Quote from: drogulus on Today at 10:27:43 AMWorld peace kitty gives morning meows.Very sweet kitty! And politely, but insistently, asking for their human to get up and feed them.
Quote from: dhibbard on Today at 11:40:54 AMessentially, they discontinued the catalog other than Sibelius works..
Quote from: Brian on April 22, 2024, 11:00:03 AMThe one everyone's going to spend all summer talking about!
Retro cover art style (including the logo) from Decca. Lim recently presented these works live in concert at Carnegie Hall - attended by our friend (poco) Sforzando - and it would be interesting to hear how the two performances compare. This album was recorded in mid-December 2023 and seemingly rushed to press by Decca. One more strange housekeeping note: every nickname ever accorded to any of the etudes, and quite a few nicknames that I had never heard before, are listed on the digital release. (e.g. Qobuz says Op. 10 No. 4 is "Torrent", and No. 8 from the same set is "Sunshine")
The best etudes here are characterized by crystal-clear accuracy and balances that reveal the melodic appeal of the works behind or amid the cascades of notes. Lim is so technically assured and confident that he can treat Chopin's challenges as the means, not the end, of the works. This is clear in pieces like Op. 10 Nos. 2 and 4, and Op. 25 Nos. 6 and 9 (the last of which is the jauntiest and cheeriest I have ever heard). Meanwhile the slower, more poetic works occasionally also give Lim a chance to impress: I very much like his way with the fragile beauty of Op. 25 No. 7. The final etude of the 24, meanwhile, is simply relentless - he does make some attempts to differentiate the repetitions, but, basically, it's a shock-and-awe speed run that is meant to show what humans are capable of.
On the other hand, sometimes Lim gets a little too facile with the technical challenges. Op. 10 No. 11 seems "oily" to me, which I guess is another way of saying slick. Op. 25 No. 1 is a dreamy impressionist blur, but at 2:16 maybe a little too rushed to achieve the kind of poetry he is trying to find. Op. 25 No. 4 (which apparently is nicknamed "Paganini"?) is simply too fast to achieve the kind of fun syncopated bounce that is possible in this work (compare to Yukio Yokoyama, a.k.a. Joyce Hatto) [EDIT: Yuki Matsuzawa, not Yukio Yokoyama].
I do not like the rather dry recorded sound, which puts the piano squarely on the left of the acoustic picture and reduces the effect of the bass. This kind of cold, tinny sound quality makes it very hard for a pianist to offer any emotional expression, so in that respect, Lim has been done a disservice by Decca. The label had better address this for future releases if they want to do right by an artist that they (and much of the musical establishment) see as a future superstar. I was more impressed by the live Liszt recording and wonder if it will set a pattern of an artist more interesting live than in studio.
Using the ClassicsToday model of an "artistic quality" rating and a "sound quality" rating, both out of 10, I'd probably go with a disappointed 7/7. Maybe 8/7.
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on Today at 11:23:50 AMIt would be unfortunate if Sohn is remembered primarily as YCL's teacher. I had the privilege of hearing MSS live last night in New York, in an all-Liszt program consisting of the Consolations and Transcendental Etudes. Spectacular technique and musicianship, though not as impulsive or impetuous as Yunchan. (But based on what you say about Chamayou, I'll have to hear his Liszt too, since I think Yunchan is pretty damned good.)
I think MSS's Beethoven is very solid too, though I can't find the CDs even used. You can however download all his Beethoven sonatas from his website.
Quote from: Jo498 on April 27, 2024, 12:37:50 AMWispelwey/Lazic (Channel) for energy, Vogler/Canino (Berlin) for more relaxed with beautiful cello sound.
Quote from: Todd on April 25, 2024, 08:22:20 AMOthers of no little distinction
Minsoo Sohn (aka, Yunchan Lim's teacher)
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