over into schmaltz.  Kawamura plays with more force and drive in the Finale.  While dynamics and overall forward momentum are excellent, the playing lacks real rhythmic snap.  That's more observation than criticism. 

I can't say that Kawamura matches the best in either work, but her playing is compelling enough so that I will not pass up opportunities to hear her in other repertoire.

Sonics for the RCA Japan release, recorded in the almost always superb sounding Jesus Christus Kirche in Berlin, are up there with the best Japanese recordings - that is, state of the art.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 05, 2017, 07:16:14 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in the Schubertiade! thread.]


Ran Jia's major label debut.  Who is Ran Jia, you ask?  She's a twenty-seven year old pupil of Gary Graffman, and daughter of composer Jia Daqun.  She appears to have a thing for the music of Schubert.  Her first, non-major label recording was of the D664 and D960 sonatas, and just a couple months back (March 2017 as of the time of writing), she presented a Schubert cycle for her Berlin debut.  Somewhat like with Hideyo Harada's disc, I sort of judged a book by its cover, and foolishly assumed from the glamour shot on the cover, and the other glamour shots in the booklet, that Ms Jia would play soft and tender.  Nope.  Fortunately, I enjoy her playing more than Harada's. 

The disc opens with D958.  It's evident that slow, deeply contemplative Schubert is not Jia's style.  She plays with more speed and grit.  Her Schubert is harder, though her playing can be quite beautiful at times.  It's close to a steel fist in a velvet glove approach.  Let's say anodized aluminum in comfy suede for Jia.  And as Jia demonstrates in the Adagio, she can belt out forte chords rather well.  The bass registers don't dominate or anything, but sometimes they really rumble.  The tense, almost jittery speed is most evident in the outer movements, and she seems to be in something of a hurry to finish the Allegro - to excellent effect.  She takes the time througout the work to pay some attention to details, as with the wonderful, extended right hand run in the opening, but this is a hard, cool, modern-classical hybrid approach.  Good stuff. 

So, too, is D845.  And unsurprisingly, it is of the quick, tense, almost angry variety.  It doesn't have the power of Lupu or the intensity of Gulda, but the opening movement moves forward at all times.  Jia does slow down as appropriate, but these passages seem like respites before revving back up.  The Andante poco mosso is plucky - and tense.  The way she dashes off right hand figurations throughout is most captivating, and the slower music is dark, 'late' Schubert.  The tense feel permeates the Scherzo, too, with Jia rushing through some transitions - again, to excellent effect.  The propulsive Rondo wraps up some fine Schubert.  Here's a D845 that offers a pretty strong contrast to the equally compelling but very different take from Michail Lifits, to stick with other young(-ish) pianists offering some fine, modern Schubert. 

The disc concludes with three Preludes for Piano by the pianist's father.  The brief pieces are decidedly post-war modern works.  Some knotty, chord-heavy writing interspersed with some attractive melodic content, not least in the Homage to Schubert, which derives from D845, and some brief, sparse passages make me rather wish more than three short pieces were included.  If Jia were to devote an entire disc to her father's output, I'd give it a shot.

Sound is very good, but somewhat problematic.  It's not ideally clear by contemporary standards, and it's as though the engineers couldn't capture Jia's dynamic range properly, so the slightly distant recording checks most but not all sonic boxes.  The disc sounds slightly better through headphones, but the same issues persist no matter the transducer type used.

I will keep an eye on this pianist, and when she records D894, I will buy with alacrity.  Maybe she can record some Schoenberg or Prokofiev or Ligeti or Schnittke while she's at it.

Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 11, 2017, 05:38:14 AM
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[Originally, I was going to focus on CKJ artists, but as India is part of Asia, I thought it proper to include Ms Arnold.]


I'm not really a fortepiano kind of guy.  Paul Badura-Skoda and Penelope Crawford both manage to make Beethoven work exceedingly on ancient instruments, Andras Schiff has much to say in Schubert in his ECM recording and in Mozart, and Ragna Schirmer's "Liebe in Variationen" disc has it formidable strengths, but the other recordings I've heard vary in quality quite a bit, with a tendency to not be favorites.  Sheila Arnold, she of the fantastic recent (for me) Schubert recital, really delivers in Chopin and joins this small cadre of artists.  Using an 1839 Erard, obviously lovingly maintained, she delivers a knock-out recording.  First, though HIP, the piano sounds big and full as recorded.  Second, Arnold's playing is nimble and clear, and she takes maximum musical advantage of the quicker decay.  As an example, the final tolling bass notes of the last Prelude take on something of a new meaning.  Third, she knows how to deliver dynamic gradations at a world-class level on her chosen instrument.  Some of the playing is nearly modern concert grand pulverizing, and she fluidly and expertly plays at varying volume levels.  Her approach is definitely not of the effete, drawing room variety; the playing is at times aggressive, though Arnold knows when to back off (eg, the Raindrop).  Too, she plays some Preludes rather differently.  For instance, the second Prelude is much slower than normal, and is treated as a "death knell" (the pianist's description).  The disc opens with the First and ends with the Fourth Ballade, and both are just wonderful, and played with drive and assertiveness and intellectualized romanticism.  Arnold's playing may not be the most emotive and romantic playing out there, but it is committed and serious and communicative.  This is one of the best fortepiano recordings I've heard.

Perfect sound.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 17, 2017, 05:46:44 AM
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Some Schumann from twenty-something Da Sol Kim, winner of contests and collaborator of A-listers, recorded in 2015.  The disc opens with the Arabeske.  Kim plays with a lovely tone, and alternates between slightly gentle and nicely robust playing, in a style that can best be described as straight-ahead and highly polished.  The combination works slightly better in the slower playing.  The Humoreske follows, and the same traits are on display.  The opening is just lovely, and as Kim proceeds he plays with impressive nimbleness and control, and his dynamic range is excellent.  He never produces an ugly tone or anything that sounds edgy; everything maintains a slightly rounded sound.  As the playing proceeds, as accomplished as it is, it sometimes lacks the nuance and individuality that other pianists may bring; it is mostly about the surface, sounding beautifully superficial.  In some ways, it is the opposite style of approach from Kawamura, who seeks something more in her playing, though Kim's technique seems more assured.  The disc ends with Kreisleriana.  Here, Kim plays with a bit more bite in the opening, even generating some metallic playing, but it always stays controlled and precise.  The second movement opens with great beauty and gentleness, but it sounds a bit reserved and almost too flawless, to the point where it's a museum piece.  It's very Steven Osborne-esque in that manner, but perhaps a bit more polite.  The Florestan passages, too, though fast, dynamic, sometimes quite powerful, and always admirably well controlled, sound perhaps too polite and superficial; the playing displays contained and prescribed passion.  The entire disc is more or less like that.

Da Sol Kim can definitely play, there's no doubt of that, and he doesn't really indulge himself too much.  Given his strengths, I would rather fancy hearing him in some Rachmaninoff or Ravel. 

The release gets the deluxe DG treatment, with multi-lingual notes and an essay by Jeremy Siepmann, but this looks to be a strictly Korean market issue.

Sound is basically SOTA, complete with audible damper mechanism noise throughout.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Kontrapunctus on May 20, 2017, 06:31:43 PM
In the current US political climate, this might sound risky, but I would prefer a Russian invasion! I like their passion and power.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 20, 2017, 06:48:51 PM
Quote from: Toccata&Fugue on May 20, 2017, 06:31:43 PM
In the current US political climate, this might sound risky, but I would prefer a Russian invasion! I like their passion and power.


You can start a thread on the topic.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 22, 2017, 05:39:35 AM
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Sehee Kim's Faure.  While issued by Warner Korea, Kim served as producer for this recording.  In some ways, this disc is like a less posh Vanessa Benelli Mosell release.  The thin booklet contains only a handful of glamour shots, all taken in a bare-bones studio, and the sound is not up to snuff.  Dry, boxy, and small in scale, it does the playing no favors.  Ms Kim studied at Juilliard and the Glenn Gould School, so she has the training, and sure enough, her playing is efficient and professional.  But it also sounds colorless, flat, and almost metronomic.  It's not really bad - truly bad recordings are rare - but there are much better Faure discs out there (eg, Thyssens-Valentin, Sanchez, Paik, Collard), so this just doesn't offer a whole lot.  Hell, I'd take Stott over this.  A whiff.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 24, 2017, 05:38:19 AM
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Another Bruckner cycle.  As if I needed another one.  This is my sixth new one this year.  As luck would have it, I hadn't had a chance to start in on Eugen Jochum's Dresden cycle yet (I've lived with his DG cycle for almost two decades and only now decided that it was time to hear the second cycle), so I decided with Hun-Joung Lim's cycle I would do A/Bs with an established master of the music.  This may seem, and probably is, a bit unfair, but it gives me the opportunity to hear how a newcomer fares.

Not that Hun-Joung Lim is a newcomer.  The composer-conductor has been in the spotlight at least regionally since winning a composition award in 1974.  He has studied Seoul National University, the Mannes School and Juilliard.  He has held music director positions in Korea since 1989, sparked "Mahler Syndrome" in Korea at the turn of the century, and in 2014 he took over the Korean Symphony Orchestra.  This cycle, taken from concerts recorded between late 2014 and December 2016, appears to be sort of a musical statement.  All of the liner notes for this set are in Korean, except for the conductor and orchestra bios, indicating home market release only.

I decided to go in symphony number order and I started with the First, starting with Lim and then moving on to Jochum.  I should note that I did not do, and will not do, proper A/Bs in that I did not listen to the symphonies back-to-back; I like me some Bruckner, but that would be too much.  Also, I may change conductor order on a whim.

Using the Hynais Edition of the score, Lim's conception of the First is swift, but not too much so, as is evident in the Allegro.  Also obvious is Lim's fondness for making sure winds get their due, and his attention to the violas, which are uncommonly clear.  There's a sort of less severe Boulezian exactitude to be heard in the conducting.  There's also a sort of Boulezian coolness.  The taut Adagio, which sounds quite attractive, is nevertheless a bit antiseptic.  Lim also keeps the sound contained.  This is no incredibly grand Bruckner, but that's fine here.  The Scherzo sounds taut and detached, and it was here that I noticed something else: with a good number of other conductors, one can hear some obvious influences on Bruckner - Wagner, Schumann, Mendelssohn - but here the music seems more abstract and almost (almost) sui generis.  The Finale has plenty of drive and heft and controlled drama.  Sound is good, but the bass is a bit undefined and plummy and the perspective is a bit more distant than some recordings, though that is not rare with Bruckner recordings.  Lim starts off well.

Jochum's EMI recording sounds exactly as expected based on memories of his DG recording: near perfect or actually perfect - and variable - pacing, large-scaled, influences made obvious but not overdone, great string playing, great blending of winds and brass, and unerring flow, with perfect transitions throughout.  This is grand but not bloated Bruckner.  Of the "new" Firsts I have listened to this year, this cedes only to Barenboim's latest, and then that may be a mood thing.  I prefer it to Lim, but that written, some of the fine details that Lim brings out, and his cooler approach, are not to be sneezed at.  I get the feeling this will be a standard type of outcome, but perhaps (hopefully) I will be surprised. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 26, 2017, 06:17:16 AM
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Three hits in a row.  I guess it's safe to say that Sheila Arnold is on my wavelength, or rather, I am on hers.  Her Schubert disc is phenomenally good.  Her Chopin disc, too.  So's her Brahms.  Here is a large-scale, quasi-symphonic recording of the Third Sonata to nearly rival François-Frédéric Guy's, whose new recording from last year bested all comers.  (That was quite a feat given that the historical superheavys pretty much all recorded the work.)  Everything just clicks for me.  Dynamics, pacing, articulation, power, gentleness (how beautiful is that second movement?), flow, rhythm: all sound just right.  It immediately established itself as a comfort recording of sorts.  Arnold's conception just perfectly suits my taste.  Not everyone will agree, of course.

The disc also has Clara Schumann's Romance in B Minor and the Brahms Op 119 works.  The Schumann is a nice enough piece nicely played.  The late Brahms pieces start off being played in a disarmingly simple way, resulting in austerely beautiful miniatures.  Arnold doesn't aim for an especially ethereal or autumnal feel, rather steering the music into a style of playing that evokes Mompou, albeit in an abstract, more severe form in the first two pieces.  The halting rhythm she uses in the first and third pieces is intriguing, and in the second Intermezzo she ramps up the volume and tension a bit as a sort of prelude to the intense, biting, and thundering Rhapsodie, which, though fuller sounding, evokes Kovacevich in the more forceful passages.  A most thought-provoking end to a most enjoyable disc.

Sound is superb, basically SOTA. 

I also dig the fact that Ms Arnold appears to own the copyright for all her recordings. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 29, 2017, 07:06:42 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in the Schubertiade! thread]


A half-dozen Schubert sonatas from Julius-Jeongwon Kim.  Mr Kim is a former child prodigy turned professor and performing musician who, in 2012, gave the second performance of Rachmaninoff's Fifth Piano Concerto before making the first recording for Deutsche Grammophon.  The Fifth?  It's a reworking of the Second Symphony by Alexander Warenberg done at the request of the composer's grandson.  Earnest effort or something of a gimmick, Kim has one unique achievement under his belt.  He also made some other core rep recordings for EMI in prior years, so he's been around the block, as most forty-somethings have.

On to the recordings at hand.  The first disc of the trio contains D157 and D894, meaning that my first exposure to Kim matches up in terms of repertoire, sans a small encore, to one of my favorite Schubert discs of the century so far, Arcadi Volodos' Schubert disc.  While I really didn't expect Kim to match Volodos, and if ultimately he doesn't, there is much to enjoy in the first disc.  D157 starts off somewhat haltingly, with clipped chords and phrase endings, but once the Allegro ma non troppo moves into the more flowing music, Kim plays with nice drive, lyricism, and scale, and his melody is both lovely and almost eerily precise.  The Andante displays some of the same style of playing, and comes off as decidedly and purposely unsentimental, and nearly cold, and Kim plays this way until about five minutes in, and then, bam, biting forte chords assault the listener's ear to surprising and convincing effect.  Kim then plays the concluding Menuetto briskly and unsentimentally.  It's certainly possible to play with a bit more lyricism, but the overall conception works.  The great D894 follows.  Here, Kim faced not only long-standing memories of Volodos, but also fresher memories of Sheila Arnold.  Kim's starts off with an eighteen minute Molto moderato e cantabile, yet given the length, the tension of his playing makes it seem quicker than that, and again it sounds unsentimental.  His tone is attractive, but it is possible to say the playing is not the most lyrical or endearing, though Kim's style has it's own appeal.  He also keeps dynamics somewhat under wraps, never really thundering out forte passages like Arnold, let alone Michail Lifits.  Again, it's another way to play, and I hasten to add that Kim does not sound at all small-scaled; it seems more about control.  The Andante sounds both tonally pleasing and musically severe, with Kim playing with a controlled tempo, and here he ratchets up the volume of the loudest playing more so than in the opening movement.  He sort of shifts the center of the work to the second movement, something I've heard many times in D960, but rarely in this work.  The Menuetto remains contained and controlled, and dynamic contrasts are nicely pronounced, with Kim playing aggressively at times.  Kim finally lightens up a bit in the Allegretto.  While not slight or wispy, it seems a smidge sunnier and definitely more lyrical than the preceding movements.  Overall, if the playing lacks Volodos' even more marked command, and Arnold's balanced magic, Kim's take is excellent in a very serious sort of way.

The second disc contains D568 and D664, opening with the former.  The sound seems a bit brighter, more metallic, and slightly more distant.  Kim's playing in the opening Allegro moderato is all about nearly relentless forward drive and energy, and while not especially lyrical, Kim does keep the playing attractive before moving onto a tense Andante molto characterized more by insistent left hand playing than beautiful melody.  The Menuetto, especially in the trio, sounds a bit more lyrical, but never strays far from the tenser overall conception.  Same with the concluding Allegro moderato.  Generally, I prefer D664 to be very lyrical, though there are exceptions.  Kim does indeed play the piece more lyrically than D568, but he maintains a nice degree of tension and plays with some heft as appropriate in the opening Allegro moderato.  He goes one better and plays the Andante in unabashedly beautiful and lyrical fashion, with hints of gentle urgency and an approximation of melancholy.  The concluding Allegro starts off similarly, but quickly finds Kim playing with significant scale and power, though he keeps the tempo steady and just about right overall. 

The final disc contains D557 and D958.  Sonics are more like the second disc, leading me to think the final two discs were recorded at the same sessions, though I could obviously be wrong.  Anyway, D557 sounds brisk, crisp, and clear, with incisive staccato playing and light pedaling.  The playing displays hints of lyricism, but is more about drive and bite, at least in the first two movement.  Kim does lighten up just a bit in overall mood, if not entirely in delivery, in the Allegro, though even here the middle section is fiery and intense, almost an early test-run for D784.  D958 ends the set.  Kim's set arrived shortly after Ran Jia's superb Schubert single disc, and I decided to give her take a listen a couple hours before my first listen to Kim's take.  Kim's tempi are slightly slower than Jia's in all movements but the Menuetto, but that doesn't stop Kim from launching the first movement with an at times intense, loud opener.  Kim builds to satisfyingly loud, sharp forte playing with more apparent overall power than Jia, though the lower registers are comparatively light.  His rhythmic drive is superb, too, and when he backs off, there's a bit more of a contrast than with Jia, who sounds more tense throughout.  Kim's approach stays the same in the hard-hitting Andante poco mosso.  Indeed, more than in D557, the playing here makes me want to hear what he might do with D784.  Kim keeps up the almost aggressive, at times stingingly metallic approach right on through to the end, with the Rondo almost enough to grind down listeners more accustomed to more lyrical Schubert.  In some ways, Kim's take is more involved and involving than Jia's, but on the flip-side, Jia adds more unique touches.  Advantage Jia, but Kim ends on a strong note.

Overall, Kim's Schubert comes across as intellectual, serious, maybe a bit grim, though when he arrives at one of the 'late' sonatas, he adds real intensity and drive to the mix.  In this regard, he reminds me of Paul Lewis.  Hopefully, he records more Schubert, because I wouldn't mind at all hearing how he handles D845, D850, and, of course, D960, but if this threefer ends up being it, it's a good set to have.  (Here I refer to studio recordings, of course, because D845 is on YouTube, along with other works.)  I wouldn't mind hearing more from Kim outside of Schubert, either.  I think he could deliver some fine Brahms, and more serious fare from the 20th Century might also sound quite good.  Oh, and I wouldn't mind if he recorded some Beethoven.

Sonics for this strictly Korean market release are a bit resonant but superb, though I found I had to listen slightly louder than normal to get the piano to sound as natural as possible.  In an unusual step for me, I listened to this set first in my main rig which is situated in a small, but dedicated and quasi-treated stereo room and then in my 2.1 channel home theater situated in a much larger room.  I cranked the volume in the large space, and the sound seemed more natural and, as recorded, Kim plays with a big sonority. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: XB-70 Valkyrie on May 29, 2017, 01:50:39 PM
This thread is sorely lacking in photos of Yuja Wang!
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mandryka on May 29, 2017, 10:58:33 PM
Quote from: Todd on May 11, 2017, 05:38:14 AM
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[Originally, I was going to focus on CKJ artists, but as India is part of Asia, I thought it proper to include Ms Arnold.]


I'm not really a fortepiano kind of guy.  Paul Badura-Skoda and Penelope Crawford both manage to make Beethoven work exceedingly on ancient instruments, Andras Schiff has much to say in Schubert in his ECM recording and in Mozart, and Ragna Schirmer's "Liebe in Variationen" disc has it formidable strengths, but the other recordings I've heard vary in quality quite a bit, with a tendency to not be favorites.  Sheila Arnold, she of the fantastic recent (for me) Schubert recital, really delivers in Chopin and joins this small cadre of artists.  Using an 1839 Erard, obviously lovingly maintained, she delivers a knock-out recording.  First, though HIP, the piano sounds big and full as recorded.  Second, Arnold's playing is nimble and clear, and she takes maximum musical advantage of the quicker decay.  As an example, the final tolling bass notes of the last Prelude take on something of a new meaning.  Third, she knows how to deliver dynamic gradations at a world-class level on her chosen instrument.  Some of the playing is nearly modern concert grand pulverizing, and she fluidly and expertly plays at varying volume levels.  Her approach is definitely not of the effete, drawing room variety; the playing is at times aggressive, though Arnold knows when to back off (eg, the Raindrop).  Too, she plays some Preludes rather differently.  For instance, the second Prelude is much slower than normal, and is treated as a "death knell" (the pianist's description).  The disc opens with the First and ends with the Fourth Ballade, and both are just wonderful, and played with drive and assertiveness and intellectualized romanticism.  Arnold's playing may not be the most emotive and romantic playing out there, but it is committed and serious and communicative.  This is one of the best fortepiano recordings I've heard.

Perfect sound.



I didn't like the op 28 at all, I thought that the slower preludes were maudlin and lugubrious. Full of expressive gestures, like kiss curls plastered onto the music. The fast ones were sometimes aggressive as you say. The result is a disorderly and confused rag bag of short piano pieces.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 31, 2017, 05:25:14 AM
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The Second.  Lim uses the Hynais 1892 edition of the score.  A bit cool and detached, the playing is less intense than some other versions and the Andante is sort of an ethereal, abstract haze, where Wagner can be heard in the violin section, and where Lim makes sure to not let the pace lag, even if he doesn't generate a great deal of intensity.  The Scherzo is well executed and played, and the outer sections are nicely done, but the trio shines by hinting at later symphonies.  Lim then ratchets up intensity in the opening pages of the Finale, before pulling everything back to a light and lyrical approach.  Lim (or Bruckner through Lim) seems to evoke some late Beethoven of the string quartet variety starting around five minutes in, then he hesitatingly moves toward the coda, which is a nice gallop.  Sound is a bit cloudy but weighty.

Jochum's recording is a bit quicker across the board, but in some passages it feels a bit longer while listening.  To be sure, Jochum's coda to the first movement and the entire finale are more vital and intense than Lim's, but the inner movements sound slightly less compelling.  This is solid performance, and I'd probably give the nod to Jochum, it's just not a favorite. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 02, 2017, 05:35:00 AM
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For my first exposure to Daejin Kim's music-making, I opted to go for some solo piano music.  His Sibelius and Tchaikovsky symphony cycles are in the listening queue.  Mr Kim is a Juilliard grad, Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition prize winner, and currently teaches and directs the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The disc opens with D664.  Kim's playing is cleanly articulated, and on the gentle, soft, and lyrical side, interpretively speaking.  Kim never really introduces much in the way of bite or intensity in the Allegro moderato, which always works well with this sonata.  His playing is very controlled and steady, as he moves forward with little in the way of personal rubato or idiosyncratic accenting.  The Andante maintains the same traits, in slightly more laid back style.  The concluding Allegro has a nice dance rhythm without overdoing it, and the playing retains an overall lyrical feel while becoming more animated and pointed.  Playing throughout the sonata is a bit plain.  But something happened as I listened.  There's a story about how Artur Rubinstein said that the first time he hear Sviatoslav Richter, he initially found the playing to be nothing special, but soon tears were rolling down his cheeks.  I didn't shed a tear, but as I listened, the simple, direct, unaffected playing really delivered.  No, Kim is not Richter, but he doesn't need to be.

D784 follows.  Kim adds more tension to his playing, but as the Allegro giusto unfolds, he never really plays the fortissimos very loud, or at least the recording doesn't capture it if he does.  What he offers, instead, is more rhythmic steadiness that makes the music sound funereal and perhaps bitter and sad in places, and forlornly heroic and celebratory in others.  The Andante is paced just right but the bass playing growls a bit and the feeling is quite tense, and then in the Allegro vivace, Kim speeds things up a bit to deliver a fine closer.  The sonata is very well done in a restrained and constrained sort of way, but it's not as relatively good as D664.

The disc closes with the 12 German Dances, D790.  Kim plays with a solid rhythmic sense and fine lyricism, and though dynamics sound a bit compressed, the occasionally growling bass is a nice touch.  Overall, the disc starts off very strong, then drops off qualitatively, but the whole thing is characterized by thoughtful, unhistrionic playing.

Superb, clean sound, with some breathing and mechanism noise audible.

I wouldn't mind hearing his Chopin Nocturnes, but some of his conducting work is up next.

The disc is available as an on-demand CD-R from Amazon for ten bucks.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 05, 2017, 05:37:30 AM
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For my second exposure to Daejin Kim's musicianship, I decided to go with his Sibelius symphony cycle, taken from concerts with the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra performed in 2015.  I decided to start with the Second Symphony.  Like a symphonic version of his piano playing, Kim is not generally given to excess in performance.  He leads a reasonably taut performance of the work.  He makes sure to bring out some nice details, like some of the horn playing in the second movement or wind playing in the third movement, and the finale is generally quite vibrant, though I could have used more bite from the trumpets - but that's not uncommon.  The Suwon band plays very nicely, indeed, and the live sound is weighty but not ideally clear by modern standards. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 07, 2017, 05:48:33 AM
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The Third.  Lim uses the 1890 Raettig score.  For this disc, I cranked the volume a bit more than for the preceding two symphonies, just because.  Lim keeps it (comparatively) light and tight.  The first movement is less mysterious and dark than athletic and almost 'classical' in demeanor.  Wagnerian scale and brass bite are not as pronounced as in many other recordings, though the brass is not absent.  The Adagio sounds more mysterious than the opener, and somewhat rarified, like a mightily scaled up intimate slow movement from a string quartet.  The Scherzo, like the opener, is somewhat light and tightly controlled and energetic.  Lim concludes with a somewhat light Finale, with some almost scaled up dance-like playing.  I can't say that this is my favorite recording of the piece, but it most definitely has its attractions.

Jochum is more conventional and mostly predictable.  And weighty.  The first movement is grand and mysterious and moves along at a nice clip, ending in an intense coda.  The Adagio is similarly weighty and grand.  The Scherzo, though, is a bit lumbering and sort of puts the brakes on the forward momentum of the first two movements.  The Finale is driven, taut, and hefty, a Brucknerian delight.  Still, I can't say that this rates as my favorite of new recordings for this year or overall. 

Sort of a draw.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 09, 2017, 05:57:49 AM
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This complete set of Beethoven's piano trios is included in The Asian Invasion thread because cellist Sung-Won Yang is Korean and an exclusive Universal Music Korea artist.  Also, the ensemble takes its name after the Joseon Dynasty painter Jang Seung-eop, better known as Owon.  Really, though, this set could be better described as part of a French Invasion since all members of the ensemble attended the Paris Conservatory.  Prior to reading this little tidbit of information, I had no idea what to expect.  So I listened. 

My experience with French chamber music players led me to think the playing might tend toward the light, often quick, and elegant.  That's something of a stereotype, I know, but starting with opus one, number one, this proved true - to the benefit of the music and the listener.  For a good long time, I've relied on the BAT for complete cycles here, and a variety of one-sy, two-sy discs, and while I dearly love the BAT's playing, I kind of wanted something new and fresh.  I got it.  Imagine playing basically as elegant as the BAT's, but with more energy and drive and panache, and that's what you get with the Owon.  Plus they throw in some rambunctiousness and fieriness (I hesitate to write gruffness, 'cause ain't no gruffness to be heard).  This is young Beethoven, and there's no mistaking that here.  Next up is the third trio, and it's probably even better.  The disc ends with the Gassenhauer Trio, and it continues on the trend.  As I listened, I found myself tapping my toes, so groovy is the playing.  A most successful first disc.  The second disc is just as successful.  Opus one, number two opens a bit slow and contemplative, but not too heavy, and then is light, sparkly fun in the faster movements, with a light and nearly schmaltzy slow movement.  The violin playing here is especially good.  The Ghost sonata blasts out of the gate, slows a bit, then moves into bold, rich, weighty but not heavy, and energized playing in the outer movements, and suitably slower, more expressive playing in the slow movement.  The third disc opens with the Archduke Trio, and here the Owon deliver a bit more scale and perfectly judged tempi throughout.  The Allegro Moderato sounds just right; there's no better way to write it.  As each player comes into focus, they deliver, with corporate execution at the highest level.  Op 70/2 ends the disc, and once again, the Owon deliver energy and panache in perfect proportion.  The Allegretto sounds especially vibrant at times.  The fourth disc opens with the Kakadu Variations, and as before the ensemble play with vibrant energy, and a few times they allow themselves virtuosic displays, as with Yang near the end.  The set closes out with the Op 38 transcription of the Septet.  (That means Opp 44 and 63, as well as the early WoO works are excluded, so it's not a truly complete set.)  Once again they deliver.  This work, and the original, is too long, and even the Owon can't entirely help that, but they can and do play with admirable energy and bounce, and the Menuetto, one of the most delightful things Beethoven wrote, sounds more delightful than normal, with the pianist, especially, adding some sparkle.  That's four hits out of four discs. 

All three of the artists are top-notch, with no one the star; the music is the star.  As it should be.  That written, Emmanuel Strosser's pianism is very much in the French tradition, and most enjoyable, and I just may have to hunt down some recordings by him, maybe starting with his Schubert.

I'm not sure I really want or need a go-to complete set of the trios, but if I have one, this is probably now it.  I sure hope I don't come down with an urge to start listening to more LvB piano trios.  Or maybe I do.  I mean, Sonig Tchakerian plays violin for Trio Italiano in their cycle, so, you know, there's that to consider.

Sound for the set, recorded in 2013 and 2014, is fully modern and fully satisfying, but varies slightly depending on venue and recording date.  At times, one might wish the piano were a little cleaner and more forward, and at other times not. 

As an added bonus for some, the set comes with a two-DVD documentary with performance clips.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Kontrapunctus on June 10, 2017, 01:38:10 PM
After attending some of the Van Cliburn semi-final rounds last week and hearing some stunning Asian pianists, I may have to adjust my preference for Russians! Although he didn't make it to the finals, Han Chen was extraordinary.  Dasol Kim's recital was superb, too.

Today I received this new Linn recording--wow! It is full of hair-raising virtuosity. Wong makes a number of changes to the printed text--embellishments, cadenzas, etc., and the results are stunning. Great sound, too.

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Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 12, 2017, 05:02:36 AM
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Next up from Daejin Kim, Tchaikovsky.  I decided to start in on his cycle with the rarely listened to (for me) Third Symphony.  Much as with his Sibelius Second, Kim leads a direct performance with little to nothing in the way of interpretive excess.  He keeps tempi taut, rhythm bouncy in the faster movements, dynamics well calibrated - nothing is dramatically hushed or excitedly loud - and the band plays excellently, with a high degree of executive precision.  The somewhat restrained Andante elegiaco is the heart of the piece here.  The performance is quite satisfying.  It doesn't have that something extra that Yuri Temirkanov's take does, that flexibility and uniqueness, but, depending on taste, that may be a good thing or a bad thing, or maybe just a thing. 

The 2013 live recording is in fully modern sound.  I also know that the Thursday evening show started at 8:00 PM since day of week and time info is included in the recording detail.  I think that's a first in my collection. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 14, 2017, 05:31:36 AM
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The Fourth.  Lim uses the Haas edition.  Right out of the gate, Lim's reading is larger-scaled and more conventionally Brucknerian that the preceding three works, though it retains a certain coolness.  The brass do good things, as do the low strings, and Lim keeps the playing taut through the opener, with fully satisfying dynamic range.  The Andante maintains all the same traits as the opener, but slows things down.  There's no real sense of awe or profundity, but the detachment works.  The Scherzo sounds both peppy and beefy, and as in earlier works, Lim makes sure the winds get some love, with the flutes, in particular sounding uncommonly clear and sweet, while the trio sounds very pastoral in its relaxed presentation.  The Finale returns to the large scale of the opening movement.  It does sound a bit episodic, but overall, it's very well done.

Jochum's reading of the opening movement is both smaller in scale but more impactful, helped by the clearer sonics.  But it also has a bit less forward momentum until the end of the movement, where Jochum generates some heat.  The Scherzo works better than under Lim, with more depth, and the outer sections are more energetic and peppy, though the trio is not as appealing.  Jochum handles the Finale better than Lim by delivering more smoothly executed transitions, and, at appropriate times, generating some fleet yet potent excitement.  It's not my favorite Fourth, but it gets the nod over the still good Lim.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 16, 2017, 04:55:03 AM
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More Brahms from Sheila Arnold, with more Schumann sandwiched in between two works, though this time it's from Bob.  The disc opens with Brahms Op 9 Variations on a theme of Robert Schumann, a work I've fancied since I heard Walter Klien's fantastic playing, however horribly presented in the ill-fated Vox set, and Arnold delivers.  She can and does play the softer and gentler music, and a fair amount of some other music, with a rounded, attractive touch, but she also unleashes on the piano, playing more severely than Stephen Kovacevich at times.  It works very well.  Arnold follows with Kinderszenen, and hers is a slightly nervous, agitated view of childhood.  The playing generally sounds attractive and usually light-ish, don't get me wrong, but even Traumerei has hints of tension, and then something like Important Event is more than boisterous, sounding perhaps a mite heavier than normal for this piece.  That is not a criticism, just a comment.  The disc closes with the Handel Variations.  Right in the opening movement, Arnold declares digitally that she wants to add her stamp to the piece as she embellishes in a style more befitting baroque compositions.  As she progresses, she relies on embellishment, rubato, dynamic shading and other individual to the point of idiosyncratic touches.  She also isn't at all shy about belting out some passages.  It's serious, but not quite strait-laced; heavy, but not dour.  It's peachy.  I think I'll do a Ragna Schirmer-Sheila Arnold shootout at some point.  That's my idea of fun. 

SOTA sound.

It's been a couple months or so for Brahms piano music disc, what, with Ms Arnold's two offerings, Alessio Bax's masterful set, and Arcadi Volodos' Volodosian disc floating in the ether above lesser pianists.  And Nelson Freire's new disc is soon to drop.  Awesome.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 19, 2017, 05:27:48 AM
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Sung-Won Yang is part of the Trio Owon Beethoven set that I so enjoy, so I decided to not wait long to try his duo pairing with the already known quantity Enrico Pace in their Brahms and Schumann collaboration.  Not letting The Man dictate to me, I went first for disc two, containing the Schumann, in my listening sessions.  Am I glad I did.  Unlike in the Trio Owon recordings, Yang is the star here, up front and center.  Pace gets his due and lends excellent support, but he means it to be support.  I'd say Yang tears into the Op 73 Fantasiestück, but that's not true.  Sure, he plays with ample energy and force, but it is refined.  His tone is not especially fat, but it is rich.  There's an elegance there.  Man, he's good.  And though Yang is the star, he's still part of a team, and Pace is never relegated to distantly recorded wallflower.  The music is played romantically, but it's not over the top.  It's touching, it's beautiful, and it feels right.  While it's not exactly like I have tons of exposure to this music, I don't recall liking even the Fournier/Fonda recordings this much, let alone the Argerich/Maisky.  I may have to line up another A/B/C in the future.  (That may be all I do after my non-opera collection is ripped.)

I'll be damned if the Brahms isn't just as good.  It offers a nice contrast with the more extroverted recording by Italian Invasion vets Maurizio Baglini and Sylvia Chiesa.  Pace's piano playing sounds more conventional since he plays a Steinway, and his playing, while not subdued, is slightly more nuanced than Baglini's.  Yang's cello playing is more introspective and has a touch of longing to it in Op 38.  But there's more than that.  The second movement of Op 38 has a light-hearted confessional feel to it, as if Yang wants to impart a fun but intimate anecdote to the listener, and Pace adds some color to the reminiscence.  The Allegro ends things on a vibrant note.  While it's not uncommon to hear later Brahms played in an autumnal manner, here Yang and Pace start off Op 99 by playing in a more extroverted and vibrant fashion.  They save the more autumnal stuff for the lovely Adagio, when Yang makes his cello sing.  People who dislike vibrato may dislike it, though.  Both the Allegro passionato and Allegro molto display suitable levels of energy married to sublime execution and nuance. 

While I didn't think the quality of the Trio Owon recording a fluke, I secretly hoped Yang didn't cut the mustard in more exposed music.  That is not the case.  Now I have to pretend that I will mull over whether or not to buy his recording of the Bach Cello Suites.

Superb sound.

With this recording, I decided to watch some of the accompanying DVD.  My four takeaways: Both musicians are very talented; they enjoy working together; there is a reason there are so few Enrico Pace recordings - he doesn't like to record; and Mr Pace's choice of footwear in the studio is most admirable - he uses comfy slippers.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Dancing Divertimentian on June 19, 2017, 04:13:47 PM
Quote from: Todd on June 19, 2017, 05:27:48 AM
...and Mr Pace's choice of footwear in the studio is most admirable - he uses comfy slippers.

Ha! That had me scrolling back up to look at the cover photo!
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 21, 2017, 05:52:38 AM
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The Fifth.  Lim uses the Schalk edition.  That's right, the Schalk edition.  The very slow opening moments almost sounds like Elgar for a second (this was probably somewhat influenced by the fact that I had listened to Elgar's First the night before listening to this for the first time), but then it becomes obvious that it is indeed Bruckner, as Lim generates an even grander-scaled sound than in the Fourth.  Also apparent, this is a swift reading, clocking in at under 64' in total.  The Schalk edition cuts to the finale make up a good chunk of the difference when compared to other readings (this finale takes only eighteen minutes and change), but a good portion of the rest of the relative brevity is due to the tempo choices employed by Lim.  To his credit, nothing ever sounds rushed.  At the same time, it's hard to say anything sounds especially deep.  The Adagio, at 15'36", sounds appealing, occasionally weighty, and more than occasionally lithe, but it also sounds, perhaps, superficial, but in a good way.  And there are pre-echoes of Elgar again, dammit.  There's nary of hint of Elgar in the Scherzo, with its grinding and intense outer sections, all musical fire and brimstone.  The Finale is brisk and weighty, and while one can hear Wagnerian influences, one can also hear Dvorak's Fourth, at least as realized by Thomas Hengelbrock.  (I assume it's my imagination more than anything.)  While the fugue writing gets short shrift here, Schalk did a good job weaving together what he didn't cut.  Lim leads the Korean band in some tightly played, well-drilled music-making in the faster passages.  I dare say hearing the playing in person would have been at least occasionally exhilarating.  The brass are more prominent here than in the preceding symphonies, but much less than in standard performances of this symphony, and there's one transition from brass to strings around eight minutes in that is breathtakingly beautiful, and the quasi-Parsifalesque music that follows sounds hardly less attractive.  Later, just after 13' in, Lim leads his orchestra in almost frenzied playing, before letting up just a bit before the revised coda, with its sparkling triangles adding some unneeded zest.  Really, drop the triangles and I have nothing major to kvetch about.  This symphony has always been the one I've had the hardest time getting in to, but this edition seems to address some of my reservations.  Is it wrong to actually like the Schalk edition this much?  To some Bruckner purists, the answer is undoubtedly yes.  I am happily impure, so I confess that I kind of like it.  More than kind of, actually.  I may just have to try another recording of the Schalk edition, with Kna the obvious choice I would think.  While not ideally clear by modern standards, the recorded sound is excellent, and when cranked up appropriately, the sheer weight of the orchestra is imposing, and the timpani thwacks drive into the ground and then propagate out in all directions causing a not unpleasant physical sensation.

Jochum's penultimate recording of the work strikes me as the very apogee of conducting a mainstream edition of the work.  For over seventy-seven minutes, Jochum delivers vastly scaled, brass heavy, imposing Bruckner.  The opening movement sounds massive as all get out, with Jochum making this the grandest of all the symphonies.  It thrills and chills in equal measure, and the Dresden band sounds superb.  Extreme depth and/or nosebleed heights are achieved in the Adagio.  The Scherzo pulverizes.  The Finale is grand and powerful, and Jochum makes sense of the contrapuntally dense writing at least as well as anyone, and probably better, and when it comes time to play Bruckner in a frenzied state, no one outdoes Jochum.  Throughout, Jochum manages to bring out ample detail while simultaneously delivering musical and musically satisfying symphonic gigantism, and the conductor makes the not inconsiderable length of the work almost zip by.  Of the versions I've heard this year of a conventional edition of the score, this strikes me as the best, and if I ever do a full-scale shootout, Jochum would probably be the one to beat.  He shows that it truly is a great work.  That written, I find Lim's conducting of the Schalk edition more fun.  Now, I know Bruckner ought not to be fun, and Schalk sliced and diced the score and re-orchestrated like nuts to play to the gallery, but in some ways, in many ways, he succeeded.  Jochum's is the greater recording, but I won't be surprised if I listen to Lim's more often.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on June 21, 2017, 11:47:10 PM
Quote from: Todd on June 21, 2017, 05:52:38 AM


Jochum's final recording of the work ...  It thrills and chills in equal measure, and the Dresden band sounds superb. 

Thanks for the interesting recap of these Bruckner recordings. Re: Jochum, is "Dresden band" a typo and you meant RCO ... or is there a post-1986 recording of the Fifth with the Staatskapelle with Jochum, too???

(Also I rather disagree/agree with you: Bruckner should be fun! He was hardly as solemn and grave as posterity has made him out to be and has, if anything, become a caricature of his own image. Much like Nietzsche poems in English, which miss much of the coy silly little humor.)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 22, 2017, 05:06:13 AM
Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on June 21, 2017, 11:47:10 PMThanks for the interesting recap of these Bruckner recordings. Re: Jochum, is "Dresden band" a typo and you meant RCO ... or is there a post-1986 recording of the Fifth with the Staatskapelle with Jochum, too???


Updated the key word.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on June 22, 2017, 01:33:37 PM
Quote from: Todd on June 22, 2017, 05:06:13 AM

Updated the key word.

Oh, ok - that makes sense: The 5th from the EMI set. (Which I could have figured, had I read the earlier posts at the time.)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 23, 2017, 05:55:07 AM
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Next up, a well known artist for me.  I am a big fan of Kun Woo Paik's pianisim, and I own all of his readily available recordings and snap up any new one that comes along, however infrequently that occurs.  This Scriabin recording from 1991 offers an aural glimpse of mid-career Paik, just before he signed with Virgin, when he recorded for Dante.  Universal Music Korea appears to have bought the recording, and reissued it in the pianist's home market.

It opens with the Second Sonata.  The first movement alternates between well articulated passages, and crashing, hard, near ear-splittingly loud passages.  Paik eschews gooey legato and avoids any hints of dreaminess.  In overall style, it's sort of like a blend of Zhukov and Ponti, with the hardness rendering it more like the latter.  In the second movement, Paik opens by scampering along the keyboard, keeping the playing small and light, before erupting into ear-splitting playing again.

Next up are the 24 Preludes, Op 11, and the metallic tinge remains as Paik plays the first prelude loud and fast, and while he dials back in the second prelude, and as appropriate thereafter, this is not on the soft-end of the spectrum interpretively most of the time.  There are exceptions, as with the gorgeous and delicate 15th Prelude, so at least part of the hardness is an interpretive choice.  The Poeme satanique starts off sounding dark and mysterious, but quickly segues to more delicate and attractive playing - the better to seduce and beguile, I suppose - only to then again erupt into ear-splitting playing, with the crescendo at the coda especially loud.  Both this work and the following Op 65 Etudes are like miniature encapsulations of Paik's approach throughout the program. 

The disc closes with the Tenth Sonata, which Scriabin apparently described by stating that 'Insects are the Sun's Kisses', and as Paik has done from time to time on various recordings, he extends the sonata, taking just shy of fourteen minutes to play it.  That places him on the slow end of the spectrum in my collection, about even with Lettberg, with only the always idiosyncratic Ugorski taking even longer.  He opens gently and mysteriously and slowly, but when the trills arrive, Paik dispatches them with musical haste bordering on the frenetic, and the he moves back and forth between languid and frenetic, or manic and depressive, in uniquely episodic fashion.  As the work progresses, the faster playing sounds almost hallucinogenic.  Had the sonata been recorded in SOTA sound for the day, it would easily be in contention for best ever version.  It probably still is.  This individual work is one of the best things I've heard from the pianist.

The 1991 recording, using a 1926 Steinway D, is very clear, close, dry, and dynamic, but the piano sounds metallic and almost monochromatic and loses its tuning from time to time.  Also, whatever venue was used was not ideally sound-proofed as heavy vehicle traffic can be heard on occasion. 

While the disc has some definite highlights, most importantly the great rendition of the Tenth Sonata, it is not one of Paik's best recordings overall. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 26, 2017, 05:17:25 AM
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Next up in Kim's Sibelius cycle, I opted for disc one, which has the First and Fourth Symphonies.  The First starts off hushed but moves to satisfyingly loud and fast passages.  Kim keeps things taut, and he generates real excitement in the climaxes.  Kim never really lets up in the Andante, which maintains a nice degree of tension, and then he and his band knock out a sprightly Scherzo before moving to a Finale that opens in searing fashion, before backing off a bit, and then moving into some near fierce playing.  Kim and the Suwon Orchestra generate some real excitement here.  The Fourth retains some of the intensity of the first, but it sounds altogether starker and colder, more brooding and bracing.  Kim brings out some details uniquely, and the orchestra plays well (I rather enjoyed the pizzicati in the final movement).  Kim's penchant for avoiding excess works well here, even if one can think of better recordings. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on June 26, 2017, 01:17:11 PM
Quote from: Todd on June 26, 2017, 05:17:25 AM
Next up in Kim's Sibelius cycle, I opted for disc one, which has the First and Fourth Symphonies.  The First starts off hushed but moves to satisfyingly loud and fast passages.  Kim keeps things taut, and he generates real excitement in the climaxes.  Kim never really lets up in the Andante, which maintains a nice degree of tension, and then he and his band knock out a sprightly Scherzo before moving to a Finale that opens in searing fashion, before backing off a bit, and then moving into some near fierce playing.  Kim and the Suwon Orchestra generate some real excitement here.  The Fourth retains some of the intensity of the first, but it sounds altogether starker and colder, more brooding and bracing.  Kim brings out some details uniquely, and the orchestra plays well (I rather enjoyed the pizzicati in the final movement).  Kim's penchant for avoiding excess works well here, even if one can think of better recordings.

I think I'll join you in the Sibelius part of your journey. Listened to this set only once, so far, and perhaps too casually to take much away from it.
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(http://amzn.to/2kBE01J)
#morninglistening to #Sibelius w/Suwon Philharmonic:http://amzn.to/2kBE01J

#classicalmusi... http://ift.tt/2m1dlIv
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Kontrapunctus on June 26, 2017, 02:01:27 PM
Tengyue Zhang, from China, just won the 2017 Guitar Foundation of America Competition. I heard two of his three rounds--very impressive technique and interpretations.

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Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 28, 2017, 04:46:13 AM
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The Sixth.  Given Lim's willingness to conduct the Schalk edition of the Fifth, it's a pity the Mahler edition of the Sixth isn't available, because if anyone would conduct it today, it might just be Lim.  Anyway, Lim leads a weighty, slightly swift opener complete with ample power and drive, if not the intensity and drive of others.  The Adagio ends up sounding a bit cool, but conductor and band keep it moving along and it sounds beautiful at times, more so than Bruckner often sounds, even if it lacks some of the grandeur of other readings.  Both the Scherzo and Finale seem to meld together with the opening movements to create a more uniform whole than some readings, and in the Finale there are some passages with truly satisfying levels of intensity.  While the KSO plays well throughout the cycle to this point (and I'll go out on a limb and predict that they continue to do so for the rest of the cycle), some of the violin playing here sounds especially well done.  I can't say that this displaces or matches Klemperer, but then no one else does either. 

Jochum takes the opening two movements just a bit slower than Lim, and he makes sure the brass are prominent and does a masterful job of generating intensity and scale in the opening movement, and he also does better at making the Adagio sound deep in the standard manner, and in his slightly swifter final two movements he generates more intensity and weight and excitement, delivering a grand and romantic symphony.  Jochum gets the nod here in one of the better Sixths I've heard.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 30, 2017, 05:50:43 AM
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Some Chopin from Dong-Hyek Lim.  He's released a few discs on EMI and Warner, and was "introduced" by Martha Argerich, but I've not heard anything from him until now.  Mr Lim is one of those young pianists with seemingly limitless technical ability, and he has won various awards, refused his third place finish at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in 2003, and tied with his brother Dong-Min Lim for third place at the Chopin Competition in 2005.  The disc is given over to the Variations brillantes, another reading (for this thread) of the Preludes, the Berceuse, and the Barcarolle.

The opening Variations brillantes is brilliant, indeed.  Light, bright, colorful, and dispatched with ease and a glittering panache, Lim delivers a superb opener.  The main work ends up being decidedly different from Sheila Arnold's take, but it also has its own very attractive approach.  Lim paces things more conventionally, coming in at just under forty minutes, and his approach is more restrained and poetic than Arnold's slow yet aggressive approach.  Lim coaxes lovely sounds from his modern grand using fingers alone, as well as fingers and deft pedalling, and he dispatches the fastest passages with seeming effortlessness.  His style is somewhat small of scale much of the time, but that's obviously an interpretive choice as he can belt out loud passages with effortlessness, too.  The performance/recording is high-grade.  If one were to do blind A/Bs with even the biggest, non-idiosyncratic names (eg, no Pogorelich allowed), one may very well come away with a favorable impression of this recording.  The Berceuse is gorgeous in its nuanced and largely languid performance, as is the Barcarolle.  Perhaps a few times in this last work, one might start to think that a bit more weight would be nice, and then, well, there it is.  A superb disc start to finish.

Lim's upcoming recording of Mozart and Beethoven Violin Sonatas with Ji Young Lim has already been pre-ordered, and perusing his other recordings, I'm leaning toward his Schubert duo disc with Su Yoen Kim.  But I'm even more interested in what he might do going forward.  I would love it if he recorded some Liszt, especially of the less showy variety.  If ever he comes to town, I will make it a point to not miss him.

SOTA sound with no mechanism noise to speak of, but a fair amount of breathing to be heard.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 03, 2017, 05:46:00 AM
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More Tchaikovsky from Daejin Kim, here the First and Second.  For the First, I decided to do an A/B with Michael Tilson Thomas' BSO recording.  In overall timings, Kim takes a bit longer in the first two movements, and a bit less time in the last two movements.  As before, he doesn't really go for interpretive excess, and his conducting is not as graceful as MTT's in some spots in the opener.  The Adagio is just lovely, though, and it almost evokes old-style cartoon accompaniment, but without the old, old-school mannerisms (eg, no gooey portamento).  Maybe it's better to say that it sounds like a movement from a ballet, because that works, too.  It's really quite good.  Even though Kim leads a slightly quicker Scherzo than MTT, it feels a bit slower and weightier.  The Finale starts off slower than MTT's, but segues into suitably energetic playing, with plenty of dynamic range, and the newer recording offers a lot more in the way of bass energy during drum thwacks.  An excellent performance.  The Second lightens up just a bit in overall demeanor, but is similarly energetic and devoid of histrionics.  The Andantino Marziale displays more of that old-timey, cartoon accompaniment sound, and the Scherzo is both weighty and fleet of foot.  The Finale is even fleeter of foot and hefty, if perhaps not ideally clear.   Another excellent performance.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 05, 2017, 06:17:17 AM
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The Seventh.  Lim uses the Nowak edition, so here both conductors use the same version.  Lim's take is shorter in the first three movements - almost five minutes shorter in the Adagio - and longer in the Finale.  The Allegro moderato is grand lite, because while the playing sounds serious enough, it never becomes overwrought.  In the taut Adagio, I think I can hear why Lim was credited with causing 'Mahler Fever' in Korea.  Just a bit swift and still a bit cool, it seems to move into more of a Mahlerian world, especially with the string playing.  The playing sounds meltingly beautiful at times, and while lyrical, there is a sadness to the playing, and though hardly dainty, he keeps the scale less towering than normal.  Somewhat as a result, the weighty and smooth Scherzo sounds less dwarfed by what came before, and the trio is gorgeous.  The Finale, with its prominent winds and somewhat gemutlich demeanor at times sounds a bit Straussian, and not until about three minutes in does Brucknerianism creep in, and when it does, it's slow motion excitement.  The scale and intensity of the movement helps balance out the last two movements with the first two a bit better than in some cases.  This is fine performance, though I can't say it matches established favorites.

It takes one or perhaps two bars before it becomes obvious that Jochum's reading is the more devout, serious, and probably profound reading.  And though Jochum's timings are generally longer, it doesn't sound like it.  Jochum's pacing comes as close to perfect as any version I've heard, and combined with masterly transitions and an ability to lead his orchestra in perfectly timed and scaled climaxes, the overall effect is captivating.  The Adagio is the heart of the work and properly Brucknerian, and while it is certainly the better of the two versions, it does not sound as beautiful as Lim's.  One minor drawback, if it's that, of Jochum's echt-Bruckner approach is that the symphony is a bit lopsided; even though the extended length doesn't register much while listening to the music, it does when the last two movements come around.  Jochum leads them about as well as anyone, but the imbalance is unavoidable.  Overall, Jochum's recording is a masterpiece, not significantly bettered by anyone.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 07, 2017, 05:51:46 AM
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I remember when new and new-ish major label releases featuring the biggest artists of the day commanded premium prices.  This Yuja Wang-Leonidas Kavakos recording of the Brahms Violin Sonatas went for under seven bucks new from Amazon when I bought it.  That's what I used to pay for Naxos titles.  Now, new Naxos titles are around twice that.  Go figure.

Bizzaro-world pricing aside, what is eminently clear from the opening bars of this disc is that the two artists have no problem playing the music exactly the way they want.  Kavakos generates a rich, colorful, at times tenderly beautiful, at times powerful sound.  Same with Wang, who seems undertaxed here.  Everything is in the right place and everything sounds just lovely, but it lacks a certain spark for me that others bring.  And there are so many others here.  Pick your favorite set, new or old, and it may be better - but then, it may not.  This is hardly a bad disc, but it enters an immensely crowded field filled with great discs and more good discs than mediocre ones.  Still, if the duo shows up in these parts, I would happily attend.

Sound is immediate and strikingly clear, not surprising given that Andreas Neubronner acts as producer (and has his name misspelled in the credits).  Kavakos is miked too closely, with nearly every breath audible, sometimes to the point of distraction, never more so than in the lullaby that closes the disc.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 10, 2017, 05:48:10 AM
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Kim's Tchaikovsky Fourth.  For this recording, I decided to do an A/B with Daniele Gatti.  Gatti's take is lighter on its feet and more classical in approach.  It lacks the drive and intensity of other readings, but I still dig it.  Kim's take is heftier and more tragic in the opening movement.  Kim plays up the dark fate theme from the outset.  The movement unfolds in a sometimes stately but never slow pace, which allows Kim to build up tension and intensity within the movement for greater contrasts, and the low strings, in particular, sometimes sound like they are playing some ballet music more than a waltz.  As the coda approaches, Kim prods the Suwon to play for all they're worth, then drops off volume sharply, just to bring it right back up.  It's especially effective as played here.  The Andantino is both potent and poignant, the Scherzo is bouncy, with winds that evoke Mussorgsky as much as Tchaikovsky at times, and then the Finale erupts, underpinned by tight and weighty bass that, if the volume is set too high, can nearly pin the listener back in his or her chair.  Kim generates notably more intensity and energy than the energetic Gatti here, and when he backs off for the secondary theme, the playing is rich and lovely.  Kim wraps things up with a blistering coda that led to an obvious and well-deserved standing ovation.  An outstanding performance.

Sound for the live recording is not ideally clear, but the dynamic range is outstanding, as is the weight of the orchestra.  That's a trade off worth making at least some of the time. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 12, 2017, 05:31:09 AM
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The Eighth.  Lim uses the Haas edition.  Lim's tempi fall within mainstream interpretations, clocking in at about eighty minutes, which makes the decision to split the symphony between two discs seem a bit unusual for the here and now.  Lim starts off the opening Allegro moderato with satisfying heft and scale, and as the coda approaches, the timps create a rumbling underpinnning for the brass that works well.  The somewhat broad Scherzo does not sound as elevated, and it is a bit soft-edged, yet it still works well in its lighter (for late Bruckner) sound, with some gossamer string playing.  The string dominated Adagio sounds just lovely, radiating an almost celestial aura, with the harp pluckings uncommonly effective.  While Lim and the Koreans do not achieve the same heights as, say, Karajan in Vienna, the sound and effect is almost hypnotic at times.  In the Finale, Lim manages to deliver some beefy pasages, with the timps again leading the way, and he alternates that with a lighter than normal style.  Lim concludes the work by patiently building the coda, weaving the themes with perfect timing, and here he achieves a massive sense of scale and Brucknerian sound even with less brass than normal.  It's not one of the very greatest readings of the work, but it's a highlight of the cycle.  (On a side-note, the metadata for the second disc showed the artist and disc as Salvador Dali, Etre dieu.)

Jochum brings his Eighth in at a trim seventy-six minutes and change.  Part of this is accomplished by bringing the Allegro moderato in at under fourteen minutes.  It's just too zippy and scaled back, and the obvious spotlighting of winds is perhaps a bit much.  Jochum maintains dramatic tension expertly, and the orchestra plays portions with searing intensity, but I prefer more grandeur.  The Scherzo ends up being a few seconds longer, and Jochum generates enough intensity in the outer sections, and late Bruckner depth in the middle, to fully satisfy.  Not at all surprisingly, the lengthy Adagio is masterfully done, exuding grandeur and weight and depth, with nerve-rattling brass, and a sublime ending.  Truth be told, Lim gets more beautiful playing from his band, but there's more to this music than beauty.  Jochum does the nearly frenzied thing to start the Finale, with a galloping rhythm, a big brass blast, and both sharp and thundering timps.  While Jochum lets up a bit, overall, this is one of the most intense and vigorous final movements to this symphony I've heard, and if the back-end lopsidedness ends up more obvious as a result, Jochum makes the symphony genuinely exciting.  While a fun Bruckner symphony can be considered bad form, it's hard to envision this type of excitement not being appreciated.  Throw in a masterful coda, and it's hard not to like this.  That written, I like a grander, maybe even grandiose, style here - Karajan in Vienna, Giulini, Celi in Munich, Gielen - though Jochum probably represents the apogee of a more tightly conceived interpretation. 

So, Jochum takes it, but in a split decision.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 14, 2017, 04:55:32 AM
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For the next post in the Asian Invasion, I decided to do a quasi-A/B with another new addition to my collection.  Here, the A/B is with Beethoven's Op 106, comparing the heretofore superb Alessio Bax (superb in Brahms, Mussorgsky, Scriabin, and Mozart) and newcomer Sunwook Kim. 

I started with Bax.  Bax opens with a broad 'n' big Allegro in 106, coming in at just under eleven minutes.  Bax manages to evoke both a quasi-orchestral sound in the forte passages and more intimate sound in the quieter music, which he plays relatively slowly.  Most important and successful here, he makes his specific tempo choices make sense and transitions flawlessly within the context of his overall approach.  Generally speaking, the Scherzo more than occasionally sounds like an extension of the first movement, usually quicker and played in bursts, but Bax does more with it than most.  The passages are fully differentiated, and Bax very much makes it sound like a musical joke more akin to something out of 31/3, stylistically speaking.  Very nice.  The Adagio is on the slow side at near nineteen minutes, and Bax keeps it mostly subdued with melody generally prominent.  His often subdued left hand playing allows him to create a nice effect near the end as he gently increases left hand volume to overtake the right.  Bax plays the Largo somewhat like the Scherzo, with slightly exaggerated accents and contrasts, but to superb effect, and then moves to a limber, quick, and clear fugue.  Perhaps this Op 106 does not display a lot of the late LvB soundworld I tend to prefer, but Bax's approach and execution are sufficiently well done so that it doesn't matter.  The Mondschein follows, and here Bax plays the opening Adagio sostenuto briskly, with nervous but gentle forward momentum, moves to a lovely, gently rocking Allegretto, and then plays the Presto agitato with satisfying heft and speed, with his left hand playing mostly held back a bit, rumbling and bubbling just beneath the musical surface.  An excellent performance, if not necessarily a top twenty choice.  Bax then closes the disc with two of his own transcriptions of music from The Ruins of Athens, including a new one for the Turkish March, and both would make for nice enough encores.  Superb sound with more than a few instances of damper noise.

Kim opens his disc with the Waldstein.  The opening Allegro con brio is taken at a more or less standard tempo, not too fast and not too slow, and Kim's digital dexterity is obvious.  All is clear.  But all is also sort of plain.  There's not much expressiveness for all the neatness, and one minor item is his terraced dynamics.  When the paying should build up to the loudest passages, there's not a lot of variegation at the loud end of the spectrum.  The loud playing is perfectly controlled and never ugly, but it's kind of one-note, as it were.  The very clean and clear and measured Introduzione is definitely on the unexpressive side, and transitions to a Rondo that only occasionally generates excitement, and often finds Kim playing deliberately.  The sonata is undeniably well executed.  It's also dull.  Like Bax, Kim starts his Hammerklavier with an eleven minute Allegro.  Kim's playing is more direct and displays less in the way of dynamic or tempo flexibility or attention to detail.  It sounds a tad aggressive and quasi-orchestral, all to he good, augmented by the loud but limited dynamic range playing.  The Allegretto sounds more compressed and forceful than the opener, to the good.  Kim then plays one of the swiftest Adagios out there at a taut 14'32".  It starts off tense, and then for about two minutes after about 6'30", it becomes almost jittery, and the clarity of voices is quite striking.  After that, when many or most versions become more desolate and searching, Kim keeps his playing tense and more intimate.  Around 11'30" or so, he begins to play in a more desolate style, which ends up being brief as he ratchets up tension nicely and then plays the climax potently.  This is evidence that the Adagio need not always be slow.  Kim ends the sonata by starting with a restrained Largo and a clear Fugue that somehow manages to be played a decent clip yet still sound a bit stodgy.  Sound is close and clear and a little hard, and dynamics seem to suffer a bit, which is a bit odd given that this was recorded at the Jesus Christus Kirche in Berlin in 2015.

I definitely, and by a wide margin, prefer the Bax disc in this shootout.  Now I have to consider whether or not to hear Kim in recital next season playing the Diabellis.  He's got the chops to do it, but I'm on the fence.  Maybe his newer LvB disc can help me decide.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 17, 2017, 05:37:27 AM
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Kim's Third and Fifth.  The Third opens with a bracing Allegro moderato where Kim adopts a, well, a moderate tempo and still generates quite a bit of heft.  The Andantino is well played, with winds getting their due, but something feels off.  It leaves me cold, though it's by no means bad.  The final movement starts off light, with just-right tempo choices, and, again, the winds get their due (I especially dig the flute here).  Kim keeps things relatively light until the chorale, where tension and scale build up, but he keeps things reined in.  Early impressions here may not end up being my long-term outlook.  There are some things I'm not wild about, at least usually, but more than with many recordings, this seems to be one to live with for a while.

The opening movement to the Fifth sounds both grand in scale and somewhat severe at times before the tutti arrives, where hints of heroism emerge.  (And am I the only one who hears hints of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune early on in the movement?)  Kim then scales back appropriately, keeping things taut until the thundering coda.  The second movement is ever so slightly quick overall, with ample forward momentum married to lightness.  The Allegro opens very swiftly, but the horns sound like awfully scrawny swans at first.  Fortunately, the strings do their thing, and the return of the swan-call has more blat, and the coda, though somewhat abrupt, sounds excellent.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 19, 2017, 06:09:56 AM
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The Ninth.  Lim's rendition comes in at around fifty-six minutes, so again in the realm of conventional timings.  The opening movement is ever so slightly quick and tense, and though not as fierce as some other versions, there's more bite than in some prior symphonies in this cycle.  The playing also sounds more ethereal while also sounding a bit detached, which works well.  The Scherzo has plenty of drive and power and weight, and a sense of intensity approaching fearsomeness, in the outer sections, and the middle section is uncommonly light and dance-like, and the less than fully clear recording (by SOTA standards) combines with the playing to create a nice blurred effect.  The Adagio sounds both beautiful and just a bit intense.  Lim can choose to play with great beauty, as he showed in previous symphonies, but that clearly is not what he wanted here.  And once again, while the symphony is not as dominated by brass as other readings, Lim uses them well, and he creates some nice effects when he brings them more into the mix.  Lim brings the orchestra to a massive, nearly fearsome - heck, almost apocalyptic a la Furtwangler - climax at just after eighteen minutes and then allows for a lengthy pause to let the effect settle in.  The coda is lovely and just a bit tense to start, then it becomes gentler and more serene until fading away.  Lim himself seems to be even more engaged in this symphony than some preceding ones based on more frequent vocalizing, and this engagement shows in one of the best performances of the cycle.  Given the editions Lim uses for some symphonies, and the comparatively brass-light sound, and somewhat smaller apparent scale of the playing, I can't say that this is one if the great Bruckner cycles.  But, with that written, the excellent playing, the string-heavy sound, the sometimes detached approach, and the sometimes uncommon and almost unreal aural beauty on offer results in a unique cycle that more than ended up justifying the purchase for me.  I will definitely be revisiting the whole thing, probably starting with the Fifth.

Jochum's sixty minute version starts off more or less as expected: dark, mysterious, more brass heavy, large scaled.  While slightly swifter than Lim's in timing, the pacing nonetheless sounds more relaxed, the tension less pronounced in the early going, the music deeper.  And the low string pizzicati are pretty sweet.  As the movement progresses, Jochum generates apocalyptic music to rival Furtwangler, with the immense benefit of good sound.  The Scherzo, only a bit quicker than Lim, generates more intensity in the outer sections, and the trio very much meets it "schnell" designation.  The Adagio is simply marvelous.  Notably slower than Lim's, it sounds quicker and basically pulls off a Celi by making time irrelevant.  While lovely at times, this is no tender and gentle reading for the most part; it is simultaneously transcendent and despondent, and while Lim was no slouch when it comes to transitions, Jochum's sound perfect and seamless.  And he leads a blistering climax that I've not heard bettered.  The coda is gentler, lovelier, and radiant.  This is one of the great Bruckner Ninths.  Overall, Jochum's cycle is better than Lim's and would make for a good introduction to the works, though I think Wand's is still probably better for that type of role.  Jochum's cycle is more uneven than Lim's but that just means that it ranges from excellent to truly great.  I'm perfectly glad to have both.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 24, 2017, 06:21:12 AM
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Kim's Fifth.  For this recording, A/B duties fell to Christoph Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who got first listen.  I've long enjoyed this recording for the beautiful strings and the superb sound.  Eschenbach's tempi are quite leisurely overall, but he knows how to make it sound very nice.  No longueurs here, with masterful pacing and transitions and satisfyingly powerful climaxes, and the Andante cantabile is seductively gorgeous.  Eschenbach's reading is very much of the romantic variety.

In contrast, Kim takes the work much faster.  In the outer movements, he's faster than Mravinsky.  As one might expect with such zippy tempi, the playing is more intense and more classically proportioned, like Mravinsky, though not quite at that level.  He and his Suwon band crank right through the opening movement and generate some heat and a sense of tragedy without overdoing it.  The Andante likewise conveys a tragic feel without overdoing it.  It's emotional playing, but not full heart-on-sleeve playing, and the climax is nicely weight and urgent.  The third movement is swift and at times bracing, as is the Finale, which scales up the drama in climaxes even more.  It offers a most entertaining contrast with Eschenbach.

Sound for the recording is like the prior discs in the cycle.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 28, 2017, 05:38:48 AM
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Another entry for Dong Hyek Lim, and a first appearance for Ji Young Lim.  Ms Lim is a young at only twenty-two years of age, but she already has one big competition win under her belt: the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Competition.  Before Steve Harvey flubbed announcing the winner of the 2016 Miss Universe, something similar appears to have happened when the person announcing the winner's name at the QE did not state it clearly enough and violinist Lee Ji Yoon thought her name had been called.  This little factoid makes me want to sample Lee Ji Yoon's playing.  Another factoid, and one more relevant to the proceedings here, is that Lim pays a 1708 Strad.

This disc includes three Mozart Violin Sonatas (K301, K304, and K378) Beethoven's first Violin Sonata.  As expected, both players play very well.  Lim's playing in the Mozart is clean and unfussy, and quite attractive.  DH Lim's playing is much the same.  There's a nice degree of energy, especially in K378, but the playing is somewhat safe.  No big gestures, no grand flourishes.  The Beethoven sounds even more energetic, but it remains decidedly classical in style, and somewhat small in scale.  DH Lim's playing is quite ear-catching at times, and as far as safe and proper approaches go, this is very well done.

Overall, a good disc, but I was left wanting more.

Sound is very clear and clean, but also a bit bright.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on July 31, 2017, 05:24:39 AM
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Kim's Sixth and Seventh.  Kim's take on the Sixth is largely clean and austere, almost severe.  The recorded sound is not as heavy and think as what came before, though it is not thin.  While Kim does not lead an especially fast version, it maintains tension throughout.  The second movement, while not particularly beautiful, is most effective in the middle as the winds come to the fore and the strings subside in importance while sounding very clean.  The Poco vivace moves relentlessly forward, again without being unduly swift, and sounds edgy and angular.  The final movement maintains tension without excess and never really sounds beautiful; here is the musical cold spring water the composer wrote about.  While I can't say it's my favorite version of the work, it's very nice, indeed.  The only beef I have is the use of slightly more extended than normal silences between movements.

The Seventh.  Kim starts off with an appropriately slow tempo, and the sound and style is clear and forward moving.  Kim unfolds the piece nicely, if perhaps some of the tempo shifts are not as perfectly executed as Karajan manages (his is my favorite version), but then this is a live recording and out-executing Fluffy and crew is a mighty tall order.  Kim does elicit mood shifts with the sectional changes and generates some satisfying intensity and hints of mystery, as well.  It's possible to find the end of the Presto section pressed just a bit too much, but that just ends up offering maximum contrast to the Adagio, which itself blends into the gorgeous and at times searing Largamente molto quite beautifully.  The timp thunder underpins a rather impressive coda.  The cycle ends on a strong note.

The cycle as a whole does not rate as the best I've heard, though Sibelius, more than some symphonic composers, doesn't really lend himself to ordinal rankings very well for me.  Playing is excellent throughout, Kim avoids interpretive eccentricity, and sound is excellent.  Sometimes I wanted more engagement and fire, and other times not.  I will gladly return to the cycle, and I wouldn't mind hearing more from the conductor, be it as conductor or pianist - or both.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 04, 2017, 06:02:00 AM
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Some Liszt from 2005 International Franz Liszt Piano Competition winner Yingdi Sun.  Sun was born in 1980 in China, received most of his training in his home country, and then embarked on the international competition and touring circuit.  This disc, recorded in 2008, appears to be the only one available from him.  It includes the Sonata (which I desperately needed another version of), the three Petrarch Sonnets, and the St Francois Legend.  The Sonata opens the disc, and at just a tad over a half hour, it's on the leisurely side.  That's no problem as pianists like Pogorelich and Angelich deliver exceptional slow performances.  Sun isn't quite at that level.  The first one thing notices is that, as recorded, Sun's tone is rich, dark, and bass heavy.  And pedal stomp heavy.  Somewhat like Angelich, he seems to revel in the slower, more lyrical music, which he plays very well indeed.  Unlike Angelich, he doesn't play the fastest and most demanding passages with control and precision to match or surpass the best on record, and he never truly lets loose.  Sometimes when it sounds like he might, he pulls back.  That ends up being something of a limiting factor, but his somewhat micromanaged approach is not unattractive.  The three Petrarch Sonnets border on sounding languid, and are too bass rich at times, but sound quite attractive overall, and most attractive when Sun takes his time to gently coax lovely sounds from the keys and when he lets some chords just hang.  Sun saves his best for last in the Legend.  While the loud passages are effective, it is the endless beautiful right hand playing, gentle and fluid and shimmering that captivates and almost mesmerizes.  So, a mixed disc.  Sound is excellent overall.

If ever Sun records more Liszt, I certainly would consider listening to it, especially if it's the complete Annees or the Harmonies.  Some Debussy could be nice, too.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 07, 2017, 05:44:53 AM
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Kim's Sixth.  Here the A/B was with Mravinsky's stereo recording on DG.  Mravinksy's Sixth is masterful, of course, blending beautiful and forlorn slower music and positively ferverish and superbly well played fast music possessed of an intensity not surpassed or even really matched by anyone.  Of course, that fevered intensity can be too much of a good thing if one is not in the mood to hear it, though I was when I relistened.  The only real drawback to the set has to do with aged, early stereo sonics, but that poses no barrier to enjoyment. 

Kim's overall timings are close in all movements, and in the Allegro con grazia and Finale, Kim leads swifter playing.  With his tempi, Kim keeps the playing moving along at all times.  While Kim and the Suwon band generate plenty of intensity in the opener, they don't sound as feverish as Mravinsky, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and the slower sections are searching but not too sentimental.  Kim's swift take on Allegro con grazia sounds very much like a caffeinated waltz, with the strings doing good things, and a generally light feeling.  Kim keeps things light to start the Allegro molto vivace, but he makes sure to inject weight in to the louder passages, and as the movement progresses it sounds like a triumphant, peppy processional, and here the energy and speed do rival Mravinsky, but in better sound and balance, and the coda makes for a heckuva false ending, complete with room reverberating bass drum.  The Finale does a complete one-eighty most effectively, and sounds sorrowful but not maudlin.  The fast overall tempo manifests briefly after four minutes in, and even more so a couple minutes later when Kim whips the band into a brief, intense fury before pulling back in the symphonic equivalent of exhausted resignation.  After that, the throbbing low strings underpin a tense acceptance of fate, somewhat Mahlerian in demeanor, until the final sound fades away at a swift 9'15".  The Sixth ends the cycle on a high note, and qualitatively it is surpassed only by the superb Fourth.  Maybe.

Kim's cycle taken as a whole is excellent, even if it doesn't supplant Temirkanov for me, and it probably would not supplant <insert favored interpreter here> for others, it does not need to.  I wouldn't mind hearing more from the Kim/Suwon team.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 11, 2017, 05:50:13 AM
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Since I've listened to a couple discs from Dong-Hyek Lim, I figured I should hear how well his older brother plays.  The elder Lim, older by four years, studied in Russia, Germany, and the US, and he is now a professor in Korea.  In 2005, he tied for third with his brother at the Chopin competition, so at the very least he should be very good.  Dong-Min has not reached international star or something approaching star status like his brother, and this Korean language only release is obviously a local market release by Sony Korea.

Dong-Hyek's Chopin Preludes disc ends with the Barcarolle, and Dong-Min's starts with the same work, so a quick A/B was done with the first listen.  The overall timing is only seconds apart, with Dong-Min slightly faster overall, but one wouldn't know that listening to the opening, which is slightly gentler and darker hued and slower sounding.  As the piece progresses, Lim picks up the pace, but he never sounds rushed, and the left hand is insistent but not as clean, with the older Lim generating a more blended sound, at least as recorded.  The piece almost imperceptibly ratchets up tension and speed until the climax, and while not as lilting as some overall, it's superb.  Call it a draw between the two pianists. 

The disc moves on to a single Nocturne, Op 55, Number 2, and Lim displays very fine dynamic gradations at the lower end of the spectrum, with different voices played at different levels.  It's very deliberate yet very flowing, but it does not evoke any mystery or darkness, seeming like an abstract miniature fantasia, and somehow, despite the deliberate playing, it almost sounds improvised.  A full cycle from the pianist would surely be welcome.

Next up is the main work, the Third Sonata.  At over thirty-one minutes total, Lim is no speed demon, and indeed, he doesn't storm out of the gate in his over thirteen minute Allegro maestoso, preferring to present a more forensic take.  The independence of hands and varying volume levels are so good and distinct it almost sounds like a studio trick as his left hand playing will remain super clean and clear but noticeably quieter than the right hand melody, which nonetheless doesn't dominate.  Lim coaxes some beautiful sounds from his piano, and his playing remains captivatingly exact.  The Scherzo is a bit quicker, but again Lim is all about supreme clarity and exactitude.  The Largo opens with powerful, weighty playing, sounding almost organ-like, and then Lim quickly and effortlessly slows way down and plays with gentle beauty.  He opens the Presto nan tanto with controlled speed and power in the introduction, and the rest of the movement never really sounds unleashed, with Lim's control of everything most captivating.  Strangely, though the rhythm never sounds galloping or pronounced, the forward momentum is unyielding.  In general, I tend to like faster sounding versions of this sonata, like, say, Alexis Weissenberg's blockbuster RCA recording, but Lim makes as strong a case as I've heard for a slower sounding, more meticulous approach. 

The disc closes with the B-flat minor Scherzo.  Lim plays with more overt virtuosity, but he never sheds the sense of absolute control over every aspect of the playing.  Here, the playing can sound a bit studied at times, but it still works very well, and it has the same unyielding forward momentum as the closing movement of the sonata.   

There's some subtle vocalizing evident throughout the recording, and sonics are SOTA but a bit closer and softer edged when compared to his brother's recording. 

It sounds like the Lim family has two superb pianists.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 14, 2017, 05:38:27 AM
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I figured I might as well listen to what the Middle Kingdom is up to in terms of orchestral playing.  Based on slim internet info, Yu Long is a, or even the, preeminent conductor in mainland China, and has been instrumental in building both the China Philharmonic Orchstra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and has also worked extensively with other bands.  (Of course, since I read neither Mandarin nor Cantonese, and English language information is scarce, I could easily be mistaken.)  It looks like Universal Music China decided to work with him and released recordings on both the DG and Decca labels.  This particular concert recording also includes cellist Jian Wang, who has made multiple recordings for DG as both soloist and chamber musician, and violist Anxiang Zhang.  The performances, as the cover indicates, are from 2007 and 2008.  As this was only available as a download and no digital booklet was provided, no further specifics are available without scouring the web.

The Tchaikovsky starts off the disc, and its clear that the China Philharmonic plays at a very high level.  Both the Suwon and Korean orchestras mentioned previously in this thread may have a slight edge in execution, but I've heard better played recordings, and recordings not as well played, from eastern and western orchestras alike, so for all intents and purposes, that's not an issue.  Interpretively, Long tends toward a fast, potent sound, with powerful timps and lots of excitement.  He appears to have no time for exaggerated shifts in tempi or adding additional romanticism to the proceedings.  This is hardly my favorite Tchaikovsky work, and while I can't say this is the best I've heard, I would be more than happy to hear something like this in concert.

The main work for me is the Strauss, which is possibly my favorite of the tone poems.  Long makes sure to bring out detail, but the balances prevent ideal realization of all details.  Long again favors a relatively fast overall tempo, which when combined with a somewhat direct approach, means the piece doesn't flow as well as better performances.  It's somewhat generic.  Wang plays the solo part expertly, which is no surprise, and Zhang does fine work, as well.  There is less spotlighting of the soloists here than in some other recordings.  Again, this is a performance I would not mind hearing in concert, but on disc it faces some serious rivals, and when I say that old man Fluffy with young man Meneses remains my favorite, and by a pretty wide margin, that's not surprising.

As mentioned before, the recording was available only as a download, and I got an MP3.  (It may be available lossless, but I didn't look as I was content to drop only nine bucks.)  Sound is excellent overall, if somewhat lacking in ultimate clarity and dynamics, and the perspective is not ideal - it seems to almost be the conductor's perspective - but I can't say how much of that is due to encoding and how much to more traditional matters of recording technique.  I'm thinking the latter is more important.  This more or less matches many live recordings from the 90s, and it is clear enough to allow one to hear all manner of score page turning and feet shuffling and other non-musical sounds.

I may very well have to sample more from this conductor.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on August 15, 2017, 04:53:12 AM
I've seen the name Long Yu on Naxos - checking now, for them he's recorded such overtly red propaganda as the Long March Symphony (https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.223579), and also somehow Korngold's violin concerto.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 15, 2017, 04:59:10 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 15, 2017, 04:53:12 AM
I've seen the name Long Yu on Naxos - checking now, for them he's recorded such overtly red propaganda as the Long March Symphony (https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.223579), and also somehow Korngold's violin concerto.


He's also recorded Ode to the Red Flag for DG.  Maybe his choices are influenced by a deep love of Communism, maybe they are made out a sense of national pride and wanting to perform and record the work of Chinese composers, or maybe they are influenced by A&R folks.  If he runs a full time orchestra devoted to western style classical music, I have to think core rep is more important to him.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on August 15, 2017, 05:10:33 AM
I think Marco Polo and Naxos in particular, being based in Hong Kong, knew that recording Chinese classical music with cheap-to-rent Chinese orchestras was easy money. They recorded the "Butterfly Lovers" like five times.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 15, 2017, 05:18:41 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 15, 2017, 05:10:33 AM
I think Marco Polo and Naxos in particular, being based in Hong Kong, knew that recording Chinese classical music with cheap-to-rent Chinese orchestras was easy money. They recorded the "Butterfly Lovers" like five times.


I believe two HNH recordings have Klaus Heymann's wife as the soloist.  Gil Shaham has also recorded that work.  I've not yet decided if I want to try that work.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on August 15, 2017, 06:17:32 AM
Just checked Naxos Music Library and the truth is even insaner than either of us thought.

FIVE recordings by Nishizaki - that's more than Barenboim will record a Bruckner symphony:

(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.557348.jpg) (https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.554334.jpg) (https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.225819.jpg) (https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.225833.jpg) (https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.223350.jpg)

Two different recordings by Si-Qing Lu on Marco Polo:

(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.225940.jpg) (https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.006.jpg)

Plus three more Marco Polo recordings of the piece with other instruments instead of the violin:

(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.225952HDCD.jpg)

(erhu)

(https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.225829.jpg) (https://cdn.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/images/cds/hires/8.570607.jpg)

Anyway...it's not that bad a piece, but it's not a knockout. It's kinda like if Korngold's Violin Concerto was written for an "exotic" movie, and also had a couple tablespoons of extra sugar. Youtube it before you buy.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 15, 2017, 06:32:26 AM
Quote from: Brian on August 15, 2017, 06:17:32 AMFIVE recordings by Nishizaki - that's more than Barenboim will record a Bruckner symphony


Don't count Barenboim out yet!  He's still got time to crank out a couple more of a favorite symphony.

I have to assume that the concerto sells well in China, and perhaps other markets.  That does indeed look like a streaming work.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 17, 2017, 06:31:44 AM
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Kun-Woo Paik's Rachmaninoff Sonatas reissue, recorded for Dante in 1992.  The recorded sound has some of the same problems the Scriabin disc does, though to a lesser extent.  Paik's playing is bold, to say the least, and volcanic, to say the most, in the loud passages of the original version of Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata that opens the disc.  Paik comes close to dreaded banging, and he may well get there, but no one could accuse him of not giving it his all.  He maintains his composure very well, but sometimes Paik seems to be pushing up to the limit of his abilities in a way that, say, Weissenberg does not, though Paik plays more feverishly.  Unlike Weissenberg, Paik plays the gentler music with actual gentleness.  Unfortunately, because of recorded sound and the battering the perhaps not ideally maintained piano takes, some of the upper registers sound questionable, but because of Paik's ability, it still sounds appealing.  He can play Rachmaninoff with more subtlety and color as evidenced by his slightly later recording of the concertos for RCA.  That's not to say that the sonata is poor, because Paik gets the spirit right. 

In between the two sonatas are the Lilacs, Op 21/5, a 'Fragment', the posthumous Prelude, and Tchaikovsky's Lullaby.  All four demonstrate the same traits as Paik's quiet playing in the opening work, and had Paik had a proper piano and recording team at his disposal, the result would be wonderful.  As it is, the result is very nice. 

The disc closes with the First Sonata, and both the recording and piano are generally in good enough shape to allow the listener to appreciate Paik's way with the work.  (About 13' into the first movement, something goes wrong with the piano, though.)  The vast breadth of the work and the length can make it a chore to listen to sometimes, but other times, its grandeur and romantic sweep are just the ticket.  Paik does very well here, and though the piano does not cooperate ideally, one gets a much better sense for his tonal variety and sensitivity in the Lento.  In the Allegro moderato, Paik comes close to playing with the same intensity as in the Second Sonata, but doesn't quite get there, which actually seems to help in the (perhaps?) overlong movement.  Given the sub-par sound and piano, I can't say that this is of Weissenberg or Silverman or Romanovsky quality for both sonatas on one disc, but it's worth having, if for nothing else than for some inevitable shoot-outs down the road.

Hopefully Universal Music Group Korea can buy the rights to Paik's Mussorgsky recordings. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 22, 2017, 04:55:44 AM
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Alright, so Myung-Whun Chung might be cheating a bit in this thread.  He's rather well-known and has made many major label recordings and conducted the most prestigious orchestras around, but I'll go ahead and include this disc, his second recording of these works, just because.  (Well, that, and it was available used for a pittance.)  I'm no stranger to Chung's Dvorak, having owned his recording of the Sixth and Eighth symphonies for a while.  (What a bummer the cycle was never completed.)  I wanted to hear how he and the Vienna Philharmonic might handle a couple serenades.  The String Serenade seems like a natural fit for the band, and so it proves.  The music is unfailingly beautiful and lyrical first note to last, and the recorded sound is a bit billowy and plummy in the bass, which just adds to the beauty.  The Wind Serenade likewise sounds very beautiful, and very smoothed over.  I know there are oboes in the mix, but it doesn't always sound like it.  And while the sound is almost blended to a fault, sometimes the horns dominate a bit.  But the playing is so solid, the sound so luscious, and the overall feel so much fun, that it is impossible not to enjoy the performance. 

Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 25, 2017, 05:52:49 AM
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A few years back, I spotted a complete set of Beethoven's Cello Sonatas on Universal Music China from cellist Li-Wei Qin and Albert Tiu, but I didn't jump on it.  I found it again recently when looking for new artists to hear, and this time I decided to buy.  Since the good folks at Momox Germany had a used set for next to nothing, it was a pain-free purchase.  It was so pain-free that I decided to go ahead and finally pull the trigger on the Xavier Phillips and François-Frédéric Guy set on Evidence Classics so I could do an A/B. 

Li-Wei Qin is a Chinese born cellist who spent some of his youth in Australia before going on to compete in various competitions and perform with various orchestras and chamber collaborators and taking some teaching positions, currently at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore.  He's recorded some core rep for ABC Classics and some of the same stuff again for Decca China, along with other rep.  His partner here is Albert Tiu, a Filipino pianist who studied at, among other places, Juilliard under Jerome Lowenthal.  He's likewise done the competition and touring circuits, and like Qin, he ended up at YST Conservatory, which, not at all coincidentally, served as the recording venue for this first recorded collaboration of the two artists.

This A/B is the first one where both sets were ripped before performing any comparisons, and as such I was able to do a sonata to sonata matchup without ever having to get out of my easy chair.  (If one must get up to change discs, that makes such a chair not as easy as it could be.)  I started in on sonata number one and chose to listen to Qin and Tiu first.  Qin's cello dominates, but it is not domineering.  Rich and somewhat dark down low, and warm and lyrical up top, it offers both a nice contrast and compliment to Tiu's somewhat light and playful pianism.  Really, Tiu's upper register playing at times verges on sounding too sweet, but the tradeoff is that when combined with Qin's never too heavy cello, the overall sound is decidedly classical in nature.  Peppy and light, almost to a fault, the sonata brings a subdued grin to the listener's face.  Phillips and FFG, recorded with more immediacy, play with more individuality and spontaneity.  Obviously well versed in the music, the duo play off each other well and employ rubato, dramatic pauses, exiciting accelerandos, and myriad other little touches to create an almost concert feel to the recording.  One gets the impression it would sound different on a different day.  The playing retains a classical sensibility, but it is more boisterous, more exhuberant, and pushes right up against boundaries of the era.  In Op 5, No 2, Qin and Tiu generate a touch more energy and more than a touch more grooviness, making for a most enjoyable second sonata.  Phillips and Guy add a bit more drama to the proceedings, and their already impressive dynamic range becomes more so.  While not at all saggy rhythmically, they do not quite sound as groovy as Qin/Tiu, though they sound more vibrant, and the Rondo-Allegro movement is just plain fun. 

Qin opens Op 69 in a most lovely fashion, but when Tiu joins him, his playing ends up capturing more attention, but then the fun starts as the duo belt out the playing with more oomph than the two earlier sonatas, and Qin fairly makes his cello sing like a baritone delighted to be able to sing a lovely Ludwig van tune, and Tiu's right hand playing at the end of the first movement is just enthralling.  As they move through the Scherzo and Adagio, they play well off each other, seamlessly transitioning back and forth, and sometimes blending flawlessly.  Too, there are some occasions where Tiu, briefly and somehow discreetly, dominates things, but never to the detriment of the music.  Then in the Allegro vivace, they play with great energy and drive.  This would be most enjoyable to hear in person.  Phillips/FFG offer more of everything: more energy, more dynamic and tempo contrasts, more emphatic accents, more more.  From time to time, FFG belts out his part with heavy duty power, and Phillips' tone can take on a sharper edge than Qin's.  They never overdo things, though they come close.  It is entirely likely some might think they do.  Qin and Tiu sound more poised (which is not to say staid!) whereas Phillips and FFG go for broke more often.  It's nice to hear both approaches (and more).

In 102/1, Qin plays most lyrically and Tiu offers gentle lovely support in the opening Andante section, and then they play the Allegro vivace with poised martial potency.  The Adagio contrasts Qin's deep, dark cello tone with Tiu's lighter pianism most effectively, and the Allegro vivace exhibits nice energy and forward drive, though its classical restraint might be a tad too restrained at times.  It would be difficult to say that anything in the Phillips/Guy recording is too restrained.  That's not to say that anything is over the top, but again, this duo offers more vibrance and tension in the faster and louder passages, and a touch more drama even in slower passages.  It again sounds more spontaneous, more "live".  Qin/Tiu do a slightly better job of evoking late Beethoven, but Phillips/Guy thrill more.  It is not mere recreation, it is creation.  In 102/2, Tiu starts off playfully and Qin veritably explodes into the soundstage, and the two vary dynamics and tempo most effectively, making for a most enjoyable opening movement.  The Adagio sounds quite attractive, with Qin not afraid to use generous vibrato.  I'm not sure it meets the molto sentimento d'affetto designation, but it might just be better that way.  The duo shows that it is possible to make a fugue fun and playful in the final movement, too.  In the Phillips/FFG, it's more FFG who explodes into the musical picture, setting the tone for a super-vibrant reading of the first movement, albeit one with even more pronounced dynamic and tempo flucuations.  More of that more more thing.  One can hear sentimentality in the slow movement, and the concluding fugue is more vibrant but perhaps less formally clear than Qin/Tiu.  Again, the spontaneity of the Frenchmen win the day.

The Qin/Tiu set includes only the sonatas, whereas the Phillips/FFG set includes the variations, which I saved until after the A/Bs were done.  Not surprisingly, the traits the duo display throughout the sonatas are also on display in the variations, and all the works make for a most enjoyable listen. 

Both sets are most enjoyable, but the Phillips/FFG pairing is the more adventurous, more exicting, and more compelling of the two, and easily ranks alongside Perenyi/Schiff and Fournier/Kempff for me.*  It's yet another triumph for FFG.  I eagerly await his Beethoven Violin Sonatas and Piano Trios.  I may have to try his earlier recording of these works with Gastinel now.

Not surprisingly, all of the artists in this shootout are quite talented.  FFG is one of my favorite living piansts, and I already know to reflexively buy any new recording going forward.  I may not buy new recordings by Phillips reflexively, but I will keep him in mind in other repertoire (his EMI Debut disc looks enticing), and when he records the LvB piano trios with FFG and Tedi Papavrami, I will buy without hesitation.  Qin falls into this category, and his few recordings do hold some interest, particularly the Decca Dvorak.  FFG obviously excluded, it is Albert Tiu that I'd like to hear more from most out of this group.  He's got a few solo albums out, and the Scriabin/Chopin one looks tempting, but I really want to hear him in Mozart and Haydn, and probably Ravel.  He's made it out Oregon way before, playing down in Eugene.  The Oregon Bach Festival aside, that town is boring as hell if one doesn't like college sports, but I'll make the jaunt down there if he visits again.

Sound for both sets is at or near SOTA.



* I can't help but notice that three of the six musicians in my favorite sets are French, which is almost as gallocentric as my preferred sets of Violin Sonatas.  Hmmm. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 28, 2017, 05:52:55 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in "New" Music Log]


This disc is the first I've imported from mainland China.  I spotted this disc of Chinese compositions whilst hunting for new and exotic things to listen to, albeit only on a very expensive JVC disc at first.  Fortunately, I found the disc for a very reasonable $7 on eBay, as opposed to $37+ on Amazon.  While I would not be surprised if I bought a gray market disc, especially given the price, I don't know for sure, and I don't care.  The seller from Shunde got it to me in just over a week, for about $10 all-in.  The copy I received advertises the XRCD2 pedigree as opposed to the K2 mastering on the front of its cardboard cover, though the inner cover shows the full (advertising) flow chart of the remastering process, which includes the K2 Rubidium Master Clock, so you just know it's some heavy-duty, ultra-serious stuff.  This is the same flow chart as found in the JVC reissue of the Paul Badura-Skoda Beethoven piano sonata cycle previously on Astrée.  This leads me to believe it is a Japanese market release.  Did I mention the remastering process uses Rubidium in the master clock?  The recording was made in China in the year 2000, with some DG A-list producers and engineers. 

The disc includes eight short works by ten composers - two of the works are collaborations or reworkings.  The works all rely on Western instrumentation - no pipas, erhus, or liuqins here - though from time to time, the percussion section sounds like it could be augmented by a non-standard instrument.  Most of the music is also generally Western in conception in that it usually sounds conventionally tonal, but some more "exotic" approaches (eg, pentatonic scales) are used as folk music is an influence.  There is certainly nothing that comes across as especially alien to Western ears nowadays to people who listen to classical music, pop music, or soundtracks.  Much of the music has very rough Western analogs, and those will be included in the descriptions as a sort of shorthand.  This is not meant to imply that the music is all derivative, but to communicate a sense of what is on the disc.

The disc opens with He Luting's under three minute Senjidema, from 1945.  Based on Mongolian folk tunes, it starts slowly and then picks up the pace.  It's generically "Eastern", and one can imagine Aaron Copland having written something similar. 

Next up is Bao Yuankai's Five Orchestral Pieces. The first piece, Zouxikou, based on a popular provincial ballad is mostly Western sounding, but has an identifiably Chinese sound in part, especially in the violins.  Green Willow, the second piece, sounds more or less like a missing Tchaikovsky piece reliant on pizzicato throughout.  Lady Lan Huahua follows, and it is based on an ancient ballad as well, and sounds lush and romantic and what one might wish Puccini could have worked into his Eastern themed works, and given it's tragic theme, it seems like a prelude or interlude from an opera. The Murmuring Brook follows, and it sounds something like a leisurely, gorgeous mash-up of Debussy, Vaughn Williams, and something vaguely Eastern.  Duihua ends the suite, inspired by a folk song.  Alternating between boisterous, rhythmically alert tuttis and gentler, Griegian music, it ends the work beautifully.

Next up is Wang Ming's Haixia Suite, where the composer includes three movements called Childhood, Weaving Fishnets, and Harvest, and she blends her own experience and idealized experiences.  One can hear whiffs of Debussy and Sibelius and Dvorak, and other Western influences, along with more obvious Eastern influences, with traditional Western orchestration used to evoke a more concrete Eastern sound.  The different elements blend together to make something new and beautiful, and if perhaps a bit too sentimental, that's quite alright.

Li Huanhzi's Spring Festival Overture, from 1955-56 follows, and once again, folk music serves as a foundation, and the music is robust yet light and festive (duh).  It sounds like Chinese Dvorak, which I definitely mean as a compliment.

Beijing Tidings by Zheng Lu and Ma Hongye, is up next, is folk music based, and here one can hear Borodin in Polovtsian Dances mode, or perhaps Enescu at his most rhapsodic, with dashes of Copland and DSCH (the Ninth), in a brief, colorful, vibrant, buoyant, and maybe slightly garish piece.  This would make for a good surprise concert opener.

Liu Tieshan and Mao Yuan's Yao Dance from the 1950s follows.  Formalized folk music - a dance, as it happens - starts slowly and unfolds somewhat episodically, with wonderful rhythmic flair and expert orchestration.  This almost sounds like what Bartok himself might have written had he ventured farther East in his exploration of folk music.  It is expertly done, and is possibly the best work on the disc. 

Next is Liu Tingyu's Susan Suite.  (Should it be Su-San?)  At just shy of thirteen minutes, it's the second longest work, though it is contained in a single track since it unfolds more or less continuously.  The suite is drawn from the composer's ballet Escorted Lady Convict, which itself is based on the Peking opera The Escorted Susan.  The tale is suitably operatic, to be sure, and the music brings five names to mind: Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Janacek, and Bright Sheng.  The use of percussion falls outside the norm for Western compositions at times (and happily so), but it blends in with the music well, and the composer demonstrates an ability to transition between some starkly different music basically seamlessly, with the orchestra executing it superbly.  Liu really seems to have a grasp of theatrical material on the basis of this piece, and he might be worth more exploration in the future.

The disc closes with Lu Qiming's Ode to the Red Flag, from 1965.  An ode to revolutionary success, with fanfares and bombast and a generally too much feeling, it might just be enough to make a dyed in the wool commie tear up.  The DSCH-like march married to music that foreshadows John Williams' Superman soundtrack elicited something of a chuckle.  (Yes, I know this was composed before the film soundtrack was written, but the aural connection is there.)  I've yet to hear Erwin Schulhoff's musical setting of The Communist Manifesto (I'm not sure it has been recorded), and I think this not quite brief enough piece - it's over nine minutes long - will have to do.

Most of the music is really quite lovely and entertaining, and I can easily see enjoying one or two of the pieces in a well-mixed concert.  That written, it is hard to see these specific works becoming either core rep in the West, or oft listened to by me.  YMMV.  One thing strikes me as certain: composers in the East are creating some fine music, and they are blending different traditions in new ways, and the probability of great works existing now is quite high, and will only grow with time.

Playing is excellent throughout.  Sound is likewise excellent, but it sounds a bit bright some of the time.  How much of that is the recording itself, and how much the remastering and potential re-EQing, I can't say.  I can say that the sonics are not worth any premium price.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on August 31, 2017, 05:23:07 AM
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Seoul-born, now American-domiciled, Juilliard-trained, thirty-one year old Joyce Yang took the Silver Medal at the 2005 Van Cliburn Competition, and she has been doing the touring and recording things for years now.  Her discs, mostly solo or chamber collaborations, are mixed repertoire affairs, and for my first exposure to her playing I opted for Wild Dreams.  (She also has an all-Tchaikovsky disc, but I didn't really want to start there.)

The disc takes its name from a combination of night and dream themed works and the two Earl Wild transcriptions of Rachmaninoff pieces that open the disc.  Those transcriptions are of Dreams, Op 36/5 and Vocalise, Op 34/14.  Right off the bat, it's clear that Yang can play with a beautiful, sensitive touch.  It does not take too long to hear that she also has the equipment to play loud, powerful passages without sounding hard, seeming to have ample reserves, and dexterity aplenty.  The pieces are pretty much all about beauty, and Yang delivers.  The first of five excerpts of Hindemith's In einer Nacht is also all about beauty and nuance, and Yang delivers here, too.  With the Sehr langsam second movement, Yang's nimbleness and keyboard command becomes more evident, and she manages to make the remaining brief pieces by the composer sound most delightful.

Then come the big works.  The first is Bartok's Out of Doors, played with nice power and a rounded sound, which makes for a rambunctious rather than barbaric With Drums and Pipes opener.  As she proceeds, Yang's playing is always excellent, but the music doesn't really pop like it can in the more robust music like The Chase.  (I'm thinking Kocsis here.)  Still, it's nice to hear a younger artist take up what is now old music.  Schumann's Fantasiestücke Op 12 follows.  Yang has the chops to play the music, and she plays beautifully, but also almost dutifully.  Her forward pulse is never hindered, and while she mixes up dynamics nicely, it's almost too straight forward at times, and the Eusebius and Florestan elements are not distinguished as much as I like; one is louder and quicker and one is quieter and slower, and that's almost the extent of it.  The disc closes with the 1931 edition of Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata.  Here, in the faster passages Yang acquits herself expertly.  Often, it seems like she wants to get back to the more delicate music because she almost seems to dote on it.  That's not to say that her more virtuosic playing lacks scale or weight or power, because she delivers plenty, which the coda makes abundantly clear.  It's just that as robust as the fast playing is, it lacks a certain spark more evident in the slow music.

This disc is a mixed bag.  There's no questioning Yang's chops, but I was rarely really drawn into the music making.  That written, if she records some more virtuosic Liszt, I do think I'll give it a listen.  I'd like to hear how she might handle the Transcendental Etudes.   
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 05, 2017, 07:41:39 AM
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This disc clinches it.  Sung-Won Yang is a great cellist, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  This EMI disc opens with Kodaly's over half-hour Op 8 Sonata for Solo Cello.  Yangs writes in his brief liner notes that this piece is as great as Bach's Cello Suites.  With him playing, this is a perfectly reasonable proposition.  The piece opens with heavy, resonant low frequency notes that favors judicious volume selection, but the piece appears to not challenge the soloist.  Kodaly exploits the frequency extremes, and Yang exploits those, demonstrating masterful playing, playing with intense expressiveness, eliciting a "Hungarian" sound, and showing what he can do.  You want tightly controlled pizzicato or sul pulticello playing to make your stereocilia flutter with excitement?  You got it.  And that's just in the first few minutes.  The second movement contains not a little profound music, clearly inspired by folk music, but refined by a keen compositional mind, and delivered via the hands of an interpretive genius.  The final movements takes the folk element that little bit further, with Yang delivering even more as needed. 

The second half of the disc contains works for cello and piano, with Ick-Choo Moon joining Yang.  The duo work together swimmingly.  The brief Adagio is beautiful and touching, with Kodaly's piano writing betraying some similarity with Liszt in a few passages, which poses no challenges for either artist.  The Sonatina is a lighter, happier piece, with the cello often soaring over lovely piano accompaniment that can sound like a most attractive blend of Rachmaninoff and Debussy.  The Op 4 Sonata is more folk music infused, more virtuosic, denser, and generally just nifty.  It occupies a soundworld close to Bartok's, and as such is all but guaranteed to succeed.  When that is paired with playing as fine as that provided by these two artists, it's a slam dunk.

At the time of writing, I have not purchased either of Sung-Won Yang's two recordings of Bach's Cello Suites.  That must change.  And though it would result in a duplication of this very disc, I'm contemplating dropping some serious coin, in today's big box pricing terms, on the box of Yang's complete EMI recordings, which includes some Tony Faulkner engineered recordings, and both his first set of the Bach Suites and the Beethoven Cello Sonatas, also with Ick-Choo Moon.

SOTA sound.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 08, 2017, 04:49:08 AM
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When I picked up Dong-Min Lim's Chopin, I figured I might as well pick up his other major label release, some Beethoven.  Recorded in New York in 2008 and produced by no less a personage than Max Wilcox, the release includes both Korean and English notes, but it is a Korean market only issue.

The disc opens with Op 110.  Lim plays the Moderato with a nice blend of clarity and lyricism and deliberate control.  The deliberate playing is most obvious about three minutes in when the very controlled left hand playing dominates completely without being overbearing.  Such a balance is unusual, though not heard of.  As with his Chopin, the degree of tight control sounds more appealing as the playing continues.  One thing the playing is not is late-LvB deep/profound/transcendent; the playing is antiseptically clean, yet it's still effective.  The Allegro molto is fast and pointed and potent, with supreme dynamic control and ample digital dexterity.  There's never a sense of even trying very hard, let alone strain.  The final movement opens cold and perfectly paced, and as the first arioso unfolds, it sounds stylistically similar to a revved up Adagio in Op 106.  The repeated left hand chords are unusually insistent without sounding overbearing.  Given Lim's precision and control, the fugue is very clear and controlled, but a bit cold, which works quite well.  The second arioso sounds more resigned but just about as tense and the first one, the repeated chords increase in volume nicely and transition to the inverted fugue splendidly, with the fugue itself very clear and clean, and a bit more intense than the first one and leads to a potent coda.  This is a pristinely "classical", more middle period style recording, but it is among the very best of the type.

Next up is the Moonlight sonata.  Lim plays the Adagio sostenuto in a steady, cool manner, delivers a crisp but not rushed Allegretto, and a limber, somewhat dynamically constrained, but motoric Presto agitato.  Not a great version, but an above average one. 

The disc closes with Op 57, and here Lim starts the Allegro assai off tentatively but tensely, then displays superb dexterity and front-loaded chords, and rarely maxxed out volume, with dynamic contrasts adding controlled drama.  The Andante con moto stays light and brisk throughout the variations, almost like Lim is itching to get to the final movement, which he starts with biting chords, quickly ratchets back, and then moves to fast and tense playing, with superb clarity of voices throughout.  While not the fastest, or the loudest, or the most powerful, Lim does a formidable job generating pronounced forward momentum, and when he backs off, the mastery of every aspect is impressive for a pianist in his 20s at the time of the recording. 

With two discs down from both Lim brothers, I'd have to say that Dong-Min is slightly better overall, by which I mean his playing is more to my taste.  They can obviously both play at the highest level.  Alas, it looks like Dong-Min is not pursuing the international career of Dong-Hyek, though hopefully more recordings will come out from time to time.

Sound is very close and strikingly vivid, which is common to many Wilcox recordings.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 11, 2017, 05:22:01 AM
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I decided against what I initially thought was my better judgment to try HJ Lim's Ravel and Scriabin disc.  I don't mind idiosyncratic pianists - I have a boatload of discs from such artists (Barto, Pogorelich, Heidsieck, etc) - but as evidenced by her LvB cycle, and now this disc, HJ Lim's pianism ain't my thing - overall.  Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales starts the disc, and it starts off aggressively, which is fine, and throughout Lim delivers passages here and there that sound attractive or exaggerated for effect, but they don't really cohere.  Too, the rhythmic component is kind of all over the map.  It sounds like a collection of momentary flights of fancy that don't amount to much.  The Scriabin Fourth and Fifth sonatas follow in order.  Impulsive, of-the-moment playing can work well with Scriabin, and Lim does that, and uses rubato generously, but again, the works don't really cohere.  There'll be a dazzling section followed by a nicely manic one followed by a more reserved one followed by a harmonically fulsome one, and each one is pretty good, but they don't add up to anything.  In the Fifth, some of her loud playing comes mightily close to banging, though, again, with Scriabin this can work, but it doesn't help matters here.  Ravel's Sonatine sounds almost manic-depressive, or rather manic-less manic but glum.  Again, some portions work well, others less so, and when taken as a whole, it doesn't work.  Lim is not a big-picture pianist.  The Scriabin Op 38 Waltz starts off promising, and more restrained, but soon Lim resorts to her standard approach.  The first of the two Op 32 Poems ends up the second best thing on the disc, sounding rhapsodic and nonchalant and lovely.  It's really good, no caveats.  The second one is hard and overdone.  The disc closes with a surprise: an exceptional performance.  In Ravel's La Valse, Lim starts off in menacing fashion, and her manic and impulsive style works here.  In her hands, the piece becomes an over the top musical grotesquery, shallow and stinging, with indifference to rhythmic propriety and constraints of good taste.  It's the best thing I've heard from her and warrants the price of the disc.  (Granted, I got it used and cheap.)

I never cared for Lim's Beethoven overall, though there were some individual works in the set that were good, with Op 57 coming to mind.  Given the two successes on this disc, I have to rate it either a failure with two highlights, or a very heavily qualified success.  I doubt it earns a lot of spins, but at least the La Valse will receive more airings.  It's a bit hard for me to think of other things I really want to hear Lim play, though she might be able to do something interesting with smaller scale works where manic, improvisatory playing can pay dividends - Scarlatti or CPE Bach, perhaps.  And though it could be a total trainwreck, Lim's style might also yield intriguing results in some Messiaen.  Yeah, I'd go for some Messiaen from her.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 15, 2017, 05:52:52 AM
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Japanese pianist Motoi Kawashima's first appearance in my collection.  The liner notes list a variety of first, second, and third place finishes in various competitions, including, rather obviously, a first place finish at the International Schubert Competition Dortmund in 2005.  He studied at the Tokyo College of Music, the Weimar Music Academy, and the Berlin Music Academy.  In the course of his studies, he studied with Lazar Berman and Alexis Weissenberg.  Those two pianists may have left their marks.  He's recorded a handful of discs, and I ended up with this one because it was a bargain bin Amazon Add-on.

The disc opens with Schubert's D958.  Kawashima launches into the Allegro.  It's fast, hard-hitting, powerful, often aggressive, with steely forte playing.  While not devoid of lyricism, this is not about that.  Kawashima's playing is unrelentingly forward moving, and displays digital dexterity equal to almost any other Schubertian.  He blows right past Julius-Jeongwon Kim, Paul Lewis, and Stephen Kovacevich in his hard-hitting playing.  The closest analog in my listening experience is probably Michel Dalberto.  But Kawashima is not all hard-hitting pianistic aggression; he slows down and lightens up in the Adagio's first theme.  The second theme, though, reverts to a more aggressive, agitated sound, though Kawashima maintains a proper slow tempo.  The Menuetto stays taut but more subdued, while the same cannot be said for the concluding Allegro, which is a musical jackhammer.  While not especially fast, the rhythmic drive and hardened steel of Kawashima's playing makes listening to the piece somewhat like an especially grueling workout, one that leaves the participant on the verge of collapse or vomiting, yet there's something sort of refreshing and even purifying about it. 

The disc then moves on to transcriptions, two Schubert/Liszt jobs, and Liszt's treatment of the Liebestod.  In Fruehlingsglaube, Kawashima backs off, but the playing never sounds gentle or nuanced or lyrical, with playing seeming to basically hover in the mezzo-forte to forte range.  Auf dem Wasser zu singen is pushed, rushed, and tense.  It's the musical equivalent of a trip down Class III rapids, and were it transcribed back to a song, it would be suitable for a young Vince Neil.  The Liebestod is also pushed a bit, like maybe Isolde OD'd on meth, or something, with the playing swelling to a pulsing fever pitch before withdrawing to a surprisingly gentle diminuendo ending.

Mikhail Pletnev's transcription of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ends the disc.  Kawashima dispatches the music deftly, but his is not a recording focused on nuance and subtle tonal shadings.  It's about virtuosic playing, much of it loud and very controlled, with tonal coloring in shades of steel. 

I will definitely return to this disc, but I'll have to be in just the right mood, one where I think Michael Korstick is just not forceful enough and I want something more steely. 

Sound for the 2006 recording, made in the Thürmer-Saal in Bochum, is clean and clear.  It should be noted that the hard, steely sound is much more obvious through speakers as lower registers are reinforced with greater low frequency energy; through cans, it comes across more as bright and metallic and less imposing.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 18, 2017, 05:16:29 AM
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Quynh Nguyen is another pianist new to me.  Born in Vietnam, where she received her early training before being shipped off to Moscow for additional training, Nguyen ended up finishing up her studies in New York at Juilliard, the Mannes School, and finally City University of New York.  She now does the teaching and concertizing and recording for an indie label thing.  Of her several releases, this ditty with Schubert and Chopin caught my eye.

Originally, I was going to do a more detailed summary, but instead I'll just do a tl;dr summary: occasionally lyrical and well done, but also occasionally hard sounding and sloppy, it's not my cup of tea.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: aukhawk on September 20, 2017, 02:41:08 AM
Quote from: Todd on September 11, 2017, 05:22:01 AM
The disc closes with a surprise: an exceptional performance.  In Ravel's La Valse, Lim starts off in menacing fashion, and her manic and impulsive style works here.  In her hands, the piece becomes an over the top musical grotesquery, shallow and stinging, with indifference to rhythmic propriety and constraints of good taste. 

I downloaded just that one track from Amazon (I too can live without Scriabin played in a banging style) and it certainly makes a statement!  Wow!  La Valse is not a piece I'm familiar with, so could you suggest who to turn to for a 'different' version?
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 20, 2017, 05:39:09 AM
Quote from: aukhawk on September 20, 2017, 02:41:08 AM
I downloaded just that one track from Amazon (I too can live without Scriabin played in a banging style) and it certainly makes a statement!  Wow!  La Valse is not a piece I'm familiar with, so could you suggest who to turn to for a 'different' version?


Sergei Babayan for the solo piano version, Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire for the two piano version.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 22, 2017, 05:37:33 AM
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My first proper recording from Xiayin Wang; I've heretofore only sampled her artistry on YouTube.  Ms Wang was born in China and studied at the Shanghai Conservatory before heading to America to finish her studies at the Manhattan School of Music.  Her discography tilts toward Russian composers, so I opted for one of her Rachmaninoff discs.

The disc starts off with the Moments musicaux, and Wang dispatches the pieces with no difficulty whatsoever.  Her style is of the steel fingers in a velvet glove variety, with ample power when needed, impressive dexterity, fine dynamic shading, and rhythmic variation, but she doesn't generate as rich a tonal palette as some others.  Every piece is excellent, with an especially nice, vigorous, if not ideally flexible Presto.  (I would have like it more if she used more rubato, but that is obviously personal preference; it is quite possible to enjoy it completely for what's on the disc.)  Wang keeps the Op 33 Etudes-tableux generally light and spunky.  Her execution is excellent, her sound never too heavy.  I gotta admit, I've become enamored of Nicholas Angelich's more leisurely, darker approach in these works, though that doesn't mean Wang doesn't have oodles of good stuff to offer.  She does.  Of course, some people want more fire or steel than Wang offers, though she offers nice dollops of both in the Grave.  This is a nice middle ground style, which is not meant negatively.  Wang starts the Corelli Variations off with a lovely, intimate Andante theme (making me think she could play some of the Preludes very well indeed), and as the variations unfold, she again dispatches them without even the slightest hiccup, playing some in lovely, restrained fashion, and some in more overtly virtuosic fashion, and some with near-bruising power, though without ever banging.  This is a very fine version, but as with all lesser mortals, she must cede to Daniil Trifonov's awesomeness in this piece.

So, a very nice first disc from Ms Wang.  I will certainly listen to more from her in the future, I just have to figure out what tickles my fancy the most.  If she records some solo Schumann, that would settle it.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 25, 2017, 05:24:28 AM
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Buying this disc was a mistake.  Not because of the playing.  Well, okay, it's because of the playing, but it's not because the playing is bad, it's because the playing is good.  Michie Koyama is an accomplished pianist.  She placed in both the Tchaikovsky and Chopin competitions back in the early and mid-80s.  So that indicates at least competition level quality playing.  The real problem is that she has been recording for three decades and has a sizable discography of about a two dozen titles covering core rep.  She's Sony Japan's equivalent to RCA Japan's Ikuyo Nakamichi.  (Since both labels are owned by Sony, they are both Sony artists, of course.)  Unlike many of Ms Nakamichi's releases, Ms Koyama's don't seem to remain as readily available, and some of the titles are of the more expensive than I would like type.  That wouldn't be such a problem if she hadn't recorded a lot of repertoire that appeals to me.  She has recorded Liszt's sonata.  Twice.  Fortunately, in that case it seems easy to choose the right one since the second recording is paired with Berg's Sonata.  She has recorded Scriabin's sonatas, Rach's Etudes Tableux, various Chopin solo works, and some Schubert, too.  But I get ahead of myself.  This disc of Chopin's Concertos was recorded in 2009 for the 2010 Chopin year, and it uses the National Edition of the scores first published in Poland in 2005.

I opted not to do A/Bs here, so I can't really say how major the editions of the score may impact the end result, but one thing that is immediately noticeable, aside from the slightly stage right location of the pianist (more so in the First), is the fairly light sound of the orchestral part.  Jacek Kaspszyk seems to opt for detail and balance and a clean, more classical sound.  At no point does the band drown out the soloist, who is not recorded with too great a scale.  Sometimes, the little orchestration details are nifty, and in the first movement of the First concerto, the strings double the piano in most delightful way.  Were I to guess, I'd say Sinfonia Varsovia uses smaller than customary forces for this recording, more true to its chamber orchestra roots.  When Koyama enters, she immediately offers a lovely sound that is both delicate and cleanly articulated and more bright surface playing than deep key weightiness.  She's not a great colorist, but her dynamic gradations are minute and expertly deployed.  Like the orchestra, Koyama's style here is not one of grand romantic gestures, and she generally plays with admirable clarity, with some right hand playing crystalline.  She rarely seems to be giving her all, instead opting to play with some restraint.  In the second movement of the First, her pianissimo playing is of the super soft, Yaeko Yamane variety.  Playing by the soloist and orchestra becomes a little more vibrant, at times quite robust, in the Second, and here again Koyama offers her best, most persuasive playing in the slow movement.  The finale is satisfyingly done, with the post horn call piano playing managing to sound restrained yet bravura, with some mighty fine independence of hands.

If I have a favorite recording of both concertos paired together, it remains Zimerman's second take with his purpose-built orchestra.  This disc doesn't rise to that level, but, unfortunately, it does make me want to hear more from Ms Koyama.  That could cause acute wallet pain if proper care is not taken. 

Sony farmed engineering out to Tritonus Musikproduktion, with predictably SOTA sound the result.

On a musically irrelevant, presentation detail note, what's up with photoshopping the light fixture on the right out on the front cover, to the point of even eliminating most shadow detail?  Maybe it disrupted symmetry somehow.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 29, 2017, 06:17:09 AM
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Time for some more orchestral music.  Kazuki Yamada is in his late 30s, studied in Japan and while a student helped form what would later become the Yokohama Sinfonietta, the ensemble for this recording.  He has also done a fair amount of conducting elsewhere, and currently is principal conductor for the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.  He's made multiple recordings, but this one of Schubert's Great C Major tickled my fancy. 

The performance starts off with a somewhat old-school Andante, which sounds a bit broad and flexible, but then Yamada speeds things up in the Allegro ma non troppo.  He never achieves the same type of speed and precision of contemporary conductors like Manacorda or Hengelbrock, but he never sounds too heavy or thick like some older performances might.  Indeed, despite the less than pressed tempi, Yamada keeps things light and transparent.  The Andante con moto sounds light and lovely, and some of the string playing evokes a lighter, innocent Wagner at times, and it also sounds relaxed and pastoral in portions.  The Scherzo is somewhat leisurely, and sounds like a scaled-up and refined Ländler.  The Finale is suitably energetic and vibrant and big in scale for a small orchestra.  Somewhat like Manacorda's recording, the overall performance is quite detailed and transparent, but it lacks the same exuberance of the Italian's recording.  While I can't say that Yamada's is my favorite version, it's good enough so that I would not be averse to hearing him in other core rep.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: SurprisedByBeauty on September 29, 2017, 11:19:19 AM
First heard them at the ARD intl. Music Competition and was much impressed.

Ditto with these recordings. They are of the fast disappearing brand of beautician-quartets.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DK4qRFTWAAAZLni.jpg)
#morninglistening to @VerusQuartet on @fontecNews

http://a-fwd.to/4PG58cV

in #Mozart w/a #StringQuartet & the #... http://ift.tt/2x0XToY  (http://a-fwd.to/4PG58cV)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DK0syGCWsAE6ApI.jpg)
#morninglistening to @VerusQuartet on @fontecNews

http://a-fwd.to/4PG58cV

in #Beethoven #StringQuartets.

Begin... http://ift.tt/2fUkMQA  (http://a-fwd.to/4PG58cV)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 02, 2017, 05:43:33 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in "New" Music Log]


My first-ever exposure to the music of Nikolai Kapustin.  To be sure, I bought the disc because I was interested in hearing Sun Hee You play, and the disc was a four buck "Add On" at Amazon, but new music is something of a bonus.  (I'm finding "Add Ons" to be useful and fun.) 

Ms You was born in Seoul, did the wunderkind thing in her home country, attended the Yewon School, and ended up moving to Italy and earning a diploma from the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia and working with Lazar and Valentina Berman, among others.  Her bio cites a variety of collaborations with C-list artists and orchestras, but sometimes regional artists are as good as more famous artists. 

Kapustin is an honest to goodness living Ukrainian composer, and one heavily influenced by jazz.  Indeed, he was apparently known as jazz pianist and composer in the 50s.  This disc contains works penned in the 80s and 90s that betray that jazz influence.

The First Sonata definitely sounds sort of jazzy, in a Dave Brubeck meets Oscar Peterson meets Gershwin meets Debussy meets (early) Scriabin sort of way.  Much of the music sort of sounds like what might happen if a talented jazz pianist were hired to play piano at an upscale clothing store and decided to go off-program near closing time on a busy Saturday night.  It's improvisatory-ish and not easy listening, but it could still fade into the background if the pianist didn't play too loudly.  It's certainly not bad and makes for light entertainment, but I can't see listening to this very often.  The four Etudes and Bagatelles that follow are more syncopated than the sonata and given their brevity make for a more compelling experience.  The Seventh Sonata sounds like a jazzed up mix of Prokofiev and subdued post-war avant-garde writing, in a generic sense.  There's ample virtuoso writing in faster passages of the opening Allegretto, and the Adagio amoroso, possessed of a slow overall pulse, is stuffed with notes that fall not always beautifully on the ear.  That's perfectly alright, but I'm not sold on the amoroso bit.  Nor am I sold on the almost jazz-infused Boulez-meets-Schulhoff march that is the Minuetto being a Minuetto, though it sounds intriguing.  The concluding Allegro vivace is even more vibrant and intense than the opening movement.  This more abstract work is the best thing on the disc.  The concluding Variations take as their theme part of the opening of The Rite of Spring.  The music subjects the original to syncopated, vibrant, and colorful treatment, and it makes for an enjoyable enough listening experience.

Ms You most certainly possesses the technical equipment to play the music on offer here, and I would wager a whole lot besides.  Her recordings to date have focused on lesser-known composers and works, which is one way to make a name in a crowded marketplace, but I'd like to hear her in more standard rep, even if it is lesser works by greater composers.  Of course, I'd prefer to hear her take on more substantive fare even more.  The Chopin Etudes, say, or maybe some late Scriabin.

Superb sound.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on October 02, 2017, 05:47:27 AM
Quote from: Todd on October 02, 2017, 05:43:33 AM
My first-ever exposure to the music of Nikolai Kapustin.  To be sure, I bought the disc because I was interested in hearing Sun Hee You play, and the disc was a four buck "Add On" at Amazon, but new music is something of a bonus.  (I'm finding "Add Ons" to be useful and fun.) 
Remind me how you found these? Saturday I needed an "Add On" and thought to look for classical CDs like this, but when I hit the main Add On page, music wasn't a listed category at all on the left hand side.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 02, 2017, 06:01:58 AM
Quote from: Brian on October 02, 2017, 05:47:27 AM
Remind me how you found these? Saturday I needed an "Add On" and thought to look for classical CDs like this, but when I hit the main Add On page, music wasn't a listed category at all on the left hand side.


I stumbled upon them a while back.  To hunt for them, I do the following:

1.) Search in classical
2.) Select Amazon Prime Eligible
3.) Sort by price, low to high
4.) Update URL with page numbers to jump around more quickly


A sample URL with page number set to 50 (you need to update both page number locations):

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_50?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A5174%2Cn%3A%21301668%2Cn%3A85%2Cp_n_availability%3A1248845011%2Cp_85%3A2470955011&page=50&bbn=85&sort=price-asc-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1506952338

Good stuff starts showing up after page 100 or 150.  The population changes daily.  There is no way to search only Add-Ons, but the Add-On graphic allows them to be easily spotted when scrolling quickly.

Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on October 02, 2017, 06:57:14 AM
Quote from: Todd on October 02, 2017, 06:01:58 AM

I stumbled upon them a while back.  To hunt for them, I do the following:

1.) Search in classical
2.) Select Amazon Prime Eligible
3.) Sort by price, low to high
4.) Update URL with page numbers to jump around more quickly


A sample URL with page number set to 50 (you need to update both page number locations):

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_50?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A5174%2Cn%3A%21301668%2Cn%3A85%2Cp_n_availability%3A1248845011%2Cp_85%3A2470955011&page=50&bbn=85&sort=price-asc-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1506952338

Good stuff starts showing up after page 100 or 150.  The population changes daily.  There is no way to search only Add-Ons, but the Add-On graphic allows them to be easily spotted when scrolling quickly.
Thanks much. For a company that so wants you to buy things, Amazon is so bad at helping you find them.
EDIT: Checking the "Prime Free One-Day" box on the left on the page you link seems to turn up lots of Add-On Items.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on October 02, 2017, 11:49:15 AM
BTW as an additional thank you, my favorite Kapustin album (back when I semi-regularly listened to his music; it's been a few years) was Steven Osborne's.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 06, 2017, 05:40:03 AM
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I figured it was time to try an all-Asian string quartet, so I went for the current year release from the Dragon Quartet.  The ensemble is comprised of four Chinese musicians who all have musical day jobs.  Li-Wei Qin appeared before in this thread when covering his Decca recording of Beethoven's Cello Sonatas.  Ning Feng, the first violinist, is a well known soloist with multiple recordings for Channel Classics under his belt.  Second violinist Weng Xiaomao is the concertmaster for the China National Ballet Orchestra.  Violist Zheng Wenxiao is the principal violist for the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.  So all of the members have proper, high-end credentials.  That more or less guarantees execution should be world-class.

Which it is.  This disc sees the Dragon taking on two war horses, Schubert's Death and the Maiden, and Dvorak's American, and this ensemble shows that they have the corporate chops to deliver the goods.  Their playing in the Schubert is, in a word, robust.  The first violinist calls the shots, but doesn't unduly dominate.  (Could be those Thomastik-Infeld strings he uses.)  The playing is precise and fast and energetic and the clean, slightly distant sound invites perhaps excessive volume.  There's a sleek feel to the playing, meaning that while every last detail is attended to in the Andante, one might miss a little bit more expression.  Or not.  Also, for people more disposed to a warmer overall string quartet sound, this ensemble will not be first choice.  There's an edge to the playing from time to time.  And people who like copious quantities of vibrato will be let down.  But those craving forward drive and insistent rhythm should be happy.  The Dvorak shares the same traits, and while there's plenty of energy, here the Lento could use just a bit more of a relaxed sound with more subtle dynamic shadings, though as in his LvB recording, Qin demonstrates that he's got the goods when called on.   

While the ensemble does not displace established favorites for either work - basically, leading Czech ensembles in both cases - the Dragon's playing and artistry is world class, and I would very much like to hear more from them in any or all core rep.  I'm thinking 20th Century stuff could be very nice.

I own only a few recordings from Channel Classics, and one trait they all have in common is SOTA sound.  As one sees from time to time from labels that strive for audiophile quality sound, the credits include a listing of hardware used, including Van den Hul cables - specifically the 3T, used exclusively through the recording and monitoring chains.  The classical music world needs more cross-branding. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 09, 2017, 05:18:41 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in "New" Music Log]


Noriko Ogawa is a name I've long been familiar with, but until now, I've never listened to her playing.  Ogawa, in concert with repertoire advisor Yukihisa Miyayama, put together a disc comprised of a dozen short works or collections of works from eleven composers, with the works composed between 1900 and 1981.  The works are presented mostly chronologically by year of composition.

The disc opens with Two Piano Pieces by Rentaro Taki, who died at the ripe old age of 24.  The brief pieces hark back to Beethoven or Brahms.  Next comes Three Pieces after the Flower, by Shukichi Mitsukuri.  The pieces sound more "Eastern", by virtue of the use of pentatonic scales, and one can sort of hear where a more minimalist Debussy might have been heading toward.  Rather like with Yu Long's DG disc of Chinese compositions, from time to time one hears some music that would not sound out of place if it came from Eastern European composers, and here there are flashes of Janacek.  Too, in the final of the three pieces, one hears an austerity that calls Mompou to mind.  Apparently, the first movement was dedicated to Wilhelm Kempff, which makes sense.  Meiro Sugawara's short piece Steam follows, and this is unabashedly French sounding, meaning one needn't strain to hear the influence of Debussy at all.  Kunihiko Kasimoto's Three Piano Pieces, from 1934, follows, and it is even more Debussyan in approach, at least to start.  It depicts three different scenes of three different women wearing kimonos in Tokyo.  Vaguely impressionistic and programmatic, the work is more than just enjoyable, it is substantive, and more than imitative.  Some of the music melds Debussy at his most "impressionistic" and his most daring with hints of Karol Szymanowski and a wholly original, not entirely Western sensibility.  Next up are three brief Ryukyu Dances from Yasuji Kiyose, and here the name that immediately comes to mind is Bartok in a mix of his folk and didactic works.  They are enjoyable if slight.  Kikuko Kanai's Maidens Under the Moon, which is also a Ryukyu dance, follows, and her work is more bouyant and excited.  Perhaps her study in Brazil imparted a sensibility, because this sounds more like Villa-Lobos or Granados.  (Alternatively, one can imagine it as an even more caffeinated Charbrier of the Bourrée fantasque.)  It's quite delightful.

Fumio Hayasaka's Autumn follows, and once again Debussy is probably the closest Western analog.  Kiyoshige Koyama's brief Kagome-Variation follows.  The piece crams a brief theme and eight brief variations into just over five short minutes.  Written in 1967, it's adventurous, simple-ish (it's meant for children), and folksy.  Akio Yashiro's Nocturne, from 1947, is another work that brings French composers to mind, though Ravel in Pavane seems more the style here.  Yoshinao Nakata's Variational Etude is a brief set of simple-ish Etudes meant for children, and in this case, Ogawa herself played it in public for the first time at the age of seven.  I daresay this recording is a bit more accomplished than that early effort.  The disc closes with works by Ryuichi Sakamoto.  The Piano Suite, from 1970, is unabashedly modern.  The booklet mentions Messiaen and Miyoshi as influences.  I can vouch for the former, but not the latter, but it is not hard to hear echoes of Schoenberg, either.  Some may find the music and playing simply clangorous and tuneless, but that would be a shame.  It's one of the best works on the disc.  The final piece is the title track, Just for Me.  While not as formidable as the Suite, and despite being "Schumannesque" (though the composer means that he let the ideas take him wherever they lead), the piece is both somewhat sparse and somewhat angular and quite modern, which makes sense for a 1981 work.  Not as compelling as the other piece by the composer, it makes for a strong end to the disc.

Rather like with Long Yu's collection of orchestral works, I doubt any pieces presented here ever become core rep or oft heard pieces for me, but there's some good stuff packed in the seventy-eight minute running time, and I will return to the disc.

The twenty-plus year old BIS sound is fantastic, as expected.  I need to get me Ogawa's Debussy cycle.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on October 09, 2017, 05:32:22 AM
Quote from: Todd on October 09, 2017, 05:18:41 AMThe disc closes with works by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Had no idea he wrote this kind of stuff, but I guess I'm not surprised in retrospect.

Quote
I need to get me Ogawa's Debussy cycle.
Yes you do.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: kishnevi on October 09, 2017, 05:31:42 PM
I thought you already had Ogawa's Debussy....
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 09, 2017, 05:40:03 PM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on October 09, 2017, 05:31:42 PM
I thought you already had Ogawa's Debussy....


No, it's one of the few complete cycles that I have wanted to buy but never have; it's never been a high enough priority.  I don't know how much longer I will wait.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 13, 2017, 05:50:35 AM
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Yin Chengzong appears to be something of a grand old man of Chinese pianism.  Born during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he lived through the upheavals in his country for decades and had to conform to artistic norms, and he managed to have a hand in creating and performing some works that are still around today.  He moved to the US in the early 80s, worked with some Western A-listers, and did the professor thing.  This recording of Debussy's Preludes dates from the late 90s, when Yin would have been in his late 50s.

Yin's pacing overall is slightly broad at over 83', but his pacing for each piece is just about spot-on.  Never once did I think his pacing was too slow, and his dynamic shading is superb, particularly at the quiet end of the spectrum.  His playing becomes nearly strident in the loudest passages, but the una corda use prevents that from coming to fruition in all but the very loudest passages.  Too, Yin's tonal palette is nicely varied.  Danseuses de Delphes starts the cycle off just swell, but Voiles offers a better sense of what the pianism is like when nuance rules, and while Le vent dans la plaine has some of that near hardness, it also reveals Yin as a pianist who can work harmonic (near-) magic, and play with clarity sufficient to appreciate some accompaniment patterns more than normal.  Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest approaches levels of hardness and oomph I usually associate with Zimerman, but Yin does something different, turning the piece into something more expressionistic than impressionistic, if you will, a big, hardened Etude that Schoenberg might have secretly edited, which is then followed by a soft La fille aux cheveux de lin as a musical antidote.  La Cathédrale engloutie, always the climax of the first book for me, starts off tense rather than calm, and builds to grand and satisfying fortissimo, bracing in its impact.  Yin sounds even more at home in the second book, with a more modern, more Etude-y feel overall.  Sometimes he manages to sort-of miss but even more hit, as in Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses, where the playing doesn't shimmer or sound as effortless and flowing as others, but that is purposefully done, and the effect is both enjoyable and distinct.  La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune finds Yin's right-hand playing slowly, but not too slowly, ascending very deliberately before transitioning to a dynamically constrained and cool piece.  Rarely does this piece stand out so much for not really standing out at all.  Well done.  Likewise Ondine.  Though very different, Yin's right hand playing craftily evokes Ravel's piece of the same name in subtle ways mostly focused on shimmering playing, and makes me wonder what he might have done with a full Gaspard.  Yin's style in Canope and Les tierces alternées ends up emphasizing slightly slow (overall) right hand playing with lots of focus on individual notes and chords, and the Feux d'artifice starts slow-ish, with almost comical left hand chords, before the fast, shimmering right hand comes to the fore.  The playing throughout is very fine, creating any mood the pianist wants to, with Yin equally at home in gentle and tender passages and powerful, masculine ones. 

Overall, I had no real expectations for this set since I'd never heard Mr Yin's playing, but it turns out to be rather good.  It doesn't displace my established favorites, but it doesn't have to. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 16, 2017, 05:24:29 AM
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I figured I might as well try some videos from Amazon while they're free.  This one seemed like a good place to start: An even younger Yuja Wang at the 2010 Verbier Festival playing some core rep advertised as focusing on Schubert and Schumann, with some Scriabin and Prokofiev included.

The recital opens with the Liszted Gretchen am Spinnrade from Schubert.  Unsurprisingly, Wang has no problem playing the music, and she just sort of cruises along, generating lovely, tuneful music as needed, playing the repeated right hand accompaniment with a serene ease, until the very Lisztian climax, which she dispatches with ease.  She seems more at home in the more virtuosic music, and she literally doesn't break a sweat, no matter how much of blur her hands become and how much of her shoulders she puts into it.  The same can be written about Auf dem Wasser zu singen.  Wang sounds more in control than Motoi Kawashima, which is no mean feat, but she never generates a steely sound.  Next is Erlkönig, and Wang just tears right into the piece.  Whether belting out left hand chords or dashing off repeated right hand notes, Wang just does her thing.  The playing lacks the last word in diabolicality when the boy buys the farm, but that's because it's too easy, though it should be stated that the playing does not want for bite and drive.  One can certainly want more in the way of warm lyricism throughout the three pieces, but that's not what Wang wants to do, and what she wants to do she does very well, indeed.

Schuman's Symphonic Etudes follow.  Wang's playing style better suits the Florestan passages.  She seems to relish the faster passages, playing with verve and dexterity at the level of Yuja Wang.  She often sounds fast, but never rushed.  The Allegro marcato fourth etude is comparatively light with crisp rhythm, and the Agitato sixth etude finds Wang playing at such velocity as to nearly sound rushed.  Nearly.  In the Andante eighth etude, one encounters the shortcoming of this performance, which is a Eusebius that seems moody, possibly due to excess caffeine consumption.  It's all outward and showy, but it works for what it is, as does the Mendelssohn-on-speed Presto possibile.  This is a version long on excitement and short on introspection and poetry, but there's no doubting the execution, or, really, the artistic vision.

The second half of the show, with Wang donning an even nicer looking dress than in the first half, starts off with some Scriabin.  The Prelude Op 11, No 11 is slightly quick but lovely and restrained.  The Op 13, No 6 Prelude sounds bold and fiery, while Op 11, No 12 is gorgeous and dreamy, showing that Wang can produce any sound and effect she chooses.  The Prelude Op 8, No 9 returns to fiery playing.  The Poem Op 32, No 1 again reveals Wang's more nuanced interpretive side, and makes me kinda hear what she can do with Debussy or, hell, why not, Mompou.  Volodos recorded Mompou, and that turned out well, to put it mildly. 

The last big work is Prokofiev's Sixth Sonata.  In the Allegro moderato, Wang is not afraid to play the dissonant passages with some real sting, and while she also plays with plenty of forward momentum in the faster passages, she also observes the moderato directive and doesn't speed through it just to speed through it.  She also plays with some touching tonal beauty in slower passages, and she real pounds out the most intense music later in the movement.  The Allegretto starts as a playful march and turns into something of a demented dance in the outer sections, though Wang keeps it from becoming dark or heavy.  Anchored by tangy right hand playing, the Tempo di valzer lentissimo is uncommonly lovely in the outer sections and rather pointed in the middle, while the Vivace closer moves forward at all times, even in the slow section, with Wang's drive and articulation world class.  This is an outstanding performance of the Sixth, one of the best I've heard, and it's the best thing I've heard from Wang.

The encores – Chopin's 64/2 Waltz, a transcription by Wang of a Melody from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, and Cziffra's supervirtuosic reworking of Strauss' Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka – all let Wang relax a bit and show what she can do in lighter fare, though not less demanding. 

Sound is excellent if not SOTA.  (I'm thinking a lossless copy would sound better than streaming.)  I think Ms Wang might just have a bright career ahead of her.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 20, 2017, 05:55:47 AM
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I enjoyed Yuja Wang's 2010 Verbier Festival recital enough to give her 2013 appearance with Gautier Capuçon a shot.  The pair play Cello Sonatas from Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff, and the Grand Tango for Cello and Piano by Astor Piazzolla. 

The program starts off with the Shostakovich.  In one of the less surprising occurrences in my listening experience, neither artist has any difficulty playing the music.  A bit more surprising, though not much, is that Capuçon is the star of the show.  Wang can and does play very well indeed, but she doesn't seem to have quite the same feel for DSCH that she does for Prokofiev, and while her playing cannot be faulted in terms of hitting the notes, she doesn't seem to infuse much urgency or darkness or bite.  The playing is more sleek and efficient, amply powerful when need, but in support of the cello.  Capuçon delivers the goods.  His tone, while not the biggest, at least as recorded, is full and rich, and his intonation is spot on.  He digs in when he should, and slashes away in the two Allegros as appropriate.  I've only got a couple other versions of this – Gabetta/Ursuleasa and Harrell/Ashkenazy – and this performance cedes overall quality to the Harrell/Ashkenazy version, which sounds more lived in, with both players giving their all, albeit in studio conditions with many takes possible.  (As an aside, the score Capuçon uses has the word "Beethoven" in large letters right across the top, as can be seen in the cover image.)

Wang seems to be more at home in the Rach.  Her playing sounds more flowing, and she's not shy about overpowering Capuçon on occasion.  He doesn't seem to mind ceding the limelight, and in any event, when it's his turn, he offers his own robust playing.  Rather like the Chiesa/Baglini pairing in this work, Capuçon/Wang offer a more modern, sleek take on romantic playing, though it might, might be slightly more romanticized than the studio effort.  It's certainly got the verve and the drama to satisfy, and comes off relatively better than the DSCH. 

Having finished off the big works, the duo deliver a beefy and vibrant and buoyant Piazzolla (extended) encore.  It's lighter than the other works, but it makes for a nice change of mood and leaves the patrons smiling. 

This recital basically lived up to expectations.  Two young/ish stars of the day deliver the goods in memorable if not necessarily for-the-ages performances.  If I had the chance to hear this duo in person, I'd happily plump for tickets. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: aukhawk on October 20, 2017, 07:10:55 AM
Quote from: Todd on October 20, 2017, 05:55:47 AM
Wang can and does play very well indeed, but she doesn't seem to have quite the same feel for DSCH that she does for Prokofiev, and while her playing cannot be faulted in terms of hitting the notes, she doesn't seem to infuse much urgency or darkness or bite.

Perhaps because, as I've remarked elsewhere, Shostakovich's piano music in general seems pitched somewhat below the highest level of virtuosity - which is not to say it isn't fine music, but it is music that Dmitri or Maxim can play.  Not playing to Wang's strengths, maybe.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 23, 2017, 05:33:14 AM
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I spotted Ilia Kim's new release of four Muzio Clementi sonatas and preludes a couple months back, and when it came out, it was available only at premium price.  As it turns out, the price of admission is $0.  Both of Ms Kim's CD releases are available on YouTube.  It appears that she's the one who posted the recordings, or perhaps it was her record label, so I figured I might as well try both, starting with the Clementi. 

Ms Kim was born in Seoul, started studying in her home country, moved to Germany for further study starting at age eleven, did some additional studies in Austria, and then commenced on the touring life, and eventually ended up in Italy.

The first work on the disc is Op 2, No 2, and Kim shows that she has a light, quick touch, sure rhythmic sense and command of the music.  The music is basically just light, fluid fun, with a tiny bit of drama in the Rondo.  Op 7, No 3 is much the same in the first movement, with a bit more fire in the last movement, and a more introspective, in a surface sort of way, Cantabile e lento.  The two brief Preludes are light fun.  The Op 13, No 6 sonata has a very Beethovenian sound to it, and perhaps Lou took some inspiration from it.  The disc ends with Op 40, No 3, which is slightly more robust yet, though it still remains in the late Mozart/Haydn, early Beethoven vein.  Since I happen to fancy that style of piano sonata, it's just splendid. 

Kim's playing overall is lighter and more superficial and slightly more stylistically contained than Pietro De Maria's, to mention my most recent foray into Clementi's music, but it is just about as compelling, and it makes me think I really need to explore more of the composer's oeuvre.  I just want that Tipo box, dammit.  I also need to listen to Kim's other disc post-haste.

Sound on YouTube can be problematic.  Here, it allows one to appreciate every aspect of Ms Kim's playing, but the piano sounds light.  Given Kim's liking for Fabbrini Steinways, I tempted to think it's a Fabbrini-ized model B or C - it certainly doesn't sound like a nine-footer - but the recording may be bass shy, or maybe Kim doesn't play with much left hand heft.  I may just have to buy the disc to see if the instrument info is included (it isn't always on Piano Classics releases), and to get every last iota of sound quality out of the recording. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 27, 2017, 05:33:08 AM
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Figured I might as well try Ilia Kim's first disc while it's still free.  The disc starts with Schumann's Humoreske.  The piano sound on YouTube is close and dry and a bit plinky, and doesn't display the sound usually produced by a Fabbrini Steinway, so listening through that, Kim plays with nice differentiation between the Florestan and Eusebius sections.  Her fingerwork is generally quite nimble, her dynamic contrasts ample, her rubato fine.  She sounds freer and more fluid than either Hisako Kawamura or Da Sol Kim, though the latter's command sounds more sure.  That written, Ms Kim's Eusebius is dreamier and more introspective yet expressive than the other two pianists, and she plays much more than just surface deep.  I rather dig her approach to Schumann.

The Liszt Sonata, at thirty-one minutes, is on the broad side overall, though much of the playing is suitably swift.  To be sure, while she can play the work well, when compared to the last three versions I listened to before this - Kamenz, Angelich, and Pogorelich - Kim does not display superhuman virtuoso command; rather, she displays the more human variety.  Also, in comparison to those three very distinctive readings, Kim's is fairly straight-forward.  She does take her time with some of slower music, and it sounds attractive, though it doesn't offer a tender musical portrait of Gretchen, a la Kamenz, but instead offers a more abstract and formal approach.  There's a lot to enjoy in this recording, but it's not one of the great recordings of the work.  If a listener wants to go the YouTube route for the Sonata, I would certainly suggest the 1982 University of Maryland performance by Nelson Freire instead.

Franck's Prélude, Choral et Fugue ends the disc.  Chamayou and Block and maybe Rubackytė aside, I tend to power through this work when it pops up on a disc.  The small-ish scale, bass light sound of the recording actually benefits the piece here, which Kim dispatches with enough verve to entertain.  I doubt I will ever listen to this disc again because of this piece, though.

The YouTube sound of the Fabbrini Steinway is bass light and ultimately not satisfactory, so I will probably have to buy both of Ms Kim's discs at some point to get a better idea of what she sounds like.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 30, 2017, 04:53:11 AM
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Klara Min is yet another Korean pianist with a fine pedagogical pedigree making a first appearance in my collection.  In her case, she studied with no less a pianist than Byron Janis, so one must assume she has chops.  True, she stated that his lessons were more about musical philosophy than technique, but since she was already a degreed adult when she started working with the great pianist, that sort of makes sense.  Apparently, she's also up on the business side of things as she founded and is the artistic director of New York Concert Artists and Associates, and she currently lives in both New York and Berlin.  This recording of assorted Scriabin works on the Steinway & Sons label is her third release, and also her third label.  Though the release has no booklet, the marketing folks still managed to squeeze in four tasteful glamour shots of the pianist. 

The disc contains thirty-four tracks of Scriabin's smaller scale fare, with the 24 Preludes Op 11 taking up the lion's share of the disc.  Min displays a wonderfully nuanced touch from note one.  Her tone is a bit bright overall, but there are many shades to be heard, and her dynamic nuances are quite appealing.  While the first four tracks all sound just lovely, it's the fifth track, the Poeme fantastique, Op 45, No 2, where one's ears really perk up.  Mostly quiet and lovely, she seductively deploys both rubato and dual dynamic levels somewhere between p and pp.  The playing is fastidious to the Nth degree, but here that is high praise, not criticism.  Finally, in the Sixth Prelude, Min plays with some oomph, and it turns out just swell.  She plays loud from time to time throughout the disc, but mostly the music is less extroverted and the style more inward looking.  It takes not inconsiderable skill to make the playing sound as appealing as here.  So much beauty, so much control, so much nuance.

The 2015 recording was made in Sono Luminus Studios, and not unexpectedly, sound is superb.  The close microphone placement definitely benefits the quieter playing more, though maybe a tad more space could have benefitted the loudest passages.  I look forward to hearing more from Ms Min. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 03, 2017, 06:03:31 AM
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I spotted this disc of conductor Shi-Yeon Sung leading the Gyeonggi Philharmonic in Mahler's Fifth recently, and I tried to decide if I should buy it.  It looks like I didn't have to.  UMG uploaded the disc to YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkKahBboqgY&list=PLlxE-pcMA1N4x1vVoZo0qBDQsaI7PTpCU), and the Gyeonggi Philharmonic uploaded a concert performance of the same symphony to YouTube, as well (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqVmq51srzM).  I figured I might as well go the free route since it is open, and I figured I should listen to both versions, just because.

To the conductor, Shi-Yeon Sung is one of a small but growing number of female conductors, and she's been on something of a roll in the last decade or so.  Born in South Korea, she took up the piano at age four, trained at various European music schools of note, started winning major conducting contests in 2006, became the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Assistant Conductor in 2007, and Chief Conductor of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014.  I was very much interested in hearing this recording if for no other reason than I've never heard a woman conduct Mahler.

To the music, both versions are, not surprisingly, very similar in overall approach.  The Decca recording, even on YouTube, sounds better, and the execution sounds more assured, almost certainly due in part to multiple takes.  The following description applies to both versions, unless noted.  The Trauermarsch starts slow and solemn, with Sung building up to some more intense playing later on.  Everything holds together quite well.  Better yet is the second movement, which certainly starts off vehemently stormy, but Sung and her band back off nicely and then alternate between tightly executed, stormy playing, and something more introspective.  The music never sounds maudlin or overwrought.  In the concert version, Sung brings out the dance-like elements of the Scherzo very nicely, and she keeps much of the music light (for Mahler) and the pacing very nice.  The brass may not equal a band like the CSO, but that's OK, it's a concert.  The Decca version sounds somewhat stiffer or more formal, though more tightly conceived.  There are no brass issues of note.  The live Adagietto is just lovely and at about ten-ish minutes, nicely paced.  The studio effort at closer to eleven-ish minutes, is more beautiful yet, and more overtly romantic.  The Rondo is played at a nice tempo, has ample energy and adequate clarity and ends up closing out the work in excellent fashion.  Overall, I rather enjoyed both renditions.  I'd give the overall nod to the Decca recording.  While neither is the best version I've heard, both are far from the worst.  I'm not sure I feel compelled to buy a copy since the symphony is not my favorite, but it is clear that Ms Sung should record more, and depending on what, if anything, she records, I may very well snap up future offerings.  If she ends up recording a Mahler cycle, I will likely buy it.

There are some sound issues in the live recording.  The highs are rolled off, and the lows, while weighty (augmented by the use of a sub), are muddy.  The Decca upload sounds better, with more extension, better clarity, and better everything else, too.  I suspect the disc or a lossless download would sound better yet.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 06, 2017, 05:05:08 AM
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Time for more Chopin, this time from Dizhou Zhao.  Mr Zhao was born and raised in Shanghai, where he obtained most of his training, though he also spent some time studying with Jerome Lowenthal.  He competed in multiple competitions, though not the biggest name ones, and after winning the Louisiana International Piano Competition, he recorded this 2009 disc of Chopin's Etudes for the Russian label Classical Records.

Zhao is one of a growing number of pianists who seem to have no real problem playing these pieces.  The playing throughout the set is generally excellent, and one can hear why the pianist might do well in competitions.  Zhao seems at his best in the faster pieces that can benefit from tight execution and flashy display.  For instance, 10/5 is especially fleet and exciting.  However, this is followed by a 10/6 that doesn't sound especially expressive.  And so it mostly goes throughout the first dozen etudes.  Op 25 opens with a more expressive first etude, and the the third is played as a dandy, light galop.  The second set contains a dud in 25/5, which doesn't sound really coherent, but otherwise the other eleven etudes in this set come off slightly better than the first dozen. 

This isn't really a bad recording, but the thing with the Etudes is that there are so many really good and great recordings to choose from that merely acceptable won't do.  Among younger pianists, Lisiecki and Chochieva both deliver versions more to my liking, as do Freire and Yokoyama and Pollini and, well, you get the idea. 

The recording is available on YouTube. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 10, 2017, 06:00:11 AM
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I finally got around to a disc from a pianist I've been generically aware of for a while.  Soyeon Lee was born in Seoul, and spent the first nine years of her life in her original homeland, but then she and her family moved to the US, where she still lives.  She studied at the Juilliard under Jerome Lowenthal, among others, and has won competitions and is now a professor.  She's recorded a handful of discs for Naxos, the first of which was this Scarlatti job in its long-gestating complete set. 

There's certainly no doubt about Ms Lee's chops.  She handles all of the sonatas with ease, with superb dynamic control, a generally snappy rhythmic sense, and well-judged ornamentation.  There's no weak piece on the disc.  It's the very model of high-grade pianism playing very fine core rep.  What's not as apparent is a strong individual character.  Consider Pletnev and Baglini and Pogorelich and Babayan and Zacharias, with their freer dynamics and rubato, and they produce more of a sense of adventure.  Alternatively, Schiff and Hinrichs offer more introspective Scarlatti.  Lee is more straight-forward.  There's certainly nothing wrong with that, and I can see some listeners preferring that approach. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 13, 2017, 05:18:18 AM
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I wanted some more chamber music from an Asian ensemble, so I settled on the sole disc from the Kumho Asiana String Quartet.  As with the Dragon Quartet, the cellist is known to me: the great Sung-Won Yang.  This is an early recording from him.  His fellow ensemble members here are Eui-Myung Kim and Soon-Ik Lee on violins, and Eun-Hwan Bai on viola.  The ensemble was funded by the Kumho Corporation of Korea and gave free concerts back in the day.  I wouldn't mind one little bit if some socially conscious corporation opted to give back in that form again now.  The disc contains three core rep staples: Haydn's 76/3, the Ravel, and Dvorak's American Quartet.  It was recorded in LA in 1996.

The disc starts off with the Haydn.  Right out of the gate, one can detect stylistic differences between the Kumho and the Dragon.  While the Dragon are all about modern, sleek execution, the Kumho allow themselves a bit more fun and lightness and flexibility.  The Allegro is bouncy fun, the Poco adagio, with expressive but not overdone vibrato, is elegant and restrained - but not too much so - and the Menuetto is a sprightly, fun dance, and the whole thing wraps up with a vibrant Finale.  The first violin does seem to be in charge, but everyone is heard.  The Ravel is lovely and sounds quick and energetic more than lush.  The Assez vif is really nice and rhythmically incisive, and the clarity of the second violin and viola is quite delightful.  The last two movements are well executed and sleek.  The Dvorak sounds more relaxed, more lyrical, more romantic in nature than the Dragon Quartet.  Think of it as closer to a Czech quartet in approach, whereas the Dragon is closer to an American quartet like the Emerson or Juilliard.  Which approach is right?  Well, both, of course.  Which is better?  Typically, I prefer the approach offered by Czech ensembles and the Kumho Asiana.  To be sure, the great Czech ensembles have the more rustic, folk inspired music down a bit better, and can sound smoother, but the Kumho Asiana are very fine, indeed.  While better versions of each work are available, this is an extremely fine one off disc. 

The recording is available of YouTube.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 20, 2017, 05:52:39 AM
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Miao Huang at bat.  Born in China, Ms Huang performed most of her formal studies in Germany, where she now lives.  In addition to studying piano, and like Corey Cerovsek and Kit Armstrong, Ms Huang is a bona fide intellectual in another area, having earned a master's in business mathematics.  This Chopin and Ravel disc on Genuin from 2013 is her only one so far. 

This is the fourth new recording of Chopin's Third Sonata I've bought in the last few months, and I'm not really a huge fan of the work.  Huang, unlike the others, omits the repeat in the Allegro maestoso.  She plays with flexibility and tonal variety similar to Gotsouliak's, though she plays more quickly.  She does not play with the poetry and sweep of Goerner, but she's not necessarily lacking in those areas.  She does not display the forensic precision and command of Lim, but she's no slouch.  And by omitting the repeat, the movement, as played here, seems to cohere better than Gotsouliak's recording, as well as a number of others.  Huang zips through the Scherzo with a robust smoothness, and opens the Largo with suitable power before moving to a more lilting and lovely style that flows along nicely, even if the playing lacks the coherence and flawlessly maintained musical line that Lim offers.  The Presto nan tanto is played at a nicely energetic but not rushed pace, and Huang again displays nice tonal variation and a flowing sound.  She's not afraid to pedal to obtain her effects, which is just fine.  It is an excellent version overall, and I prefer it to Gotsouliak, but it is not as compelling as either Goerner's or Lim's readings.

The Barcarolle follows.  It is about the same length as Lim's, but here one can hear her sounding a bit more rushed than Lim, and while her warmer tone might be considered more attractive in some ways than Lim's, and her playing is really quite fine, it just doesn't possess the same degree of overall awesomeness that Lim brings.

Gaspard ends the disc.  In Ondine, Huang's warm, rounded tone - her playing displays zero rough edges throughout - does an excellent job creating a lovely, clean yet dreamy sound, and the climax has a formidable left hand foundation.  Le Gibet maintains the warm sound, which could be something of a distraction given the music, but she keeps it slow and controlled.  Huang dispatches Scarbo with admirable clarity and energy, but it lacks especially wide dynamic swings, and it lacks something in terms of scampishness, malevolence, or rude vigor that the best versions bring.  It's a bit too polite.  Huang's Gaspard is excellent overall, but here there are many top flight versions from decades ago as well as the recent past, and this doesn't displace or augment my favorites. 

SOTA sound. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 27, 2017, 05:49:40 AM
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I enjoyed Julius-Jeongwon Kim's hard-hitting Schubert, so I figured why not try some of his earlier work for EMI.  I settled on Rach 2 paired with Tchaikovsky 1.  You don't get a more warhorse heavy disc than that.  Old hand Vladimir Valek is on hand for stick waving duties, with the NDR Radiophilharmonie doing the orchestra thing.  I went the zero additional outlay route as this is available for streaming from multiple sources.

The disc opens with Rach 2.  The opening Moderato is at least moderate, and perhaps a bit languid to open, but it falls within normal performance parameters.  Kim's dispatches the fastest, most challenging bits with seeming ease, and he coaxes some appealing sounds from his instrument, but nothing really pops out.  The Adagio is generically attractive, with everything sounding more or less right, and Kim does a good job in the slower and quieter music, but he seems a bit more at home playing the few louder passages.  In the Allegro scherzando, Kim plays with more gusto, and the effect is predictably excellent, if nothing that hasn't been done before.  Overall, this is a perfectly fine version of the concerto, but it lacks that something special that the best versions have.

The Tchaikovsky is a tough piece to make me love, or even really like.  Freire and Abduraimov manage the trick handily, Argerich and Cliburn a bit less so.  Not even the mighty Arcadi Volodos really knocks it out of the park here, so it's not surprising that Kim and crew don't quite do that, either.  The opening movement has grand gestures and romantic swagger, though some tempi choices are not the most electric out there.  The Andantino semplice is more delightful than normal, with a light, almost balletic feel to it, and Kim proves up to the challenge of dashing off some passages with real elan.  Kim and Valek then deliver a very energetic and playful Allegro con fuoco, closing the work out nicely.  Overall, it's comparatively better than the Rach, but it doesn't rise to the level of the four pianists listed first, though it is better than my memories of some other notable recordings. 

This is the type of recording that streaming was made for.  Everything is fine and superbly played and professional, but I would never spin this a lot if I owned a physical copy. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 04, 2017, 05:39:46 AM
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Another Amazon Add-on entry.  Pianist Sachiko Furuhata-Kersting (SFK from now on) was born in Yokohama, started studying at a very young age, concertized in Japan, studied at the Music Academy in Tokyo, and then moved to Germany to complete her studies at two different academies, where Roberto Szidon was one of her teachers.  She's got two releases on Oehms under her belt, and, due to price and repertoire, the Beethoven and Schumann ditty ended up in my possession.

The disc opens with the Mondschein, and SFK goes for a slow, eight-minute opener.  She maintains a steady tempo, plays with nice dynamic control, and doesn't break the line, but ultimately the movement just ends up sounding too slow.  The Allegretto is bizarre, with SFK playing some at a brisk pace, but then she deploys rushed rubato for no good reason and uses pauses to not so good effect.  The Presto agitato finds SFK playing fast, and playing some chords so fast that they blend together, or she doesn't play them all.  She rides the sustain quite a bit, blurring some passages to the point where the notes are undifferentiated, undulating blurs.  More excessive rubato pops up, too, and SFK slows way up in the middle, presumably to create a darker mood.  SFK's interpretation is definitely different, unique.  I'm not sold on it.  The WoO 80 Variations follow.  Coming so soon after Kissin's not so hot sounding but very well played take, one gets to hear a very fine sounding, but not as well played take.  SFK plays some of the variations with a nice degree of oomph, but she also deploys her rubato and plays some passages in what I must assume is purposely garbled and/or blurred fashion.  Interpretive chicanery can work better in a variations setting, and so it goes here to an extent, but, as with the sonata, I'm not sold on the interpretation.

Schumann's Symphonic Etudes follow, first with the standard set, then with all of the five posthumous variations tacked on to the end.  The pianist goes for the super slow approach in the opening Andante.  It might work slightly better than in the Beethoven.  Fortunately, SFK switches gears in the first etude, though she again uses her by now standard interpretive devices.  She then mostly resorts to, well, variations on those devices.  To her credit, in the fourth etude she takes the marcato designation very seriously, though the eighth etude seems a tad less seriously devoted to accented playing, instead sounding comparatively lyrical.  SFK then works her way through the rest of the pieces using her standard devices again before playing the Finale in loud, highly energetic fashion, though the playing seems close to being uncontrolled at some points.  The posthumous variations sound rather like the main work, with the same results.  Overall, Schumann's music can often withstand or even benefit from interventionist playing, but even so, I'm not sold of SFK's Schumann, either.

Superb, fully modern sound with not a little breathing and pedal mechanism noise audible.  In the Schumann, it sounds like the piano goes out of tune a few times, but nothing too major (and certainly not like the Rach concerto from Sokolov). 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 08, 2017, 05:55:53 AM
You mention you are a fan of Sung-Won Yang.  You might be interested in this.

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  I had decided I already have too many sets of the cello suites, but plan to find some way to give it a listen.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 08, 2017, 05:58:19 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on December 08, 2017, 05:55:53 AM
You mention you are a fan of Sung-Won Yang.  You might be interested in this.

(https://www.israbox.one/uploads/posts/2017-12/1512646958_sung-won-yang-j_s_-bach-cello-suites-2017.jpg)

  I had decided I already have too many sets of the cello suites, but plan to find some way to give it a listen.


That and the earlier EMI set are both on my radar.  UMG uploaded this set to YouTube.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mookalafalas on December 08, 2017, 04:42:18 PM
Quote from: Todd on December 08, 2017, 05:58:19 AM

That and the earlier EMI set are both on my radar.  UMG uploaded this set to YouTube.

  I'm listening right now.  I like it a lot, but then I can say that about quite a few sets.  Has a greater focus on the lyrical, harmonic side, but without giving in to a romantic interpretation.  Mostly eschews the dance/rhythmic focus some hip-sters go for, except for places like the bourree in No. 4, where he pulls out the stops. He seems to have a greater affinity for the high than the low end of the scale. It sometimes feels like he's playing a big viola--almost none of that straining for deep bass rumblings that most go for. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 11, 2017, 05:26:45 AM
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Since Piano Classics uploads many of its titles to YouTube, there's no reason to buy many recordings from the label any more, or at least there isn't if the proposition itself is dodgy.  A case in point: Yuan Sheng's three-disc collection of Chopin's piano music played on an 1845 Pleyel.  The issue here is not Sheng, whom I've never heard before, but the instrument.  I'm not really a fortepiano guy, and the little HIP Chopin I've heard has been OK-to-good, so the YouTube route makes more sense for me.  Piano Classics uploaded the three discs as one massive three hour and twenty minute video, so breaks are needed.  Alternatively, all fifty-two tracks have been uploaded separately by Kontor New Media. 

Yuan Sheng is a Beijing-born pianist who received is early training in his home country before heading to New York to study at the Manhattan School, and then enter competitions.  He has played around the world, and he also made some recordings of Bach keyboard music for Piano Classics.

Going by disc, the first disc contains the Ballades and Impromptus.  Sheng plays with nice speed and energy throughout all the Ballades, rather like Wojciech Switala on a disc I recently bought, though the Pole's fingerwork seems more dexterous.  Sheng, though, even through YouTube, gets slightly more robust bass from his instrument, and greater apparent dynamic range. Sheng also plays with a slightly more lyrical style in the last two Ballades.  His style and the instrument combine to render the Impromptus quite good.  The faster decays make some of the runs sound crisper and faster than they are probably actually played, and keeps the works lighter overall.  The Fantaisie-Impromptu comes off especially well, the twangy string that interrupts the silences notwithstanding. 

The second disc starts off with the Preludes.  Sheng's overall approach is fairly standard in conception, and much less interventionist than Sheila Arnold's recording on an 1839 Erard.  Sheng's Pleyel sounds closer in overall sound to a modern grand, creating a bigger sound, and an often more lyrical sound.  Sheng doesn't hit his keyboard quite as hard as Arnold hits hers, and the microphones seem a bit more distant, so the almost extreme dynamic contrasts are missing, but it sounds fine, and if the tolling final notes of the last Prelude don't have the impact of Arnold's, they have enough heft. 

The remainder of the set is devoted to the Nocturnes.  After Wojciech Switala's sole Noctunre on an 1848 Pleyel, my expectations for Sheng's take on twenty of the works were not too high.  Sheng easily surpassed my expectations.  It took only until 9/2 to hear the benefits a HIP keyboard can bring: fast decays leading to superb clarity in fast passages, allowing the pianist to accelerate and glide over the keys while maintaining a proper melody.  It also does not take long to hear what HIP keyboards cannot do: the bass line generally doesn't match the melody, the sustain rarely creates a dark atmosphere, the dynamic contrasts are not as pronounced as with a modern grand.  Some of the pieces become almost salon music again.  I write almost, because in some pieces, Sheng does generate scale and power than seems better suited to more intimate public performance spaces.  (I listened in my system with a sub, so that may have augmented things a bit.)  He does generate a darker, or at least hazier atmosphere on occasion, mostly in the later Nocturnes.  Sheng exceeded expectations so much that I may, at some point, keep an eye out for a different HIP set of Nocturnes to try in physical format.  Hell, I may buy this trio in physical format.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 18, 2017, 05:14:00 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in "New" Music Log]


The last of the trio of three buck discs of contemporary music.  This disc fits squarely in both The Asian Invasion and "New" Music Log threads because of the participation of three Asian artists, and all of the works are contemporary and by five composers I'd never even seen the names of prior to buying this disc.  It could also fit into a women's thread since all three performing artists, and one of the composers, are women.  Pianist Sang Hie Lee, born and partly educated in South Korea, formed Ars Nostra to explore and cultivate new music for two pianos which she plays along with Martha Thomas.  Both Lee and Thomas are academics with multiple advanced degrees from various universities, and Ms Lee also does research into health and biomechanics pertaining to musicians.  Kyoung Cho joins the duo in the first work, and she is likewise a Korean born academic-musician, currently teaching at the University of South Florida. 

The first work is Chera in Nain (2009) by Eun-Hye Park, for two pianos, soprano, and gong.  It is based on the story in Luke of Jesus raising a widow's son from the dead.  The vocal parts, performed by Kyoung Cho, are in Greek and Korean and alternate between narration and a sort of singspiel.  The music is modern, with angular phrasing, some tone clusters, and a generally clangorous sound.  It's not terrible, but it's not a great work.

Next is ...Aber Jetzt Die Nacht... (2013) by Lewis Nielson.  The work is based on a journal entry by a concentration camp victim, and at a bit over nineteen minutes, it the longest piece on the disc.  It is jagged, dark, at times quite intense, and a reasonable short-hand description would be to think of Schoenberg and Messiaen blended together, with perhaps hints of Prokofiev thrown in.  If that blend sounds appealing, then this piece might appeal; if not, probably not.  Additional devices are used to extract novel sounds from the piano (eg, soft head hammer, horsehair brush, and E-bow), and for the most part the effects add to, rather than detract from, the proceedings.  The use of two pianos does allow for a more powerful sonority and greater weight than a single instrument could achieve, and had the set been recorded to SOTA standards, the impact would likely be greater.

Celestial Phenomena (2008) by Gerald Chenoweth follows.  An "intuitive" tone poem for two pianos, it strives to depict things like the Big Bang, a black hole, starshine, and the like in its ten or so minutes.  The massive lower register tone clusters than open the Big Bang do a fine job of opening the work, and the often thick harmonies take maximum advantage of the two pianos in use.  (One can envision what a duo like Michel Dalberto and Michael Korstick might be able to deliver in the opening.)  The description "tone poem" ends up be pretty accurate, because the piece flows from one brief section to the next logically and smoothly.  This is a very modernist piece, with some big dollops of minimalism, some more hints of Messiaen, and it's definitely not a first choice work for people who want traditional melodies in their music. 

Paul Reller's Sonata for Two Pianos (2008) is more formally structured than the preceding works, and is divided into three movements played attacca.  Influenced by American musical forms - jazz, blues, and rock, as well as American composers of days gone by like McDowell and Ives - the piece is weighty, dense, and though new to my ears, the more formal approach of the piece made it sort of predictable in overall arc.  That's neither a good nor bad thing, it just is.  It's more accessible than a fair chunk of post-war piano music, sounding more like it could have been written in the 20s or 30s.   

The concluding work is Windhover (2009) by Daniel Perlongo.  The piece is an extended work inspired by a poem inspired by the Eurasian Kestrel.  Unsurprisingly, given the inspiration, Messiaen once again comes to mind, but only rarely, and Perlongo is no mere copycat.  The hints at birdsong are not as dynamically wide ranging as the Frenchman's music, nor is the writing quite as unpredictable.  Perlongo's harmonic invention often falls much easier on the ear, too, with more than a few lovely sounds to be heard, and he does a creditable job creating a sort of static sound, creating a musical image of the depicted bird hovering.  The work sort of overstays its welcome, though.

Overall, this disc is good, the pianists and the vocal artist (who doesn't really sing here) all do good work, but really, for me, only Celestial Phenomena held my interest sufficiently to warrant more than a handful of listens.  Others could very well be much more enthusiastic about the disc as a whole. 

The disc is taken from a single live performance at the University of South Florida in Tampa in March 2016.  Sound quality is more of the efficient reporting than aural luxury type. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 01, 2018, 07:30:31 AM
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Hai-Kyung Suh's first appearance in the thread.  Ms Suh was born in Korea, started training early, then moved first to Japan and then to the US to finish her studies.  She now lives in New York.  I first spotted her in a Mozart concerto twofer paired with Neville Marriner, though I've not listened to that yet.  She's recorded a variety of other core rep discs, including the complete Rach concertos, and most are available for streaming on YouTube, but I decided to sample something different.

This disc is a collection of nineteen miniatures from core rep (Schubert, Chopin, etc) or just shy of core rep (Field, Falla) composers.  Some of the pieces included are very well known, some others less so, but it is basically an assortment of encores.  The disc takes its name from its first track, Schubert's Nacht und Traüme D827.  Suh plays it with a gentle, steady, lovely touch, that is a bit slow and deliberate, and this carries over to pretty much the whole disc.  Sometimes the pieces can sound bland (Schumann's Traumerei), sometimes a bit stodgy but not without appeal (Chopin's Nocturne In C Sharp Minor and Berceuse), sometimes a very nice if somewhat restrained fit (Liszt's Un Sospiro), to just plain good fits (Grieg and Brahms).  Not infrequently, I wanted a little more color, a little more energy, a little more insight.  It's not a bad disc, but it's sort of a background music type of disc.  Another example of streaming coming in handy.  I'll probably give her Mozart or Rach a go at some point.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: aukhawk on January 05, 2018, 02:09:08 AM
Quote from: Todd on October 30, 2017, 04:53:11 AM
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Klara Min is yet another Korean pianist with a fine pedagogical pedigree making a first appearance in my collection.  ... ...

The 2015 recording was made in Sono Luminus Studios, and not unexpectedly, sound is superb.  The close microphone placement definitely benefits the quieter playing more, though maybe a tad more space could have benefitted the loudest passages.  I look forward to hearing more from Ms Min.

Such as her Chopin Mazurkas, recorded in 2012 and for a different label, Delos.

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Programming is a problem - I mean who wants to listen to 17 consecutive Mazurkas?  12 of these are in a minor key, which made the disc very attractive to me, and for the most part this is quiet and contemplative music.  So much so that the two C major Mazurkas played back to back plumb in the middle of the recital come as a bit of a rude interruption.  I'm no expert on Chopin style, but Klara Min seems me to adopt a neutral approach, gentle but with great clarity and very well recorded, that lets the music shine through.  Very enjoyable - but maybe over two or three sessions, 5 or 6 Mazurkas at a time is enough!
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 08, 2018, 05:17:36 AM
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More music from Sung-Won Yang, this time an assortment of short pieces with French ensemble Les Bons Becs.  Said ensemble is a wind and percussion ensemble based in France, with a heavy dose of clarinets.  The disc veers into crossover territory with its inclusion of one work each from Sonny Bono and David Bowie to go along with short pieces from the likes of Albeniz, Kreisler, Villa-Lobos, Schubert, and so on.  That Schubert's Ave Maria survives its transcription still sounding lovely is no surprise at all, and for the most part the other works all sound just fine, if one approaches this disc as a light entertainment.  The transcriptions of two traditional pieces - Amazing Grace and El cant dels ocells - don't work as well, though the former would probably have worked better had Yang played it solo.  Make no mistake, the artists all know their stuff and play very well, and Yang's tone is absolutely lovely and lyrical when needed, and a bit weightier when needed, too.  As with his work with Trio Owon and Enrico Pace, he's also a star who does not need to always be the center of attention.  It's a fun recording, and since UMG uploaded it to YouTube, there's no reason to spend even a nickel on it. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 15, 2018, 05:37:00 AM
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Another Add-on snag.  For under $5, I picked up Pi-Hsien Chen's complete Bach Partitas.  I've seen Ms Chen's name mentioned before, and her Schoenberg is on my to-consider list, but this is the first time I've listened to her playing.  Ms Chen was born in Taiwan, started studying early, did the child prodigy thing (first performance at age five), moved to Germany to study at a young age, got her diploma, and did post-diploma studying with Hans Leygraf, Wilhelm Kempff, and Claudio Arrau, among others.  She did the competition circuit, winning first prize in both the Schoenberg and Bach competitions. 

Before sampling Chen's playing, I revisited a better known quantity in András Schiff's Decca recording.  Schiff's playing sounds immaculate, lovely, tastefully ornamented, and expressive without overdoing it.  It's just delightful.  (I prefer his ECM recording, but I hadn't listened to the Decca set in a while, so it got the nod.)  Ms Chen's very recent set has a much closer, drier sound than Schiff's, and her playing is a bit starker, with sparser pedaling and more staccato playing.  Her tone is quite attractive, her dynamic control exact and fine.  Her rhythmic style changes piece to piece.  Sometimes, in faster pieces, she plays quickly and with real snap, and other times - the Sarabande of the third Partita, for instance - her playing takes on a very deliberate, very contemplative, almost-stiff-but-not-quite sound.  Sometimes, she manages to mix together seemingly disparate traits successfully, like in the Praeambulum of the Fifth, which alternates between playful and buoyant, and slightly deliberate yet still fun playing.  She also manages to make the Tempo di Minuetto sound personal and unique.  Really, BWV829 emerges as the relatively best thing in the set.  And the whole set is very fine, indeed.  I can't say that it is better than Schiff or Perahia, and I would be surprised if other listeners found it superior to other established favorites, but this newcomer fits right in with other heavy hitters.  This set justifies its standard price; at clearance price, it's a steal.

Good stuff.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on January 15, 2018, 10:49:17 AM
I'm a fan of her playing in general but didn't know this existed, so thanks...
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 22, 2018, 05:26:37 AM
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I figured it was time for a wunderkind, in the form of Niu Niu.  Niu Niu, real name Zhang Shengliang, was born in China way back in 1997, started playing piano at age three, gave his first performance at age six, and then at the advanced age of nine he started studying under Hung-Kuan Chen in Boston and he also signed with EMI, releasing a Mozart album in 2008.  This disc of Liszt transcriptions was released later in his career, when he was fifteen.  He is now twenty years old.  How time flies.

The pieces included are not my favorite Liszt works, which made this an ideal candidate for streaming.  The first piece, the transcription of Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre, reveals Niu Niu to be a young man possessed of awesome technical equipment.  He seems to have no trouble with the music.  Nothing seems fast enough or dazzling enough.  If he needs to play loud, he seems to have many dynamic gradations between mezzo-forte and fortissimo.  Really, how loud do you want it?  Now, he does back off a bit in the Schubert transcriptions, but lyricism and nuance, particularly on the low dynamic end, is somewhat lacking.  Playfulness and excitement, though, are not.  Das Wandern is played as a virtuosic bon-bon, and Erlkönig finds Niu Niu playing with verve, stabbing out some flinty upper register notes.  Not surprisingly, the three Liszt Paganini Etudes presented are all played effortlessly.  If one might say depth is absent, that might be more the fault of the music.  The Wagner transcriptions start off with Liebestod that offers more nuance than some of the prior playing might have indicated would be on offer, and Niu Niu has no problems scaling up his playing to a nice quasi-orchestral sound, and if not the tenderest or most touching of renditions, it works.  The Spinnerslied is playful and fun, and almost sounds like Mendelssohn.  (Gasp!)  After a nice O du, mein holder Abendstern, the disc switches back to Liszt.  The famous Liebestraume is nice played but doesn't sound especially dreamy.  The disc ends with the Grand Galop Chromatique.  Only Jorge Bolet has managed to make it sound like proper music.  Niu Niu takes a tack similar to France Clidat in playing it as an unabashed and vulgar showpiece, but he displays absolute command and flashy showmanship in quantities necessary to pull it off.  It's not musically satisfying, but it would garner much applause as an encore. 

This is a nice enough disc, and given the pianist's age when he made it, one can hope that he ends up maturing a bit more and focusing a bit less on dazzle and more on insight.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 29, 2018, 05:26:44 AM
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My first proper (ie, physical media/lossless) exposure to the artistry of violinist Suyoen Kim.  As she records for Deutsche Grammophon Korea, I assumed she was Korean, but that is not the case.  She is German, born and raised and educated.  Nonetheless, since this release is on DG Korea and she's a bigger star in South Korea than the West, I'm going to post about the disc here.

Earlier in this thread, I covered Ji Young Lim and Dong Hyek Lim playing some Mozart and Beethoven, and I found it well played but somewhat safe.  This all-Mozart disc is more my speed.  Three Violin Sonatas are included, as are two works for Violin and Viola.  Right from the opening bars of K454, where Kim is paired with pianist Evgeni Bozhanov, it is apparent that this set is more robust, more individual, and if not exactly "dangerous" to the other disc's safe, it has some ear catching interpretive devices.  Kim's playing is precise and assured, and she isn't afraid to use healthy dollops of vibrato - or unhealthy, according to taste.  Also, Mr Bozhanov turns out to be a very ear catching accompanist.  His tone is lovely and sort of bell like in higher registers, his articulation mighty fine.  He plays fast or slow movement with a nice fluidity.  The music itself just seems to flow better in all three sonatas than the Lim/Lim disc, and indeed, while I haven't gone overboard on Mozart's Violin Sonatas, I can't think of any versions that are any more to my liking, not even Zukerman/Neikrug or Boskovsky/Kraus.  The disc starts with a very fine K454, and I would have been happy with the other two sonatas being like that, but no, K304 follows, and the degree of fun and bounce and grooviness in the opening movement is positively delightful, while the second movement is more restrained.  This duo ends with another delightful performance, of K378. 

In the Violin and Viola works, Kim is joined by American violist, and fellow Deutsche Grammophon Korea artist, Richard Yongjae O'Neill in a transcription of Ah vous dirai-je, Maman, K265 and the Duo K423.  The variations lend themselves to a duo quite nicely, and Kim's playing is very fine, some of her double stops pulling off the sounding like two violinist trick nicely, and O'Neill's playing is basically equally as accomplished.  The Duo is more substantive, and quite lovely, though Kim's sound becomes a bit too edgy here and there, though that does not detract from enjoyment.

Sound for the 2009 release is DG's best in terms of timbre, dynamics, clarity, etc, but for the Violin Sonatas there is a hard left-right stereo sound reminiscent of years gone by, violin to the left and piano to the right.  The sound for the violin-viola works have a similar left-right balance, though it is less pronounced.

I have Kim's Bach queued up, but I would not mind hearing more from her, or from the other two musicians, for that matter. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mandryka on February 01, 2018, 03:28:23 AM
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Ji Goldberg Variations, worth hearing, some staggering of voices and unusual ornaments. Entertaining.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 05, 2018, 05:25:45 AM
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Ji-Hae Park is not unique in my exploration of Asian artists in that she was born in Germany and records for a Korean arm of UMG, nor is she unique in being more popular in Korea than in other markets.  Suyoen Kim meets both those criteria, too.  So, factoring those tidbits in, as well as the fact that Ms Park is an Honorary Ambassador for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, and the fact that she won The Respected Korean award in 2010, among various other political and social honors in Korea, I'll post about her here.  Her website is dreadful, and the Wikipedia page devoted to her appears to be a rehashing of her PR artist bio, but from that it appears that she probably received training in Europe, did the competition thing, and plays a Guarneri.

To the music.  The disc opens with Beethoven's Spring Sonata.  Ms Park and Mr Lepper do not deliver a super-robust reading of the sonata.  Instead, with Park's somewhat small, fine tone helping determine the overall approach, the duo deliver something lithe and playful in the outer movements, and sweet and lovely in the slow movement, with Park not afraid to layer on some vibrato.  Really, sometimes this sonata can become a bit overcooked, but the duo's playfulness makes this most entertaining.  The Schubert D934 Fantasy is a piece I rarely listen to and have only a handful of versions of, but this performance makes me think I may need to beef up my collection some.  The playful overall spirit really keeps things light and soaring, and Simon Lepper's long history of lieder accompanist comes in handy here.  Passage after passage of lyrical beauty unfold effortlessly.  Not even Contzen/Schuch or Gigler/Kempff surpass this recording, though I do need to hear Widmann/Lonquich.  The Brahms Op 78 Violin Sonata ends the disc.  The instrumental balance remains more focused on Park, though Lepper doesn't fade away, and the style remains fairly light when compared to some other versions.  The recurring emphasis is on lyrical playing, though the sound becomes richer and larger scaled in places, and more dramatic when it should.  While I'm not sure I can say it bests Capucon/Angelich or Szeryng/Rubinstein or <insert favorite here>, it doesn't need to and it doesn't really cede a whole lot.  After the first two works, I expected this to be too lightweight, but instead it works very well.

Even streaming, one hears Ms Park breathing quite a bit in places, indicating relatively close microphone placement, while pianist Simon Lepper is presented more distantly.  The overall sound seems like maybe some reverb was added to create a certain ambience and effect since here and there one hears noticeable piano pedaling and reverb at once, but it is just fine.  This is the type of recording that may end up in my collection in physical form.  Superb.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 12, 2018, 05:27:37 AM
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The King is dead!  Long live the Queen!

For about two decades, Maurizio Pollini ruled the roost in Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrouchka for me.  There have been challengers of note - Evgeny Kissin and recently Christopher Park - but no one bested the Italian master.  Until now.

Yeol Eum Son now rules.  In terms of execution, Pollini still has the edge in the fastest passages in Chez Petrouchka, but that's it, and even then, YES offers a different, more flexible, more nuanced, less stark sound.  In the rest of the work, it's all YES, and it's almost a different type of work.  Hardly romantic, it is much more colorful, with far more in the way of subtle dynamic shadings and varied touch, sometimes with YES seeming to play different voices not only at different dynamic levels, but also at different tempi.  She plays with flexibility and fluidity that have never been Pollini's trademarks.  Her rhythmic sense is striking.  I've listened to this work many times, but listening to this version is almost like hearing it anew.  It is a remarkable achievement; it is one of the greatest recordings of 20th Century piano music I've heard.  There's a YouTube video of a live performance that gives a big taste of what this recording is like, and the studio recording itself is on YouTube and other streaming services. 

But it's the third work.  Berg's Piano Sonata is the first work on the disc.  YES sounds right at home playing it.  Her playing is exact in every regard.  Her tone is often a touch bright, even brittle, but then, all of the sudden, it's not.  YES never really creates a warm sound, instead keeping the music uncommonly clean and linear.  At times, she inserts an almost jazzy rhythmic feel to the playing.  This is a mighty fine rendition, and one that demands an A/B with Mitsuko Uchida.

Next up is Prokofiev's Toccata.  There's an almost unnatural ease to much of the playing.  Sure, YES plays the loudest passages with more than enough power and strong accents, but she also plays much of the music with a fluidity and nuance that makes it sound less imposing than some renditions. 

That leaves the two Ravel works that end the disc.  Le Tombeau de Couperin is the first of the works.  Aided by some more generous pedaling, YES delivers a fluid, rhythmically alert reading in the Prelude, only to play a somewhat more austere Fugue, a somewhat languid Forlane filled with some obvious pedal artifacts and much lovely playing, a fast and vibrant Rigaudon, a more contained and touching Menuet, and finally a Toccata possessed of rhythmically insistent but not overbearing style.  It can be compared to any I've heard. 

La Valse ends the disc.  The piece slowly emerges from the lower registers, and YES keeps the playing under wraps and sort of disoriented and hazy until about two-and a half minutes in, at which point her playing becomes more powerful.  She expertly manages dynamics and displays clean and precise fingerwork to match anyone's.  Her softer playing is intoxicating, her loud passages thundering, her glissandi almost trippy.  Every aspect of the playing is well nigh perfect, and the musical delivery is unsurpassed.  Last summer, I listened to HJ Lim's recording of La Valse and determined it to be the best thing I've heard from that pianist.  That is still true.  This version, though, is better, if rather different.

I've watched a good number of YES videos on YouTube, and now I plan on listening to some more of her commercial recordings.  She needs to receive the full international release treatment; she needs to record everything under the sun.  I had high expectations for this disc, but it exceeded them in every way.  I can definitively state that this disc will be among my purchases of the year. 

SOTA sound, as one would expect from a recording made in Jesus Christus Kirche in Berlin in late 2015. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 19, 2018, 05:30:41 AM
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Another disc perfect for streaming.  This is available in various outlets, and UMG uploaded it to YouTube.  Neither the Saint-Saëns First or Elgar concertos are particular favorite concertos of mine, but they can be enjoyable.  Mee-Hae Ryo was born and raised in Korea, started her musical training early, moved to the US to study at Juilliard and the University of Michigan, then moved back to Korea to teach and concertize, and she spends a good amount of time performing in Europe.  With her background, one would expect technical excellence, and that's more or less what one hears on this recording.  The Saint-Saëns is well executed by all parties, with Ryo generating a nice tone and playing in an often vigorous if somewhat proper manner, at least when compared to the romantic excess of Maisky or the more exuberant and lithe Isserlis.  Ryo's playing in the Elgar is less heart-on-sleeve than Maisky or du Pré, being more reserved in the manner of Fournier, though not quite so elegant.  Here the orchestra plays with somewhat greater passion than the soloist at times, to good effect. 

Overall, Ms Ryo plays very well, indeed, and I would not mind hearing her in other core rep.  Composer-conductor Amaury Du Closel leads the Nuremburg Symphony Orchestra in professional, extremely well-played support.  This is a very high-grade recording in every respect, but it is not one that demands many listens, like the other mentioned recordings.  The short timing might be an issue if one bought the disc.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 26, 2018, 05:24:59 AM
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Another Amazon Add-on snag.  I only recently stumbled upon the Shanghai Quartet when I learned that they recorded a complete LvB String Quartet cycle for Camerata.  This disc of the Mendelssohn Second and Grieg string quartets represents my first exposure to their playing.  I infrequently listen to both works, and for the former rely on the Pacifica and Emerson, and for the latter on the Emerson only.  The ensemble itself formed in Shanghai in 1983.  Three of the four members at the time of the recording were Chinese.  Brothers Weigang Li and Honggang Li played the violins, and Zheng Wang played viola.  All three attended the Shanghai Conservatory and held various teaching positions.  American James Wilson rounded out the ensemble on cello.  He attended University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and also did the teaching thing.  Even before this now quarter century old recording was made, the ensemble had been Ensemble-in-Residence at Tanglewood and Ravinia, as well the Graduate Ensemble-in-Residence at Juilliard.  In other words, they're the real deal.

I'll get straight to it: the Shanghai Quartet delivers world class playing.  I didn't do A/Bs with the other two recordings of the Mendelssohn in my collection, but this beats them based on memory.  The playing is smooth, assured, beautiful, expressive, and with just the right amount of vibrato.  Did I mention it is smooth?  The Shanghai strike me as more romantic than the other ensembles, but they don't resort to gooiness or treaclyness.  It's just lovely.  The Grieg is, if anything, even better, relatively speaking.  The execution is perhaps not as tight as the Emerson's - though it can hardly be called shoddy - but the playing is more romantic and passionate throughout.  The ensemble also makes some passages sound somewhat larger in scale than a string quartet.  I doubt the work ever becomes a favorite of mine, but this recording makes me like it more.

Digital sound is good but not SOTA.  It offers a slightly distant perspective, which is quite acceptable, but the highs are a bit rolled off by modern standards.  A mere quibble. 

(The ensemble has changed lineups since 1993, though the Li brothers remain, with Honggong playing viola now, so the current lineup may or may not sound the same.) 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 05, 2018, 05:27:46 AM
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When I signed up for Amazon Music Unlimited, many thousands of interesting titles became available to me, and when I did a quick search for the Hammerklavier, many of the usual suspects appeared in the result list, but so did some unknown ones, like this one.  This disc is from the CD Baby label, meaning it was most likely self-produced by the pianist.  Said pianist, Makiko Hirata, was born in Japan and started her training there before moving to the US and studying at the Juilliard and taking her Bachelor's at Manhattan School of Music and her Master's at New York University.  She's done the competing and performing thing, though some of it with B- and C-list collaborators, not that there's anything wrong with that.

The disc is a mixed rep affair, with Scarlatti's K5 and K119 sonatas opening the disc, the 106 filling the middle, and Esa-Pekka Salonen's Dichotomie, from the year 2000, ending the disc.  The two Scarlatti pieces are nicely done, but they don't stand out in the manner of, say, Pletnev or Hinrichs or Kamenz, and the piano is recorded efficiently rather than luxuriously.  The Beethoven opens with Hirata playing the Allegro at a nicely paced 10'25".  Sure, it could have been faster, but it could have also been slower.  Hirata uses personal accenting and rubato to good effect, and keeps things nicely clear.  Here and there things don't flow especially well, but that sounds due to interpretive choices.  Dynamic swings aren't the widest, but that may be due to the recording and/or streaming.  Hirata's tone is generally lean and pointed as well, which helps make the piece sound classical in mien.  The Scherzo is stylistically similar, though the middle section finds the pianist scampering frenetically, which here is a good thing.  The Adagio is moderately paced at 17'37", and Hirata imparts a bit of fire early, but for the most part the playing is cool and detached rather than desolate and moving, intensely or otherwise, at least until near the end.  The final movement starts with a tense Largo with some passages played a bit too fast.  The Allegro starts with a big mash of notes and then transitions to a high-speed, high excitement fugue with less than world class clarity.  Overall, it's a middle of the pack type recording.  Salonen's two movement piece is something new for me.  The first movement, Mécanisme, blasts out of the gate, with flurries of notes hurled at the listener.  Composer short-hand might be a blend of Prokofiev and Stravinsky and Antheil and human-played Nancarrow, but Salonen is his own man with his own voice, and he quickly and smoothly and flawlessly transitions between nearly brutal passages and something more reserved.  Hirata seems quite comfortable here, too.  The second movement, Organisme, retains the obviously modern sound, but it is not as aggressive.  That written, it's hardly easy listening.  It is appealing in its revved up, Minimalism-informed style.  This is the kind of work that Yeol Eum Son or Markus Bellheim might make even better, but Ms Hirata does fine work.

A few audible pops while streaming indicate that a secure copy of the recording was not made.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 12, 2018, 05:29:11 AM
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Japanese conductor Eiji Oue might be considered cheating a little for this thread, rather like Myung Whun Chung, but I'll cheat.  I've never heard Oue in Mahler, and this made for a good opportunity.  Oue's take is different than most others.  There's a Celibidachean element to it in that this recording comes in at a hefty 95'+.  There's also a focus on detail and tinkering everywhere.  The over thirty-one minute long Andante comodo starts off sounding quite beautiful, and in many places it stays that way, but an also slightly off, slightly eerie-cum-despondent sound can be heard, and that's all fine.  What fascinates and both simultaneously attracts and slightly repels are some of the numerous small touches.  Oue extends note values here, there, and everywhere, sometimes more discreetly than others.  When he does it with the brass, it's the most prominent, but other sections get their turns.  Some passages will start haltingly to then lurch forward.  The movement loses some of its overall cohesion, but some of the individual ideas are impossible to ignore.  Too, though no one would ever confuse the NDR band for Fluffy's Berliners, some of the string playing is quite lovely, with some tremolos whispered out.  Sometimes, in the slowest passages, the whole movement seems on the verge of collapsing.  That's not to say there's not something appealing in that.  Im Tempo eines gemachlichen Landlers comes in at a lengthy 19'08", often sounds lethargic and drained of any dance like rhythm, exaggerated or grotesque.  Some may very well find the distended tempi grotesque in its own right, and the few times Oue whips the band into a frenzy, he them turns around and slows things way down.  Some passages have almost every gesture emphasized, and others none.  It is, shall we say, a very non-standard reading.  The Rondo Burleske, at 15'18", is also slower than normal, but the overall effect on the music is not quite as extreme as in the first two movements, though this take is not a high voltage, violent take.  One benefit of the broad approach is that one gets to listen to details at one's leisure.  The concluding Adagio is also slow at just over a half-hour, but slow final movements are much more common in my listening experience.  It's in line with other emotive slow readings.  Oue gets some incredibly delicate, sweet playing from the violins early on, and as the movement goes on, it becomes a sorrowful lament, and the coda and the closing pages, after a very long pause, take a suitably long time to deliver.  It's the easiest movement to digest as it sounds most standard.  Sometimes throughout the work, the corporate playing in the live recording sounds a bit taxed, but nothing to detract from the proceedings.

Sound even streaming is excellent, which is common for Exton.  While not a first choice, and at times unique to the point of weirdness, there's something compelling here.  I may have to plump for an optical disc or download.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: kishnevi on March 12, 2018, 07:08:31 PM
Quote from: Todd on March 12, 2018, 05:29:11 AM
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Japanese conductor Eiji Oue might be considered cheating a little for this thread, rather like Myung Whun Chung, but I'll cheat.  I've never heard Oue in Mahler, and this made for a good opportunity.  Oue's take is different than most others.  There's a Celibidachean element to it in that this recording comes in at a hefty 95'+.  There's also a focus on detail and tinkering everywhere.  The over thirty-one minute long Andante comodo starts off sounding quite beautiful, and in many places it stays that way, but an also slightly off, slightly eerie-cum-despondent sound can be heard, and that's all fine.  What fascinates and both simultaneously attracts and slightly repels are some of the numerous small touches.  Oue extends note values here, there, and everywhere, sometimes more discreetly than others.  When he does it with the brass, it's the most prominent, but other sections get their turns.  Some passages will start haltingly to then lurch forward.  The movement loses some of its overall cohesion, but some of the individual ideas are impossible to ignore.  Too, though no one would ever confuse the NDR band for Fluffy's Berliners, some of the string playing is quite lovely, with some tremolos whispered out.  Sometimes, in the slowest passages, the whole movement seems on the verge of collapsing.  That's not to say there's not something appealing in that.  Im Tempo eines gemachlichen Landlers comes in at a lengthy 19'08", often sounds lethargic and drained of any dance like rhythm, exaggerated or grotesque.  Some may very well find the distended tempi grotesque in its own right, and the few times Oue whips the band into a frenzy, he them turns around and slows things way down.  Some passages have almost every gesture emphasized, and others none.  It is, shall we say, a very non-standard reading.  The Rondo Burleske, at 15'18", is also slower than normal, but the overall effect on the music is not quite as extreme as in the first two movements, though this take is not a high voltage, violent take.  One benefit of the broad approach is that one gets to listen to details at one's leisure.  The concluding Adagio is also slow at just over a half-hour, but slow final movements are much more common in my listening experience.  It's in line with other emotive slow readings.  Oue gets some incredibly delicate, sweet playing from the violins early on, and as the movement goes on, it becomes a sorrowful lament, and the coda and the closing pages, after a very long pause, take a suitably long time to deliver.  It's the easiest movement to digest as it sounds most standard.  Sometimes throughout the work, the corporate playing in the live recording sounds a bit taxed, but nothing to detract from the proceedings.

Sound even streaming is excellent, which is common for Exton.  While not a first choice, and at times unique to the point of weirdness, there's something compelling here.  I may have to plump for an optical disc or download.

Hmm, I am interested. But Amazon offers only MP3, and I would want a physical CD.  Any leads?
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 13, 2018, 05:21:46 AM
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on March 12, 2018, 07:08:31 PM
Hmm, I am interested. But Amazon offers only MP3, and I would want a physical CD.  Any leads?


Amazon Japan or HMV Japan.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 19, 2018, 05:25:43 AM
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It seemed like a good time to hear a new take on some DSCH.  I opted for a violinist new to me in the form of Bonjiu Koo, in what appears to be her only recording, from 2011.  The Sony Korea execs went almost all-out, enlisting conductor Maxim Shostakovich to lead the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in the main work.  Pianist Sergio Posada Gomez was tapped for the Op 134 Violin Sonata and a couple Op 34 Preludes, transcribed for piano and violin, that end the disc.  The packaging is of the posh cardboard trifold type, and the covers and booklet contain seven shots of the violinist, two of her violin, one of the violinist and conductor, and each of the conductor and band.  The pianist gets no love.  But hey, the fashion stylist gets a name check.  Ms Koo was born, raised, and mostly educated in South Korea, though she earned her PhD at Yale.  She appears to perform mostly in her home country and with B- and C-list orchestras in Europe.  To her credit, she owns the copyright to this recording.

In the Concerto, the Nocturne is dark hued and ominous and rich.  Koo's tone is likewise dark, and it seems like she might be spotlit some; though her tone sounds nice, it does not strike me as big in the sense of someone like Zukerman, though the richness is reminiscent of Pinky's.  As the music progresses and the orchestral accompaniment starts to grow weightier, Koo's playing takes on a greater sense of urgency, but both are fleeting.  The Scherzo does not start off in particularly demonic fashion, and Shostakovich and the engineers keep Koo the center of attention.  It's not until almost three minutes in that the orchestra and soloist ratchet up intensity, with the more effective change coming from the orchestra.  As the movement progresses, one keeps waiting for the playing to catch fire, but for the most part it doesn't.  One can listen to Oistrakh or Tetzlaff for something more demonic.  That written, a quick comparison with the more superficially exciting Benedetti shows that Koo's sound stays fuller and darker throughout, with no edginess like in the Scot's performance.  The Passacaglia opens in suitably ominous and potent fashion, but that's because it's orchestral.  The playing sounds a bit slow, which ends up jelling with the soloist's conception, and in this movement, Koo's rich tone and sorrowful playing work much better.  The Burlesque closer is higher energy, but ultimately it, too, seems a bit contained.  While not the strongest version I've heard, there are some nice things to hear, including Koo's almost always rich tone. 

The Violin Sonata goes better.  Recorded in Skoda Studio in Vienna, in a small space, with Gomez using a Bosendorfer, both instrumentalists sound big and vibrant.  This is late, at times bitter, and sarcastic DSCH.  Koo's tone becomes more astringent in the biting Allegretto, and the duo plays with weighty aggression.  The use of a Bosendorfer was a good musical choice; it offers even more of a contrast with Koo's playing than a Steinway would.  The Largo closer starts with a plodding sound from the piano, banged out.  Sometimes in the movement, Koo sounds almost as though she's playing a viola, until she goes up in register.  It's really quite effective.  As the movement progresses, some of the playing becomes almost unbearably tense.  It's really quite fine.  I've been remiss in my collecting duties as it pertains to this work, having only Keulen/Brautigam in my collection.  This newcomer is decidedly preferable.

The disc closes with Op 34, numbers 10 and 15, with Koo playing the right hand part on violin.  Typically, I'm skeptical of such chicanery, and if I'm not completely sold on the idea, it's executed nicely enough here.

Exemplary sound.  It is not as dynamic and the Tetzlaff recording in the concerto, though the sonata pulls off a nice "they are here" sound. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 26, 2018, 05:17:56 AM
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[This will also be posted in "New" Music Log.]


What an age we live in when not one, but two projects to record the complete keyboard sonatas of Leopold Koželuch are currently underway.  Kemp English is recording the cycle for Grand Piano* while Jenny Soonjin Kim is doing so for Brilliant Classics.  Mr English is further into his cycle than Ms Kim, but as Ms Kim's also satisfies my desire to listen to Asian artists, I decided to have this twofer be my first listen to an all-Koželuch release. 

Ms Kim was born in Korea and earned her bachelor's in music from Seoul National University before pursuing additional studies first at the Salzburg Mozarteum, then UCLA, and finally earning a PhD in Historical Performance Practices from Claremont Graduate University, where she teaches.  So she comes to this endeavor with a hefty academic background.  Unsurprisingly, given her background, she uses a fortepiano in what at times sound like live recordings made at Kresge Chapel on the campus of Claremont School of Theology.  As to the composer, Koželuch is one of those lesser known classical era composers whose name I've seen but whose music I've never really delved into.  Born in 1747 in what is now the Czech Republic, he studied for a while in his hometown before studying with his cousin, one František Xaver Dušek, a rather well known musical personage.  Koželuch apparently was quite famous in his day and cranked out many works in multiple genres, and when Mozart died, Koželuch took over some of his court functions. 

To the music.  This twofer contains the first eight of over fifty sonatas.  All but one are in three movements, with the outlier a two movement job.  All more or less adhere to the common fast-slow-fast structure.  I'd be exaggerating if I wrote that these sonatas rise to the same level as the best of Mozart's, or even the very best efforts from Haydn or CPE Bach, but they definitely have their formidable charms.  The best ones on offer best (sometimes handily) the lesser works from the bigger names.  Aided by the crisp sound of the fortepiano, the fast movements are clean and clear and generally ebullient, which is aided by Kim's obviously excellent playing.  Unsurprisingly, the slow movements lack the same degree of lyricism that modern grands can offer with their lengthier decays and greater sustain capabilities, but the softer sound of the instrument offsets that to a significant degree.  The first two sonatas sort of sound like elaborate background music, but come the opening Allegro con brio of Op 1, No 3, one encounters music as fun as anything by Haydn.  One also hears deft mood changes, including some music that satisfyingly dramatic without ever becoming heavy.  Nice.  The Poco Adagio that follows is fairly Mozartean and very nicely played by Kim, and the concluding Rondeau offers more contrasting material that moves beyond simple fast-slow-fast.  So one needs to wait until only the third sonata for something ear-catching.  The two movement Op 2, No 3 sonata starts off with a Largo - Poco presto movement that opens and closes with slow, dramatic music, with more spirited music in the Poco presto section, and ends with a fun Allegretto.  It's a piece that an interventionist pianist could potentially make a meal of.  The set ends with a nicknamed sonata, "The Hunt", and it's the best thing on the twofer.  The opening Allegro molto is rhythmically and dynamically bold.  The very long second movement - eleven minutes here - is an Andante and variations, with the theme an original one of not a little sophistication.  Kim demonstrates the dynamic range of her instrument with some unexpectedly pointed sforzandi (and this from streaming), and Koželuch's variations have some nice invention in them.  The concluding Rondeau is quick, dynamic, and fun.  Though Kim plays it splendidly and with plenty of dynamic range, this work begs to be played on a modern grand. 

This twofer does make me wonder what the second completed twofer offers - more of the same is my initial guess - as well as what Ms Kim sounds like in other repertoire.  As luck would have it, she recorded core rep items for Arabesque Records, so I can find out.  Also, it would be interesting to hear how these works fare when played on a modern grand, so I will give one or two or more of Mr English's discs a shot at some point.  I will almost certainly be listening to Ms Kim's second volume in the near future. 



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I enjoyed the first volume of Jenny Soonjin Kim's Koželuch's sonatas enough that I figured I should listen to her second volume right away.  Another twofer with another eight sonatas, it picks up where the prior volume left off.  Sonatas range from two to four movements this time around.  The pieces sound stylistically, and more important, qualitatively equal, or really close to, those of Haydn certainly, and maybe even Mozart.  Dynamic shifts are more pronounced in some of the sonatas than in the first volume.  While all the sonatas hold their appeal, lucky Number Thirteen stands out as especially enjoyable, and brimming over with ideas.  And if the Fourteenth seems something of a step down, with a slow movement that overstays its welcome, all is well again in the most excellent Fifteenth Sonata, in E Minor, Op 13, No 3, which has hints of drama in just the right places and proportions.  So does the tripartite opening the Sixteenth sonata, which has a more agitated K457 vibe that's almost proto-Beethovenian.  Kim again delivers all the sonatas with some very fine playing.  When she's done, if Brilliant issues the complete set, I may spring for it, provided the modern grand alternative is not better.  (The downside to having two ongoing complete sets is that both may be good enough to warrant purchase.) 



* Mr English also wrote his dissertation on Koželuch's keyboard sonatas.  It is available online: https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/84697/8/02whole.pdf
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 02, 2018, 05:19:04 AM
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This disc by Collegium Vocale Seoul caught my eye when it was released, but importing a physical copy was too expensive for my liking, so I back-burnered it.  This is another perfect disc for streaming as it is more a themed disc than a disc devoted to one or two works or groups of works by one or two composers.  It is comprised of eleven different works by as many composers, ranging chronologically from Palestrina to Nystedt.  Each individual piece is short, and the stylistic differences make for nice contrasts, and the disc ends up being successful if for nothing else than it serves as an advertisement for the fine ensemble.  The singers all sound splendid and they work together beautifully, which is a good thing since only a couple pieces include an organ accompaniment.  Perhaps one might wish for a bit more interpretive style, but in terms of execution there's nothing to kvetch about.

The ensemble has also recorded Durufle's Requiem, so I may give that a listen at some point.   
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 09, 2018, 05:18:29 AM
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This is Li-Wei Qin's third appearance in this thread, and the first as a soloist.  This recording of the Walton Cello Concerto, with revised ending, and the Elgar Cello Concerto, with Britten's Four Sea Interludes sandwiched in between, appears on both the ABC Classics and Decca labels.  I picked up the ABC branded version as an Amazon Add-on.  Qin is joined by Chinese conductor Zhang Yi at the podium.

The disc opens with Walton's work.  Qin is spotlit, which poses no issues at all given his gorgeous playing.  There is no passage that he plays with anything less than great beauty and nuance.  Indeed, one might almost hope for some more intense playing, or one would if Qin's playing wasn't irresistibly beautiful, lyrical, and nimble.  The dude seems to play everything with consummate ease, up high, down low, in the middle, and at all speeds and dynamic levels.  In the Elgar, Qin plays with sometimes generous vibrato in a heart-on-sleeve, lyrical style that works just splendidly.  I doubt it would displace established favorites for anyone, but that's not at all to say that the playing is not splendid in every regard and that it can withstand comparison to even du Pre or Fournier, though it's different from both.  When Qin revs up, his playing is really quite delightful, displaying more of that effortlessness evident in the Walton. 

The Britten Four Sea Interludes may lack the ultimate punch that Colin Davis brings, though not by much, and Yi, as he does throughout the disc, leads the LPO is magnificent, beautiful, meticulous playing.  Add in fully up to modern snuff sound, and this is a peach of a disc.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 16, 2018, 05:24:33 AM
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Last year, on a whim, I picked up Sonig Tchakerian's recording of Bach's Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas from Decca Italy and ended up with near or actual personal reference set.  As part of my continued exploration of recording by Asian artists, or now titles released in the Asian market only, I picked up Suyoen Kim's 2011 recording for DG.  I was hoping for another home run.  I didn't quite get it.

Don't get me wrong, as also evidenced by Kim's playing on her Mozartiana disc, Kim has got a hefty amount of talent, and she knows this music.  (One can watch a recital on YouTube where she plays the complete collection in one go.)  There's certainly nothing at all wrong with her playing or interpretation.  The overall tempi are slightly broad, but that's perfectly fine.  She's very somber, very serious, almost devotional much of the time.  That's a perfectly acceptable approach.  Her playing does sound a tad edgy on occasion, but that's not a problem, either.  In fact, there is no real problem.  It is a good recording.  Some of the individual movements are much more than that.  The Andante of BWV1003, for instance, sound gorgeous and moving, and BWV1005 as a whole is superb, but the opening Adagio is something special.  But the set as a whole lacks the unique, personal, almost or actual idiosyncratic vibrance of Tchakerian.  It is not as polished as Grumiaux.  It is not as precise as Tetzlaff I.  It is a fine addition to my collection, but I don't see it ever becoming my first choice in this music.

Sound is excellent, though the reverb sometimes sounds artificially enhanced.

On an irrelevant note, this set comes in a package new to me.  It's an extra thick case with a disc on each side of the case, sort of like two-thirds of an old-style, fat double CD case.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 23, 2018, 05:26:54 AM
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Anna Kurasawa is a name new to me.  Born and raised in Japan, she lived and studied in her home country until graduating from the Toho Gakuen College of Music, and thereafter she moved to Germany to study there, as well as in France.  Along the way, she won various competitions.  This debut disc of Brahms and Rachmaninoff was released by Naxos Japan.

The disc opens with the Brahms Third Sonata.  Kurasawa starts off with a bass-rich, weighty, and quite slow Allegro maestoso that comes in at 11'40".  Sometimes, in such slow recordings, musical lines can be stretched to the breaking point, but that doesn't happen here.  Instead, the playing becomes more episodic and more sectionalized than normal.  That doesn't help.  Kurasawa plays the Andante espressivo at a more conventional tempo.  She avoids the more intimate approach of FFG and instead, like others, keeps the approach larger in scale, though it nonetheless sounds attractive, if not perhaps as flowing as other versions.  Kurasawa reverts to the slower than normal pace in the Scherzo, which makes it kind of trudge along as a result.  The same applies to the Intermezzo.  The finale, too, is slow, though here, like in the opener, she creates a nice sense of scale.  Overall, the sonata is slower than I prefer and doesn't match up to preferred versions.

The Rachmaninoff Moments Musicaux don't display the same excessive slowness, but they are on the generally broad side, which is, or can be, fine.  Unfortunately, Kurasawa doesn't really play up Rachmaninoff's harmonic richness well, nor does she dazzle with virtuosic display.  She's not really very romantic, either.  The playing often seems kind of rote and drab.

Here's a case where streaming is ideal; I would have been more disappointed had I shelled out green for this.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 30, 2018, 05:24:55 AM
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It took me a while to get to Klara Min's Chopin Mazurkas disc.  It's been available for streaming for a good long while, but my experience with her Scriabin strongly suggested that a minimum of sixteen bit resolution is needed to appreciate what she does with the music.  And what she does here is similar to what she does with Scriabin: her tone is slightly bright and her playing is of the supremely fastidious and very personal sort.  While her rhythmic sense appeals, she lacks the more overtly dance-like rhythm of some other pianists.  Rather, Min lavishes immense attention to matters dynamic and tempo related.  Her dynamic gradations are so finely controlled as to invite - nay, demand - hushed, fully attentive listening.  Too, her rubato, with the minutest of minute shifts in tempo, demand attention.  The Mazurkas are, of course, short works, yet as presented here, each one is a self-contained work with nearly infinite details to attend to, and sometimes the result is that a two minute piece, though not slow, seems to go on longer than expected as Min will make the relative note value and dynamic shadings between two notes stand out, and she will render an arpeggio a series of events chained together rather than something dashed off.  Sometimes one forgets what one is listening to.  In some ways, Min goes further than Vassily Primakov or even Jean-Marc Luisada in terms of personalizing and micro-managing the pieces.  That's not a bad thing, not at all.  The only complaint I have is that she did not record the complete set of Mazurkas.  Min's discography is thin, though as luck would have it, her web-site states that she recorded for Steinway & Sons this month, with the release slated for June.  I don't know what she recorded, but I suspect I'll listen to it.   
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 07, 2018, 05:28:10 AM
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Takashi Asahina is a conductor I have long associated with Bruckner more than anything.  I figured now was as good a time as any to stream him conducting something else.  I settled on Beethoven.  This complete symphony cycle is recorded with the Osaka Philharmonic.  You know, his orchestra, as in the one he established in 1947 and led until his death.  This cycle was recorded in the year 2000, the year before his death.  He was 92 years old at the time.  This was his final presentation of the cycle.

Asahina's Beethoven is old school and that is evident from the opening bars of the First.  Tempi are broad, sometimes very broad.  Flashy gestures are a no-go.  Reverence is a must.  He's conducts like Takahiro Sonoda plays piano.  And there's nothing wrong with that, not at all.  The first two symphonies sound very stately, and more than occasionally reserved, the First relatively more than the Second.  That's not to say that they sound stodgy and don't flow, because they always sound forward-moving, and the finale of the second has some pep in its step.  The Eroica is very slow.  As in almost late career Carlo Maria Giulini slow.  He takes nearly as long as the Italian's LAPO take in the opening movement, and even longer in the funeral march, where he's in Celi territory.  Listeners who like slow burn Thirds have a higher probability of liking this than people who prefer speed, and Asahina does an estimable job of building up momentum and scale, but he doesn't achieve Giulini's ultimate power and granduer.  The funeral march, despite its length, never sags, and the Scherzo is hefty yet energetic.  The final theme and variations comes in at over thirteen minutes, and while it does sound quite slow, it is large of scale and possessed of seriousness and grandeuer and works well within such a broad conception.  Asahina's style works well overall here.  It doesn't work so well in the Fourth.  The first movement is on the slow side, but it's weighty, and the second and third movements sound similar, but the finale is just way too slow and heavy.  The Fifth is a slow, weighty, old-school reading, and one needn't listen beyond the lengthy fermata at the end of the somewhat famous opening to understand that.  How much one likes such an approach overall may or may not determine how much likes this reading.  I like it quite a bit, though the too slow tempo prevent it from being a favorite.  Slow tempi do not necessarily prevent maximum enjoyment in the Pastorale, and that's the case with this performance.  The first three movements move along at a leisurely pace, to the point that some may find the playing too slow, but it flows.  The Sturm is hampered just a bit by the slow tempo, but there is plenty of oomph.  Asahina then closes with a too-grand-but-so-what? and quite lovely Shepherd's Song.  It's a highlight of the cycle.  The Seventh, as expected, is broad of tempo and grand of gesture, especially in the often massive, dirge-like Allegretto.  The Presto is very dignified, but also sounds like an Adagio most of the time.  The somewhat stately Allegro con brio works well, especially when Asahina brings it in the coda.  Overall, it's decent, with that monumental Allegretto good enough to stick in the memory.  The Eighth falls right into line with the rest of the cycle to this point, and ultimately that means it is less than ideally satisfactory.  More snap is needed.  Fans of slower versions of this symphony may be more enthusiastic.  Not surprisingly, Asahina's Ninth is broad of tempo and stately of presentation, and also unsurprisingly, the Adagio is very fine indeed.  Generally, I like higher wattage takes here (eg, Munch), but Asahina's is a very fine example of its kind. 

This set offers yet another example of the value of streaming.  At its current price, I doubt I'd buy a physical copy of the cycle, but I got to hear it anyway, and in the event it ends up a budget issue at some point, I may buy it just to hear better what the engineers captured.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 14, 2018, 04:41:19 AM
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Yurino Izumi is so obscure that the only reason I stumbled upon this disc is because it showed up in Amazon Music's queue while I perused for new Schubert recordings.  Ms Izumi, per her poorly designed and maintained web-site, was born in Japan in 1983, studied there and in Paris, won a few competitions and awards, and currently concertizes.  This is her only commercially available recording as far as I can tell, and I opted to stream it.

The disc includes eight Liszt transcriptions of Schubert lieder and the D894 sonata.  The lieder transcriptions for the most part sound beautiful and lyrical and almost always favor the melody over the accompaniment.  The combination of streaming and less than A-list engineering for the live recording mean that dynamics are not world class, but that's more or less fine.  Sometimes, as in Die Forelle, Izumi's playing fits well, but in neither Gretchen am Spinnrade nor Erlkoenig does she really generate quite enough dramatic tension, though the latter does possess ample scale.  In the sonata, Izumi takes her time with a 19'11" Molto moderato e cantabile where too compressed or limited dynamics are offset by a lovely cantabile style.  While not devoid of some darker or stormier passages, the opener ends up being mostly about lyrical beauty.  The Andante is a bit slower and more introspective most of the time, and more beautiful yet.  It also ends up having more intense playing as well, indicating that at least part of the first movement's comparatively narrow dynamic range was an interpretive choice.  In the Allegro moderato Izumi somehow manages to play even more beautifully than before in the slow music, and she deploys some discreet rubato to good effect.  Unsurprisingly, Izumi ends by playing a lovely Allegretto. 

The disc is entertaining enough overall, and streaming probably doesn't offer the very best possible sound, but I think I'll pass on buying a physical copy, though I would not be averse to listening to any potential future releases from Ms Izumi.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 21, 2018, 04:46:38 AM
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I found Eri Ikezi's sole disc, for Newport Classics, whilst hunting for Amazon Add-ons.  Ms Ekezi was born in Japan and received her early training there.  She made her Carnegie Hall debut at the age off 11, and she studied at Juilliard. She is also a noteworthy ultra-obscure pianist because she changed careers entirely.  She now works in France as a culinary journalist and artisanal chocolatier.  She has been involved with the website The Chocolate Life for years.  In addition to her Juilliard studies, she also has a degree in math from UC Berkley and a Master's in International Economic Policy from Columbia.  That's a pretty heady CV for a chocolatier.  Another minor note, the producer of this recording, David Dubal, dedicated his book about Vladimir Horowitz to her. 

The disc opens with Brahms' Second Piano Sonata.  The recording is bass light, and Ikezi's upper registers sound flinty or brittle on occasion, but she seems to have no difficulty in the opening movement or Scherzo in terms of generating intensity or forward drive.  Truly large scale is lacking, though that is likely at least partly due to the recording.  The Andante is a bit angular, but nicely done.  The Finale starts off quiet, and Ikezi demonstrates excellent control, but in the loudest music, the playing comes close to banging, though scale increases.  Overall, it's a serviceable reading.  Next is Ferrucio Busoni's Sonatina No 6, "Super Carmen".  I've only ever heard Egon Petri's version, and my fuzzy memory is of heavy, virtuosic, unsatisfying music and playing, which is repeated here.  Schubert's D760 follows, from which the disc takes its name.  Ikezi tears into the opening.  It's not the fastest version out there, though it is swift, but it's a wall of sound.  She quickly backs off, but subtlety isn't really the name of the game here; forward motion is.  While Ikezi generates some lovely melodies, her accompaniment is almost always twitchy, raring to go.  The pianist punches out sforzandi with the best of them all throughout the work.  The Adagio finds Ikezi playing much more slowly, with a sort of funeral march mien at the outset, and the playing takes on a Lisztian feel later on.  This is grandly conceived, extroverted, gallery pleasing Schubert of near-symphonic scale.  The Presto and especially the Allegro are all energy and forward drive, sometimes to the edge of aggression.  It's not much more than an exciting surface reading, but as far as that goes, it's good.  The best work on the disc is Chopin's Fourth Scherzo.  Of the unabashedly virtuosic sort, with ample dynamic gradation and tonal variation, Ikezi displays more affinity for the music.  While not the best I've heard, this is a big league take, or at least a Triple-A take that bests some big names.

Ms Ikezi certainly had the chops to play some big pieces, and may still.  Better production and repertoire choices may have made for a better debut disc, but in any event, it appears likely that this disc will end up her entire recorded legacy.  It's not bad.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 06:35:09 AM
 I hope her life isn't as tragic and messed up as it sounds. Sounds like 3 huge and hard won careers thrown away.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on May 22, 2018, 07:59:36 AM
Quote from: Mookalafalas on May 21, 2018, 06:35:09 AM
I hope her life isn't as tragic and messed up as it sounds. Sounds like 3 huge and hard won careers thrown away.
Do you know something we don't? Is there a biography somewhere online? I read your post before Todd's and thought maybe she was dead or missing, but instead she's...a chocolatier? There are worse fates!
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mookalafalas on May 22, 2018, 05:14:34 PM
Quote from: Brian on May 22, 2018, 07:59:36 AM
Do you know something we don't? Is there a biography somewhere online? I read your post before Todd's and thought maybe she was dead or missing, but instead she's...a chocolatier? There are worse fates!

   She spent thousands of hours to become a concert pianist, and gave it all up, 4 years getting a math degree from America's top U and gave it up, and an equally impressive MA and gave it up. To me it sounds like someone with staggeringly great talents, who pursues enormous goals, and then upon achieving them feels some compulsion to throw them away.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 28, 2018, 05:03:01 AM
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Korean pianist William Youn caught my eye when he released the second disc in his now complete Mozart piano sonata cycle.  One off discs are common; second discs often presage even more to come.  I decided to be patient and wait.  After all, I've got more than a few Mozart cycles.  Also, waiting afforded me the option of hearing him teamed with Nils Mönkemeyer in a Mozart collection for Sony Germany.  The extremely high-grade results increased my interest in hearing this cycle. 

Mr Youn did his early training in his home country, did some studying in the US, and ultimately moved to and studied in Germany, which is his home base now.  Youn also does a lot of work with A-list orchestras and artists, which hints at good things.  Very good things.

The first disc starts off with K282, still fresh in my memory after listening to forty-three versions in short-ish order.  Youn starts with a sensibly paced, lovely, dynamically nuanced and precisely controlled Adagio.  One marvels at his touch in almost every bar.  The all-repeats-included minuets sound both delicate and rhythmically alert, while the Allegro is light and fun.  I don't know if I'd say it quite matches my top tier, but it hardly lags far behind, easily nestling in with the second tier folks.  At least.  Next, Youn jumps to a big un' in the form of K310.  He starts the Allegro maestoso with a sense of drive and insistent left hand playing, and if it is not the last word in drama, it is driven enough in a classical sort of way.  And Youn's fingerwork is so clean.  The Andante cantabile is measured and lovely and often subdued and delicate.  One might level a charge of it sounding too delicate, too precious, but such a charge would not really be accurate.  Here's delicate playing of the most nuanced variety.  Besides, how can one not love his trills?  Anyway, the more intense middle section demonstrates that Youn can, when so inclined, play with elegant fire.  The Presto is intriguing in that Youn simultaneously holds something back but moves forward with perfectly judged everything.  In K330, Youn plays the repeat laden Allegro moderato in such a way that it's nine and half minute length wafts through the air almost breezily.  It's tempting to say the left hand playing is the draw until one repeatedly delights in the right hand melodies dispatched with such disarming ease.  The Andante cantabile is heavy on the cantabile, which works just swell.  Youn plays with a bit more projection, of the eminently tasteful variety, in the Allegretto.  It's bold but light.  The disc closes with K570. Youn keeps the Allegro both forward moving and poised, not trying to make it sound like a "late" work, but rather just more refined than some of its predecessors.  The Adagio is simple and serene, a case of doing more with less overt expression, though Youn displays his marvelous touch repeatedly throughout.  The Allegretto, with its steady rhythm, clean playing, and perfect scale ends things properly.  Nice.  Very nice.

Disc two starts off with K280.  Youn starts with some zip, but of the elegant variety.  Much nuanced dynamic shading and ornamentation is to be heard, too.  In the Adagio, Youn plays beautifully, with subtle rubato, and he maintains a classical reserve at all times, even when there's obviously something just below the surface.  Youn plays the concluding Presto at a well nigh perfect tempo, and while he adds numerous personal touches, it all sounds entirely fitting.  K311 follows.  Youn takes the con spirito designation seriously, to extremely good effect.  Light, quick, and at times playful, with discreet but not too discreet ornamentation in one spot, it delights for the duration.  The Adantino finds Youn following the con espressione designation, too, and sounds tasteful with hints of playfulness and proto-romanticism, though it falls strictly within classical bounds.  The Rondeau is spirited and clean, with Youn taking turns spotlighting melody and accompaniment with precise control.  K332 starts off with a pleasantly rushed Allegro, though that effect is fleeting.  For the most part, the movement is swift and tastefully forceful.  The Adagio is slow and deliberate and executed with an ear to forensic precision.  Youn opts for all the repeats in the Allegro Assai, and even with a brisk tempo, it comes in at 10'30".  Youn mixes things up enough to make the time fly by.  Excellent.  K545 closes the disc, and here Youn starts it off precious and restrained in the Allegro, but spices it up a bit with ornamentation.  The Andante borders on being a show-stopper.  Playful and light, the left hand playing manages to bounce along yet be mechanistically perfect while the melody is most pleasurable, with even the last two notes distinctly appealing.  The Rondo is fun with hints of fire.  Most excellent.

The third disc starts off with K279. The more resonant recording lends a bit more thickness to the already heavier sound Youn goes for - not that it's ponderous, or anything like that.  This sonata can be a long slog, and while Youn does nothing to shorten it, his touch and taste make it anything but wearying; the Allegro is satisfyingly energetic, the Andante is expressive and nuanced, and the concluding Allegro is spritely and cleanly articulated.  Yep, it's a goodun.  Next up, the critical K331.  Youn delivers a lovely Andante theme, though even more beautiful can be heard, and he adds his little touches with eminent tastefulness.  He cruises through the variations, deploying his full bag of tricks displayed to this point to excellent effect.  The way he ends some phrases and accents are especially effective.  He's not afraid to add dashes of showy playing, with said showiness always being of the appropriate sort.  Youn plays the Menuetto with much style, but also much more overt ornamentation.  Some listeners may find his embellishments a bit much.  Not me.  He then ends with a mostly light touch Alla Turca.  Even the fastest, loudest playing displays a not over the top touch.  The disc ends with a hulking, half-hour take on K533.  Youn dispatches the opening Allegro, all 10'44" of it, with an effortless lightness.  It zooms by.  The even more extended Andante is a dreamy, almost too beautiful fantasy that goes on for nearly a quarter-hour.  I didn't want it to end.  The final movement starts with a potentially too lovely Rondo and moves to a nearly as lovely Allegretto section.  If a pianist endeavors to make a Mozart sonata assume heavenly lengths, this is how to do it.

Disc four opens with K281.  Youn opens with a playful, clean Allegro.  He imbues perhaps a bit too much refinement into the Andante amoroso - it is from a youthful Mozart - but it's so incredibly well done, with such fine levels of control and beauty, that it's hard not to just revel in the playing.  The Rondeau has a sort of effortless and refined playfulness to it, making for a perfect end to an uncommonly strong rendition of the work.  Youn then proceeds to play the opening Allegro of K283 a bit heavier than expected, though it still qualifies as light.  He ornaments just so, too.  Everything sounds just right, with a gently bouncy rhythm when and where appropriate.  The Andante retains the highly refined, at times delicate, at times playful sound evident in the early sonatas.  He plays with a touch more oomph in the Presto, though nothing can deter Youn from sounding lovely.  Very nice.  K333 sounds slightly more refined yet, and includes more ornamentation in the repeat laden Allegro.  With both it and the even more beautiful Andante cantabile coming in at over ten minutes, the playing and music takes on Mozartian heavenly length again.  In the Allegretto grazioso, Youn takes the grazioso designation seriously, and plays with a light touch sure to delight.  It just flows.  The disc closes with D576.  Youn holds back a bit, luxuriating in the music, sometimes playing with extraordinary clarity, sometimes playing with a more blended sound.  The right hand playing sounds especially fine.  The Adagio adds a bit more drama, though not too much.  In the Allegretto, Youn adds a bit more heft to his left hand playing, and perhaps hints of drama, though of the unfailingly refined sort.  It's just dandy, as is the sonata as a whole, and the disc.

The final disc opens with K284, which, with Youn's penchant for observing repeats, comes in at a over twenty-six minutes, most coming from the theme and variations ending, of course.  The Allegro is generally fleet, sometimes assuming a sense of urgency.  It generates real forward momentum, making its seven minutes fly by.  Youn plays the Andante at a slightly swift speed, and keeps it flowing along.  The main show for this sonata is the final movement, and here, Youn plays the opening theme with a delicateness bordering on the precious.  The variations find the pianist playing with immense clarity of voices.  At other times, he plays with a blended, harmonically rich sound.  He also accents just swell.  He maintains a generally very peppy demeanor, too.  This work can seem too long in some cases, but not here.  Indeed, the last movement almost felt short.  K309 follows.  The Allegro con spirito has plenty of energy, but at least appealing as that is the left hand playing, which is both steady and gently undulating in volume at times.  Youn plays the Andante here with a slightly quick tempo.  It's just lovely and once again, Youn manages to make it seem to end too soon.  The concluding Rondo is peppy, offering nice but not overdone dynamic contrasts.  The cycle closes with the K475/K457 pairing.  Youn being more classical in demeanor, he doesn't go for the more outsize, overtly dramatic gestures and dynamics that Anderszewski does in his blockbuster recording from last year, which is not to say that Youn doesn't infuse some real punch and weight on the D475 quasi-opener.  Indeed, his playing offers a well-nigh perfect example of a more classical approach.  The sonata proper starts off with a Molto allegro that's stylistically identical to the Fantasy, which of course works well.  The Adagio is more delicate and beautiful, spiced up with some nice left hand playing.  Youn closes out the sonata with an Allegro assai that is occasionally punchy, occasionally rich, and pretty much always spunky.  An excellent way to end things.

Youn's the real deal.  I'll just call this a great cycle and get it out of the way.  I can't imagine anyone not finding the set at least enjoyable overall, if not a great.  But it's great.  It just is.

Sound quality is superb, though not as good as Prosseda's ongoing cycle on Decca.  This gives little Oehms Classics two of the best Mozart cycles out there.  Maybe they can release a third in the next decade.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: betterthanfine on May 28, 2018, 02:19:39 PM
^Listening to his recording of K310 on Spotify right now. Impressive indeed! Many thanks for the review, Todd.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on June 01, 2018, 05:55:19 AM
You should check out Youn's Davidsbündlertänze on Ars Produktion as well; I just re-listened to it by chance and it seems like it could be your kind of thing.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 02, 2018, 06:00:59 AM
Quote from: amw on June 01, 2018, 05:55:19 AM
You should check out Youn's Davidsbündlertänze on Ars Produktion as well; I just re-listened to it by chance and it seems like it could be your kind of thing.


Noted.  I suspect I will be listening to more from Mr Youn in the future.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 03, 2018, 05:01:10 AM
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As I was able to snag this disc as an Amazon Add-on, I decided to try some more HIP Chopin, including a first attempt at a HIP sonata, with the pianist Ka-ling Colleen Lee.   Ms Lee was born in, and currently resides in, Hong Kong, where she undertook her early studies before heading to Germany for more advanced studies.  She placed sixth in the 15th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in 2005, and in the same year she recorded this disc for The Fryderyk Chopin Institute in the Witold Lutoslawski Polish Radio Concert Studio, when she was 25 years of age.  An 1848 Pleyel was used for the occasion.

The mixed program opens with the Op 49 Fantasie.  The mechanism noise and quicker than modern grand decays aside, Ms Lee's performance is just dandy.  (The quicker decays may even help things.)  The close microphones help create a near modern-grand dynamic range, and Ms Lee executes everything very well.  Nothing sounds less than highly polished, but the pianist sounds more at home and more compelling in the more animated music.  The Op 33 Mazurkas follow, and Lee manages to play with a broader than expected tonal palette, and here she sounds more at home in slower music, with the faster music a bit more rushed and lacking a bit in rhythmic nuance.  The final Mazurka is the best of the lot.  The Polonaise-Fantaisie Op 61 follows, and here Lee again sounds relatively better in the faster music, and the piece almost becomes an exercise in tone production.  Lee extracts a wide palette of colors, especially in the higher registers, but it doesn't really add anything to the music.  It is hard to not just appreciate the sound for its own sake, though.  Make that impossible.  Next up is the third fourth of the Op 28 Preludes.  Lee again produces beautiful sounds, never more than in the Raindrop Prelude, but the playing just doesn't engage the listener beyond a superficial level.  The third sonata ends the disc.  Lee starts with a repeatless Allegro maestoso of no little energy, speed, and clarity, and some wide ranging dynamics, traits which carry over to the Scherzo.  The style is more classical than romantic, which itself is evident in the somewhat expressively flat Largo.  Again, execution and tonal beauty are just fine.  The Finale is swift, superbly articulated, filled with energy, and offers evidence that ancient instruments can create a satisfying level of bass, at least at impolitely high SPLs.

The disc is something of a mixed bag overall.  There's no question at all that Ms Lee can play, but she generally sounds better in faster music and sometimes sounds more concerned with producing a lovely sound than really delivering the goods musically.  Part of that may be attributable to the instrument.  She may be more at home on a modern grand. 

As mentioned, the recorded sound is close, but it does an estimable job of creating a "they are here" effect, and it makes me wonder what some other artists might be able to do with this piano or one that sounds like it.  Andrea Lucceshini has been concentrating more on period instruments the last few years.  Hearing him play Chopin, or anything, on such an instrument would likely be a treat. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 10, 2018, 06:42:38 AM
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Norichika Iimori is a name new to me, but since I found his Brahms symphony cycle available to stream, I figured I might as well hear what he can do.  Iimori was born and raised in Japan, took a degree from Toho Gakuen School of Music, and received additional training in Germany.  He's done lots of guest conducting and acts as Principal Conductor of the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra.  In addition to this set, he has recorded a lot of core rep, including complete Beethoven and Mozart symphony cycles. 

The set starts with a First that starts with a broad Un poco sostenuto-Allegro that comes in at 16'34".  It's not as broad as the even slower Kubelik, but it doesn't generate quite the same weight and forward drive that Kubelik does.  That written, it sounds just fine overall.  The remaining movements are all pretty standard in terms of timing, and they are fairly safe interpretations.  The Second starts off with an Allegro non troppo of a not quite allegro twenty-one minutes and change.  That's slower even than Kubelik.  Like Kubelik, Iimori makes it work, if not quite as well.  It's generally lovely, lyrical, and warm.  The Adagio non troppo, coming in at a somewhat taut 9'35", maintains nice tension while sounding quite lovely, too, and the last two movements, both fairly standard in timing and conception, sound very fine.  The Third opens with a somewhat broad Allegro con brio at 12'47", but it is well within normal parameters, and the playing of all of the movements sounds attractive, if a bit reserved, which works well enough in the Andante.  Iimori does ramp things up in the Allegro, but while well done, the overall performance doesn't match preferred recordings.  The Fourth is conventional in terms of overall tempos and generally attractive.  The Andante moderato is quite lovely, and the rest of the movements are fine, but overall the performance lacks the drama, power, or whatever else one may want.  It's certainly not bad, but it's not great, either.  That's more or less the case for the cycle.  The Second stands out, but increasingly for me that's what I'm drawn to.  I doubt I end up buying this mid-priced cycle.

The Japan Century Symphony Orchestra plays at a very high level, and Exton's sound is very fine via streaming, so I expect it would be superb on disc.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 16, 2018, 05:51:06 AM
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Sang Mi Chung is new to my collection.  Her scant bio info indicates that she was born in South Korea, studied at Juilliard, is part of the Arista Trio, teaches at Hunter College, and records for Centaur.  She's recorded several discs.  Her Szymanowski caught my eye. 

The disc starts off with fourteen of the twenty Op 50 Mazurkas.  The Mazurkas come from later in the composer's career, and the lack some of the sumptuousness of some earlier works.  Too, with the composer aware of the history of Mazurkas for piano and the outsize influence of Chopin, he apparently spent a good amount of time refining these.  As played by Ms Chung, they often sound like an updated and modernized Chopin, with even trickier rhythmic components, and a sleek, modernist sound.  Chung's tone is attractive, but also often streamlined, so the modernist elements often sound more pronounced, though never in anything but a good way.  In overall style, Chung's approach is similar to Szymanowski specialist (both musically and academically) Sinae Lee, though Lee's even leaner style makes the music even more modernist and works better.  Anna Kijanowska's recording, more nuanced in every regard, and more romantic but restrained, remains my favorite take on these works. 

Chung's take on the early Piano Sonata No 1 is more romantic in overall demeanor, though it's somewhat restrained.  To be sure, sometimes Chung displays mighty fine fingerwork, and she even creates a dreamy soundworld at the opening of the final movement, but most the of the fugue is played thick and opaque and sluggish in places, though part of that is due to the music.  That written, Rafal Blechacz shows what can be done with this sonata in his masterful recording. 

Overall, Chung's disc is nice, but better versions of all works are available.  I may have to try her Clementi next.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 06, 2018, 01:32:17 PM
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Jung-Ja Kim is a Korean born pianist with deep roots in the US.  She earned degrees from Juilliard, appeared with Leonard Bernstein in a televised Young People's Concert back in the 60s, and she has been at the Boston Conservatory since 1972.  She's got some experience. 

The disc opens with K570.  Kim displays a most enticing combination of beautiful tone, nuanced touch, unobtrusive yet noticeable personal touches, nice clarity, and a generally fluid delivery.  Sometimes, though, she plays in such a way as to extract a bit of tension or even momentary dissonant, less beautiful-but-still-beautiful sounds.  Kim plays the Adagio slowly and deliberately, sometimes notably so, yet never abandons the traits evident in the first movement, though she adds in a bit of subdued drama.  And while melody seems to be the focus of the playing, her accompaniment not only doesn't fade away, it sort of adopts the main focus, too.  The Allegro starts off more briskly, but slows up a bit, uses some rubato and accenting to good effect, and wraps up a most satisfying rendition of the sonata.

An assortment of individual pieces and a fragment of Suite K399 follow.  The K485 Rondo is a joyful delight with superb fingerwork.  The K540 Adagio, with all repeats intact and tipping the scales at 13'20", emerges as a lengthy, occasionally dramatic, more occasionally held back Fantasy, like a resigned relative of K475.  Kim holds the listener's interest throughout.  Next is the could've been substantial K399 fragment, a collection that would have been a Partita had Mozart finished it.  The Overture, Allemande, and Courante survive as updated baroque forms here, with drama, proportion, and refinement of just the right type, all delivered splendidly.  The 355 Menuett has nice a nice rhythm to it, and Kim again plays up some dissonance in a most tasteful fashion, and the K574 Gigue sounds a bit jagged, though purposely and in a fun way.

K282 ends the disc.  Kim starts with a slow but mostly flowing Adagio, and when it doesn't flow ideally, it's because the pianists wants to draw the listener's attention to a phrase, to an accent, to a pause of no little significance and beauty.  Kim goes for a nice mix of snappy rhythm and flexibility in the two minuets.  In the Allegro, Kim displays more clean fingerwork and lovely tone, but she also introduces some big ol' honkin' pauses for effect.  They manage to both interrupt the flow for effect yet not affect the overall trajectory of the playing.  Very nice.  Had I had this version on hand during my earlier survey of this work, it would join the Others of no little distinction category.  I guess it does now.

This here's one of them discs and artists I was hoping to find.  Superb in every regard.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 13, 2018, 06:22:25 AM
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Okay, the crappy cover, which looks like a pixelated screengrab from Footloose, is enough to put off some potential buyers, but one must be resilient to move beyond D-quality work from aspiring marketing students.  (I certainly hope a seasoned pro didn't put the cover together.)  Jung-Ja Kim's Ravel disc starts off with the Sonatine.  Old-pro Henk Kooistra is the engineer, and he and his production team go for a soft-grained, soft-edged, resonant, billowy sound.  To be sure, Kim pedals generously, but it's almost like the sustain is held down throughout and she applies the una corda generously.  Less than ideal sonics, or perhaps just right sonics, aside, Kim's playing is a blend of the dreamy and the literal.  There are no garish displays or tweaks, and Kim's playing is generally fleet and cool.  It works quite well. 

Small scale fare out of the way, it's time for the mighty Miroirs.  The sonics stay the same, and this leads to a blended sound more than a detailed one, and the haze is not unattractive.  Kim's fingers flit nicely when needed, gliding along, and the sound does allow some notes to fade slowly into oblivion to nice effect, but the playing is perhaps too cool overall.  Oiseaux tristes retains a sort of too cool demeanor, as well.  Une barque sur l'océan has nicely undulating and steady accompaniment, but it's a bit formal in presentation at the outset.  That written, the sonics work the music's advantage here, with the loudest passages sounding like an aural equivalent of an impressionist painting of a storm, and Kim's penchant for playing some music very quietly and sometimes very quickly at the same time makes some of the music swell into earshot before fading away.  Very nice.  As is her clean right hand fingerwork.  Alborada del gracioso starts off slow and clunky, though steady, making me think this is exactly what the pianist was shooting for.  Kim introduces some individual rubato later on, and some unusual accents.  She never really shakes off a studied demeanor.  La vallée des cloches, though it maintains a coolness, works well.  Kim's steadiness actually helps accentuate some of the harmonic invention.  Overall, not a favorite version of this greatest Ravel work, but one worth hearing. 

Valses nobles et sentimentales closes the disc, and it opens with slower, stiffer playing than normal, but it seems quite literally Modéré – très franc.  The second waltz is more nuanced and noticeably pedaled, while the third is wistful but restrained.  In the Moins vif waltz, Kim nearly lets loose, playing with more energy and scale, to excellent effect, and Kim ends with a well judged final waltz that ends up both noble and sentimental, with some really nice, very delicate pianissimo. 

Overall, this disc is not as good as her Mozart disc, but it is well worth hearing.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Alek Hidell on October 13, 2018, 07:59:35 AM
^ Wow. It's hard to believe those two covers were produced by the same label.

Have wishlisted the Mozart disc. I see that it's an Amazon add-on item.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 20, 2018, 05:45:40 AM
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I figured I might as well just go ahead and give Jung-Ja Kim's Rach a shot.  I'm sort of on a slow-motion hunt for a reference set of the complete Preludes.  I've got a smattering of versions of varying quality, but none that stand out as The Best.  The set starts off promisingly, with a lovely and restrained 23/1, and moves to a thundering opening for 23/2.  There's ample harmonic richness and weight.  But there's also a slightly studied mien to the playing.  It's not romantic abandon so much as a calculated rendition thereof.  There's nothing at all wrong with that approach.  Indeed, it is eminently satisfying, and it pervades Op 23.  Maybe it's too stifling in 23/5, or maybe not; it's certainly doesn't hamper 23/8, which glides by.  Much of Op 32 seems slightly freer, but also a touch cooler.  Starting with 32/1 laden with oomph, it often just clicks better.  32/4 is titanic in scale and scope, if perhaps displaying more of the calculation of the earlier pieces.  32/5 sounds delightfully light, and 32/10 serves as the relative qualitative highlight in its quasi-dazzling-but-still-measured-and-meant-to-sound-rhapsodic approach. 

This set is not The Best, but it is very good, and nearly as good as Kim's Mozart. 

Sound is excellent, inviting one to turn up the wick a bit.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 27, 2018, 04:52:13 AM
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I don't recall having seen Hiroshi Arimori's name until I stumbled upon this recording of Rachmaninoff's Preludes, which made for a perfect follow-up to Jung-Ja Kim's set.  Arimori is a Japanese pianist who earned his Master's from Tokyo University of the Arts and followed that up with some studying in Moscow.  He's done the competition and concertizing circuits, and when it comes to recordings, Russian music is his thing.  He's recorded at least three discs of Rach, some Medtner, and appears to be recording a complete Kabalevsky solo piano music cycle.  I opted to stream this disc just because.

The disc starts off with the famous Op 3/2, and expectations are set for the rest of the disc.  Arimori plays with a somewhat dark tone, has nice but not outstanding dynamic range (part of which is due to the streaming), and displays some virtuosic flourishes, but the playing sometimes sounds a bit slower than I prefer.  Sometimes, through the set, it seems likes he's holding too much back (eg, 23/5), or he sounds a bit stiff and not at all romantic enough (eg, 23/2), though sometimes everything moves along just swell (23/7, 32/2), and sometimes notes fluidly and romantically emerge from under his fingers (32/10).  The disc is good enough so that I will likely try at least one of his other discs, but the playing here doesn't match up to the best when considering individual Preludes or small selections (eg, Cliburn, Kocsis, Ashkenazy, the composer), and for complete or near complete sets I'm not sure I'd say this quite matches the best among the few sets I have heard.  When will Arcadi Volodos just go ahead and record them all so a proper reference version will be available? 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 03, 2018, 04:41:32 AM
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A few years ago, I picked up a couple discs from Zhu Xiao-Mei, a Schumann disc and an LvB Op 111/Schubert D960 pairing (talk about heavyweight fare), and I enjoyed both a figured I should try more of her stuff.  It's been a while, but now seems like as good a time as any to try more of her work.  This time I went with lighter though not slighter fare: 17 Scarlatti sonatas.  Two words can best describe her style: fluid and poetic.  While she has the rhythm thing down pat, and if one chooses to focus on that aspect it will not be found wanting, and while dynamic contrasts are not wanting, either, her playing just seems to glide along smoothly and beautifully.  I hesitate to say that the playing sounds truly "spontaneous", because it sounds as though Zhu put great thought into how she wanted each sonata to sound and then delivers on her concepts, though momentary inspiration may obviously have played a part.  Zhu does play pianistically, taking liberal advantage of the sustain pedal from time to time, but she doesn't approach Pletnev in that regard.  Her softer-grained approach also calls to mind Schiff on Decca a bit, though she's not as fastidious, or precious, if you prefer.  If this does not necessarily join Pletnev or Hinrichs or Babayan in the Scarlatti on the piano sweepstakes, it is a very fine recording and one that reminds me that I really need to get to Zhu's Bach.  The Schubert D915 encore makes a delightful encore.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Kontrapunctus on November 04, 2018, 04:28:41 PM
What are your thoughts on this set?

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Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 04, 2018, 04:47:44 PM
Quote from: Toccata&Fugue on November 04, 2018, 04:28:41 PM
What are your thoughts on this set?

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Not a favorite. (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23626.msg837569/topicseen.html#msg837569)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Kontrapunctus on November 04, 2018, 05:29:36 PM
Thanks. That thread didn't come up when I searched for her name. I started with discs 8 and 9--so far, so good! She may not inject quite as much of herself into the music as others, but there's no denying that she's a fine player.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mandryka on November 06, 2018, 11:12:19 AM
Quote from: Todd on November 03, 2018, 04:41:32 AM
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A few years ago, I picked up a couple discs from Zhu Xiao-Mei, a Schumann disc and an LvB Op 111/Schubert D960 pairing (talk about heavyweight fare), and I enjoyed both a figured I should try more of her stuff.  It's been a while, but now seems like as good a time as any to try more of her work.  This time I went with lighter though not slighter fare: 17 Scarlatti sonatas.  Two words can best describe her style: fluid and poetic.  While she has the rhythm thing down pat, and if one chooses to focus on that aspect it will not be found wanting, and while dynamic contrasts are not wanting, either, her playing just seems to glide along smoothly and beautifully.  I hesitate to say that the playing sounds truly "spontaneous", because it sounds as though Zhu put great thought into how she wanted each sonata to sound and then delivers on her concepts, though momentary inspiration may obviously have played a part.  Zhu does play pianistically, taking liberal advantage of the sustain pedal from time to time, but she doesn't approach Pletnev in that regard.  Her softer-grained approach also calls to mind Schiff on Decca a bit, though she's not as fastidious, or precious, if you prefer.  If this does not necessarily join Pletnev or Hinrichs or Babayan in the Scarlatti on the piano sweepstakes, it is a very fine recording and one that reminds me that I really need to get to Zhu's Bach.  The Schubert D915 encore makes a delightful encore.

I've seen her in concert and I've heard some of her recordings of Bach. I think, from what I've seen of your taste, that you will enjoy her AoF.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 10, 2018, 05:42:53 AM
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Harpsichordist Tomoko Matsuoka popped up while I was looking for new Scarlatti recordings.  This disc of sixteen sonatas from 2008 is her only commercial recording to date, unless one considers a didactic recording she made.  Ms Matsuoka was born and raised in Japan and engaged in early training there before moving to Milan to further her studies.  She did the masterclass thing with, among others, Christophe Rousset and Kenneth Gilbert, and won various awards at various competitions. 

The disc opens with the first three sonatas, then moves to an assortment of works from there, with works mostly presented in small blocks of consecutive sonatas.  When I listen to Scarlatti sonatas today, I typically listen to modern grands.  My benchmark for harpsichord recordings remains Scott Ross.  There's no denying that Ms Matsuoka can play, but, for the most part, her playing lacks the drive and energy, and some might say assertiveness or aggressiveness, of Mr Ross' playing.  That may or may not be a good thing, depending on taste.  To the sonatas: while there are nice things to be heard in K1, it seems a bit formal; Matsuoka ornaments nicely, and plays cleanly, it just seems polite.  Same with the second sonata.  K3, though, shows that Matsuoka can play with real verve, as does the excellent K209.  From that point forward, Matsuoka delivers several big hits and no real misses.  K214 sounds very fine.  K146 delights with its fun rubato.  K29 is close to perpetual motion musical goodness.  Overall, it's not the best Scarlatti I've heard, but it certainly has its appeal. 

The ancient Ruckers instrument sounds quite excellent.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 17, 2018, 05:51:50 AM
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I enjoyed Tomoko Matsuoka's Scarlatti sufficiently so that I figured I should try another Japanese harpsichordist in this music.  I opted for Eiji Hashimoto's selection of eighteen sonatas recorded for the Klavier label.  Mr Hashimoto was born and raised in Japan, spent some time studying with Ralph Kirkpatrick, taught for a while at Toho School of Music, and then he spent a long time at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music before retiring in 2001.  He was good enough to catch the ear of Rudolf Serkin and ended up performing at Marlboro.  In addition to playing the harpsichord, Hashimoto also put together his own edition of one hundred Scarlatti sonatas, with said edition still available.  (There's also a three volume edition of ninety sonatas readily available.)  So he's an artist and a scholar.

This disc includes some less frequently recorded sonatas, which is fine, since lesser known of the sonatas need more love.  Hashimoto certainly knows the music and knows what he wants to do.  Some of the sonatas, and many sections of pretty much every sonata, come off very well.  His ornamentation is generally just fine.  However, his frequent use of pauses often interrupts the forward flow of the music.  He does this in pretty much every sonata, and sometimes it works better than others, but it ends up tipping into distracting mannerism before the disc is done.  Some of the phrasing also sounds stiff in a number of sonatas, lacking the sense of playfulness or rhythmic vitality found in other versions, harpsichord or piano.  As a result, the disc is one with some very fine moments and a greater abundance of less fine moments.

I streamed the disc, and sound is excellent even that way.  The few Klavier discs I own all have demonstration quality sound, so I would not be surprised if a physical copy of this disc does as well.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 24, 2018, 06:15:06 AM
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Duanduan Hao is a twenty-something Chinese pianist who spent his early years in China, including training in Shanghai, before moving first to Paris as a teenager to continue his studies there, and then moving to New York for studies at Juilliard and Columbia.  Along the way, he won the 2009 Shanghai International Piano Competition.  So he's got the goods.

These two discs are characterized by a few traits.  First is clean articulation.  Second is discreet ornamentation.  Third is tasteful restraint.  Perhaps too much so.  Hao never gets wild and crazy.  That's not to say that his playing sounds dowdy or ponderous, just that it's often a bit safe.  Even so, he tends to sound better in faster sonatas, where his digital dexterity is on display.  Slower sonatas and passages sound somewhat plain.  There's certainly nothing wrong with the playing, and the interpretations are not at all bad, it's just that there are better discs out there.  As to specific highlights from the two discs, Kk162 is a joyful bundle of energy, while Kk140, 229, 390, 467, and 541 all caught my ear.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 01, 2018, 05:48:12 AM
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Hae-won Chang is not new to me.  I've owned a copy of one of her Hummel solo piano music discs for many moons, but I decided, after probably well over a decade since hearing a note played by her, to try two Scarlatti discs released by Naxos in the 90s.  The recordings also surfaced in the Korean market in the mid-80s on Philips, and in other Asian markets on the Marco Polo label at the same time, so it's probably an early (now) HNH recording.  Ms Chang was, even at the time of the recordings, more experienced than many other artists in this thread.  She graduated from Ewha University in Seoul in the early 60s before heading to Germany to finish up her studies, and she has been before the public since 1957, per her official bio.  Her musical collaborators in the past included names like Christian Ferras and Renata Tebaldi.  Quite naturally, she holds or held a teaching position as well.  Without doing a Korean language search, I don't know her current activities.

From the first sonata to the last, one gets the impression that Chang is a very serious, talented, and very conservative player.  While she ornaments and embellishes, everything is within what seems to be strict, very tasteful bounds.  There is none of the more pronounced rubato of pianists like Pletnev or Baglini.  Dynamic accents are restrained, too, not taking full advantage of the instrument, like Baglini does with his Fazioli.  This tendency becomes obvious in K24, which sounds a bit stodgy and overly serious, and then a bit later in both K87 or K99, the playing becomes maybe just a bit too serious.  To be sure, some sonatas come off very well.  For instance, K113 is lighter and funner.  K114 too - and it has notably even trills, too.  K183 has some sweetness to it, while K213 a sort of lovely reserve.  Overall, this is a nice twofer, though it is ultimately too reserved to equal my preferred sets, but time listening to Ms Chang play is time well spent.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 08, 2018, 06:06:40 AM
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Well, here's something new.  Scarlatti played by a gamelan orchestra at Sanggar Kembang Ceraki.  The brief, just shy of thirty-nine minute recording contains gamelan transcriptions of a dozen Scarlatti sonatas.  The transcriptions only occasionally, faintly, and fleetingly sound like Scarlatti, and the rest of the time sound like gamelan music with various combinations of instruments and even voices.  (And insects and frogs.)  I didn't expect a revelation, and I didn't get one, but it makes for a nice enough one time listening experience.   
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: aukhawk on December 11, 2018, 02:09:41 AM
   
    :laugh:
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 15, 2018, 06:27:02 AM
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I managed to pick up Handsome Hong Xu's so far sole commercial disc for a pittance, and what I expected, based on my experience of Honens recordings, was a very fine recital.  I got more than that.  Mr Xu, who currently chairs the piano department at Wuhan Conservatory, started his training early in his native China, trained at the Wuhan Conservatory as well as the Eastman and Juilliard Schools, did the competition thing, including the Honens, and has since moved into the performing world to augment his teaching.

Jumping right in: Xu starts the disc with D576, and the Allegro is quick, energetic, and assertive but not at all aggressive.  His playing displays fine tone and fully modern dynamic precision, with really deft dynamic shifts sprinkled throughout.  Come the Adagio, Xu slows down, and he keeps things pretty even keel.  There's no excessive, extra-expressive rubato to be heard, but again, his supremely fine dynamic control is in evidence, as is the remarkable clarity of voices.  While held in the check, the melodies take on a sort of flight of fancy feel.  It's not necessarily deep, but it sounds absolutely lovely.  Xu closes with an energetic Allegretto where one is tempted to comment on the evenness and beauty of the melodies, but these are comparatively overshadowed by some equally even and almost as beautiful accompaniment.  Next up is the standalone D540 Adagio, which Xu brings in at just about ten minutes.  Tempi are perfectly judged, as are dynamics for the most part.  One might be able to say some left hand notes are overemphasized here or there, but then one can just as equally say that the accents add a touch of needed weight in small doses.  K332 follows, and once again Xu displays extremely fine dynamic control married to lovely tone and an assertive but not at all aggressive sound.  It's weighty but not overwrought; classical but not too contained.  Xu again delivers a lovely slow movement, and here he embellishes just a bit more, though always tastefully, while the Allegro assai is rather like the D576 closer.  D282 follows, and here Xu opens with an almost too beautiful Adagio.  Spiced up a bit with eminently tasteful embellishments, with gorgeous tone throughout, Xu takes this early work and while making it sound early, he also makes it sound just about as good as any version I've heard.  The Menuets are peppier and lovely, and the closing Allegro is light fun.  This is a top tier quality performance.  K310 ends the disc.  Xu plays with some boldness and assertiveness, though he never goes for too much, and somewhat unexpectedly some of the playing is not pristinely clear, which I have to think was an interpretive choice.  Keep the music moving forward rather than getting bogged in the details, that sort of thing.  The Andante cantabile, while lovely - especially those perfectly judged and executed trills - is more playful than one might expect after the opening movement.  Xu wraps things up with a Presto that stays light and delightful much of the time, with hints of energy and almost angst, but nothing too dramatic.  It's most satisfying, as is the sonata and the disc.

While listening, one name came to mind several times: William Youn.  I think Youn is slightly better overall, if only because his playing is just a bit more refined.  This is not to say that Xu is anything but highly refined; rather, Youn is almost superhumanly refined.  The quality of this disc makes me hope that the still on the young-ish side Mr Xu lays down more than a few recordings.  More Mozart would be welcome, as would some Beethoven (of course), and some, well, frankly any core rep, really. 

Sound is excellent, though a bit too reverberant to be called truly SOTA, at least for my taste.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 22, 2018, 08:08:22 AM
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Cecile Licad is not new to me.  I have her Rach 2 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Claudio Abbado on LP.  The recording is hardly a favorite for either work, but it's nice enough.  Nice enough so that when I found this disc of Schumann works as an Amazon Add-on, it seemed like a good time to try something new from the Filipina ivory tickler.

The disc opens with my favorite Schumann solo piano work, Carnaval.  Licad starts strong, with a Preambule that is both light on its feet and large of scale as she pounds out the chords.  Her rubato is personal and playful, which is amplified in Arlequin.  In the first three tracks, one gets the sense that Licad is more at home in the Florestan music.  Valse noble and Eusebius both nix that notion.  Tender and dreamy, they sound swell.  Throughout the work, Licad more or less delivers on the full promise of the opening few pieces.  Occasionally, the loudest playing starts to sound a bit clangy, but not enough to detract from the proceedings, and when she needs to, Licad really delivers, as in the boisterous concluding March.  I can't say this rates with my favorite recordings of the work, but it is superb.  Papillons follows, and, if anything, the piece is even better suited to Licad's style, flitting along, jumping between styles.  Alas, the early digital sound shows its limitations as the loudest passages sound both occasionally clangy and overloaded.  Were the sound tidier, the result would be even better.  The disc closes with the Toccata.  Licad plays it well enough.  Overall, this is a fine disc and one that makes me think it might not be a bad idea to hear Licad in Chopin. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 29, 2018, 06:45:47 AM
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Min Kwon is yet another South Korean pianist of no little academic accomplishment.  Born and raised in her home country, and debuting with the Korean Symphony at the ripe old age of twelve, she earned a scholarship to the Curtis Institute at fourteen, studied under Leon Fleisher and Eleanor Sokoloff, and she debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra at sixteen.  After that, she earned her DMA at Juilliard, and then did post-doc work at the University of Mozarteum under Hans Leygraf.  She also won some contests.  She is currently the Interim Director of Music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers.  She's legit.

The disc is devoted to the Schubert D850 and three Liszt works, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Gnomenreigen, and the Don Juan Fantasy.  It opens with the Schubert.  Ms Kwon dispatches the opening Allegro with nice drive and control, but sonics are a bit compressed, due at least in part to streaming, but other streamed titles have broader dynamic range, and the highs are a bit rolled.  (There's one passage where some notes are unusually bunched together, but I suspect that is an artifact of streaming.)  But even so, her articulation is obviously fine, she cruises along with no real difficulty, and makes the music sing when it should.  The Con Moto starts off sounding just a smidge rushed, and never entirely shakes that, instead layering really quite beautiful and at times delicate right hand playing on top of the snappy accompaniment.  The Scherzo sees her again playing with a sort of rushed feel, with some even more pronounced right hand rubato, but the effect is compelling.  She scales up the trio nicely, shedding any undue prettiness, though her playing remains far from unattractive.  The Rondo alternates between mostly fast, light, attractive playing and fast, insistent, attractive playing.  I can't say it outdoes my preferred versions (eg, Andsnes), but it's quite good.  Gretchen am Spinnrade, perhaps a tad too closely miked, sounds simultaneous studied and impassioned, but ultimately sounds too contained.  Gnomenreigen likewise sounds a bit studied, with little Lisztian flair, though Kwon's right hand playing is a speedy delight.  Kwon ramps up her playing in the Don Juan Fantasy.  She plays with some scale and superb digital dexterity.  If it never takes on the more romantic feel of Bolet or the at times super-dazzling sound of Wild, it is just about as musically satisfying, and much more so than human typewriter Simon Barrere and unnatural Lisztian Charles Rosen.  In some ways it is the best thing on the disc, though the Schubert offers the best music.  This is a good recording overall, and if Ms Kwon records the right repertoire, I may bite.  Early Beethoven and some Chopin might work.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 05, 2019, 05:51:09 AM
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The opening Drei Klavierstucke, from 1894, that open this disc startled me a bit.  I've listened to multiple recordings of Schoenberg's piano works with opus numbers, but never these three pieces, nor the various fragments that predate Op 11.  They offer a sort of disintegration and transformation of late romanticism into something harsher that under Ms Chen's fingers nonetheless sound mesmerizing and lovely.  Come Op 11, this still holds, though the music is atonal.  Chen's varied touch and still attractive playing had me scrambling to listen to Maurizio Pollini's recording in comparison.  Pollini offers command and a stern style, and notably more powerful playing in the Bewegte Achtel, but Chen's playing falls easier on the ear, inviting the listener to listen to notes and silences and to hear more beauty.  This is aided by her more appealing tone, itself amplified by the close recording.  As things progress and the works get knottier and denser and more unabashedly modern and even austere, Chen keeps delivering attractive sounding music.  To be sure, there are not hummable tunes, but it turns out that there don't need to be.  There really only needs to be committed playing.

It had been a good long while since I last listened to Schoenberg's solo piano music, and Pi-Hsien Chen forced me to listen with fresh ears.  She has redefined the pieces for me. 

Wow.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: aukhawk on January 09, 2019, 05:27:10 AM
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Volume 21 of a project that one must suppose will stretch to 33 volumes at least, there are bound to be some rarely-recorded pieces.  In fact out of 17 Sonatas here, 12 are new to my extensive Scarlatti collection which runs to over 30 albums.  Listening to them, by and large I can understand why - Scarlatti wrote a huge amount of wonderful music but still there is a proportion of his output that should really just be left to Rest In Peace.  Still, I did especially enjoy Ks 168, 51 and 194, out of the 12 which were new to me.
Soyeon Kate Lee is described as 'Korean-American' and a student of Richard Goode among others, she has also contributed Vol.8 to this series. I'm afraid I find her playing here a bit joyless and pedestrian, not helped by the typical restricted Naxos piano sound.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on January 10, 2019, 10:37:02 AM
aukhawk, I know this isn't the Scarlatti invasion, but since you seem to keep up with the Naxos series as I do, do you have any favorites? I recently quite enjoyed the Filipec and Yasynskyy entries.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Mandryka on January 10, 2019, 12:48:43 PM
Quote from: Todd on January 05, 2019, 05:51:09 AM
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The opening Drei Klavierstucke, from 1894, that open this disc startled me a bit.  I've listened to multiple recordings of Schoenberg's piano works with opus numbers, but never these three pieces, nor the various fragments that predate Op 11.  They offer a sort of disintegration and transformation of late romanticism into something harsher that under Ms Chen's fingers nonetheless sound mesmerizing and lovely.  Come Op 11, this still holds, though the music is atonal.  Chen's varied touch and still attractive playing had me scrambling to listen to Maurizio Pollini's recording in comparison.  Pollini offers command and a stern style, and notably more powerful playing in the Bewegte Achtel, but Chen's playing falls easier on the ear, inviting the listener to listen to notes and silences and to hear more beauty.  This is aided by her more appealing tone, itself amplified by the close recording.  As things progress and the works get knottier and denser and more unabashedly modern and even austere, Chen keeps delivering attractive sounding music.  To be sure, there are not hummable tunes, but it turns out that there don't need to be.  There really only needs to be committed playing.

It had been a good long while since I last listened to Schoenberg's solo piano music, and Pi-Hsien Chen forced me to listen with fresh ears.  She has redefined the pieces for me. 

Wow.

You may enjoy her playing Boulez's Douze Notations - I just have a feeling that it's your sort of thing.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 12, 2019, 05:50:03 AM
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It had been a while since I listened to a new to me recording by Sung-Won Yang, so I figured I might as well go for the gold as far as Cello repertoire is concerned and hear his take on Dvořák's still best ever work in the genre.  The folks at Decca thought highly enough of their star to secure the Czech Philharmonic as the backing band, and veteran stick waver Zdeněk Mácal was recruited to direct.  That ensured at least decent results.  In addition to the main work, Yang joins his regular collaborators from the mighty Trio Owon, they of the greatest ever LvB Piano Trio set, for the Dumky trio, with a Slavonic Dance encore tacked on, as if it were needed. 

No need to really beat around the bush: Yang and crew deliver a superb concerto.  Now, it's not without it's quibbles.  Yang's playing is spot-on and unfailingly beautiful, but he does not generate a particularly big, rich sonority, instead opting for a nimbler, lighter sound.  As evidenced by other of his recordings, he can do whatever he wants with his instrument, so this is what he wants to do, and he of course does it exceedingly well.  While not at all too light, it lacks the heft and romance of some other readings.  As such, it may not be too everyone's taste.  That almost seems impossible when Yang makes his cello sing, as in the middle of the opening movement, when he and the principal flautist duet in almost too beautiful for its own good playing.  (I think the Decca engineers may have done a little something-something to ensure that the winds sound a bit more prominent - not that I'm at all complaining about it.)  Yang's light and tight approach, with appropriate backing, yields a gorgeous but tight Adagio ma non troppo, one that never droops into syrupy excess.  I should note that it is pretty hard for me to resist syrupy excess in Dvořák.  Not at all surprisingly, the Finale mixes energy and sentiment, delivered with beauty and refinement.  It's most excellent.  In this work, Yang wades into territory replete with top shelf recordings from the giants of the instrument.  I cannot report that Yang supplants Fournier or Slava or <insert other titan here>, but he joins them. 

I nonchalantly assumed that the Trio Owon would deliver the goods in the Dumky and Slavonic Dance 72/2 transcription.  In one of the least surprising listening experiences imaginable, they do.  Slightly distantly recorded, the trio once again reveals itself to be a well-oiled music-making machine, with all three instrumentalists playing in the big leagues and jelling together.  To be sure, the playing is more refined than, and lacks the more robust and idiomatic sound of, the Suk Trio, but that is only to be expected.  Buoyant and vibrant where and when it should be, beautiful and touching as appropriate, the Dumky, in particular, is a superb performance.  The encore ain't none too shabby, neither.  While I'm certainly glad to have this, it only serves to make me want to hear even more from the ensemble. 

Sound for the lossless download is fully modern, with perhaps just a bit of plumminess from the low strings and percussion in the concerto, and the Dumky almost sounds too high pitched at times.

I expected a superb recording.  I got a superb recording.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: aukhawk on January 15, 2019, 05:24:12 AM
That does look as though it ticks all the right boxes.  I fondly remember the concerto as recorded by Maurice Gendron who also had a light and nimble sound IMHO, but here there is the added allure of an all-Czech backing group.  I'll look out for it.

Quote from: Brian on January 10, 2019, 10:37:02 AM
aukhawk, I know this isn't the Scarlatti invasion, but since you seem to keep up with the Naxos series as I do, do you have any favorites? I recently quite enjoyed the Filipec and Yasynskyy entries.

I don't, as it happens, know much about the rest of the series.  Sorry.  I have and very much like Vol.1 (Eteri Andjaparidze) which tends towards the slow and dreamy, and sampled Vols 2,3 and 4 (various artists) but didn't like what I heard, all seemed prosaic, gave up on the rest after that.  As I say, I get put off by what I hear (maybe wrongly) as a 'Naxos piano sound' characterised by a lack of extension at both ends.  Naxos must source their recordings via any number of producers, engineers, venues and pianos so I wouldn't really expect any consistency at all, let alone a consistency in mediocrity.  Perhaps I should hear these recordings blind.
I'll look out for the two you mention, thanks!
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 19, 2019, 06:28:10 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in the Schubertiade thread]

Yoon Chung is yet another of the bevy of South Korean pianists whose work I've listened to in the last couple years, and like some other artists in The Asian Invasion thread, this sole disc of Schubert is his only commercial recording to date.  Chung was born in Korea but did most of his training in the UK, where he now lives.  He also did some studying in Dallas under Joaquín Achúcarro, and he's done the whole competition thing, too.  So, he's like a veritable army of young artists out there in possessing proper credentials.

The disc opens with D958.  Chung goes for a fairly straight-forward approach.  His tempi are sensible, his dynamics just fine, and his forcefulness in the first theme of the Allegro is vigorous but not overdone.  But in the second theme, Chung's individuality becomes more evident.  He seems more comfortable in the more melodic, introspective music, and he sees fit to add some noticeable dollops of rubato.  Sometimes he slows things down rather a lot, interrupting the forward momentum noticeably, but it ultimately works, as do his long pauses.  The Adagio takes the approach of the second theme of the Allegro and sort of magnifies the traits.  How well one responds to pauses and drawn out playing may very well determine how much one likes this movement.  It's well done, to be sure, and I do very much enjoy such an approach, but sometimes it might be too much of a good thing, especially in the drawn out coda.  That written, Chung tosses in some real oomph in the second theme of this movement, so it all works well enough.  The Menuetto is fairly conventional in approach, and then the closing Allegro opens with not a little drive, with Chung displaying rock steady left hand playing under the melodies.  His standard fast and slower than normal approach is repeated as warranted, and expected, throughout, though there's a greater sense of rhythmic bounce and energy.  So, a very well played version, but not a favorite, even in The Asian Invasion thread - that would be Ran Jia.  (Which reminds me, when will she record something else?)

Next is D946, a work that seems to benefit more from more interventionist takes.  (Listen, for example, to Sokolov or Kars.)  Chung launches into the Allegro assai with ample energy and drive, but it's when the slow music arrives that he seems to be in his element.  Backing off to a Karsesque tempo, and adopting a very earnest mien, though the runs are little delights, Chung revels in the music.  That written, it lacks the otherworldly magic of Kars or the refinement of Sokolov.  (The comparisons were not selected at random.)  In the Allegretto, Chung adopts more extreme tempos at both ends of the spectrum, to mixed effect - the slow playing really comes way too close to being way too slow - but the cumulative effect is to sort of render the first two movements a nearly half-hour long fantasy.  Cool.  The Allegro does the fast-slow thing, too, though here the slow movement is a bit quicker and played with an attractive, gently punched out staccato style that emphasizes rhythm and fun.  The whole thing comes off a bit better than the sonata.

So, neither work rates among my favorite versions of what's out there, but Chung is not at all reticent about imparting his ideas to music.  I would not be averse to hearing him in something else.  Liszt or Szymanowski may sound just nifty.

Chung owns the copyright in this recording, so one can access it free online.  Mr Chung and his production team were smart enough to hire Tony Faulkner as engineer, so sound is superb, so I'm glad I got the disc instead of relying on streaming.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on January 26, 2019, 05:45:10 AM
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So far, William Youn has batted a thousand.  His Mozart sonata cycle is one of the best I've heard, and his recorded partnerships with Nils Mönkemeyer have all been outstanding.  With this disc of Chopin, Schumann, and Wolf, I had to confront the possibility that Youn might play too beautifully.  The disc opens with Chopin's Op 27/2 Nocturne, and Youn plays it with unerring, seductive beauty.  Each and every note sounds lovely, so lovely.  But even hints of drama go missing.  Is sheer beauty enough to sustain interest?  Well, yes, as it turns out.  The same basic conundrum is present through the Op 59 Mazurakas, though to a lesser extent.  Youn again produces only lovely sounds, but here he plays with more rhythmic variegation, as befits the pieces, and a touch as refined and nuanced as anyone's.  Whether one finds the pieces too rarified and focused on tonal and melodic beauty will depend on what one listens for.  The Polonaise-Fantaisie even more than the Nocturne may suffer from the too-beautiful-for-its-own-good problem, and sometimes it sounds as if the pianist is so enamored of the details that he nearly, but never quite, loses sight of the bigger picture.  It's almost like an insanely well prepared version that mimics momentary whimsy.  Ultimately, the playing is so refined and pristine that the listener is gently forced to give in and revel in the sound.  Youn does ratchet up the volume and intensity as the piece draws to a close, but it always sounds controlled, refined, and attractive.

Next comes the big work, Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze.  Youn delivers in every regard.  His Florestan playing is pretty much beyond reproach.  He plays with vigor, drive, rhythmic swagger, and wide dynamic range.  And fine clarity and articulation.  As great as that is, Youn is even more at home in the Eusebius pieces, with that super-fine control, sensibility, and touch delivering ravishing music each time, every time.  Nicht schnell mit äußerst starker Empfindung epitomizes just how fantastic Youn's playing sounds, which is to say, it sounds perfect.  Youn comes perilously close to pushing things too far and fast in Wild und lustig, but he never quite gets there, and he ends it beautifully, which then segues to an almost impossibly beautiful and delicate Zart und singend, an aural feat repeated in the concluding Nicht schnell.  Here I thought Youn was a supreme master of Mozart.  He is, but it turns out he may be even better in Schumann.

The disc ends with a trio of Hugo Wolf pieces.  The two Aus der Kinderzeit miniatures are remarkably beautiful gems, and would have made great encore closers for the disc, but instead Youn goes for an eleven minute Meistersinger paraphrase.  I like Meistersinger, and I can enjoy piano paraphrases, and so it goes here.  Wolf, as played by Youn, emphasizes the lyrical and delicate over the boisterous, at least until the conclusion, which comes off beautifully.   

This is another extraordinarily fine disc from Mr Youn.  I really need his latest Sony release and his earlier Schubert disc.  And he really needs to record more.  A great disc, and a surefire purchase of the year.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 02, 2019, 06:37:11 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in the Schubertiade! thread]

I got tired of waiting around for some record company to issue a new Ran Jia recording, so I decided to revisit her Schubert with her first commercial recording of two sonatas, here the always successful pairing of D960 and D664.  This time around, I had to go the download route since physical media was impossible to find.  The download I got happens to be of the 24 bit variety, which appears to be the only format available for purchase.

Jia starts off with D960, and her Molto moderato is of the long, slow variety, coming in at just a hair over twenty minutes.  One really wouldn't sense that initially as she plays with a steady pulse and keeps it up throughout.  As in her later disc, her style has little time for sentiment or contemplation.  It is harder hitting, though at times even more beautiful than what one hears on the RCA disc.  What is also clear is that Jia likes to make the lower register thunder, whether in the bass trills or in passages with more lower register playing.  Too, she doesn't limit her hard hitting playing to just the lower registers; forte sections have steel in them, and hints of anger more than despair.  Her anodized aluminum in comfy suede gloves style is evident in this recording.  The anger, the bite, the tension that pervades the movement makes it seem to go by more quickly than it does, even if it's not deep.  A few times, Jia's delivery of some right hand passages, including some arpeggios near the end, are especially ear-catching.  Jia pulls off much the same trick in the Andante sostenuto, which manages to sound a bit rushed while still coming it at over ten minutes.  That is down solely to the tension in the playing.  Again, it's not the deepest or most affecting take, but it works better than it should.  Jia moves right through the Scherzo at a brisk sounding pulse, with ample drive and dynamic contrast and she ends the sonata with an Allegro ma non troppo that, like Zimerman after her but to a lesser extent than the more famous pianist, uses clipped G-naturals.  She also pokes out some of the bass notes underneath the melodies to good effect, and grinds out the more intense passages most effectively.  So, not one of the very best readings available, but very much in line with her RCA recording and very well worth hearing.

In D664, Jia shows that she can plays just about as beautifully as anyone as she produces a stream of musical gorgeousness for much of the movement.  She can still unload, though, and the loud passages seem better suited to D784, though Jia plays them nicely.  One thing that sort of stuck out more than normal is how the coda sounds, or can sound, very much like Beethoven, while the rest of the movement sounds very Schubertian.  In the Andante, Jia plays with more feeling and depth than is typical in her style.  It's far from sentimental, but she lavishes very nuanced attention on the notes, creating something and dramatic, but not overstated.  The Allegro is spritely and delivered with a bouncy rhythm in the mix with Jia's standard, hard-hitting playing.  Overall, I tend to prefer a more lyrical approach, but Jia makes a strong case for her approach.

Her case is so strong that I now hope another disc gets released soon, on whatever label.

Sound quality is top shelf, but somewhat close, with a fair amount of damper mechanism noise.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 09, 2019, 05:45:52 AM
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YES knocked it out of the park last year with her blockbuster disc Modern Times on Decca, complete with the best-ever studio version of Three Movements from Petrushka, and world class everything else, so I determined I should try something else from her.  I settled on a download of her Decca recording of works for violin and piano from both famous Schumanns and Brahms.  Here, YES is joined by German violinist Clara-Jumi Kang, who won various competitions, including the Indianapolis, and does the whole A- and B-list collaboration thing.  This indicated that some fine chamber music should be the result.

The disc opens with Bob's Op 105 sonata.  Prior to listening to this disc for the first time, I revisited the French duo Stephanie-Marie Degand and Olivier Peyrebrune.  Kang and YES sound at least as secure as their peers - probably more so - but they also seem to hold just a little something back.  While certainly generating a romantic sound, it sounds more calculated, even if it is more pristine.  There's less a sense of letting it all hang out.  That more or less pervades the second and third movements.  Here, one gets to listen to world class playing that may fall just shy of the very best, depending on taste.  There's certainly no faulting either artist's playing, nor Kang's intonation, nor anything else.  The duo tread into less familiar territory in the next work, Clara Schumann's Three Romances, Op 22.  The music is a bit more syrupy and obviously romantic, and if the musicians still seem to hold back, everything again sounds swell.  Really, a bit more than that, especially in the Allegretto, which exudes welcome light-heartedness.  Bob's Three Romances, Op 94 follows.  The music is more accomplished, darker, more romantic than the first work, and Kang, in particular, plays with real feeling.  Yes, YES is relegated to the background a bit, but it serves the music well.  The work ends up serving as the highlight of the disc.  The disc ends with Brahms' Op 108, and here there is much competition from superheavyweights new (eg, Capucon/Angelich), not so new (Mullova/Anderszewski), kinda old (Suk/Firkusny), and old (Szeryng/Rubinstein), and dozens of others.  I can't say that Kang/YES displace established faves, but I can happily report that they blend in qualitatively.  Kang keeps on doing her thing, and while YES doesn't dominate the proceedings, she gets more to do, and when called upon to do so, she makes her piano swell and delivers the goods.  The playing does adopt of sort of studied romantic sound, but the steadiness and heft suit Brahms well.  It makes a fine closer.

Sound is modern Decca quality.

Overall, this disc is another winner from YES, though it's not up to the out of this world standard of Modern Times.  That's OK.  Merely superb discs are still welcome in my collection.  Also welcome is Ms Kang, a violinist I would not object at all to hearing more from.  She does have other recordings out there, and as it turns out, she has recently taken to performing with Alessio Bax.  I must hear what those two can do together.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on February 09, 2019, 11:28:30 AM
Have you found Son's Chopin Etudes (recorded for Universal Music Korea at some absurdly young age) & if so where's the best place to acquire them?
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 09, 2019, 11:34:17 AM
Quote from: amw on February 09, 2019, 11:28:30 AM
Have you found Son's Chopin Etudes (recorded for Universal Music Korea at some absurdly young age) & if so where's the best place to acquire them?


I didn't even know about that disc.  It doesn't show up on her site.  (The only Chopin listed is her piano 'n' strings Nocturnes, which I'm not sure about.)  Now that I know it's out there, I want to hear it and must hunt it down.  Shit.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on February 09, 2019, 11:37:24 AM
This (https://www.discogs.com/Yeol-Eum-Son-Chopin-Etudes-OP-10-25-/release/12378114) has been the only evidence of its existence I've found so far—a definite classical music cryptid we hope to see more sightings of.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 09, 2019, 11:55:40 AM
Quote from: amw on February 09, 2019, 11:37:24 AM
This (https://www.discogs.com/Yeol-Eum-Son-Chopin-Etudes-OP-10-25-/release/12378114) has been the only evidence of its existence I've found so far—a definite classical music cryptid we hope to see more sightings of.


Well, that was easy.  I just ordered from Discogs.  Let's see if jumpoutlet delivers the goods.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 16, 2019, 06:08:37 AM
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Time for another Asian chamber ensemble.  The Novus String Quartet formed in 2007 while the members attended the Korean National University of Arts.  They've done the competition circuit, studied with artists of note (eg, Christoph Poppen), and have been mentored by the Belcea Quartet.  They've got the background and they've got a recording contract.  I decided to give them a try with their latest recording from this calendar year.

The disc opens with the Berg.  One can't help but notice from the outset that the Novus play incredibly well.  Compared to the sometimes rough LaSalle, they glide along effortlessly or at least mask effort flawlessly.  Even the Arditti and the Juilliard seem no better equipped to handle the music.  In the Allegro misterioso, with the ensemble doing the pizzicato and sul ponticello night music-y thing, it seems like these young punks might one-up the established ensembles of old.  Come the Adagio appassionato, the Novus fall between the precision and detached intensity of the Arditti and the more voluptuous Juilliard, fortunately sounding closer to the latter.  The quartet generate ample tension, as they do in the Presto delirando, which, while it could sound even more intense, does a masterful job of generating an almost theatrical sense of musical long-arc development.  This comes home in the truly desolate sounding Largo desolato, which attains nearly end of career DSCH levels of darkness.  (Obviously, this means the ensemble must record some DSCH.)  While the Juilliard probably still set the standard, the Novus deliver the goods at an historically very high level.

Next comes Death and the Maiden.  The ensemble again offers supremely fine execution.  While they do not offer a sumptuous tone, there's enough weight to the sound that the music never sounds thin.  Indeed, when the foursome crank out fortissimo passages, there's weight, invariably accompanied by drive, that really satisfies.  The wide-ranging dynamics offered are most impressive, and never more so than when dynamics switch almost violently.  And dig the tartness and heft of the violins in the Allegro, where there's more beef than one might think from two scrawny wood boxes.  The Andante con moto starts off with one of the most effective presentations of the funeral march I've heard, with subdued volume, grimness, and superb viola playing that shadows the leader.  As the movement unfolds, the variations sound distinct yet flow together seamlessly, and the ensemble relish playing some of the quieter music with nice dynamic variation.  It seems like Schubert may have been directly influenced by ol' Ludwig van's funeral marches, and here more than in some other versions of the quartet, one can almost say the movement is the heart of the work.  Given the robustness of the Novus' playing, the very slightly measured tempo of the Scherzo both comes as something of a surprise and blends seamlessly with the prior movement.  No need for haste, it turns out.  And like the prior movement, some of he most delectable moments occur in the pianissimo playing.  The Presto comes off as rather dance like - a true tarantella - and more so than many other versions I've heard.  Again, the ensemble revel in fine dynamic control, and the combination of precision and flexibility, with rhythmic sureness, render a most satisfying conclusion.  I did no comparisons for this piece, but this is so freakin' good that it makes me think I should compare the Novus to some Big Names in a shoot-out. 

Here's a world-class release showcasing world-class playing of core rep.  I will definitely be keeping my ears open for other recordings by this ensemble.

The high-res download offers SOTA sound.  (It should be noted that the Juilliard's recording of the Berg manages to more than hold its own sonically when compared to this new disc, though.)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on February 23, 2019, 04:53:53 AM
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I've been aware of pianist Won-Sook Hur since I spied her recording of the Diabellis.  So far, I've not gone for that recording, but when this mixed rep disc popped up for a few bucks, I figured I might as well hear what she can do.  Ms Hur was born and raised in Korea, did her early training there, and also did some studying in Austria.  She did the competition thing, too, and currently teaches back in her home country in addition to concertizing.  So, she has a vaguely familiar and properly credentialed background more or less in line with almost every other artist in this thread.  As always, the playing is more interesting.

The disc opens with Franck's Prelude, Choral, and Fugue.  Michel Block and Bertrand Chamayou aside, I've never really found other versions that I like.  Hur's is no different.  To be sure, it is well played and sounds lovely.  The Choral has a thick, heavy, organ-like sound to it which is not entirely unappealing, and the fugue is well played, but the piece ends up being another space filler for me.  People who love the piece may like it quite a bit more than I do.

Hur follows that with a piece by Korean composer Geonyong Lee, the eleven minute and change Sulla luce dell'estate. The best shorthand is to say it sounds like a blend of Debussy, Ligeti, and minimalism.  It has a pleasant forward moving feel to it, sometime vigorous, sometimes more austere, but Hur often seems to glide along.  The piece is quite nice, and the length seems just about right.

That gliding sensation returns at the opening of Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin.  It sounds quite lovely.  The close, dry sound renders the fugue very clear and light, almost too much so.  It also sort of transforms into an almost Schoenbergian piece.  That can be good or bad.  I think it's good.  The Forlane keeps the light sound, but adds a nifty rhythmic sensibility.  Rigaudon keeps the rhythmic sensibility but adds a bit more heft to the mix.  Very nice.  The Menuet, while keeping the same forward momentum of most of the music on the disc to this point also displays some playing that borders on the precious, especially on the softest end of the spectrum.  It's not at all bad, especially in the coda, and it's more observation than criticism, but it's there.  Hur ends the piece with a swift, cleanly articulated, and dynamically micro-managed Toccata.  The close, dry sound and at least quasi-precious style pays big dividends here.  There's much to enjoy in the Ravel piece.

The disc ends with Rachmaninoff's Corelli Variations.  The piece comes off fairly intimate in scale, with less emphasis on either virtuosic flair or lush, romantic style, and more on clarity and forward drive, though it's not rushed.  It's more modernist Rach.  It's not the best recording I've heard, but there is something appealing there. 

Overall, the disc peaks with the Ravel, and offers something new in the Lee and a bit different in the Rach.  While hardly essential, it's nice to have.  As mentioned, the Dux sound is dry and close, with a sort of exaggerated "they are here" sound, making me think that Hur does not generate an especially big sound in person, but she doesn't need to.  The disc definitely sounds better through headphones than speakers.  Now I have to decide if when I want to hear Hur's Diabellis.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 02, 2019, 05:36:53 AM
I rather fancy YES's playing.  She's good.  Like, real good.  Love Modern Times.  Really, really enjoy the Brahms and Schumanns disc with Ms Kang on violin.  I was gonna get YES's Mozart disc and then wait for her next release on whatever label does the right thing.  Then, out of the blue, I learned of her early, teenage years recording of Chopin's Etudes on Universal Korea.  I had to have it.  A Discogs dealer had it.  I bought it.  Within minutes of learning of its existence.  It arrived.  Then I listened. 

Things start off well.  The C Major Etude is quick 'n' clean, YES moving up and down the keyboard with ease, hittin' all them notes.  The A Minor finds YES delivering the goods again.  Come the E Major, it becomes clear that this youthful recording is an early career effort, where a stupidly talented artist displays world-class technical capacity married to not fully mature interpretive insights.  The playing is fantastic and quite beautiful, but it seems a bit surface-y.  There are just shy of perfect levels of emotional and musical engagement.  I suppose there are worse fates than listening to perfectly executed studies lacking the last word in depth.  This is brought home in the C Sharp Minor, with its evenness, superb dynamic variegation and control, and unstoppable forward drive that nonetheless doesn't sound rushed.  Ditto the light 'n' crisp Black Keys etude.  As the Op 10 set continues, a pattern emerges: YES sounds more compelling in the faster, more challenging music, and a bit less so in the slower, potentially more contemplative music.  Again, there are worse fates than listening to such well played music, particularly when one gets a one-two punch combo like the last two etudes in the set.

Then things change.  Turns out Op 25 is where it's at for YES.  The pianist opens with an Aeolian Harp where she seems to be truly strumming the melodies.  Then in the F Minor, her independence of hands and clarity is just superb, and her differing dynamic levels sounds so good that one almost wonder if she recorded the parts separately and then engineers pasted them together, so steady and well-controlled and precise are the fine gradations.  Then the F Major is a crazy good gallop, with rhythmic exactitude sufficient to put some of the biggest names on record to shame.  Where has this rendition been all my life?  (Really, it was when listening to this etude for the first time when it dawned on me that this set went from high end conservatory quality to for-the-ages good).  The rhythmic goodness, married to super-clean staccato chords, remains on display in the A Minor.  Again, where has this been all my life?  The E Minor is nearly a mind-bender, with an ear-opening feel similar to Pogorelich's take on the Scherzos, without the excess eccentricity.  The outer sections are dissonant and slightly blocky yet perfectly clean and clear, and the sections sound absolutely perfect.  The middle section, if not plumbing the depths, is more introspective and approaches Eusebius levels of romantic dreaminess.  Someone evidently forgot to tell YES that the G Sharp Minor Etude is supposed to be difficult because it seems dashed off without a care.  Again, there's some of that purposive blockiness, but there's also an effortlessness to some of the playing, and such clean delineation of dynamic levels, that one just kind of wonders how she does it.  In the C Sharp Minor, YES shows that, when inclined, she can deliver something approaching a true romantic sound.  True, there's a studied feel to it, but it still works.  The Butterfly etude flits along nicely, with YES again playing with disarming ease, throwing off the octaves in such a way as to say "what, this is hard?".  My own personal listening style is to hear the last two etudes as sort of a grand coda.  YES changes that by making the B Minor the beginning of a mega-coda of the set.  Grander of scale then the preceding pieces, and imbued with ample drama, it clears the path for a pristine yet somewhat cool (appropriately so, I would say) A Minor etude.  While she could push the playing, creating more even more drama, YES rather seems more intent on keeping things steady and moving forward with an unstoppable feel.  No need to rush things; the music takes care of itself.  YES delivers the arpeggios of the final etude in suitably rising and falling, waxing and waning, and swelling fashion to offer a theatrical yet controlled end to the set.  Whew!

This disc offers something a bit unusual.  Op 10 is performed at a world-class level, but ultimately is just a study in superb playing.  Op 25 is hands down one of the best takes I've heard.  It's phenomenal.  YES as a teenager displays chops and insights that even some of the biggest names fail to deliver.  Here's a mixed bag disc: half superb, half mind-numbingly, standard-setting great. 

Superb sound.

It's hard to see how this is not one of my purchases of the year.


(Hat tip to amw for pointing out the very existence of this disc.)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 09, 2019, 04:47:50 AM
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William Youn's third appearance, and this may be his best recording to date.  This disc is a knockout first note to last.  Youn starts the recital with Schumann's Humoreske, and this performance reinforces the impression I gained from the last new to me disc I listened to, that as great as his Mozart is, his Schumann is possibly even better.  There's never the potential reservation about Youn playing too beautifully for the music's own good.  No, he plays just as ravishingly as the music can take.  He also displays even more affinity with Florestan, with mighty nimble playing, ample speed, power, and animation.  The faster passages of Hastig rush at the listener, and the listener greedily accepts every note.  Youn still revels in the Eusebius music, too, to be sure.  It sounds unfailingly lovely.  And there's a flow to the pianist's Schumann, with every bar sounding as natural as one dare hope for.  The entire piece unfolds as one glorious work.  I cannot say that Mr Youn's rendition surpasses others by giants of the keyboard.  I cannot say that renditions by giants of the keyboard surpass Mr Youn's.

A blob of Schubert's Valses sentimentales, D779, with a Trauerwalzer D365/2 tacked on, follows.  Somewhat against expectations, Youn plays the pieces more crisply and less lyrically than expected.  Don't take that to mean that Youn skimps on lyricism, because he does not; rather, the playing most effectively blends rhythmic incisiveness and lyricism.  Next comes the Schubert/Liszt Auf dem Wasser zu singen gem.  Youn adds drama and notable power to the mix.  This is romantic music, albeit immaculately prepared.  Superb.  A couple Clara Schumann/Franz Liszt pieces follow.  Youn ends up being the perfect pianist for these works.  The writing is puffed up by Liszt a bit, but that is no bad thing, and there's some tender beauty here.  Next is an all-Clara piece, the Scherzo No 2, Op 14.  Youn makes as strong a case for the composer's music as the great Ragna Schirmer.  The piece has romantic flair and nicely proportioned writing, large scale and more intimate style, and more tenderness, all in less than four minutes. If he opted to commit more of the composer's music to disc, I would not hesitate to snap it up.  Another Schubert/Liszt piece,Staendchen, S560/7 follows.  Youn again displays a fine touch for the music, and the just forceful enough playing at the start evokes aural memories of the theme music to the quite excellent TV show Succession.  One of Liszt's Soirees de Vienne, the sixth, follows, and of course it's excellent.  While this is just a single piece, it just makes the listener hope that perhaps the pianist will lay down the reference version of the complete set.  Indeed, the poetic sound he generates in this souped-up Schubertian piece at times make me hope he also records some other Liszt, especially the Années.  Finally, the all things Vienna themed disc ends with a Zemlinsky Albumblatt.  The playing sounds luxurious and supremely lyrical.  With it more modern sound, I now kind of want to hear what the pianist could do with Berg or Schoenberg, or even Lutoslawski.  Hell, I want to hear him play everything.

Not that I needed any convincing, but this disc from Youn demonstrates that if there was or could be a golden age for pianists, we're probably now living in it.

SOTA sound caps off another great disc by this great pianist.

Another purchase of the year from Mr Youn.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: aukhawk on March 11, 2019, 04:23:00 AM
On my browser this thread will soon be at its 10th page.  I just want to thank Todd and say how much I've enjoyed reading this and always look forward to the next update - and of course I've been led to sometimes new-to-me music that otherwise I would have missed.  From La Valse played by HK Lim (page 4) and Yeol Eum Son (page 6) via Scriabin by Klara Min (page 5) to Ravel by Jung-Ja Kim (page 7).  All valued additions to my collection.

Quote from: Todd on April 30, 2018, 05:24:55 AM
Klara Min's discography is thin, though as luck would have it, her web-site states that she recorded for Steinway & Sons this month, with the release slated for June.  I don't know what she recorded, but I suspect I'll listen to it.

Her next outing turns out to be one of those mixed recitals hiding behind a cryptic album title - 'Evocation' - and was apparently recorded over 4 sessions spanning 20 months.  I listened to it without the benefit of the liner notes, but downloading and reading those subsequently it seems the 'evocations' in question are all night-themed, and progressively darkening in mood and texture.  The whole concept seems to me to be better suited to a concert recital than to a recorded one assembled from several sessions.
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There is more Scriabin, and in the 2nd Sonata the pianist is in familiar territory from her previous CD recital.  This is followed (well, almost) by the 9th Sonata and 'Vers la flamme' which give Ms Min a rare opportunity to let us hear her more muscular side.  Vers la flamme is the most successful item in this collection, I think.  Interspersed between the 2nd and 9th sonatas we have some Mozart, the Fantasia in D minor K397.  Odd, to my way of thinking.  Though this piece does have a chromatic-ey feel so sits reasonably well in amongst the Scriabin and acts as a lighter interlude.  I suppose.

And all this is book-ended by two escapees from Messiaen's aviary - track 1 being l'Alouette lulu (the wood lark) and track 7 La Chouette hulotte (tawny owl).  For those not too familiar with the Catalogue d'Oiseaux, l'Alouette lulu is probably the most accessible of all Messiaen's mature piano works, really not far away from Ravel's Oiseaux triste or even, with a bit of a stretch, VW's Lark AscendingLa Chouette hulotte on the other hand, is a piece that I find rather hard going, crunchy chords evoking by Messiaen's own description "... terror, like the shriek of a murdered child."  Both pieces are about 7 minutes in duration.

Overall I found this mixed bag less successful than Klara Min's previous two outings, her Scriabin Preludes and her Chopin Mazurkas - but if you like this programme it's as well played and well recorded as ever.

I compared Ms Min's rendition of l'Alouette lulu with that by Momo Kodama, from her complete set of the Catalogue.  Momo Kodama is Japanese but entirely european-trained, I would suppose a short generation before Min.  Her tutors include Perahia, Schiff and Nikolayeva so I would imagine she knows her way around the Bach 48, but her discography is centred on 20th-century French piano music - some Debussy, some Ravel, quite a lot of Messiaen.
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Although their overall durations are similar, Min takes the birdsong episodes much quicker than Momo Kodama does.  Min's birds are in a hurry, slightly manic, packing as much as they can into their little lives.  Kodama's are laid back and much more lyrical. The score marks "Un peu vif" which leaves the door wide open. Kodama's approach is quite close to the recording by Yvonne Loriod, who I assume knew the composer's mind better than anyone.  Min's approach is not.

This difference doesn't typify Momo Kodama's approach in general though.  I turned to her recording on ECM of Ravel's Miroirs (quite aptly coupled with more Messiaen and the short and pleasant 'Rain Tree Sketch' by Takemitsu) and compared Alborada del gracioso with the same piece played by Jung-Ja Kim (page 7 - I think maybe I like this recording more than Todd does).  Here there is a huge contrast, Kodama being brutal and modernist while Kim is elusive, impressionist.  I like them both, effectively it's like listening to two different pieces of music.  I think this ECM disc by Momo Kodama - titled 'La vallee des cloches' - is recommendable - but maybe not if you prefer your Miroirs soft-grained.
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Another ECM issue interleaves Debussy's Etudes with Etudes by Toshio Hosokawa, and although attractively played and well recorded, the justapositions don't work for me.  A bit of editing of the playlist and all is well. There is a more traditional Debussy recital by Momo Kodama which I haven't listened to yet - it's on the same Triton label as her Oiseaux.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 16, 2019, 05:51:22 AM
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I'd say it feels wrong, but I just can't.  Liszt's solo piano works work best as solo piano works.  Word is the dude could play.  Why bother with transcriptions?  To this point, I'd not bought any recordings of transcriptions for cello and piano, but to that point, Sung-Won Yang had not recorded the works.  Reinforcing that point, Yang's musical partner for this set is Enrico Pace.  It actually took me much longer than originally anticipated to snap up this recording because I kept waiting for a reasonably priced, US market, physical media release, but it has not been forthcoming.  Finally, I had enough and went the high res download option, which ended up being cheaper than physical media anyway. 

I started in with dizzyingly high expectations.  I can happily report my expectations were met.  The first disc opens with the Romance oubliee, and Yang starts off up high and makes his instrument positively sing.  He uses big ol' dollops of vibrato from time to time, but only because he should.  La lugubre gondola, S134 follows.  This rendition almost makes one think that this is how the piece should always be heard.  It helps to have a Lisztian of Pace's quality tickling the ivories, and he lays the beautiful, granitic foundation for Yang's dark, often melancholic, and sometimes searing and painful playing.  This is a lament for the dead, no doubt.  It remains incredibly beautiful throughout.  On a normal recording, this could be considered the highlight, but here it's just one extraordinary performance among many.  Die Zelle in Nonnewerth follows, and if it's not quite as good, it is superb, unabashedly romantic, and demonstrates what Yang can do when he wants to play with a big, fat tone - he can energize a listening room.  In the first Elegie, were it not for his superlative control, one might be tempted to say that Yang pushes things over the top.  But he doesn't.  He can't.  It is Liszt, after all.  Next up is something that I thought could not possibly match the solo version, the Consolations.  I can console myself in the knowledge that I was correct that the solo version bests this chamberfied take, but with that written, this set is all that and then some.  The set sort of pyramids, starting strong, peaking with gorgeous renditions of the third and fourth pieces, then returning to merely world-class level writing and playing.  Yang and Pace deliver the second Elegie in a manner that sounds nearly as superheated as the first.  So far, so superb.  Then things get really good.  Two pieces from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses close out the disc: Ave Maria and the title track, Cantique d'amour.  The Ave Maria, properly done (eg, FFG), is a highlight of the solo piano set, and here, with Yang doing melodic duties, the piece sounds possibly even more beautiful than the piano version.  Throw in no little solemnity, but no excess weight, and one gets a piece meant for this instrumental pairing.  The final piece pulls off the same trick, and when called on to take center stage, Pace is more than up to task.  Indeed, this piece, even more than the ones before it, made me want to hear him in more solo work, including more solo Liszt, and more to the point, the complete Harmonies.  Should this much Liszt chamber music be this good?  Of course!


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But wait, there's more!  This super-deluxe set also include Chopin's works for piano and cello.  As luck would have it, I picked up another quite recent recording of two of the same works from Sol Gabetta and the great, great, great Bertrand Chamayou, so a little A/B action ended up on the listening menu. 

I started with the Yang/Pace take on the sonata.  The playing picks up where the Liszt left off, then turns everything up to 11.  Impassioned, yet precise, the dynamic duo nearly manage to make musical short work of the opening Allegro moderato.  It holds together tightly, and probably due to the wide, dramatic dynamic swings and at times nearly undulating tempi, it seems to move more quickly than normal.  Of course, Yang's at times hyper-romanticized (pseudo-) abandon (he's got everything well under control) makes one avidly listen to each pulsating bar with eagerness.  Too, Pace knows when to assert himself, though he never, ever, ever merely bangs away.  The Scherzo offers even more of the good stuff.  While Pace is no wallflower, it really is Yang's show here.  And as he has demonstrated time and again, when he plays up high, he is in his element.  Things finally cool off in the Largo.  Yang adds some fat sounds to his playing, and Pace provides a perfect accompaniment.  Gorgeous and echt-romantic, it falls passionately but gently on the ear.  The duo then belt out a rollicking finale, full of verve and polish and a suitably romantic feel, all in perfect proportions. 

Maintaining the same slightly impolite volume while I listened the first and second times around, I learned that the more spaciously recorded Gabetta/Chamayou effort is marked by a more piano-centric overall approach.  There's certainly nothing wrong with that, much the less so when it's Mr Chamayou doing the do, but the balance changes the tenor of the piece a bit.  The overall approach is still very vibrant, and one can certainly say romantic, it just sounds a bit cooler.  And a bit more congested.  Gabetta is no slouch, and partly due to her partner, she sounds less pronounced and up front.  She also can't produce the middle and higher register goodness that Yang can.  It's also possible to say that Chamayou comes to dominate proceedings too much at times, something Pace, or Pace and the engineering team for Decca would never let happen.  (Given his other chamber efforts, I'd say it's more down to the artist.)  The younger duo keep things a bit swifter and more classical in mien throughout the rest of the movements.  While undeniably well played, even with its slightly shorter timing, it seems longer and doesn't work as well.

For the rest of the listening, I just ran through the rest of each respective disc.  The Yang/Pace disc has only the Introduction and Polonaise Brillante, Op 3 and the transcription of the posthumous C-sharp minor Nocturne.  The Intro and Polonaise is simply a delight.  Bouncy and romantic, with Yang's cello singing, it glides along.  Pace displays some mean Chopin chops, with positively delicious right hand playing.  He really ought lay down some solo Chopin.  In the Nocturne, Yang takes the erstwhile right hand playing and transforms it into romantic lied of Schubert-Goethe combo quality, and a smoothness of delivery that some singers would kill for.

Gabetta and Chamayou make a convincing case for Op 3, and here Chamayou's undeniable awesomeness pays dividends as he dashes off Chopin's writing with lithe effortlessness.  (Yeah, let's hear what he can do with the Etudes.)  The piece doesn't breathe and flow as naturally; it often seems pushed straight through to the end.  It's excellent, it's just than Yang and Pace are more to my taste.  There's no doubt that the best thing on this disc is the frisky, frolicsome Grand Duo Concertante, out of which the pair make a musical meal.  The one Etude and two Nocturne transcriptions are fairly classical in demeanor, and though lovely, less atmospheric than what the more experienced duo offer. 

Sound for the Yang/Pace recording is straight-up SOTA.  Sound for the Gabetta/Chamayou is not quite as good, but it's hard to call it something other than SOTA.

This twofer is another blockbuster recording from Yang and Pace.  The Gabetta/Chamayou ditty ain't half bad, but it ain't as good as the music provided by the older fellas.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 23, 2019, 06:01:45 AM
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Violinist Dami Kim popped up while I searched for, well, I don't know what.  I don't have too terribly many recordings of Dvorak's works for violin and orchestra, so I decided to give this one a try.  The young Ms Kim, going by her official online bio, was born and raised in Korea before heading to the States to study.  While there, she studied under Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute, and Miriam Fried at the New England Conservatory.  She did the competition thing, notably being presented co-first place at the 2012 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition, along with Alexandra Conunova, she of the kick-ass Prokofiev Violin Sonatas with Michil Lifits.  Ms Kim collaborates with a variety of B- and C-list artists and bands.  This Sony disc is her first big recording.  Joining her are British conductor Damian Iorio and the Slovak Philharmonic.

The Concerto starts the disc.  Nothing sounds amiss from the band, and Ms Kim plays very nicely, indeed.  Her tone is not the richest or warmest I've heard, but it is pure, and her playing sounds clean, clean, clean.  She clearly doesn't miss practices.  In comparison to the Mutter/Honeck recording, some vibrance and color go missing.  On the flip side, Kim, while no faceless player, doesn't impart as much personality as the more famous soloist.  Pick your poison, I guess.  I can report that the Adagio, which comes off as rather understated, flows along nicely enough and if not particularly moving, also doesn't succumb to romantic excess.  The Finale also sounds a bit understated - too understated.  It's not at all bad, it's just that here one misses what Mutter and Honeck deliver.  Overall, a nice if not world beating performance of the Concerto. 

Much better are the Romance and Humoresque.  While the playing lacks much in the way of Czech character - however one wants to define it - there's no doubt that Kim has got the goods.  She plays with a freer but never overwhelming vibrato, and she imparts more feeling to her playing.  It's hard to decide which piece is more effective, but the violinist is revealed to have more than just modern chops.

So, Ms Kim can play.  That's more or less expected at this point.  I certainly would not mind hearing her in something else, though it's hard for me to pinpoint what.  I'll just say Bartok, because why not? 

Not wanting to pay a lot for another recording of the concerto, I went with a four buck MP3 download.  While I wouldn't be surprised if a lossless recording sounds better, sound here is fully acceptable and fully modern.  Indeed, I've heard recent recordings in full res sound with less appealing sonics.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on March 30, 2019, 05:37:39 AM
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Sunwook Kim's second appearance, again focusing on old Ludwig van.  Here, the pianist and his label go the tried and true route of famous name sonatas.  I have to think there is still a market for such discs, I mean beyond people who buy entirely too many Beethoven recordings.  (I know, I know, that's impossible.)

The disc opens with Op 13.  Kim goes for very long, very dramatic sustains and a slow-for-effect tempo in the Grave.  His penchant for stark contrasts also appears.  After a long-ish 2'20" or so opening, he transitions to the Allegro di molto e con brio and zips through.  To say that he plays with admirable dexterity and clarity is an understatement.  This is modern conservatory perfection recorded for posterity.  The Adagio cantabile is a model of serenity and perfect tempo control, if not, perhaps, expression.  The Rondo again displays a mix of stark dynamics, super-clean playing, and a back and forth between sligtly slow and slightly fast playing.  Executive brilliance cannot be doubted; interpretive goodness can.

Der Mondschein follows.  Kim goes for a just slightly swift, cool, not always riding the sustain pedal Adagio sotenuto.  His dynamic gradations on the lower end of the spectrum sound quite fine.  The Allegretto is well executed and faceless.  The Presto agitato is energetic and faceless.  Here, the mostly stark dynamic contrasts work to the music's benefit.

Such an approach to dynamics might seem tailor-made for the Appassionata.  Turns out it kinda is.  Throw in Kim's supremely accurate fingerwork and ability to fluidly move back and forth between slow-ish and fast-ish tempi, and one gets an Allegro assai of no little superficial impressiveness.  The bass-treble doubling before the coda is more than that.  The Andante con moto is well paced and the third variation, while not fast, per se, is played at a lower than expected level and sounds gentler than expected.  The effect is sort of like what Pogorelich does with the arpeggios in Chopin's Third Scherzo, though to a lesser and less impressive degree.  Still, it's a nice touch.  Kim launches into a boisterous and powerful, but not unleashed, Allegro ma non troppo.  There's enough there to keep one's ears fully engaged.  The same holds true until the coda, where Kim demonstrates what he can do with awesome speed, power, and accuracy.  A very nice recording.

Overall, the disc is characterized by playing sure to earn top marks in a conservatory setting, and contains a very good Op 57.  In the context of hundreds of recordings by pianists old and new, great and less so, famous and obscure, it does not really stand out.  At least sound is superb.

Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 06, 2019, 06:45:35 AM
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Many moons ago, whilst in the early phases of buying all extant LvB sonata cycles on the market, I picked up the set of complete opus number solo piano works by Beethoven played by Yukio Yokoyama.  The cycle is not a favorite, but there was enough there to encourage me to snap up most of his Sony recordings.  One of those discs contains works by Ravel and Debussy, including Yokoyama's own solo transcription of Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune.  His playing on the disc is characterized by quick, clean playing.  I don't think I've ever heard a faster Mouvement from the first book if Images, for instance.  While not top shelf, I thought to myself since then that I'd like to hear what he can do in other Debussy.  Last year's anniversary year presented the opportunity with the release of both Préludes.  I waited a bit, but 'twas time to give his Préludes a shot.

One needn't listen past Danseuses de Delphes to hear that Yokoyama's take is not of the gentle, introspective sort.  He's much closer in approach to Krystian Zimerman, though speedier.  Yokoyama hits the keys hard, though he doesn't bang, and he creates a bright, colorful tone, if not an especially luxuriant one.  A combination of reverberant recording technique, more than occasional generous pedaling, and quick 'n' clean fingerwork result in a cool or even cold, Prokofiev-infused Debussy soundworld.  That will not be to everyone's taste.  But there are benefits.  The glissandi in Voiles are models of efficiency, and every time Yokoyama plays glissandi again, they display the same trait.  The combination of piano, style, and recording also renders some high register playing especially bright and tangy, and when all elements combine, the result can be fast, exhilarating/exhausting (according to taste) playing, as in Les collines d'Anacapri.  To the extent one would want to call this Debussy impressionistic, one could say that Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest starts off with powerful gusts and quickly turns into gales of notes hurled at the listener in such a way as to take one's breath away.  Nuance goes AWOL.  Yokoyama can back off, as in  La fille aux cheveux de lin, but he's at his best in bigger pieces.  The quite speedy La cathédrale engloutie lacks in nuance and sufficient dynamic gradations down low, but the pianist delivers near ear-shattering fffff playing. 

Very often in my listening experience, pianists with a more "modern" approach fare better in the second book, and so it goes here.  Yokoyama's cool or cold style sounds more measured and the music flows a bit better.  He still hits the keys hard, but the effect seems a bit more appropriate.  He again displays how much power he can generate in La puerta del Vino, which sounds faux-mechanical and thundering.  This is followed by a quick, clean, precise, hard-hitting Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses; fairies nothing, these dancers are speed-addled street dancers displaying no little grace combined with raw physicality.  Général Lavine – eccentric sounds more militaristic than eccentric under Yokoyama's fingers.  If, somehow, the listener were to lull off while listening, Grave Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C. would jar the listener awake.  This becomes the second book's La cathédrale engloutie, with room energizing weight and ear-shattering climaxes.  Yokoyama fares well in the last two pieces, with the combination of style and recording technique establishing a wonderful swirl of notes and color in Feux d'artifice, before exploding into wall and window rattling crescendos.  It is not subtle.  It is effective. 

Yokoyama as a pianist is variable.  His overall style remains similar in everything I've heard, yet sometimes he can be especially effective, and sometimes not.  His style is often cold, austere, exact, and geared toward a large concert hall.  In something like Beethoven's piano concertos, that's enough.  Those trills in the Emperor still come close to setting the standard, for instance.  Likewise, in Chopin, his Ballades are at times aggressive and nearly overwhelming, while his Nocturnes often sound ice cold and detached.  Both succeed rather marvelously.  Here, in Debussy, he's less successful.  If I want hard-hitting Debussy, Zimerman or, to a lesser extent, Beroff fill the bill.  (When I write lesser extent, I mean in how hard hitting it is; Beroff's complete Denon cycle remains my first choice.)  This set is most definitely not a first, second, or third choice.  But as an alternative to an alternative, it works.  I'll group it with the very different Gregory Haimovsky as a more modernist take worth sampling from time to time.

Sound for the high res download is reverberant, clear, bright, and clean, inviting impolite listening levels.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 13, 2019, 06:12:11 AM
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Thus far I've heard YES play romantic solo works and chamber works, and modern solo works.  Her most recent release on Onyx contains a classical era concerto and solo works, all from Wolfie.  I figured I ought not to wait to sample YES's stylings in music from the era.  This particular disc also happens to include the last recording made by Neville Marriner, so it has that going for it, too.

Turns out the Marriner thing is important.  If you're gonna showcase your Mozart bona fides in a concerto, here the Elvira Madigan special, the right support can make a difference.  It's difficult to think of a conductor from the last few decades with superior Mozart credentials.  It almost goes without saying that Neville and his band lay down a just right orchestral foundation for the soloist, always stylish, cleanly executed, clear, and never too obtrusive when it shouldn't be.  Yep, it's just right for the duration.  That leaves the soloist.  YES apparently doesn't have time for fusty tradition, as she puts her own personal stamp and embellishment on her introduction.  Fortunately for the gentle listener, her style and approach are both spot-on.  Based on her liner notes, though she doesn't write about it with respect to the concerto, one gets the sense that the spirit of improvisation informs the pianist's playing.  To be sure, she plays the work just splendidly and doesn't drop or add notes willy-nilly, but in the intro and the cadenzas, there's some freedom.  And there's some freedom in the miniscule personal touches - the slightest accents, ultra-precise dynamic shading, etc - that backs up the sense of the freedom.  It's all terribly well prepared, so it's not of the super-spontaneous type of playing.  Marriner and crew open the Andante with fabulously beautiful string playing, and in the movement, YES demonstrates that she can do subdued, beautiful, and touching slow movements with a proper classical sound, too.  The final movement is energetic and light and has more of YES's finely honed playing.

The rest of the disc is devoted to solo works.  Things start off with the Variations in C on Lison dormait, K264.  YES shows herself to be a Mozartian of no mean status.  The playing is so infused with a sense of (fully prepared) fun, with such fine fingerwork, that one just lets the fun and goodness unfold.  It's impossible not to relish the super-clean arpeggios (how does she repeat some of them so cleanly?) and trills, and the super-fine dynamic differentiation.  Just, yeah.  Continuing on with the C feeling, K330 follows.  YES again keeps things light and crisp.  She peppers her playing with little touches here, there, and everywhere, never overdoing anything.  You want lovely cantabile playing in the second movement?  You got it.  You want pep and flawless dynamic gradations in the Allegretto?  You got that, too.  Yessir, this is a fine take on the sonata.  (Between YES an Billy Youn, might we be at the beginning of Korean hegemony in Mozart sonatas?  I, for one, welcome the new Korean overlords!)  YES ends the disc in the minor key, with K475.  Played at something of a leisurely pace much of the time, with an aurally intoxicating beauty, YES knows when and where to apply the power, yes she does.  Since she's so good at everything she does, it's quite alright to compare her to the best of the best, and the great Piotr Anderszewski one-ups her in every facet, but not by much.  Really, it's a taste thing, and Anderszewski is less concerned about classical constraints, so it's perfectly possible to enjoy YES even more.  YES is her own woman, and delivers a rendition for the here and now, as well as for the ages.  Now, she simply must record K457.  It would be unspeakably cruel to leave her fans in the lurch.

Tip-top sound.

YES joins William Youn and John Paciorek in the 1.000 batting average category. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on April 15, 2019, 08:54:02 PM
This is (probably) a dumb question since I assume it's how you first heard of her—also how she came to the attention of most of the piano playing world—but do you have any of her performances from the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition?

The available recordings include this CD (https://shop.cliburn.org/collections/archives/products/yeol-eum-son-silver-medalist-cd), which I haven't listened to in its entirety—I have heard the Barber sonata which is probably the best performance that piece is ever likely to receive, & the Godowsky which she plays like it's a masterpiece in which every note is imbued with meaning; not a pianist who agrees with the concept of a "virtuoso showpiece" evidently. And they're only available as MP3s as far as I can tell but Cliburn has also released the preliminary (https://www.amazon.com/2009-Cliburn-International-Piano-Competition/dp/B005P8GMTU/ref=sr_1_24?keywords=Yeol+Eum+Son&qid=1555389689&s=gateway&sr=8-24), semifinal (https://www.amazon.com/2009-Cliburn-International-Piano-Competition/dp/B005OI9CJS/ref=sr_1_25?keywords=Yeol+Eum+Son&qid=1555389689&s=gateway&sr=8-25) and final rounds (https://www.amazon.com/2009-Cliburn-International-Piano-Competition/dp/B005OIA1WK/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=Yeol+Eum+Son&qid=1555389278&s=gateway&sr=8-10) in their entirety. Same recordings as the pieces on the CD obviously, all from the competition, but also two Schubert impromptus, Schumann's Fantasiestücke and Beethoven's Op. 111 all of which are intriguing prospects. (I've listened through some of them but not paying particularly close attention.)

And of course there's this CD (https://www.amazon.com/PIANO-%E3%83%94%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8E/dp/B00GTGAKL8/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=Yeol+Eum+Son&qid=1555389278&s=gateway&sr=8-6) which may have varying levels of availability, the major work there being Schumann's Humoreske.

For pure piano technique Son is probably in the top half dozen worldwide alongside people like Hamelin, Volodos or Joseph Moog but also with an interpretive ability that's hard to fault—the description you gave of Steven Osborne ("museum quality") seems to apply. In any case I think she's a major artist who deserves much more exposure in the West.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 20, 2019, 05:26:35 AM
Quote from: amw on April 15, 2019, 08:54:02 PM
This is (probably) a dumb question since I assume it's how you first heard of her—also how she came to the attention of most of the piano playing world—but do you have any of her performances from the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition?


Not a dumb question at all.  I've not heard the Cliburn disc.  I typically steer clear of (non-Chopin) competition recordings, for various reasons.  YES came to my attention when Modern Times was released, and then I started sampling some live items on YouTube.  She struck me as something a cut above the norm.  Her studio efforts to date completely reinforce that initial impression.  She's a major talent, a great pianist on the order of some of the biggest names of the past, and she should be getting the full international release treatment.  I very much want to hear what she can do in person.  I actually had the opportunity just this week, as she was down the valley in Corvallis, but I didn't know about it until it was too late.  She played Chopin's Preludes and Rach's Op 32 Preludes.

I should note that of the specific names you mentioned, I've heard Hamelin (and may again next season) and Moog in person, and both were simply remarkable.  Hamelin was ill and still delivered a technically remarkable Gaspard, and Moog was unnervingly poised, playing with an imposing efficiency and a volume where his mezzo-forte was forte and his forte was fortissimo, all without a hint of edge, and all under perfect control at all times.  On a Steinway B.  His recital was the only one where the loudness became uncomfortable.  Only Behzod Abduraimov has compared in that regard, and then only fleetingly.  (Not coincidentally, both pianists played a lot of Liszt in their recitals.)

Hearing Volodos in person is a bucket list thing.  I can actually see travelling great distances to hear him in person. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 20, 2019, 05:32:47 AM
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Ever since I stumbled across Sheila Arnold, I've rather fancied her playing.  This 2018 release is another of those releases from last year where I dilly-dallied a bit before buying, but buy it I did.  This grab-bag disc contains some Debussy, Cage, and Takemitsu presented in jumbled fashion.

The disc starts, however, with the first book of Debussy's Images.  The first two pieces are characterized by a few things.  First is a slow overall tempo.  This allows Arnold to present some of Debussy's writing in a languid way, with subtle and minute shifts in tempo and dynamics and note values everywhere, with even some chords having some unique accenting tossed in.  Second, she plays the loudest passages loud, with the fine control and lovely tone giving way to something a bit harsher.  In Mouvement, Arnold plays at a more conventional speed, with a nicely blurred effect.  She does ramp up the speed in the middle, and some of her momentary effects sound unique in my listening experience.  So, the disc starts off in unique and arresting fashion.

Then the disc moves into mixed rep territory, starting with Takemitsu's Piano Distance.  In Arnold's hands, the piece is largely about brief musical passages, often quiet, with lots of silences and fades, and some loud and clangy and uber-modern style.  Not bad, not great.  Debussy's Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses follows, and there's some steel, some flitting playing, some personalized rubato that might make Russell Sherman raise an eyebrow, and yet the whole thing works quite nicely, thank you.  Then comes a slug of John Cage's sonatas for prepared piano.  While I've listened to a fairly limited number of recordings of any of these pieces, most recently from David Greilsammer, Arnold succeeds in a couple ways where others have not.  First, she makes the music sound exceptionally "Eastern", replicating bells, creating meditative silences punctuated by outbursts of sound, and extra gamelan-y, too, more so than normal.  Second, Arnold demonstrates that a prepared piano can display wide dynamic range, depending on how it is prepared and recorded.  The clarity of individual notes and sounds is most captivating, and at times makes for a more bracing than expected listening experience.  Takemitsu's Quietly and with a cruel reverberation follows, and Arnold more or less plays as the title describes.  I'm not sure it makes for the most compelling music.  Then come the first three of Debussy's Preludes, in order.  Arnold again injects her personality, and her style and the composer's music jell nicely, with nothing over- or underdone, and Arnold's idiosyncrasies well within the bounds of what has been recorded before.  (Considering what's been recorded before, that gives her a lot of interpretive leeway.)  The rest of the disc alternates between pieces from the three composers, all delivered with the same style as described, before ending with a quick and at times potent Feux d'artifice.  As far as jumbled rep discs go, this is an exceptionally nice one.

One of the main outcomes of the disc is that I now want to hear what Ms Arnold can do in Debussy's full Preludes, and the other works.  I'd also very much like to hear what she could do with all of Cage's Prepared Piano works.  I'll probably just have to wait for her next single disc, whenever it may appear. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on April 21, 2019, 05:44:03 AM
Quote from: Todd on April 20, 2019, 05:26:35 AM
I should note that of the specific names you mentioned, I've heard Hamelin (and may again next season) and Moog in person, and both were simply remarkable.  Hamelin was ill and still delivered a technically remarkable Gaspard, and Moog was unnervingly poised, playing with an imposing efficiency and a volume where his mezzo-forte was forte and his forte was fortissimo, all without a hint of edge, and all under perfect control at all times.  On a Steinway B.  His recital was the only one where the loudness became uncomfortable.  Only Behzod Abduraimov has compared in that regard, and then only fleetingly.  (Not coincidentally, both pianists played a lot of Liszt in their recitals.)

Hearing Volodos in person is a bucket list thing.  I can actually see travelling great distances to hear him in person. 
I think when I talk about an artist having perfect technique what I generally mean is the artist's ability to exert effortless (or apparently effortless) control over every aspect of the performance—there is no unevenness in dynamics, rhythm, texture etc except where the artist intends for unevenness to be present. There are very few pianists who meet this criterion. Hamelin I know from many recordings and youtube samplings of live bits and he generally has the added advantage of not being interpretively self-centred. Moog I'm not actually a huge fan of, but I picked up his Rachmaninov 3/Rubinstein 4 and he definitely has perfect technique even if his interpretations tend to be on the showy & flamboyant side. (Yuja Wang is another similar artist—notwithstanding the very occasional slip in live bootlegs, but I expect even Hamelin makes those sometimes—although I've found some of her more recent albums more rewarding.) Volodos my dad actually managed to hear in Hamburg recently and commented that the playing was beautiful but boring, due to his choice of programme. I obviously disagree with my dad on the relative merit of Scriabin and Schubert but his studio recordings do show a tendency to prize beauty of tone above all else, which could be detrimental in some repertoire. (His Brahms stays afloat on tone quality alone, & therefore for some people won't stay afloat at all.)

I do think Son's playing is on the same level in that respect. Also obviously the available evidence suggests that no-longer-living pianists such as Josef Lhevinne and Josef Hofmann had perfect technique, as did György Cziffra, though he often used it to produce results listeners might find ugly (the anti-Volodos), and Michelangeli, though he often used it to produce results listeners might find cold and impersonal (the anti-Moog). But there are plenty of pianists who didn't have perfect technique and still turned out recordings I value more than those who did: Maria Tipo's Beethoven and Chopin, Annie Fischer's Schumann, Sviatoslav Richter and Artur Schnabel's Schubert, Martha Argerich's discography in general (though she did come extremely close to perfect control a few times), Pi-Hsien Chen's Beethoven/Stockhausen and Boulez, Peter Serkin's Schoenberg, etc.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 21, 2019, 05:50:11 AM
Quote from: amw on April 21, 2019, 05:44:03 AMBut there are plenty of pianists who didn't have perfect technique and still turned out recordings I value more than those who did


Sure, I would agree with that.  For instance, I almost never listen to Hamelin recordings.  His playing is immaculate, but I often find his interpretations bland or unengaging.   His Iberia is a perfect example.  I'll take flawed and engaging over flawless but boring any day.

By the way, YES has her own website where you can buy her recordings: http://store.yesm-art.co.kr/product/list.html?cate_no=42

It includes some items that are Korean market only, and some items from Svetlin Roussev, her partner on her newest release.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on April 27, 2019, 04:44:34 AM
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It's been a while since I picked up Sayaka Shoji's LvB Violin Sonata cycle with Gianluca Cascioli, and the Prokofiev Violin Concertos with Yuri Temirkanov and his Leningrad band.  All discs were most successful.  What would happen, I wondered, if I mixed Beethoven and Temirkanov, with some Sibelius on the side? 

The long orchestral introduction to the Beethoven is about as well done as one would expect from Temirkanov and his band - which means impeccably - and then Shoji's arrival is one of those happy "Aww, crap" moments.  She doesn't bother with silly virtuosic flash.  She doesn't go all big 'n' bold.  Nope.  She plays with a fluid, somewhat casual style, with pure tone and beguiling beauty.  Her violin is balanced forward in the mix, and she does not seem to generate a massive sound, but it is a sweet one.  For many moons, the Ferras/Fluffy ditty has been my standard-bearer, but here Shoji essentially manages to create such a compelling sound and approach, and Temirkanov lays down such perfectly sympathetic support, that it becomes difficult, or impossible, for the listener to not just bask in the sound and not even bother thinking about other versions.  That Shoji uses her own cadenza and pulls it off only helps matters.  Then comes the Larghetto, and things get even better.  The playing is just lovely, perfectly paced, with just right levels of vibrato and just as right tempo selections.  Then comes the Rondo, and it's just ridiculous.  Shoji's smallish sound sounds so good that I was left just kind of wondering why I took so long to try this recording.  Ferras/Fluffy still sets the standard for me - and I can't entirely explain why - but Shoji/Termirkanov play in the big leagues.  Superb.

I expected Shoji's style to work more or less as well for Sibelius.  It almost does.  To be sure, everything is well done, but she just doesn't seem to groove quite as well.  Her tone and style still fit well, and there are moments of exquisite beauty and moments of more tension than expected, but it's not to the same level.  World class is its limit.  Comparatively more noteworthy is Temirkanov and crew, who dig in and play both taut and broad, tender and hard (or harder), with a pleasing darkness and weight in some spots.  The tuttis are informed with a colorful Russianness - Sibelius meets Tchaikovsky, if you will - which work quite well.  The Adagio comes off less syrupy than some other versions, which can run the gamut from great to disastrous depending on taste, but Shoji and (especially) Temirkanov keep on delivering the goods.  In the Finale, Shoji plays with a bigger, richer sounding tone that fully satisfying.  While never just letting loose, or anything close to it, she plays with more verve and drive, and the band follows.  Overall, a most satisfying version, and a most satisfying release.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 04, 2019, 07:03:01 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in "New" Music Log]

It has been way too long since I last listened to something new from Bright Sheng.  His Pipa Concerto (I'll call it) Nanking! Nanking! has been a favorite East-West hybrid piece since I first heard it many moons ago, and now just seemed like a good time to try something else.  This Naxos title includes three works, all basically programmatic concertos, for different instruments, and all boldly mix East and West again. 

The disc opens with The Song and Dance of Tears, a sort of double (or more) concerto, with Pipa again employed, and also a Sheng, a mouth organ, or bagless bagpipe type contraption with ancient roots, getting some spotlight time.  But then, so do other individual instruments, and whole sections, so it's more than a double concerto  The music is nearly cinematic and sweeping and grand at times, and at others it scales back, speeds up, and rushes through passages.  About nine minutes in, there is some music very reminiscent of the last movement of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, and immediately after there's some Revueltas sounding stuff, and one can hear some Mahler later on, as well as some other Western composers, but then all around it, weaving in and out, is music that very clearly sounds informed by Chinese folk music of various sorts.  How much is lifted directly from original sources, or abstracted in a manner like Bartok, I cannot say, but I can say the mixes of sounds and the textural variety is novel, and the piece never outstays it brief twenty-two-ish minute length.  The eighteen-ish minute Percussion Concerto Colors of Crimson follows, and after its opening very reminiscent of Berg's Violin Concerto, it morphs into a more standard if approachable contemporary concerto.  There's some lovely, melodic writing for the strings and winds, and while informed by Chinese music, it sounds more vague, less concrete, less obvious much of the time.  That's neither praise nor criticism, but just observation.  The piece would make for a fine opener for a mixed rep concert.  The disc closes with The Blazing Mirage, which is basically a Cello Concerto.  Trey Lee positively digs into his solo part at the opening, producing a big, fat tone and displaying superb control.  Again infused with some folk or folk-inspired music, and also with some neo-romantic sensibility, and some soaring string writing, it offers a crowd pleasing sound, but also real musical heft.  It's the broadest, largest scale work on the disc, even though it comes in under nineteen minutes.  It's the best thing on the disc - and everything is very good - and I would not mind one little bit if Carlos Kalmar decided to program it one season around these parts.

The composer himself leads the Hong Kong Philharmonic.  All players acquit themselves more than handsomely.  I shan't wait such a long time to listen to more Sheng. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 11, 2019, 03:57:21 AM
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I don't recall seeing the name Moye Chen before this DG debut recording popped up as a new release.  Mr Chen is in his mid-30s, and started off with training in China, eventually taking degrees at the Shanghai Conservatory, before moving on to Oberlin and the University of Illinois.  He has competed in a variety of lesser known competitions, capping things off with a win at the Cincinnati World Piano Competition.  (Fun fact, he had to withdraw from the Alaska International Piano-E-Competition in Fairbanks a couple years back.  Who knew there were international anythings in Fairbanks?)  So he's got a more or less standard type of background.

This disc is devoted to a baker's dozen of encores written by or transcribed by various pianist-composers, with Percy Grainger looming larger than one typically sees in mixed rep discs, and then the Horowitz mashup of Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata to close things out.  Not too surprisingly, the best encores on the disc are small pieces by Rachmaninoff.  A bit surprising is the relative quality of the Grainger pieces - Grainger is a composer I am fine listening to every four to six years - and the remaining pieces are meh.  Chen has certainly got chops aplenty, and he generates a big sound.  He sounds somewhat like Jorge Luis Prats, but with a brighter tone and more bravura approach.  His treatment of the encores may be considered heavy-handed, or indulgent, or just right - or all three.  (Really, should a piano treatment of music from Der Rosenkavalier be something other than indulgent?)  The Rach pieces have been bettered by other artists, but there's promising playing to be heard.  That leaves the main attraction.  Chen shows that he can use that big sound and technique to play the Rach/Horowitz piece very well, thank you.  There's huge scale, super-clean fingerwork, admirable control, the whole bit.  I prefer my Rach unsullied, but Chen makes a pretty darned good non-Horowitz case for the Horowitz version.  Really, though, this disc makes me want to hear what Chen can do in a more standard type of disc, maybe even devoted to just one composer.  Perhaps some Prokofiev or Scriabin, or maybe some Brahms variations or some Liszt.  Yeah, some Liszt, that'd be good.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 18, 2019, 05:33:28 AM
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I've seen Wen-Sinn Yang pop up from time to time when looking for various cello pieces, but until I found this disc of live recordings as an Amazon Add-on (man, I love those), I never bought one of his recordings.  Mr Yang himself is Swiss, but conductor Shao-Chia Lü is Taiwanese, and the Taiwan Philharmonic most certainly is Taiwanese, so this disc acts as something of a test of the quality of Taiwanese orchestral music making. 

The disc opens with the Elgar.  Yang starts with a biggish, rich sound, but he lacks the boldness of other soloists, and the orchestra follows his lead to start off.  A certain reserve and solemnity is apparent, but then something rather nifty happens.  Soloist and band slowly ratchet up intensity to a satisfying level, culminating in a hefty fortissimo tutti, after which the piece moves between moods a bit, with Yang proving quite adept at generating an at times sweet sound, if only fleetingly.  Not fleeting is the beauty of his tone.  Even his pizzicati sound plush and lovely.  Yang plays with a nice fleetness in the faster passages, and the support is rather tuneful and almost playful.  In the Adagio, Yang has a hard time not generating a beautiful, lyrical sound.  Perhaps the interpretation could be heavier, but then, why?  The finale, while never too loose, retains a certain lighter overall air than some other versions.  Overall, it's most satisfying, if not the best I've heard.

Next comes the Schumann, a piece I rarely listen to.  Yang comes pretty close to making me reconsider that behavior.  He really digs into the piece while simultaneously never going overboard.  He plays with a perfect blend of drama and lightness, and he, and the orchestra, create a lovely and impassioned sound, within tasteful bounds.  Lü keeps tight control over his band, which plays with admirably control and flexibility.  This flexibility comes in handy as the work unfolds seamlessly, and Yang, partly through the aid of a bit of spotlighting, emphasizes Schumann's mercurial soundworld.  The concluding Sher lebhaft really sounds quite energetic, punchy, and rhythmically vital and plays to the crowd, in a good way.

The disc closes with the Korngold.  Typical of Korngold's orchestral scores, it's as lush as lush can be.  It also screams "film music", which make sense since it is based on his score for the movie Deception.  A massive, percussion-rich orchestra provides a puffed up background for the soloist to go over the top, which Yang does with ease.  The single movement work contains all it needs to - fast music, slow music, cadenza, etc - in a brief twelve or so minutes.  If the preceding description reads somewhat dismissive, it is not meant to: no one does over the top late, late romantic music quite like Korngold.  Scoring is Richard Strauss quality.  Tunes are (near) Dvorak quality.  Structure is just right.  It's really quite excellent and makes for a most enjoyable listen.  A challenger to the Dvorak it is not, but fun to listen to, it most certainly is.

So, Wen-Sinn Yang can play.  The Taiwan Philharmonic can play.  Shao-Chia Lü can conduct.  I kind of want to hear what all of the artists can do in other repertoire.

Oehms delivers high grade sound. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 25, 2019, 05:38:06 AM
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I figured I ought not to wait to try more YES.  This time around, I opted for her Korean market disc of five works by five composers on the New World Music label, from 2012.  Here that means some Tchaikovsky (by way of Feinberg), Schumann, Liszt, Kapustin, and Shchedrin.  Quite the varied program. 

The disc opens with the Samuel Feinberg arrangement of the Scherzo from Tchaikovsky's Sixth.  Listening to this disc prompted me to pull out the only other version I know, from Arcadi Volodos.  The two pianists offer different visions.  YES more or less rushes through the piece in what could be called a headlong manner, but the control is so absolute that that would not be strictly true.  Of course YES attends to niceties of dynamic gradations with the utmost refinement, and she keeps her fingerwork super-duper clean, and her rhythmic stylings are pretty nifty, with a potent and pointed march-like feel in places.  (And one can also hear hints of Stravinsky emerge in the ten finger transcription.)  It is marvelously played.  Revisiting Volodos offers something a bit more.  His timing is just about ten seconds slower overall, but that masks much more variety of tempo and rubato.  Volodos makes some of the early music sound very ballet-like, to the point that it sounds like the best ever répétiteur is playing.  But then he starts pushing and pulling the tempi ever so slightly, and then ever so significantly, and even as a young man he seemed rather unchallenged by the piece so he plays some of the music so fast, yet so clean, and so powerfully at times, that other pianists, even YES, seem a bit less inspired.  Too, though this was Volodos' first disc, one can hear the sumptuous tone that has reached an almost impossible zenith in his Mompou and Brahms discs.  Volodos prevails, but given the showy nature of the piece, it is quite remarkable that I now have two obviously world class versions in my collection, both of which manage to satisfy musically.

Next is the biggest work on the disc, Schumann's Humoreske.  Unsurprisingly, YES plays the opening Einfach with a perfectly realized touch, with dynamic gradations that have sub-gradations.  The playing, beautiful as it is, sounds just a bit cool, like the pianist wants to present an idealized version.  YES reinforces this impression in one of the most ridiculously well played versions of Hastig I've heard.  The insanely well controlled dynamics are joined by rubato that manages to be subtle but almost unsubtle at the same time, and perfectly so.  With the masterful version of the piece from William Youn still fresh in my mind, it becomes hard not to notice that YES's playing remains more detached throughout.  Yes, she offers significantly different approaches between the Eusebius and Florestan sections, and in the Eusebius music, YES's ultrasuperfine dynamic control yields big dividends, but the playing is less engaged and engaging than Youn's.  This should not be taken to mean that YES merely plays with supreme technical aplomb and nothing else, because that's not the case.  Rather, the degree of prep work and refined talent is so obviously extraordinary, that one gets to listen to a piece where every note, every use of pedals, every accent, every everything has been perfectly calibrated.  And those chops, when displayed in a piece like Innig, are impossible not to hold in awe, or something close to it.  So, here's a version of no little merit, by which I mean this is a sweet, world-class take that gets to be compared to the heavy hitters.  Must be compared to the heavy hitters.

The follow-up is a potentially garish Liszt showpiece, the Rhapsodie espagnole.  I've got a good number of versions of the work, but in the event I want a fully satisfying version, I reach for either Igor Kamenz or Giuseppe Albanese, the former for a more serious attempt at the music, and the latter for a showier take.  YES offers something a bit different.  Basically, her take is garish, romantic Liszt delivered as more modern music, with the playing taking on a cool, Prokofiev and Ravel inspired sound.  YES dazzles in the opening cadenza, with crazy fast and clean playing, followed by some serious, left hand leading playing that sounds like an industrial baroque-modern hybrid.  She then moves into some more vaguely Spanish sounding playing, including a nice enough approximation of a guitar.  YES then holds a section concluding chord with sustain so long it sounds potentially augmented.  (Some of the playing thereafter has some upper register playing that sounds like the piano may have needed some TLC before proceeding.)  YES shows that she can do fast, precise trills with the best of them (eg, Yokoyama), and then the playing moves into the unabashedly hypervirtuosic sort.  Here, YES more than holds her own with both Kamenz and Albanese.  Seriously, some of the playing is almost absurdly fast and too perfect to be real.  But real it is, and YES joins what is now a trifecta of preferred versions of this piece.  (That I have three preferred versions of this work may indicate a problem.)

The last two pieces are shorter, making the disc seem a bit lopsided programmatically, though that's fine.  YES plays Kapustin's Op 41 Variations very nicely indeed, and while she has no difficulty navigating the piece's demands, the jazzier portions of the jazz infused piece lack the rhythmic fluidity that it really ought to have.  So, YES probably isn't the world's best jazz pianist.  That's OK.  (It could be also that I just don't care for the piece.)  The Shchedrin Tchaikovsky Etude ends the disc, and again YES displays super chops, and the short, fast, almost staccato only piece displays an impish sense of humor and ends up working very well as an encore of sorts. 

So, another winner of a disc.  Only the Kapustin falls flat, and that has nothing to do with the pianist.  Everything is played at the highest possible level, and per usual, YES requires comparisons to the best of the best only.

Sound for the 2012 recording is superb, but it's not modern Decca SOTA.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 01, 2019, 05:48:10 AM
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[This will be cross-posted in "New" Music Log]


Most of my listening for The Asian Invasion has been geared toward CKJ artists.  But there's more to the continent than those three countries.  Thanks to the seeming randomness of Amazon Add-on discounts, something from a Iranian composer caught my eye.  For a few measly bucks, why not try something from another extra-ancient civilization, I thought.  I mean, some of Karol Szymanowski's best work is inspired by Persian poetry, so there must be something else out there to inspire.  Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour is a name new to me.  He identifies with the land of his birth and early childhood, but he is also steeped in the ways of the West, so he is uniquely positioned to offer a hybrid approach.  He also penned the liner notes, so the lucky reader is not beholden to possible misinterpretations by an another author of the composer's intent.  Another Iranian, Alexander Rahbari, conducts the ECO in the main work.  It has been many, many moons since I heard it, but Mr Rahbari has conducted some Debussy for Naxos in the past, so he, too, knows east and west.  As it happens, Rahbari also composes, and Naxos will be releasing a disc of his music in the very near future.

The disc opens with the title piece.  I set the volume knob about where I typically do, and that ended up a problem at the start as the harp is miked way too close and bursts forth with a boldness I don't typically associate with the instrument.  As the three movement concerto moves along, it ends up being basically a modernist concerto in three movements, with a conventional fast-slow-fast approach.  The solo part could have been a violin or piano or whatever.  That's not to say that the music isn't good, because it is; rather, I don't really hear the special value of the harp, specifically.  Tafreshipour clearly knows both Iranian music and Western music, because both are obvious, and Western music dominates.  The Eastern components sound attractive and lend what I'll describe as quasi-exotic feel to the music.  The remaining structure, textures, instrumentation, and so forth, evoke music I've heard before.  The names Bartok and Mahler came to mind more than thrice, especially in the dissonant string writing. The harp ends up working most effectively in the Tranquillo second movement, and in the third movement, soloist Gabriella Dall'Olio demonstrates what I have to gather are impressive chops as she strums away at widely divergent dynamic levels, including almost ridiculously quiet and sweet pianissimo arpeggios.  There's a lot to enjoy here, and if I know this will not receives many spins, it was certainly good to hear.

The next work is the quintet Alas.  It almost immediately brought to mind Berg's Chamber Concerto and Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, though it does sound different than either and decidedly contemporary.  Unabashedly so.  The piano part serves a sort of anchor, and there's precious little in the way of light or charming melodies, something reinforced by the other instruments.  That's not meant as criticism, because there's something more immediately gripping, something more vital in the music.  It's sophisticated and appealing, but not simply beautiful for the sake of beauty. 

The last two pieces are briefer works.  The trio Lucid Dreams for harp, cello, and violin is as unabashedly modern as Alas.  The basically rhapsodic piece unfolds in a sort of organized chaos way, sometimes sounding attractive, especially with the strings, and sometimes astringent.  And here the harp generates a sort of crazy guitar sound here and there.  Cool.  The disc closes with Yearning in C.  Influenced by childhood memories of Scandinavia and largely improvisational (which I hope means it could sound different in person), it is a continuously unfolding work that sounds close enough to older forms of music while being much more modern.  This is precisely the type of work I would love to hear in a chamber recital of some sort as an opener. 

So, overall, this is a successful disc.  The headline work is the most "conservative" of the bunch and the least compelling.  When Tafreshipour goes for something more abstract, his music is even better.  I don't know if I'll actively hunt down more works by him, but if I stumble across something else, I know his style and I will buy with confidence.

Sound quality is excellent, and all performing artists do excellent work.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 08, 2019, 05:59:26 AM
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Now forty year old Xiaotang Tan is a pianist I stumbled upon because his disc ended up an Amazon Add-on.  Mr Tan was born in Beijing and did most of his early studying in China, where he now lives and performs.  He's done the competition thing, as one expects, and he studied in France and Germany as well.  The famous name in his pedagogical line is Gerhard Oppitz.  Now to the playing.

The disc starts off an hour of Chopin with the first Ballade.  Tan starts off slow 'n' somber, with a somewhat austere tone, moves to much harder hitting playing with hints of steel in the first theme, then backs off to suitably poetic playing in the second theme.  Tan displays clean fingerwork and his playing ends up sounding a bit like Yukio Yokoyama's pressed but controlled style.  Tan plays the Second Scherzo with nimble fingerwork of almost industrial strength, rendering almost every other version I've heard sound flimsy and dainty by comparison.  To be sure, overt poetry or tonal allure go AWOL, and the piece sounds aggressively Prokofiev-infused.  Tan very much emphasizes the fortissimo over the non-existent pianissimo, generating oodles of surface excitement and aggression.  It's the musical equivalent of being splashed with cold water while having a brisk mountain wind blow in your face during late fall.  And that's subtle compared to the Op 44 Polonaise, which Tan hammers out with an at times merciless forward drive.  To be sure, some of his right hand playing emphasizes some details in a unique manner, but the playing can be too unrelenting.  Tan displays some good rhythmic sense in the Op 30 Mazurkas, but the playing remains too hard-hitting.  Finally, in the Op 18 Waltz, things lighten up a bit, but even here some of the playing sounds too hard.  The two Op 48 Nocturnes end the Chopin portion, and here Tan starts off quite promising, with subdued, dark, and heavy but clean playing where melody gets its due.  Tan creates tension by maintaining a steady pulse and playing the middle section a bit louder, without overdoing anything.  The second Nocturne of the set boasts some quite lovely right hand playing in the early going, though with hints of tension laced throughout.  Tan ratchets up the tension a bit more, and plays with more strength, but he keeps things under wraps for the most part.

The last two works on the disc are brief contemporary works by Chinese composers, both of whom, according to the liner notes, were influenced by Debussy and Messiaen.  Qigang Chen was, in fact, a pupil of Messiaen, while Xiaogang Ye studied with one of Messiaen's other pupils.  Ye's Namucuo is named after a Tibetan lake north of Lhasa.  One can hear the once removed influence of Messiaen in the piece, with its even more abstracted birdsong, and its evocation of wind over the water.  It does a good enough job of evoking the austere but lovely landscape and sounding unabashedly modern.  Tan's hard-hitting style works well here, and his right hand playing is both bright and varied.  Chen's Moments of a Beijing Opera closes the disc.  Here it is Debussy who looms large.  One can hear some of the Preludes and even the Etudes, but one can also hear a more pronounced Chinese character.  The music breaks away from the confines of Western impressionism and has something different in its place.  The more animated music benefits from Tan's style.  Indeed, this is the kind of piece that could benefit from multiple recordings, and I think it may make sense to try something else from the composer.

Sound is very clear, clean, and bright.  It may contribute some to the hard-hitting sound Tan generates.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 15, 2019, 05:44:42 AM
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Jiyeong Mun, going by the name Chloe Mun for her DG debut, is a young Korean pianist who has done the rounds: competitions, conservatories, C-, B- and some A-list collaborations, and so forth.  It is worth noting that at the time the disc was released in 2017, she was studying with Daejin Kim.  Of somewhat special note is the fact that Ms Mun does not come from a privileged background, which makes her something of a rarity in the overwhelmingly upper class world of classical music.  Poor or rich, I just want some good music making after spending my money.  As such:

The disc opens with the Op 11 Sonata.  Dark and sonorous, and closely miked to add some heft, Mun opens the Introduzione with enough oomph and no rough edges.  It lacks the last word in vitality, but it sounds lovely.  This overall impression is reinforced in the second section, which while not enervated, lacks the drive and intensity of many versions.  In place of that intensity is something of a sustained musical dream state, especially in the very Eusebius-rich slow playing.  Mun delivers gorgeous sound after gorgeous sound.  To be sure, the pianist generates some energy in parts, but those sections sound relatively less compelling.  The Aria benefits mightily from Mun's beautiful tone and gentle overall sound.  Just when you think that's it, things ramp up in the Scherzo, which displays more pep and drive, and a continued lack of rough edges.  It's quite satisfying.  The Finale then brings it all home with the various styles mixed about, with Mun again playing some music in a nicely dreamy fashion.  Overall, good, if not best ever.

Next comes the Fantasie.  With the right pianist, the work is magnificent.  With the wrong pianist, it can be a too long drag.  Fortunately, Mun seems well suited for the piece, if one is prepared for a dreamy fantasy.  In the first movement, Mun proves adept at emphasizing melody over a somewhat pulsating accompaniment played at a discreetly lower volume.  She mixes and matches dynamics niftily, and she revels in the quieter passages, eking out a gentle, tender sound.  It might almost be considered too beautiful at times.  (Nah.)  Every time the music shifts in this direction, Mun really delivers.  If one misses thundering playing displaying absolute command, the tradeoff is more than worth it.  In the second movement, one misses the command and energy of other versions, and the close sound makes it more obvious that Mun does not generate a truly massive sound.  That's ultimately no barrier to enjoying what's on offer, especially with more of that fine soft playing.  In the third movement, taken at a very slow tempo in some places, Mun's dreamy playing, married to extremely deliberate left hand playing generates a nice suspended time effect.  Again, this is not the best version I've heard, but there is more than a little to recommend the recording.

The disc closes out with Blumenstück, and under Mun's fingers, it is a gentle, sweet piece of great beauty and occasional animation.  The lack of rough edges adds to the appeal here.

As always, I ponder what I'd like to hear a pianist play.  With this pianist, Chopin certainly.  Probably Debussy and Mompou, too. 

Superb, up to date sound, if it is perhaps a bit too close.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 22, 2019, 04:29:31 PM
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Kun-Woo Paik records so seldomly that whenever something new pops up, I just have to have it.  In that way, he's like stablemate Krystian Zimerman.  Also like his stablemate, Paik is a strongly individual pianist.  He goes his own way on disc, usually to superb effect.  As such, when I first spied this most exciting new recording of the complete Nocturnes, I knew I would have it in relatively short order. 

The set starts with the first Nocturne.  Paik plays it slow.  As in real slow.  As in 7'15" slow.  I don't recall ever having heard a slower take.  The slowness never results in the piece dragging.  Rather, it results in the piece sounding somber and fantasia-esque.  It also allows Paik to lavish attention on every little detail.  While no gestures sound outsize or ostentatious in the context of his playing, every note length, every pause, every miniscule dynamic gradation - and there are many to hear - receive attention.  Listeners wanting a more flowing, more traditional set should definitely listen elsewhere.  As Paik is wont to do, he jumbles the order of works.  (He did something similar with his solo Brahms and Schubert discs, to superb effect.)  Next comes Op 37/1.  Again, it's slow.  There's a heavy deliberateness to the proceedings.  The tradeoff is the ability to appreciate each and every little thing.  There are arpeggios with each note an entity unto itself.  There's some heavy left hand playing that takes on an almost organ like texture.  There's a solemn, processional feel to some of the music as a result.  But if the tempo is Andante, I'll eat my hat.  (Or rather, I'd eat my hat if I wore one.)  This here's an Adagio, maybe a Largo.  Paik's tone, whether bright up high, or rich down lower, sounds ravishing throughout.  It takes Klara Min's micromanagement style in the Mazurkas and ups the ante.  37/2 follows, and Paik presents it closer to standard.  Neither rushed nor slow, Paik presents it in a more flowing manner, and he keeps the tempo relationships in well nigh perfect proportion, and the way he tapers the ending is simply outstanding.  Op 9/2 follows, and under Paik's fingers, it emerges as a languid waltz.  Perhaps it sounds too beautiful, too languid.  Perhaps not.  (I can answer definitively: it does not sound too languid.)  Paik emphasizes the lower registers in 27/1, which sounds like a dark, brooding cousin to the Ballades.  At his selected, slow tempo, his steadiness, particularly coming out of the piu mosso, is almost unnerving.  Op 48/2 starts with tolling left hand notes, and then quickly moves into searching, gently etched right hand playing of no little emotional engagement.  He smoothly ratchets up the tension and volume for the climax, which falls heavily and beautifully on the ears. 

In 15/2, Paik lets the melody dominate in the outer sections, with beautiful individual notes accented just so, and he plays the middle section with a perfect mix of bite and restraint, never simply letting things rip.  Paik seems intent on not ever rushing any notes, though he clearly can.  He opens 62/1 with slow chords then lets them fade to nothing, taking his time, then moves to playing of unfailing beauty.  The playing is lyrical, yet it doesn't flow as smoothly as some other versions, though that does not harm the conception at all.  In this piece, Paik does drift off a bit, straining the musical line during the piece's 8'+ duration, but it sounds like a musical, and strangely purposeful, stream of consciousness, and when he finds his way back with the trills, the effect is arresting.  The piece becomes a self-contained world.  Op 15/3 comes across as something of a letdown afterward, not sounding particularly lyrical or smooth or evocative of much, but 72/1 follows, and Paik again delivers.  Spare, beautiful, and steady in its broad timing, it sounds weightier than the material often suggests.  48/1 starts off slow and solemn, with extreme attention to detail, and slowly builds to the thundering fortissimo climax, and though the music is played faster, Paik still prefers to take his time, lending weight.  Loud and slow or slow-ish is always something I dig.  15/1 makes for a fine follow-up, sounding sweeter and more purely lyrical at the outset.  Then the stormier music hits.  Paik keeps it slow and ultra-clear, with more unnerving steadiness.  The combination of focus on detail and slow tempo makes the piece veer into the too idiosyncratic, even for me.  Many listeners may dislike the effect.  32/1 is more standard in conception, the slow tempo aside, and the repeated notes before the coda hint that the mood has permanently shifted.  62/2 unfolds nicely enough, and then comes 27/2 that approaches Michel Block levels of slowness.  Now, Block's late career Chopin is sort of in a category all its own, and while Paik doesn't quite get all the way there, interpretively, he comes pretty close, and not just in terms of timing.  Paik holds the piece together at its near seven minute length, and his tone is rich, his rhythm gently rocking, his right hand flights of fancy quite, well, fanciful.  It's just lovely, above all.  55/2 finds Paik back to his steady, lovely and rich sounding self, and 32/2 sees the hyper-detailed style again.  The nuanced and exacting details, be they perfectly weighted trills, ever so slightly accelerated arpeggios, and fine dynamic gradations within a phrase, all appear.  The outer sections are suitably lyrical, the inner section stormier but not overdone.  55/1 stands out for the standard detailed approach and for the highlighted and deliberate arpeggios before the final chords.  The posthumous C Minor Nocturne follows, and Paik delivers a miniature blockbuster.  Simple and clear, tuneful and direct, Paik's playing sounds nearly without affect.  9/3 is back to the detailed approach, and here, while the different sections have the requisite approaches, Paik sort of flattens out the dynamic contrasts a bit, keeping the middle section under wraps.  The set concludes with the C-Sharp Minor Nocturne.  Paik ends on a high note.  The right hand playing sounds hypnotically beautiful at times, the left hand both steady where it should be, and fleetingly unstable.  While just a bit on the slow side, this is both more in line with more standard approaches, and uncommonly lovely. 

It's fair to write that this set of Nocturnes will not be to everyone's taste.  Paik generally goes for the slow approach.  He's more convincing and has more original ideas than Luiz de Moura Castro, though he doesn't match Michel Block, who goes further yet.  Those wanting something less detailed and more conventional would be better served by other recordings.  Those wanting something a bit different, and played at a very high level, well, this set may be the ticket.

Given how much I love Paik's Schubert disc - it's easily one of the best Schubert recordings of this century - it's not too terribly surprising that I also rather fancy this set.  Paik's pianism is my speed.  There's a pretty good chance this ends up a purchase of the year.

SOTA sound from the high res download.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Roy Bland on August 05, 2019, 06:11:01 PM
Sakamoto's Piano music
https://www.brilliantclassics.com/articles/s/sakamoto-for-mr-lawrence-piano-music/
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on November 02, 2019, 07:20:14 AM
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A new musical tale from one of The Brothers Lim.  I first attempted to listen to this recording via streaming at Amazon.  Not yet having gone high res, the sound was too lossy, with garbled highs, so I aborted the effort and immediately started a hunt for a download.  Fortunately, it was at the second site I selected (Presto), so I was able to get down to business.  My first listen rather wowed me, as did my second.  So good is this disc that it was evident that I needed to do some comparisons with other top shelf recordings.  The top priority was to compare Chopin's Scherzi, and the choices there were obvious (more on that forthwith), but I decided to do the same with Kinderszenen, you know, just 'cause.  Here goes. 


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First up, the First with Kevin Kenner.  Kenner opens the piece with ample speed and dexterity and power, with a sort of under wraps aggression informing the faster music.  It's certainly presto but Kenner also displays fluid and effortless transitions to slower, more beautiful music, and then he transitions to the central, gentle lullaby and plays with tenderness and tonal beauty aplenty.  He hammers out the left hand chords as he transitions to the return of the opening material, which he plays with even greater vehemence.  He dispatches the coda with speed and accuracy to satisfy anyone and delivers a kick-ass reading.  Next up, my long term reference, Ivo Pogorelich.  A brighter opening chord, followed by a more nuanced second chord is followed by playing so fast yet so insanely well articulated that it seems almost super-human.  Too, Pogo transitions to slower playing with such perfect control and fluidity that it not only masks the more extreme changes in tempo, but makes it sound perfectly normal, the way things are supposed to be.  He holds the last notes before the lullaby until they fade to silence, then he proceeds to play the lullaby at what initially seems like a ridiculously slow tempo, but what after 2-3 notes max morphs into the most beautiful, gentle, touching version imaginable.  I mean, he makes a quick right hand arpeggio turn into a moment of musical depth, and that's just one instance of many.  He transitions back to the opening material expertly, returning from a static, heavenly dream to something stormier and darker, and his ability to seemingly play left and right hand parts at slightly different tempi and different dynamic levels with perfection is, well, perfect, and his coda is ridiculously fast leading up to the ridiculously loud and perfectly controlled final chords.  It's still the bomb.  Now for Lim.  In updated sound, Lim comes close to replicating Pogo's opening before launching into the fast playing in the quickly dispatched movement (coming in at 9'31").  Lim then introduces rubato unlike the prior two pianists, starting off some phrases slowly and then accelerating.  He repeats this throughout, so it is a mannerism one may either like or dislike.  (I like it.)  Lim also manages to make some of the most difficult passages sound both chaotic and precisely controlled, and he also plays with varying dynamic levels simultaneously as well as anyone.  There's a large-scaled, manicured aggressiveness to the playing.  Lim plays the lullaby a bit on the quick side, and he sees no reason to play it with too much beauty or sentiment, instead playing with a bit of cool detachment.  Nice.  The return of the opening material is dispatched quickly and in supremely well-controlled fashion, shedding some of the quasi-chaotic feel of the playing prior to the lullaby, and as Lim approaches the coda, his already bright right hand playing becomes even brighter, and the run up to the coda is satisfyingly virtuosic.  Lim nearly matches Pogo for overall levels of satisfaction.

Starting with Kenner again for the Second, the pianist hammers out the fortissimo chords to perfection, but it is the arpeggios up and down the keyboard where he delivers much more nuance, at times delicacy, at other times tenderness, and at yet other times playfulness.  Tenderness reemerges as one of the main traits as the piece moves on, with Kenner demonstrating an ability to play in the pp to p range with variation equal to just about anyone's.  Throughout, whether playing fast or slow, loud or soft, Kenner keeps the piece moving forward with an unerring pulse.  It's really quite magnificent.  Pogorelich, in his much longer take, opens the piece in darker, more theatrical fashion, and then dispatches the multiple arpeggios with a more crystalline and emphatic style, as opposed to Kenner's more flowing style.  Every time Pogo returns to the loud playing, one gets to revel in thundering fortissimo playing imbued with dynamic nuance, but the even more purely pianistic conception than Kenner's ends up turning into more a display of pianistic prowess - and what prowess.  In the slower middle section, Pogorelich does a masterful job of creating a hazy dreamy atmosphere, if only in fleeting bursts, before moving back into ultra-super-virtuosic playing.  It's magnificent, if less so than Kenner's.  Lim again comes close to replicating Pogo's opening stylistically, and certainly his fortissimo playing sounds pulverizing.  The playing after blends clean left hand playing and sharp, loud right hand playing with more pronounced simultaneous dynamic variation.  Lim tosses in some rubato here and there, and sort of luxuriates in miniscule personal touches before playing the middle section in slower, more somber, but cooler fashion.  It's like a more detached, less virtuosic by design approach when compared to Pogorelich, and it pays off bigly.  Kenner's take is the best of this lot, but Lim shows that he's got what it takes.

For the Third, Kenner opens intense and fast, playing supremely well, with left hand playing that is simultaneously clear and intense, almost aggressive, with the melody softening things up a bit.  Kenner is not afraid to play up the showy parts of the music, and he see no reason not to play the descending arpeggios quick 'n' clean, but he also slows down and plays the chorale with no little beauty and lyricism.  Overall, a supremely satisfying version, one of the best around.  Pogorelich, in his second recording, opts for a longer overall take, but as with the earlier pieces this owes mostly to the extended tempi in the slower music.  He opens the piece with some fierceness and drive, but it lacks the degree of relentlessness of Kenner while sounding a bit harder.  Too, the left hand playing is not as obvious and powerful.  The descending arpeggios are played daringly slow, and the chorales benefit from Pogo's penchant for stretching out material while keeping everything together, and he ends the piece by playing with a combination of speed, power, and accuracy that few match and none surpass.  Another of the best around.  Lim goes for a possibly more idiosyncratic approach than Pogorelich by starting off fairly slow, not just in the opening bars, but for most of the octaves theme.  It sounds left hand dominated and heavy, though the left hand playing is not clean in the manner of Kenner.  The descending arpeggios are fast and taper off at the end, and the chorales are heavy yet attractive.  Curiously, the rhythm is often kind of kludgy or non-existent, but Lim makes it work, and he offers huge dynamic contrasts, seemingly wider than even Pogorelich.  Lim ramps up a bit for the end, but he maintains a sense of absolute control and restrained aggression.  It's unique and different and maybe the best around.

Finishing with the Fourth, starting with Kenner again.  Kenner keeps his playing light, quick, and nimble, with really rather nuanced dynamic shading throughout, sometimes subtly changing volume to superb effect.  His articulation is quite fine, and the piece not only sounds at times playful, it also sounds fantastic.  The central section is gorgeous, and while Kenner can play with oomph with the best of them, here it's the folk song that brings out his best playing, with perfectly judged note values and pauses.  It's quite affecting.  Then it's back to more heated, virtuosic playing on through to the end.  Kenner's disc is one of the few that offers a fair match up to Pogorelich, and in the case of the Second, he surpasses the Croat.  Pogorelich does the faster-than-fast, ridiculously-but-perfectly-executed-and-conceived slow music thing again in his take.  The sound is heavier and more dynamically wide ranging than Kenner's, offering less of a fantastic feel and more of a meandering, at times dark dream feel.  And yes, in the middle section, Pogorelich delivers magic nearly as effective as in the lullaby of the B Minor Scherzo.  Of course he plays the last section of the piece magnificently.  Lim opts for an overall speed between the two prior pianists, opening with some quite comfortable sounding playing that still has satisfying dynamic heft.  Lacking (purposely) the fluidity and speed of Kenner, Lim plays more sternly than the other two, though he still does the mock-laughter thing almost as well as the American.  Lim allows his right hand playing to dominate for a while, nearly washing away the accompaniment, and its bright and colorful and beautiful sound beguiles.  It's contrived and calculated and I don't care.  The middle section sounds simultaneously dreamy and potent, rich and bright, beautiful with hints of hardness.  It's all very well controlled - perhaps too much so for some - but it works magic.  Lim ends with a more restricted final section than either Kenner or Pogorelich, but that is not to say that it is anything less than fabulous.

For many years, Pogorelich's disc was my go-to for the Scherzos, and it was not until I heard Kenner's take, which also includes a generous amount of filler, that I found a rival.  Now, shortly afterward, Lim joins him, creating a trio of takes that sound just swell.  Sweet!


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Kinderszenen is actually first up on the disc, but it was only after working through the more important Scherzi that it made sense to go for the Schumann.  I actually don't know how many recordings I own of this piece since it ends up as disc filler in so many cases, and I've never really established a favorite.  (I mean, if Arcadi Volodos records it, based on evidence of his Waldszenen and everything else, then that would probably be my reference, but the pianist hasn't seen fit to consult me on what he should record.)  I selected a couple reliable old hands for comparisons: St Annie and Nelson Freire.  Ms Fischer, on EMI, per usual plays with real engagement and passion and a fully acceptable if not perfect level of technical accomplishment.  Some of the playing is perhaps a bit intense for music meant to evoke thoughts of childhood, and maybe Träumerei isn't the dreamiest around, but quibbles are quibbles and this is quite fine.  Mr Freire, older of person but surer of hand when he recorded his set, plays a pianistically most satisfying take.  There's more of a sense of playfulness and joy in some pieces, Träumerei sounds quite fine if not quite dreamy enough (while I'm no big fan of Horowitz, his different takes on this piece achieve something quite special), and if perhaps there's less direct engagement for the whole than I truly want, it, too, is pretty nifty. 

Now to Lim.  Right from the get-go, there's some there there.  In Von fremden Ländern und Menschen, Lim's right hand playing is bright and dominates, though his left hand playing is clean 'n' clear.  There's a sense of wistfulness and, dare I say, innocence in the extremely well prepared piece.  Kuriose Geschichte, infused with some personal rubato to go along with Lim's sound, has a bit of fun injected into the idealized sound, and as the individual pieces progress, Lim proves to be a master of playing with either Eusebian poetry or Florestanian vibrance as needed, even if it remains studied.  He also sees fit to hammer out Wichtige Begebenheit to superb effect, exaggerating the scale, and also offering maximum contrast with the very slow Träumerei, which comes in at 3'20", and which allows Lim to stretch out some not values and arpeggios to their maximum extent (this side of what Tzimon Barto might do), and the overall effect of the playing is really quite spectacular, creating an intellectualized dream, if you will.  After a couple perfectly executed pieces, he plays with a similar style in Fast zu ernst and it's probably more perfectly realized.  Even with all that came before, Kind im Einschlummern offers something special.  While studied, it is tender, exact, and possessed of super-fine dynamic and tonal shading.  It's breathtakingly beautiful.  Lim achieves something nearly as good with Der Dichter spricht to close the set.  I'm not sure if I can say that Lim's recording is my top choice, but it is certainly a top choice, and one to which I will happily return.

Just shy of SOTA sound - there are hints of congestion in spots.

A purchase of the year.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Roy Bland on November 16, 2019, 06:56:30 PM
A biopic on Xian Xinghai
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1149862.shtml
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 01, 2019, 05:13:52 AM
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A new musical tale from the other of The Brothers Lim.  Dong-Hyek gets more love and more international releases than his brother, and he is a festival buddy with Martha Argerich, too, which explains the presence of that somewhat well known pianist on this disc.  Since the Lims tied at the Chopin Competition, Dong-Hyek has gone on to record a fare chunk of heavy duty core rep, and he has appeared before in this thread because of that.  He's something of known quantity.  Dude can tickle the ivories, yes he can.  So Rachmaninoff is a logical stop in his musical career.

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Lim announces his intentions out loud and proud as he opens the Second Concerto with a slow, deliberate arpeggiated chord, and Vedernikov does his duty by entering with a slow, heavy accompaniment to start.  The engineers put Lim up front and center, so one gets to hear a super-sized piano, and since he established years ago that he has got the chops, nothing goes amiss, or at least nothing goes amiss if one likes a slow-ish, heavy, calculated romantic sound.  The Adagio, predictably, is slow and luxurious and heavy and veers right up to the sappy.  Lim plays in a sometimes almost labored way, though clearly for effect.  The movement definitely sounds lovely, and a touch overlong.  In the Allegro scherzando, Lim finally lets loose a bit, zipping along the keyboard with stupid good dexterity and dynamic control.  Heavy, slow, labored playing, hah, he's just joshin'; he can do the virtuoso thing about as well as anyone today.  Occasionally, as he cruises along, some of the right hand playing sounds too brittle, but overall, the concerto comes off well enough, and Lim acquits himself nicely.

As with his brother's most recent appearance in the thread, I wanted to do a comp, but here only one, in the form of the dynamic duo of Daniil Trifonov and Yannick Nézet-Séguin with the Philly band.  I wanted a shootout of contemporaries.  Trifonov's total Russkie bona fides are on full display.  He starts off with a proper chord, slowly builds up, keeping that left hand playing steady, clean, and imposing, and with the less immediate, more traditionally balanced recording technique (which also sounds duller, it must be noted), he blends into the orchestra better, playing what amounts to snazzy obbligato at times, as opposed to an all-limelight style.  His fleeter playing is notably fleeter, less effortful, and more naturally waxes and wanes.  YNS and his Philly strings do not disappoint, and indeed, the band emerges as more flexible, more responsive, and more finely tuned and attuned than the Brits.  In short, though not as formidably weighty, it sounds more musically satisfying.  The Philly band also makes the Adagio more gooder, with a pillowy string sound, and Trifonov is in another class as he plays with a perfect mix of clarity and dreamy but not mushy romanticism.  It's boat floating.  And of course Trifonov, who can make a musical meal out of Liszt's Transcendental Etudes almost as sumptuous as Bertrand Chamayou's, delivers in spades in the closing movement, dashing through the fast passages with musically satisfying near-frivolousness.  The whole movement and whole concerto sound more up my alley. 

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Lim and Argerich do some good work in the Symphonic Dances.  The sound is strikingly clear, immediate, and forward, and when the duo play some of those gorgeous Rach tunes in the first movement, and elsewhere, the result is, well, gorgeous.  The bass registers are startlingly hefty, approaching the wall-rattling heft of Alessio Bax's Rach recording.  (Alas, a lot of pedal stomping is also audible.)  The rhythmic component gets a little kludgy in the Andante, rendering the waltz something suitable for three left feet.  The final movement fares quite well, with the thick, weighty textures doing a darned tootin' job of evoking a quasi-orchestral feel, and the energy level remains very high throughout.  It's none too shabby.

For the A/B of the Symphonic Dances, I decided to stick with mighty Martha in her recording with the undeniably great Nelson Freire.  This almost seems, and actually is, a bit unfair, because Argerich and Freire have worked together for many moons, and Freire quite simply inhabits the most rarified realm of galaxy-class pianists.  While the recording again has copious low frequency energy, the playing immediately sounds lighter, nimbler, more rhythmically nuanced and vigorous, while still sounding more relaxed overall.  Truth to tell, Lim/Argerich probably eke slightly lovelier playing in the first movement, but Freire and Argerich seem livelier and more attuned with one another.  For a live recording, it seems better sorted out than the Lim/Argerich.  The second movement benefits mightily from significantly improved rhythmic sensibilities, which I put down to the Brazilian's presence.  The final movement displays all the same traits, though a couple places seem rushed or untidy, but this is one of those cases where the playing is of the moment and the effect is positive.  Overall, the all South American rendition is to be vastly preferred.

So, while there's nothing bad about Lim's playing, in both cases here, other, better renditions are available, and I didn't even do a deep dive.  I'll still make it a point to hear more from Dong-Hyek.  Maybe he can opt for Prokofiev or Ravel.  That'd be nifty.

I went for hi res download on this, and sound is generally SOTA, with oodles of clarity and, especially, weight. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 08, 2019, 05:27:34 AM
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It's been a while since I picked up anything from Hisako Kawamura, and as I contemplate whether I want to buy her limited selection of Beethoven sonatas, I thought it might not be a bad idea to try her Chopin Preludes that came out last year.  I've spied the set for a while, but it was never available at a price I liked, until now, so it seemed like a good time to give it a shot. 

The disc opens with the Polonaise-Fantasie.  Kawamura starts off with more strongly accented playing than anticipated, but quickly segues back to more nuanced, detailed and quite precise playing where each note becomes an event in itself.  The playing demonstrates a relaxed sense of rhythm and definitely leans more toward the fantasy side, though not of an opulently romantic nature, and ends with satisfying drive in the coda.  The piece has never been among my favorite Chopin pieces, but Kawamura definitely holds her own.  More to my liking musically is the Fantaisie-Impromptu, and here Kawamura plays with exemplary clarity, nice urgency, and very fluid and attractve right hand playing.  The Op 45 Prelude again benefits from Kawamura's right hand playing, and a sort of relaxed but steady pulse.  In the Op 59 Mazurkas, Kawamura's clean playing and attractive right hand playing remain, but the rhythmic component ends up sounding a bit too plain.  The small Fugue KK.IVc/2 is a nice enough piece that fills some time before the main event.

And it's for the Preludes that I wanted the disc anyway.  The first one is sort of dashed off, but kept under strict control, but one needn't wait any longer than the Lento to here a darker hued, grimmer, yet still lyrical piece executed with high end skill, with Kawamura again really delivering the goods in the similarly dark Largo and Lento assai.  And that becomes a hallmark of the set, with the slower Preludes all faring relatively better, with Kawamura's carefully prepared, nuanced playing displaying very fine touch, and more than hints of somberness.  This more or less necessarily means that her Raindrop Prelude comes off extremely well, with the beautiful right hand playing and somber feel in the left hand playing, which also ends up displaying more than enough heft.  That's not at all to say that she doesn't play the faster pieces with panache and drive, but rather just that the slower pieces have a bit more something there.  But she throws in some nice effects elsewhere, like the potent, tolling left hand notes in Allegretto Prelude, all while keeping the legato a-flowin'.  Kawamura closes out with a delicate, purely delightful F Major Moderato, and thumps out the Allegro appassionato with ample weight.  Overall, there's much to enjoy in this disc, though nothing really emerges as a first choice favorite. 

Sony's Japanese RCA arm produces SOTA sound, per usual.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 14, 2019, 05:27:53 AM
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Claire Huangci is American, so what gives?  What gives is Shi-Yeon Sung, last included here in her version of Mahler's Fifth.  I bought the recording for the pianist, but I also get another shot at Ms Sung.  Nice.  My Paderewski collection is thin.  Until I bought Kevin Kenner's Resonances disc, I never consciously purchased something with any music by the Renaissance man, though I may have some individual recordings in large collections.  Kenner does the Pole proud, so there's something there.

I had no concerns about whether Ms Huangci could deliver on the keyboard part.  She's one of those young pianists who seems capable of playing anything and making it sound easy.  Which she does.  In some of the torrents of notes in the lengthy opening Allegro, she dispatches with runs and trills with ease, and her cadenza seems like an etude disguised as an almost jazz-infused cakewalk.  As important, Ms Sung and her German band expertly dispatch the fairly thick, Chopin meets Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff accompaniment.  The Andante is rather syrupy.  Huangci keeps her part crisp and lyrical, and the band does what it does well, but some of the string writing, in particular, is more saccharine then I tend to prefer.  It's not bad, it's just never gonna be a staple for me.  The concluding movement is again fairly thick in terms of accompaniment, and again Huangci tickles the ivories in effortless fashion.  Overall, execution rates more highly than the music.  Perhaps I should see if Kenner makes something more of the work.

The Chopin I'm much more familiar with, of course, and here giants tread.  Huangci and Sung do not join them.  To be sure, Huangci's somewhat broad conception is rock solid from a purely note hitting perspective, and she uses a wide array of interpretive devices well nigh flawlessly, to the point where one could do A/Bs with anyone, probably even Zimerman, and Huangci would hold up well.  It's just that the overall approach is vanilla.  Like, really smooth, creamy, rich vanilla with delicious hints of real bean, but still vanilla.  The approach is more restrained than other versions, more classical and less romantic, not that there's anything wrong with that.  And there are some hints of romantic playing the beautiful slow movement, which shows how to play clear and lovely with not too much pedal.  It requires rather fine touch, which the pianist has.  Soloist and band deliver a very fine closer, though one that doesn't go for virtuoso shenanigans as much as some other recordings. 

So Ms Huangci demonstrates again that she's got superchops, and Ms Sung shows that she can lead high grade accompaniment.  I rather want to hear more from both artists.  And so I shall.

Berlin Classics only cranks out high end sound.  I prefer cans over speakers for the recording, but it's superb either way.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 15, 2019, 05:25:21 AM
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The Dragon takes a big old bite of the Bear in its second appearance in the thread.  The trio of works make for another fine mixed program.  The disc opens with Borodin's Second.  It's as tuneful as all get out, beautifully played, even with reminders that this modern ensemble uses steel strings, and overall displays a sense of relaxation and quite remarkable precision.  While one could appreciate a more luxurious approach, one can just as easily appreciate what is on offer here.  Somehow, I've managed to end up with three other versions of this work, and while I rarely listen to it, my memory told me, and a quick refresher reminded me, that the Prazak are rather better and apart from other versions I've heard, but it's nice to welcome another edition to my collection.  Indeed, why don't more ensembles record Borodin's quartets?

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No one needs to ask that about the DSCH Eighth.  As it happens, I also recently snapped up the Pavel Haas Quartet's new DSCH disc, so an A/B was basically mandatory.  Starting with the Dragon, one hears superb technical acumen throughout.  One never fears that something will go awry.  In the second movement, the foursome ratchet up intensity markedly, without going over the top or sounding like they are straining, and the individual lines all remain clear, especially through headphones.  The relative lack of ear-splitting intensity reminds one of the Rubio Quartet, but the precision reminds one of the Emerson.  Quite the blend.  In the first Largo, one hears moroseness but less intensity and less forceful attacks than in some other versions.  That's observation, not criticism.  The work then fades into darkness with the second Largo.  Nice.  The Pavel Haas Quartet launch their version with a darker-hued, yet somehow more beautiful sound.  Then in the Allegro molto, the quartet erupt into more intense playing than the Dragon, but quite intriguingly, they do so without pushing tempi to the breaking point.  The intensity comes from the relentlessness.  While the Dragon do everything right in their set, the Pavel Haas seem to be, somehow, even more in tune with one another, and again each musical line remains audible, but they jell even better, and whether it's dispatching the famous theme in the third movement, or the light, soaring first violin playing in said same movement, or the darkness of the two Largos, or the overall feel of the music, the Pavel Haas are more gooder.  Don't get me wrong, the Dragon do superb work; the Pavel Haas rate with the greats.

The recording ends with Weinberg's Fifth Quartet.  Again, the Dragon play with admirable precision and all musical lines remain clear.  While the affinity with DSCH is obvious, the lighter mien, the groovier music (in a Soviet era sorta way), the directly lovely tunes in places, the actually light and humorous playing in the second movement, and the sharper and edgier playing in the Serenata, and everything in between, set Weinberg apart from DSCH more here than in my memories of the Danel's recordings of both composers.  The Dragon have things dialed in. 

This second appearance by the Dragon improves upon the positive impressions left by the first disc.  I look forward to hearing more from the ensemble.

Channel delivers superb sound, as expected.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 21, 2019, 06:23:39 AM
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Another tale from one of The Brothers Lim, though this one is not new.  It dates all the way back to 2017.  This is the second appearance for Mr Lim in the role of accompanist on a disc of works for piano and violin, and Ms Kim also makes another appearance because, though German, she's more famous in her ancestral homeland. 

Fortunately, this disc is much more to my liking than Mr Lim's prior duo outing with Ji Young Lim.  While that disc is well played, it is safe and a bit bland.  This disc is well played, but it is not bland.  A couple things stand out in the D574 sonata.  First, Lim and Kim deliver playing displaying ample verve, nice and clean playing, striking but not overdone dynamics, and vigorous but not overdone rhythmic snap.  This Schubert is more about vivaciousness than lyricism, though the latter trait can be heard in no little amounts.  In short, the sonata sounds just dandy.  As does the Rondo, D895.  In fact, the enhanced lyricism makes it sound perhaps a bit better overall.  While I don't know if I can use the word "spontaneous" to describe the Allegro, there is an almost rhapsodic and free feel to the playing.  The big old Fantasia, D934 closes things out, and here Lim demonstrates an ability to fully cede the limelight, at least from time to time.  In doing so, he (perhaps aided by the engineers) demonstrates his ability to play with impressive evenness and delicacy, and Ms Kim does her level best, which is very good indeed, and creating what at times seems to be nothing less than a transcription and mashup of lieder.  The forward drive is subtly relentless, the rhythmic component snazzy as heck.  And lyricism permeates the vibrant music making, and the Andantino is rotten with it.  Oh yeah.  This here's a just dandy version of the work.

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As luck and purposeful purchasing would have it, I also picked up Vilde Frang and Michael Lifits playing some Schubert, and Paganini, recently, so this offered another chance to spin that ditty, as if I needed another reason.  This recording lacks the sonata, but it includes some transcriptions.  For the purposes of this comparison, I'll stick with like works.  D934 is up first.  While Lim has definitely got world class chops, Lifits may just be a demigod.  His prior Schubert recording is among the best of the century, and he brings that goodness to this disc, which more than even in the Kim-Lim ditty displays a lied-like feel and then imbues it with about as perfect a realization of fantastic playing as one could hope for.  Lifit's melodic contribution beguiles, and Frang ups the ante in terms of what sounds effortless, which takes immense effort to pull off.  Lyricism and rhythmic vitality, and potent dynamic swings - not all of the macro variety - also permeate the playing.  And did I mention Lifits' right hand playing?  I mean, yeah.  Lifits opens D895 with some hefty playing, and Frang does her best to match him, and then the pair backs off into something more lyrical and beautiful, before again engaging in some mismatched playing.  I'd say that either Lifits should have backed off a bit or the engineers should have adjusted balances a bit, but Lifits does such a fine job that I actually kind of like the mismatch.  The Allegro section is then eleven minutes of Schubertian goodness anchored by pianism so good one almost wants to hear just that.  I write "almost" not just because this is a duo work, but because Frang does up her game in terms of volume without sacrificing one iota of control.  It's really quite fine.  Overall, I'd probably say that Frang/Lifits take D934 and the two duos tie in D895 - not that it's a contest, mind you.

This is quite possibly the best recording I've heard from Mr Lim.

Basically SOTA sound.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on December 22, 2019, 05:07:48 AM
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The second appearance of the Novus in this thread, going back to their debut.  (I also picked up their pairing with Michel Dalberto in the Franck Piano Quintet and did not cover that here.  Nutshell description: Superb.)  The disc is a mixed rep affair with Austro-Germanic stalwarts Webern and Beethoven the anchors, with Korean composer Isang Yun something new. 

The disc opens with Webern's Langsamer Satz, and it's nine and half minutes of late romantic opulence exquisitely performed.  The Novus nailed Berg's Lyric Suite, holding their own with some big names, and they replicate that feat here.  The accessibility and gorgeousness of the music may make it atypical for the composer, but so what?  Clearly, the Novus need to record Schoenberg.  And hopefully Zemlinksy.

Beethoven's Op 95 follows.  More spaciously recorded, it offers a jarring musical contrast.  The ensemble do not soft-pedal, instead presenting the music with speed, precision, and in a tightly coiled, explosive manner that outdoes the mighty Prazak at times in the opener.  They do lighten up in the Allegretto ma non troppo, but the playing still stays firm, exact.  The Allegro assai finds the Novus back in their maximum comfort zone, and it is here where some more experienced ensembles make more of the musical contrasts.  The final movement has plenty of gusto, and some sweet viola playing, but here one can almost detect the corporate excellence morphing into something of a liability; it sounds so easy that it starts to fall short in ultimate expression.  It comes close to being more about execution than anything else, though it never quite gets there.  While I have no idea what the ensemble might record next, a bit more Beethoven for the imminent Beethoven year would be most welcome.

The disc closes with a couple works from Isang Yun, from whom I've previously heard only one disc's worth of small-scale orchestral music.  This is fairly early Yun, so it doesn't succumb to harsh modernism.  Rather, it's infused with Asian influences while blending western traditions.  As is sometimes the case, the result, to western ears seems infused by Dvorak's style and Bartok's incorporation of folk music.  There's also some fin de siècle feel in there, some Zemlinksy, or some French music.  It's quite effective, and it's good enough such that one might me tempted to drop it in some imagined parlor game where music aficionados attempt to "name that composer".  The folk tune component is played up in the final piece, an arrangement of the Korean folk tune Arirang, which is predictably well done.

Sound for the hi res download is, alas, not SOTA, with some glare and harshness in spots.  It's more than adequate, though.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 11, 2020, 04:43:59 AM
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This Beethoven year has so far seen few intriguing piano sonata recordings issued, and since I own all of the complete sets being reissued, I am forced to contemplate and buy single discs from whenever, including war horse compilations, which I generally dislike.  I found Jae-Hyuck Cho's Beethoven disc while poking around on 7Digital, so I went for it because why not.  Cho was born in ChunCheon, South Korea, started studying as a wee lad, then moved to New York to study some more, most notably under Jerome Lowenthal at Juilliard.  So he's got the academic credentials.

His warhorse disc includes Opp 13, 57, and 53, in that order, with a Schumann-Liszt finisher.  Op 13 starts off conventionally enough.  The Grave opener is strong, but not overwhelming, and the Allegro di molto e con brio is played at a proper tempo, has some nice dynamic contrasts, and some insistent and reasonably steady left hand playing.  The return of the opening material sounds a bit weak and doesn't offer much contrast, but it is inoffensive.  The Adagio cantabile is competently played, steady, and the cantabile playing in the outer sections is nice.  A bit of contrast is introduced in the middle section.  The concluding Rondo is a bit slow and tame.  Some of the right hand playing sounds tonally attractive, though.  Op 57 starts off with an Allegro assai where Cho plays with clean articulation and nice pacing, but dynamics are limited and attack softened a bit.  It's a bit polite.  The Andante con moto is pleasant, with a somewhat leisurely pace, soft or soft-ish playing, and a bit of tonal beauty.  The finale comes off better, with Cho adding more heft to his left hand playing, and moving at a decent pace.  Overall, though, the sonata is kind of bland and forgettable.  Op 53 follows, and Cho opens the Allegro con brio with some pep, though it seems a bit louder than it should, which in turn means that dynamic contrasts later in the movement are muted a bit, but it's good.  The Introduzione sounds contemplative and attractive, and it segues to a Rondo where Cho plays with ample energy, drive, clarity, and nice left hand sforzandi that still seem polished a bit too much.  Overall, it's the best sonata on the disc, but even it is just like a drop of water in a lake of Waldstein recordings.  The Widmung encore starts off gently and beautifully and picks up steam until the end.  Not bad.  Overall, meh.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 23, 2020, 04:47:30 AM
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I've never really been especially keen on Lang Lang. This recording is only the second of his that I have purchased, the other being Beethoven concertos with Christoph Eschenbach. He got airplay on the local classical station when he hit it big, and some of his recordings sounded kind of gauche, if technically snazzy. From time to time, I'd hear a live recording from him that I found more suitable. Some live performances of Chopin Mazurkas and Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies extracts showed a bit more range and color. His recorded output is fairly limited, and includes a variety of works that I'm not exactly clamoring to buy, so I've not really heard a lot, nor have I paid attention to his discography. When I saw this reissue, I mistakenly thought it was new, but it's a decade old recording, which makes sense, because who would want to record Beethoven so soon after an injury? Anyway, in this Beethoven year that now will have fewer new releases than it should, I decided to buy.

Op 2/3 opens promisingly enough. LL has no difficulty with the opening theme, which sounds light and effortless. The second theme, though, moves right into near-banging territory, something which becomes all the more annoying every time it appears, because later on in the Allegro con brio he backs off and plays with notable subtlety. So one must conclude this sounds exactly the way he wants it to sound. And so it goes, with nice mezzo-forte and below playing, and slightly unpleasant forte and fortissimo playing. LL's ability to play soft and really quite attractively becomes even more evident in the opening of the Adagio. He keeps the pace steady, and when the loud, tolling notes arrives, he keeps them under perfect control. Very nice, and again, it offers evidence that he gets the sound he wants. At the end of the second theme, he displays a very fine touch as he lowers the volume to next to nothing. His control sounds exemplary, and the big old arpeggio near the end displays a level of control and precision that really sounds quite fine. The Scherzo has some playing that approaches aural unpleasantness, but never gets there, and it works well enough. LL plays the Allegro assai with a sense of playfulness and overt virtuosity, but in this movement that is more or less enough. When one hears the applause at the end, one does make some allowances for the fortissimo passages. Surely a pristine studio recording would have more refined high volume playing. Overall, better than expected.

Op 57 is a war horse, of course, and one that, in a certain sense, seems like a "natural" fit for the pianist. LL certainly tears into parts of the Allegro assai, but he also backs way off, and allows some phrases to breathe a bit. It does sound a bit contrived, as if he is doing it to underscore the contrasts, but I've heard (much, much) worse. As he plays the downward arpeggios to the fortissimo climax, he plays in a halting manner, which adds something of interest, but the loudest playing does tip over into garishness. The Andante con moto doesn't fare as well as the Adagio did in 2/3. LL does paly with a steady tempo, and he does deliver some nuanced playing, but he also plays much of the music in a slightly too stark fashion. The finale is chock-full of heavy-duty forte and fortissimo key pounding, and has ample energy. Intriguingly, LL does not play as fast as he can - there are significantly faster renditions out there - and he makes room for slower playing, and for some quieter playing. He modulates his dynamics nicely, offering an undulating wave of music, and some sustain pedal enhanced washes of notes. It's contrived and superficial, but not unsuccessful. The build up to the coda and the coda itself are both played with blistering speed and overcooked left hand playing, but it is designed to please the gallery, which it does. This is not a top 10 or top 20 version, but like 2/3, it's better than expected going in.

The encore is the opening movement to The Tempest. Why just one movement, who knows? Anyway, LL plays the Largo a bit quickly, and dispatches the opening of the Allegro at high speed, before backing off, and mixing up the tempo. Indeed, if anything, he slows some passages down too much, creating something a bit idiosyncratic. But it's not at all terrible.

I sort of wonder what Lang Lang can do nowadays. He's not a kid anymore, so maybe he has matured a bit. Perhaps he can take up Mompou (no, seriously) or perhaps more Schumann. Or more Beethoven. Or maybe he and his new wife can go the route of the Schuchs and deliver some fine works for piano duos.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on May 23, 2020, 04:48:37 AM
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Every time Yeol Eum Son releases a new recording now, it must be snapped up immediately.  No delays are or will be accepted.  This most recent disc of three Schumann works was no exception.  The disc was pre-ordered as soon as was possible, and it has received an unknown numbers of airings since it arrived.  When a YES recording starts playing, one just wonders if she ends up setting a new standard or living up to an old one.

The Op 17 Fantasie is a very performance dependent piece for me.  In the wrong hands, it bores, sometimes interminably.  In the right hands, well, let's just see what YES does with it.  YES delivers one of the finest opening movements I've heard.  Were one to not know this work is described as a Fantasy, one may very well conclude it is.  Simultaneously structured and free-flowing, YES delivers multiple micro-dynamic gradations at once and a steady pulse combined with a strangely free yet studied approach.  When she slows down around three minutes in, and drops her pianissimo levels to Volodosian levels, the effect is hypnotic, and the forte playing that follows feels perfectly contrasted, like an inevitable development.  She uses long pauses and slows way down in parts, only to belt out more passionate passages with requisite wallop, if not abandon.  As the opening material returns after about nine minutes, she keeps a steady, slightly blurred left hand underpinning the flight of fancy right hand playing.  Some listeners may find the use of extended pauses a mannerism, and it is, but it works splendidly.  In the second movement, YES brings out the march-like element with a sense of whimsy and playfulness, and her dynamic control is so fine that one just listens to each phrase with unseemly avarice.  The middle section is slowed down, quieter, and gentler - and almost purely dreamy, or even child-like in the simplicity of some of the playing.  She then returns to the opening material with gusto.  The final movement opens sounding like a blend and homage to Schubert's Ave Maria and Bachian counterpoint, and YES lets the music unfold in an unrushed manner.  Some of the music is so serene yet so ridiculously well controlled that one sits and listens in wonder, as with Volodos' D959, as she plays both parts with shades of piano and pianissimo simultaneously.  She again creates a dream-like state, though here it is more pronounced, and her ability to force the listener to stop everything and wait for every note is extraordinary.  This recording is as close to perfect as any I have heard.

YES starts Kreisleriana with an appropriately animated Äußerst bewegt, with the right hand slightly to the fore, though the left hand is clear and clean.  More vigorous versions are available, but then when Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch arrives, her playing reverts to the almost dream-like soundworld of the Fantasie.  The second theme is a brief, rambunctious but controlled section before more meltingly beautiful playing, which is followed by the third section, which YES leads with the left hand, and then she closes out in lovely fashion again.  In Sehr aufgeregt, one might be able to say that YES doesn't quite go intense enough, at least until the end, but it's also hard to dislike such controlled and refined sforzandi and forte playing.  As expected, her Sehr langsam fares very well, and the more subdued passages of Sehr lebhaft do, too.  (So do the more animated passages.)  While it had become clear earlier in the work, in the second Sehr langsam, YES's penchant for delivering gorgeous, affecting, almost otherworldly slow movements becomes unavoidably obvious.  Sehr rasch gets knocked out with ample energy and drive, with some really finely articulated left hand playing managing to overshadow, but not necessarily overpower the right hand playing.  YES ends with a Schnell und spielend that is just a tad restrained in terms of tempo, but, especially in the louder passages, she plays in a style that creates a cumulative effect, an impression of boundless energy.  Alas, Kreisleriana is not quite to the standard of the Fantasie.  Where Op 17 may be the greatest ever recorded, Kreisleriana is merely on par with the greatest versions ever recorded.

YES ends things with a ravishing Arabeske, a teasing and gentle and poised treat.

I had sky high expectations when I bought this disc, and they were at least met.  Superb sound. 

A purchase of the year, the decade to come, and the century.  Brilliant in every way.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on June 14, 2020, 05:31:34 AM
A large part of the future belongs to China.  Just the way it is.  Perhaps my appreciation of Chinese music will grow over time, but in the meantime one can enjoy the increasing number of recordings of Western art music recorded by artists in the Middle Kingdom.  Like this here recording of Bruckner's Eighth.  The recording is taken from a concert performance of the China Philharmonic on June 20, 2012 in the Forbidden City Concert Hall.  Lan Shui conducts.  Lan Shui is a conductor new to me.  Born in Hangzhou, he started his studies there, only to have them temporarily interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, before resuming and then finishing off his studies in the US, where he also did some assistant conducting.  Shui ended up spending a good long time at the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.  He's also performed with various Western bands and recorded for BIS, so he's no newbie.

To the work, the opening Allegro moderato comes in at 14'50, and Shui keeps things moving along.  It lacks the sense of grandeur of some recordings, but there's some nice drama.  The brass do not dominate like in more famous recordings, and they don't play with the assurance of, say, the Chicago Symphony, but that's okay.  When one considers the distant, reverberant acoustic and the live recording, the balances can be appreciated all the more.  Shui makes sure that both the winds get their due and some of the string figurations aurally pop.  I'm guessing a lot of microphones were used, but spotlighting seems less prevalent and the balances come more from the conducting.  Shui also goes for a taut Scherzo, which comes in at 12'49", and he keeps an unusually snappy rhythmic sense, and as such, it sounds far more dance-like than more granitic readings, and the Trio is lighter, more ethereal than some other versions.  It works quite well.  The Adagio comes in at 24'23", and the opening minutes sound light and string dominated, which is good because the strings sound light and airy and pretty darned good.  It doesn't sound too heavy or burdened and only gradually builds up in scale.  It gradually slows down in tempo, and then it becomes more transcendent and dramatic, and it builds up to a fully satisfying climax, with enough brass weight, if not bite.  The relative scale and impact of the music on disc indicates that in concert it must have been something in person.  True, it cannot match the orchestral perfection of Karajan with Vienna, but that's a tall order.  Shui then lets rip in the Finale, which comes in at 21'30" (about 21'12" of music), starting in at a gallop, bringing the violins uncommonly to the fore, then he drops back in tempo and then pushes and pulls the orchestra to dramatic effect.  Some less than the best brass playing does catch the ear, but what are you gonna do?  Shui never really lets up the pace throughout, and he does have the brass play more intensely, but it is more blended rather than dominating, and the tuttis have a sort of all-consuming heft as a result, at least until the brass finally emerge to blast at the listener briefly before the massive coda.  The coda itself also has more prominent brass and is pushed forward at fairly high velocity to generate heat and applause.

As I listened, the symphony reminded me to an extent of Hun-Joung Lim's take and overall Bruckner style.  Lighter overall, and less brass dominated, the music sounds warmer and less imposing.  Perhaps an East Asian (excluding Japan) Bruckner tradition will emerge, one different from what has come before.  Or not. Whatever the case, I'll happily listen to more Bruckner, or anything else, played by various ensembles in the East.

Sound is good enough. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: betterthanfine on June 19, 2020, 01:29:28 PM
Quote from: Todd on May 23, 2020, 04:48:37 AM
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A purchase of the year, the decade to come, and the century.  Brilliant in every way.

I must hear this NOW. Thanks for the review, Todd!
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 13, 2020, 03:00:41 PM
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As I waited for the first installment of William Youn's Schubert Sonatas, I snagged a couple downloads from him that I had somehow managed to avoid buying until now.  Starting with the Chopin Concertos, I confess that here it's all about the pianist, just the pianist, and only the pianist.  The band and conductor are more or less irrelevant.  So what does Mr Youn deliver in this year that also saw the great Benjamin Grosvenor release a corker of a recording of these works?  Well, immaculate tonal beauty, refinement, elegance, and tastefulness, start to finish.  That's more or less the thing here.  There are more fiery, more energetic, more overtly virtuosic, more any attribute you choose recordings out there.  That's not really the point with Youn.  As I listened, the piano-heavy recorded balance ended up working perfectly.  In the E Minor, some pesky tuttis aside, I more or less listened to an endless stream of pianistic beauty, with the wash of right hand color and brightness making the Allegro maestoso soar, the Romanze lilt and seduce, and the Rondo sparkle and (gently) dance and basically force the listener to sit and listen in a sort of musicodopamine stupor.  In the F Minor, Youn could play with more bite or darkness or richness or whatever in the Maestoso, but that would not help at all.  The refinement of his playing is truly its own reward.  He brings that refinement to the beautiful nocturny Larghetto.  Here, the strings do some mighty fine work, too, though it's still all about Youn.  In the Allegretto vivace, Youn once again forces the listener to sit and listen basically slack-jawed, and the right hand cascades near the end, not rushed, and delivered just so, creates listener giddiness.  More or less as expected.  Youn still bats a thousand.  Oh, yeah, Friedemann Riehle leads the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in nice enough accompaniment and the recording sounds quite nice.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: MishaK on September 16, 2020, 03:40:45 PM
Quote from: Todd on May 07, 2018, 05:28:10 AM
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Takashi Asahina is a conductor I have long associated with Bruckner more than anything.  I figured now was as good a time as any to stream him conducting something else.  I settled on Beethoven.  This complete symphony cycle is recorded with the Osaka Philharmonic.  You know, his orchestra, as in the one he established in 1947 and led until his death.  This cycle was recorded in the year 2000, the year before his death.  He was 92 years old at the time.  This was his final presentation of the cycle.

Asahina's Beethoven is old school and that is evident from the opening bars of the First.  Tempi are broad, sometimes very broad.  Flashy gestures are a no-go.  Reverence is a must.  He's conducts like Takahiro Sonoda plays piano.  And there's nothing wrong with that, not at all.  The first two symphonies sound very stately, and more than occasionally reserved, the First relatively more than the Second.  That's not to say that they sound stodgy and don't flow, because they always sound forward-moving, and the finale of the second has some pep in its step.  The Eroica is very slow.  As in almost late career Carlo Maria Giulini slow.  He takes nearly as long as the Italian's LAPO take in the opening movement, and even longer in the funeral march, where he's in Celi territory.  Listeners who like slow burn Thirds have a higher probability of liking this than people who prefer speed, and Asahina does an estimable job of building up momentum and scale, but he doesn't achieve Giulini's ultimate power and granduer.  The funeral march, despite its length, never sags, and the Scherzo is hefty yet energetic.  The final theme and variations comes in at over thirteen minutes, and while it does sound quite slow, it is large of scale and possessed of seriousness and grandeuer and works well within such a broad conception.  Asahina's style works well overall here.  It doesn't work so well in the Fourth.  The first movement is on the slow side, but it's weighty, and the second and third movements sound similar, but the finale is just way too slow and heavy.  The Fifth is a slow, weighty, old-school reading, and one needn't listen beyond the lengthy fermata at the end of the somewhat famous opening to understand that.  How much one likes such an approach overall may or may not determine how much likes this reading.  I like it quite a bit, though the too slow tempo prevent it from being a favorite.  Slow tempi do not necessarily prevent maximum enjoyment in the Pastorale, and that's the case with this performance.  The first three movements move along at a leisurely pace, to the point that some may find the playing too slow, but it flows.  The Sturm is hampered just a bit by the slow tempo, but there is plenty of oomph.  Asahina then closes with a too-grand-but-so-what? and quite lovely Shepherd's Song.  It's a highlight of the cycle.  The Seventh, as expected, is broad of tempo and grand of gesture, especially in the often massive, dirge-like Allegretto.  The Presto is very dignified, but also sounds like an Adagio most of the time.  The somewhat stately Allegro con brio works well, especially when Asahina brings it in the coda.  Overall, it's decent, with that monumental Allegretto good enough to stick in the memory.  The Eighth falls right into line with the rest of the cycle to this point, and ultimately that means it is less than ideally satisfactory.  More snap is needed.  Fans of slower versions of this symphony may be more enthusiastic.  Not surprisingly, Asahina's Ninth is broad of tempo and stately of presentation, and also unsurprisingly, the Adagio is very fine indeed.  Generally, I like higher wattage takes here (eg, Munch), but Asahina's is a very fine example of its kind. 

This set offers yet another example of the value of streaming.  At its current price, I doubt I'd buy a physical copy of the cycle, but I got to hear it anyway, and in the event it ends up a budget issue at some point, I may buy it just to hear better what the engineers captured.

If you are even remotely interested in exploring Asahina in non-Bruckner, you MUST get a hold of his live 1975 Sibelius 2 with Osaka Philharmonic, recorded on tour at Teatro la Fenice in Venice (sounds like an unlikely combo, but it's true!). It is ON F I R E !!! Absolutely one of the most riveting performances of that work I have ever heard.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: MishaK on September 16, 2020, 03:45:56 PM
Quote from: Todd on June 21, 2017, 05:52:38 AM
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The Fifth.  Lim uses the Schalk edition.  That's right, the Schalk edition.  The very slow opening moments almost sounds like Elgar for a second (this was probably somewhat influenced by the fact that I had listened to Elgar's First the night before listening to this for the first time), but then it becomes obvious that it is indeed Bruckner, as Lim generates an even grander-scaled sound than in the Fourth.  Also apparent, this is a swift reading, clocking in at under 64' in total.  The Schalk edition cuts to the finale make up a good chunk of the difference when compared to other readings (this finale takes only eighteen minutes and change), but a good portion of the rest of the relative brevity is due to the tempo choices employed by Lim.  To his credit, nothing ever sounds rushed.  At the same time, it's hard to say anything sounds especially deep.  The Adagio, at 15'36", sounds appealing, occasionally weighty, and more than occasionally lithe, but it also sounds, perhaps, superficial, but in a good way.  And there are pre-echoes of Elgar again, dammit.  There's nary of hint of Elgar in the Scherzo, with its grinding and intense outer sections, all musical fire and brimstone.  The Finale is brisk and weighty, and while one can hear Wagnerian influences, one can also hear Dvorak's Fourth, at least as realized by Thomas Hengelbrock.  (I assume it's my imagination more than anything.)  While the fugue writing gets short shrift here, Schalk did a good job weaving together what he didn't cut.  Lim leads the Korean band in some tightly played, well-drilled music-making in the faster passages.  I dare say hearing the playing in person would have been at least occasionally exhilarating.  The brass are more prominent here than in the preceding symphonies, but much less than in standard performances of this symphony, and there's one transition from brass to strings around eight minutes in that is breathtakingly beautiful, and the quasi-Parsifalesque music that follows sounds hardly less attractive.  Later, just after 13' in, Lim leads his orchestra in almost frenzied playing, before letting up just a bit before the revised coda, with its sparkling triangles adding some unneeded zest.  Really, drop the triangles and I have nothing major to kvetch about.  This symphony has always been the one I've had the hardest time getting in to, but this edition seems to address some of my reservations.  Is it wrong to actually like the Schalk edition this much?  To some Bruckner purists, the answer is undoubtedly yes.  I am happily impure, so I confess that I kind of like it.  More than kind of, actually.  I may just have to try another recording of the Schalk edition, with Kna the obvious choice I would think.  While not ideally clear by modern standards, the recorded sound is excellent, and when cranked up appropriately, the sheer weight of the orchestra is imposing, and the timpani thwacks drive into the ground and then propagate out in all directions causing a not unpleasant physical sensation.

Jochum's penultimate recording of the work strikes me as the very apogee of conducting a mainstream edition of the work.  For over seventy-seven minutes, Jochum delivers vastly scaled, brass heavy, imposing Bruckner.  The opening movement sounds massive as all get out, with Jochum making this the grandest of all the symphonies.  It thrills and chills in equal measure, and the Dresden band sounds superb.  Extreme depth and/or nosebleed heights are achieved in the Adagio.  The Scherzo pulverizes.  The Finale is grand and powerful, and Jochum makes sense of the contrapuntally dense writing at least as well as anyone, and probably better, and when it comes time to play Bruckner in a frenzied state, no one outdoes Jochum.  Throughout, Jochum manages to bring out ample detail while simultaneously delivering musical and musically satisfying symphonic gigantism, and the conductor makes the not inconsiderable length of the work almost zip by.  Of the versions I've heard this year of a conventional edition of the score, this strikes me as the best, and if I ever do a full-scale shootout, Jochum would probably be the one to beat.  He shows that it truly is a great work.  That written, I find Lim's conducting of the Schalk edition more fun.  Now, I know Bruckner ought not to be fun, and Schalk sliced and diced the score and re-orchestrated like nuts to play to the gallery, but in some ways, in many ways, he succeeded.  Jochum's is the greater recording, but I won't be surprised if I listen to Lim's more often.

Found this on Primephonic and started dipping my ears into it. Seems like the main purpose of this cycle was to assemble all the least authentic editions of Bruckner symphonies, that have been most tampered with by others. That's a rather unfortunate decision. The conductor should have enough to say on his own to make his mark, rather than having to resort to gimmicks by marketing a cycle of sketchy editions just to be different. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 20, 2020, 06:22:57 AM
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Kotaro Fukuma is a name I'd only seen positive comments about until I finally splurged on two recordings, this one, and his more recent Beethoven recital on Naxos.  For this recording, I went with the deluxe edition, which means that Deux danses espagnoles, España (!), Célèbre sérénade espagnole, Navarra, and La Vega (!!) are also included.  Mr Fukuma has done the competition and recording thing for a while, so he's not a newbie.  It kinda shows.

Albéniz's magnum opus has a few rather fine recordings out there, of course, with de Larrocha's multiple versions all worth serious consideration, though both the Spaniard Esteban Sánchez and the Belgium-born, Mexican-raised Michel Block are more to my taste.  Well, here comes Mr Fukuma to offer something a bit different and pretty much as compelling.  Sánchez's darker, more animated take and Block's more languid and layered approach differ from Fukuma's pristinely clean, colorful but not hazy playing, punctuated by incredibly nuanced and refined touch.  Oh, yeah, sure, Al Albaicin has oomph and kick, with undulating rhythm and dynamic swells, and every other piece that requires it does, too, but that's only part of the magic.  El Polo has a delicate, nuanced rhythmic sense, with perfectly refined accenting.  Almeria emerges as something of an unexpected highlight.  Here's music played with such precise, gentle, refined touch, with perfect dynamic relationships between chords and phrases, that one sits sort of numbed to non-pianistic goings on.  And the best part is that any time this kind of music appears throughout the set, so the does the playing.  It's kinda a wow thing, or at least one of those things that, after hearing it, one lets out a gentle laugh and shakes one's head sort of in disbelief, but ultimately belief and delight.  Yeah.  It's that good.  But it's not that Spanish.  While listening, as wonderful as it is, one acknowledges but does not miss the greater fluidity that de Larrocha brings, the greater intensity that Sánchez brings, and the near sensuality that Block brings.  (Which is why one must have all the sets.)  It is sort of like a more Gallic Albéniz, one where Séverac plays an outsized role, and Fukuma's style sounds like an even more refined and tidier Albert Attenelle with French accents.  In other words, it's pretty freakin' sweet.

Now to the other good stuff.  The Deux danses espagnoles sparkle and sound bright, with ample rhythmic acuity emerging from Fukuma's fingers.  Nice.  Nicer still is España, and here again the heavy hitters have recorded it.  I confess a special affection for Block's impossibly beautiful and often too languid by half playing, never more so than in the Tango.  If Fukuma cannot match Block here, his crisper, brighter, sunnier overall sound works just fine.  Célèbre sérénade espagnole blends right in qualitatively.  Navarra is yet another piece where Block's style fits better than anyone's, yet, again, Fukuma's approach pays dividends.  The set concludes with La Vega, and here Sánchez rules the roost, with a darker hued, occasionally mysterious, occasionally turbulent take.  Fukuma's lighter, more Gallicized take offers its own more delicate and dreamy beauties though. 

Overall, this set is a peach.  Fukuma does not displace the titans, but it says something that those are the people he inevitably must be compared to, and that he holds his own speaks volumes.

Toss is superb modern sound, and this set is a winner. 
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on September 20, 2020, 11:27:27 AM
There's a deluxe edition with a second album of stuff that's not on streaming?! %*@#. Time to research...
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 20, 2020, 11:34:42 AM
Quote from: Brian on September 20, 2020, 11:27:27 AM
There's a deluxe edition with a second album of stuff that's not on streaming?! %*@#. Time to research...


I almost bought Iberia only - until when I searched on Fukuma's name I found the deluxe edition for the princely sum of nine dollars and change.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: amw on September 20, 2020, 11:40:12 AM
I found the deluxe edition on a few streaming sites, but yes it's probably worth buying. Have to say this is now my personal favorite Iberia. (My mom disagrees, and swears by Larrocha instead)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 27, 2020, 05:58:33 AM
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Uh-oh.  Does the E♭ major opener to D946 represent the first unforced error I've heard from William Youn (aka, Korean Piano Jesus)?  He omits the second trio.  Typically, I would say that would render any recording not all it should be.  But here I give Youn the benefit of the doubt, because everything he does, he does at a William Youn level.  The Allegro assai section is delivered with no little verve, bordering on the assertive, while retaining a lovely sheen and innate lyricism.  Combine that with the more than adequately gorgeous Andante, and well, all is well.  In the second piece, Youn moves back to more common, well above average playing.  He maintains a certain palpable musical tension even in the slower music, which becomes even more evident in the agitated yet lyrical second section, with the left hand playing twitchy yet precise.  Nice.  Youn plays the third piece in a stylistically similar manner such that one can go ahead and believe that the movements were composed together. 

The D915 Allegretto actually comes off as mere filler.  Filler of the highest caliber, delivered with polish and nuance and beauty, but it does sound somewhat surfacey.  Not so the D935 Impromptus, which represent the second main reason to buy, own, and cherish this recording.  Youn delivers the opening on the F Minor in quick, tangy fashion, with ample beauty but also bite, which effortlessly and almost without notice slips into the second theme, delivered with copious gorgeousness, and a flowing legato.  The second appearance of the opening theme takes on a very liederesque feel, as if Schubert had originally meant this accompany a young DFD with some proper German text.  And he alternates on to the end, with the accompaniment in the last section taking on a hypnotic, watery sheen, like a babbling brook.  The A♭ major falls on the somewhat quick, not especially inward looking end of the spectrum, at least to open.  Youn plays at a perfect pace, and with a perfect dynamic range - no need to thunder here - and only gradually, as the music unfolds, does it take on a deeper feel.  Then comes a doozy, and Youn plays the theme and variations B♭ major as nearly one endless stream of gorgeous melody, though some turbulent playing emerges where needed, which in turn only heightens the more melodic playing that follows.  In the F minor closer, he tosses in overt virtuosity, rendering it almost a hyper-lyrical encore.  But it ain't. 

To the extent there is an encore, the Valses Nobles D969 might fit the bill.  Here, Youn anchors the piece with rhythmically alert left hand playing, and while he can and does play beautifully, there some near brittle right hand playing, which, when Youn plays it, means it is being played that way for effect.  And what a wonderful effect it ends up being.

The minor, forgivable scare in the opener accounted for, Youn continues to bat 1.000.  Need to get to that Schubert sonatas set now.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Brian on September 27, 2020, 06:43:13 AM
Quote from: Todd on September 27, 2020, 05:58:33 AM
Uh-oh.  Does the E♭ major opener to D946 represent the first unforced error I've heard from William Youn (aka, Korean Piano Jesus)? 
Making Kun Woo Paik Korean Piano John the Baptist and YES Korean Mary Magdalene?
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on September 27, 2020, 06:50:01 AM
Quote from: Brian on September 27, 2020, 06:43:13 AM
Making Kun Woo Paik Korean Piano John the Baptist and YES Korean Mary Magdalene?


Works for me.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 03, 2020, 05:40:10 AM
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When snapping up Fukuma's Albéniz, some LvB also got snapped up because one can never have too much Beethoven.  A disc with three works, the mix of sonatas offers something not typically presented together, a sort of bonus.

Starting with Op 31/2, Fukuma starts with a slow, distended, beautiful Largo that really manages to suspend time, and then he moves into an Allegro that possesses ample speed and dexterity, but that's not the thing.  The thing is how Fukuma balances left and right hands, often emphasizing the accompaniment with unique accents, but then seamlessly moving emphasis back and forth.  Then he returns to ultra-slow returns of the intro material, a technique which can sound distracting or artificial, but not here, not at all.  The Adagio benefits even more from Fukuma's elegant and refined style.  Not afraid to toss in rubato, every little interpretive device works.  If one is going to decelerate a phrase, or extend some right hand figurations just that little extra bit, this is how to do it.  And that tone.  Man.  In the context of an aural sculpture approach, one might expect the Allegretto to sound a bit less than intense, and while harder hitting versions exist, Fukuma increases intensity more than enough.  His control and tone are such that sforzandi never bite, they emphasize strongly, and blend into the fluid closer.

Op 78 starts off deceptively, with Fukuma again delivering some beautiful playing in the Adagio cantabile, playing that sings as much as one could want, but as the movement unfolds, he adds more.  The Allegro ma non troppo displays a wide dynamic range, and the slight tension adds an almost Op 90 style tenseness to some of the proceedings.  The Allegro vivace sounds lighter and more fun, and exceptionally clean and dynamically wide ranging.  Here's middle-late Beethoven with seriousness and prankishness in a perfect mix.

Then comes Op 111.  Fukuma demonstrates how to open with a biting and dark Maestoso, indicating what was already obvious, namely that we was delivering exactly what he wanted to deliver before.  The Allegro sounds faster and more furious, but also kind of focused on moving forward, and concerned with structure rather than deep depths.  That's not a complaint.  The Arietta starts firm but lovely in the opening half, then slows down and morphs into transcendent Beethoven in the second half.  Fukuma then launches into variations imbued with seriousness of purpose, fine detail, and delicate touch blended in with playing of weight, and a transcendent feel.  The boogie woogie variation has a bright and elevated feel, and a rather formal rhythmic sense and some bracing left hand playing.  The "little stars" rank among the most perfectly realized I've heard, with layered dynamics within the quiet, elevated music.  Fukuma then cools things off a bit, creating a rarified, detached sound on his way to the chains of trills, which he delivers with a delicate touch, creating an ethereal foundation from which the other notes to emerge.  He delivers a peaceful, lovely coda to cap things off.

Looks like I'll end up buying all of Fukuma's recordings.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 11, 2020, 05:08:53 AM
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If a pianist is gonna start a new Schubert piano sonata cycle, why not announce intentions by starting off with D960?  William Youn includes the repeat and starts off slow and austere, highlighting, discreetly, some left hand playing, while keeping the long Molto moderato moving forward smoothly.  He manages to bring out all voices with superb clarity without overemphasizing anything, and he uses pauses expertly, not overdoing those, either.  He delivers right hand figures with perfect weight and duration for each note, he delivers supremely clear accompaniment, and then, of course, he delivers superb bass trills.  So basically flawless is Youn's playing that one might, just for a second, think it's too perfect.  He's gotta botch something.  Youn's playing is not the most emotive around, so I guess there's that, but that hardly counts as a flaw with playing like this.  Typically, I don't really think of Youn as a hard hitting pianist, because that's not his thing, but here he shows he can do so when so inclined.  In the Andante sostenuto, Youn delivers lovely melodies, and the accompaniment is halting.  Maybe that's a flaw, except for the perfect execution and realization, which Youn amplifies when he speeds up and plays the middle section with more lyricism and tension, and some terse, powerful left hand playing.  Youn plays the Scherzo at a brisk, clear pace, and again his clarity of voices really stands out.  One can follow the insistent, perfectly poised left hand, or the brightly colored melodies emerging form the right with equal ease.  Youn starts the concluding movement firmly but not with a massive bang, and almost like Zimerman, he sort of clips it a bit.  This means that the fortissimo playing later has more impact, and the gently insistent, indeed unyielding left hand playing sounds quite compelling, somehow drawing attention away from the melodies, though not really.  Very nice.  As predicted.  Less predictable is the rushed coda, which adds a nice touch.  He closes the disc out with D157.  Whenever I heard the opening, memories, never too old, of Volodos' recording comes to mind.  Youn does things differently.  He zips through the Allegro ma non troppo, delivering a less beautiful take, obviously on purpose.  It's more about propulsive energy.  The Andante likewise gets played briskly, and somewhat unusually, Youn does not play with unlimited beauty, instead focusing on simplicity.  It works, but sounds colder than Volodos.  He closes things out with a crisp, light Menuetto.  He plays slightly against expectations in the sonata, but delivers.

D664 starts off the second disc of the set.  This sonata can never sound too beautiful, and Youn is just the guy to demonstrate that.  The listener need only wait until the first arpeggio to relish the insanely delicate touch he deploys, and he delivers the entire movement with an at times almost eerie steadiness.  The dynamics alter gently, and the music at times sounds serene to the point of near stasis, with time itself suspended as each note coaxes the listener's ear.  Allegro moderato has rare been so ideally moderate.  In the Andante, Youn ups the beauty and serenity even more.  Somehow.  As the music rises gently in volume to the climax, it sounds inevitable and while loud, it remains calm.  And then, Youn plays the concluding Allegro almost stupid beautiful to open.  He neither over- nor under-emphasizes the rhythmic component of the movement, keeping things moving along at a nice pace.  No one, and I mean no one, has delivered a better little A Major.  Next comes the cobbled together D571/604/570 sonata.  Right away, in the opener, the music sounds like the accompanying text is missing.  Youn plays with multiple, quiet levels at once, and he creates a sense of drama that makes me hope he ends up accompanying some equally accomplished singer in Schubert's song cycles.  In the middle, before the return of the opening material, Youn plays the melody with almost inhuman beauty.  The second "movement" does not really sound of a piece, of course, but Youn does his level best to make it fit, and he introduces a bit of left hand weight.  The last two movements blend in, and again Youn demonstrates his ability to play with ridiculous beauty in the concluding Allegro.  The set closes out with the A Minor D784 sonata.  This sonata fares best with a bit of bite and strength added into the mix.  Youn starts off the Allegro giusto with a dark, brooding austerity.  The left hand trill that leads to the first instance of loud playing sounds foreboding, but Youn ultimately does not deliver thundering playing.  For those demanding imposing fortissimo playing, Youn may disappoint, but the tradeoff is that the music sounds more controlled and desperate, yet restrained.  The Andante finds Youn playing with his customary beauty, and then the Allegro vivace finds Youn playing with more grit and drive, making it obvious that the opening movement sounds exactly the way he wants.  To be sure, others hit harder in this movement, too, it's just that everything here is what the pianist wants.  So, D784 does come off well, if not as comparatively well as the other sonatas on offer here.

Superb sound.

A purchase of the year.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 18, 2020, 05:55:19 AM
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Until very recently, I hadn't seen the name Minsoo Sohn, or if I had, I forgot seeing it.  That changed when he dropped an LvB sonata cycle.  Before digging into that, I had to do some homework, especially since this Honens release of Liszt transcriptions and Liszt's Paganini Etudes popped up for a few bucks.  Sohn was born in Korea and has done the competition thing.  Notably, he studied in Boston under Russell Sherman.

The disc opens with Liszt's transcription of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A Minor.  Out of the gate, Sohn demonstrates an unerring steadiness in his playing, and his tone sounds smooth, controlled, and entirely unruffled.  He unfurls the fugal writing with seeming ease and obvious clarity and he never sounds out of sorts.  He also introduces fairly little oomph into the mix, until the end, when he scales way up and approximates an organ quite nicely.

To Liszt proper, the same exact traits appear in the G Minor Etude.  Which ends up limiting the impact a bit.  Sohn has no problem at all playing the music, it just sounds formal and restrained.  Surely, Liszt's creations inspired by Paganini's creations should dazzle with garish fireworks.  While things improves with the Octaves Etude, Sohn again plays it too formally.  One gets the sense that he may not have been overly familiar with the pieces and opted to play it safe, though obviously that may not be the case.  La Campanella offers the best example of his style.  He dispatches everything clearly, with steady left hand playing, and sparkling right hand playing, with flawless runs and nuanced tapering, but it all sounds just a bit too cool and restrained. 

The transcription of Beethoven's Adelaide follows, and it offers more of the same, though here one gets to hear hints of how Sohn may handle straight-up Beethoven.  And it's not so bad, since, of course, more restrained Beethoven potentially makes more sense than restrained Liszt.

The disc closes out with Réminiscences de Don Juan.  It offers and extended example of Sohn's artistry.  Technically assured, with everything in its place, but almost entirely devoid of strongly distinctive personality.  One can certainly enjoy the conservatory and competition level playing as an example of proper, clean execution, but something goes missing.  I hope the same does not hold true for his Beethoven.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 02, 2021, 06:19:48 AM
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[Cross-posted in "New" Music Log]


Chang Ping is a composer new to me.  Not yet fifty, the composer received his training at the Central Conservatory of Music in China before getting some additional training in Berlin.  He has written a pretty good number of works in a variety of genres, so these are no beginner works.  This massive, 80+ minute collection of four concertos, completed in 2015, for four different traditional Chinese instruments and western orchestra, blends east and west as a sort of whole with a very unwoke name by contemporary occidental standards.  I've got works for the Pipa and Ehru in my collection already, but the other two instruments are new to my collection. 

The disc opens with The Wind Washed Clouds, for Guzheng (a Zither-type thing) and orchestra, with Ji Wei the soloist.  The harpsichord-meets-harp sound of the instrument adds a eastern sound to what otherwise sounds like orchestral music that could very easily have been recorded as part of Claudio Abbado's Wien Modern series way back when.  Now, how one responds to post war orchestral music in general may very well inform how one responds to this.  Me, I like said music when done right, and for the most part, this is done right.  Lots of bold dynamic contrasts meet with clangy orchestration and, somehow, the Guzheng offers a significant contrast in texture and sound.  The Noble Fragrance, for Erhu and Orchestra, starts off with giant, Mahlerian drum thwacks and then the orchestra enters in full-on Henze mode before the ehru emerges like some ethereal voice which plays solo for an extended period.  The longest work on the disc, at just over a half hour, it sounds remarkably close to a contemporary violin concerto, but for the widely different tonal characteristics of the solo instrument.  And it sounds like Yu Hongmei knows her erhu, because she meets what sounds like taxing demands quite well.  While it doesn't sound like the instrument can produce a massive sound, it sure can produce a gentle one, and I have to guess this piece demands high end playing.  Also, in some passages, and I don't mean to make it sound like the work is derivative, but I could swear, especially in the solo part, that the impact of DSCH can be heard.  Which is no bad thing.  The Movement of Wash Painting for pipa and orchestra, with Zhang Qiang the soloist, enters into a field with at least one outstanding work, Nanking! Nanking! by Bright Sheng.  This work lacks the dramatic back and forth of Sheng's piece, and sounds more generically avant garde, but anytime this instrument and a big band merge, it seems like there will be some type of unbalanced dialogue.  (Makes me wonder what a chamber work might be like.)  The almost French sounding Blue Lotus for Zhudi (bamboo flute) and orchestra is probably the most easily accessible work of the lot, at least for big swaths.  The music starts off smaller scale than the other pieces, and big, thumping tuttis, which do arrive, don't pervade as much as in the other works.  When orchestration is sparse, the instrument pops, and it can have the brightness of a piccolo without the shrillness, and when mixed with fewer instruments, it makes for ear-catching music.  Yuan Feifan does what sounds like splendid work here.  All of the works are worth hearing, but Blue Lotus and The Noble Fragrance make the disc, and make me want to hear more from the composer.

This live recording, taken from a single concert, has expected audience noise, and it must be noted that it sounds like some Chinese orchestras are catching up to, or have caught up to, western orchestras in executive ability.  Conductor Lin Tao gets good work from all involved.  Sound quality is pretty spiffy, too. 

Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Todd on October 23, 2021, 06:15:54 AM
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A second disc of chamber music by Jia Daqun.  The disc opens with Flavor of Bashu for two violins, piano, and percussion.  A blend of western and eastern styles and sounds, one can easily think of it as an even more eastern Bartok, with hints of John Cage thrown in.  That doesn't really do justice as a description, but it's decent shorthand, and fans of dissonant music and some aggressive percussion may very well dig this piece a whole lot.  Counterpoint of Times switches over to a wind ensemble written using the golden section ratio in parts.  The bright piece sounds more vaguely avant-garde French than Chinese, but that's OK, too.  It lacks the impact of the opener, but it ain't too shabby.  Next is the String Quartet from 1988, and it offers a basically perfect merging of Chinese folk tune inspired music and avant garde string quartet writing one hears more commonly.  You get the night music pizzicato thing and glissandi, and so forth, but here it emerges even more colorful and varied than is often the case.  Muy bueno.  The disc closes out with the brief The Prospect of Coloured Desert, for Violin, Cello, Percussion, and both the Sheng and Pipa, so this work has the most decidedly eastern sound to it.  Jia, does not fall back on straight up folk music at all.  Instead, the instruments play fully contemporary, abstract music, like an up to date Bartok.  The more distinctive and unusual sound makes it stand out more than the other works, which says something.  Overall, the music sounds most compelling and makes the listener want to seek out yet more works by the composer. 

Tip-top playing.  Tip-top sound.
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Roy Bland on November 10, 2021, 07:25:23 PM
From Altus Records
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CELEBRATING MUSIC OF THE CELEBRATION OF JAPANESE IMPERIAL 2600 (MONO)

Strauss : Celebrating Music in Imperial 2600
Pizzetti : Symphony in A
Ibert : Ouverture de Fête
Veress : Symphony No.1

Helmut Fellmer – R. Strauss
Gaetano Comelli – Pizzetti
Kosaku Yamada – Ibert
Kunihiko Hashimoto – Veress
Symphony Orchestra for the Celebration of Imperial 2600
Recorded on 1940

(Bonus)
Konoe : Cantata "Tairei-hoshuku" – 2nd, 3rd and 4th movements
Hidemaro Konoe
Satoko Matsudaira – Soprano
Yoshiko Sato – Mezzo Soprano
Eiichi Uchida – Baritone
New Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo
Vocal Four Chorus
Recorded on 1928

"Gyokuon-housou" (Radio broadcast on15 August, 1945 announcing the end of the war)

【ALT103/104】(2011/5/24)
Title: Re: The Asian Invasion
Post by: Roy Bland on January 01, 2022, 08:09:12 PM
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