In this Ravel anniversary year, it only made sense to bring rigueur scientifique to the composer's greatest work for solo piano. (Its superiority to Gaspard was determined scientifically, as well, so this is an objective statement of fact.) Five splendid, distinctive pieces, each presenting its own performance challenges and listening delights finds the composer at his most varied in what is still a fairly compact work. So much color, so much stylistic variance, so much enjoyment is to be had.
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There is no better way, objectively speaking, than to start off the survey with one of today's technically flawless pianists just to sort of level set ivory tickling expectations. Zlata Chochieva is just such a pianist. In Noctuelles, Chochieva flits along almost ridiculously quickly and easily to start before backing off and musing a bit, before in turn flitting about again. Oiseaux tristes in contrast is slow and controlled and precise, with dynamic gradations so precise one can measure them in partial decibels if the playback level is set to a C-weighted 85 dB average. The at times s l o w tempo hits the spot, too. Une barque sur l'océan is light and brisk, with swells and torrents of notes dashed off with ridiculous ease. Alborada del gracioso is dispatched at nearly breakneck speed, with flawless control, and some dynamic shifts and tempo shifts that almost sound inhuman rather than superhuman. It bounces and rollicks. La vallée des cloches, while technically without fault, does come off as surface only note perfection, so there's the weakness. A tier.
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Kevin Kenner has never really received love from major labels, which is a pity, because his recordings are all supremely fine. Here, in a more resonant recording, Kenner starts off creating a more spacious Noctuelles, and one that glides along. Oiseaux tristes is slow, almost hypnotic to start, with the quietest playing fading to near silence. Une barque sur l'océan undulates with fine legato playing, with left hand rumbles hinting at the power of the waves discreetly then openly. Alborada del gracioso is quick, agile, and spicy. La vallée des cloches, with glorious, rich harmonies, comes off as serious and nearly heavy, with hints of actual emotion in its delivery, something not always true with Ravel's music. Yep, good stuff. A tier.
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Florida Man Tzimon Barto got the nod next to get an obviously idiosyncratic and perhaps even perverse take out of the way early. Barto is, generally speaking, a love him or hate him pianist, with most people hating him. Not me, no sir. But then, I come to every one of his recordings knowing what he's about. And that's iconoclastic, provocative interpretations delivered with a high degree of technical polish. Noctuelles starts off fast and unstable, with the tempi hectically variable, as if moths munched some Tallahassee Wheaties (ie, meth pebbles). Then they crash, munch more, and aimlessly flit about again. All the while, Barto plays with pristine tonal and dynamic control. Oiseaux tristes sounds like one and then several birds who stumbled upon some bath salts, and damned if Barto doesn't make some of the left hand playing sound like an approximation of an out of tune, rotting banjo. Une barque sur l'océan has more tempo and rhythmic instability, and conjures mental imagery of a person a half rack in sailing his thirty foot fishing boat in a mild storm in the Gulf of America. Alborada del gracioso staggers around like a thoroughly soused gringo at the Calle Ocho Festival. The slow La vallée des cloches starts off with barely there pianissimo playing and then kind of just crawls along, with some playing just barely holding the line. It drones and moans. Many times throughout the recording the listener is left to think "what the fuhhhhh?" This is the quantum particle of Miroirs recordings, belonging in the S and D tiers simultaneously. Barto's execution is well-nigh flawless, but his musical vision is blurred to the equivalent of 3/20. His take sounds entirely unlike every other recording in the survey, and purposely so.
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As a palette cleanser of sorts, Bobby C is a perfect follow-up to Mr Smith. Noctuelles rushes forward, with clean fingerwork and fine, if constrained dynamics, which is definitely partly due to the now ancient recording. There's a certain unsentimental coolness to the playing. The opening of Oiseaux tristes, which echoes Le Gibet, reinforces that impression, and then Casadesus, with unsmiling refinement, plays the notes, and only the notes for the rest of the piece. Une barque sur l'océan is quick, at times imposing in the forte playing, and relentlessly forward moving. Alborada del gracioso is all forward motion without excess syncopation, though some might want more. La vallée des cloches does a decent job of evoking bells but does a fantastic job of sounding like top notch piano playing. Casadesus' take is unsentimental, clear, and bracingly direct. That style works fantastically well with Ravel, and this recording remains one of the best, as does the complete set. S tier.
Quote from: Todd on August 28, 2025, 04:25:11 AM(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41WONL4xQvL._SY425_SX425_QL70_FMwebp_.jpg)
Florida Man Tzimon Barto got the nod next to get an obviously idiosyncratic and perhaps even perverse take out of the way early. Barto is, generally speaking, a love him or hate him pianist, with most people hating him. Not me, no sir. But then, I come to every one of his recordings knowing what he's about. And that's iconoclastic, provocative interpretations delivered with a high degree of technical polish. Noctuelles starts off fast and unstable, with the tempi hectically variable, as if moths munched some Tallahassee Wheaties (ie, meth pebbles). Then they crash, munch more, and aimlessly flit about again. All the while, Barto plays with pristine tonal and dynamic control. Oiseaux tristes sounds like one and then several birds who stumbled upon some bath salts, and damned if Barto doesn't make some of the left hand playing sound like an approximation of an out of tune, rotting banjo. Une barque sur l'océan has more tempo and rhythmic instability, and conjures mental imagery of a person a half rack in sailing his thirty foot fishing boat in a mild storm in the Gulf of America. Alborada del gracioso staggers around like a thoroughly soused gringo at the Calle Ocho Festival. The slow La vallée des cloches starts off with barely there pianissimo playing and then kind of just crawls along, with some playing just barely holding the line. It drones and moans. Many times throughout the recording the listener is left to think "what the fuhhhhh?" This is the quantum particle of Miroirs recordings, belonging in the S and D tiers simultaneously. Barto's execution is well-nigh flawless, but his musical vision is blurred to the equivalent of 3/20. His take sounds entirely unlike every other recording in the survey, and purposely so.
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I like the Ravel, I like the tone he makes. I like coke too.
Oh wow, it's been 366 days since I listened to any Robert Casadesus, and that was his composition not playing (Symphony No. 5). Now I have a big box set to pull out this weekend!
Quote from: Brian on August 29, 2025, 05:42:55 AMOh wow, it's been 366 days since I listened to any Robert Casadesus, and that was his composition not playing (Symphony No. 5). Now I have a big box set to pull out this weekend!
Might I suggest closing your eyes and blindly grabbing a disc. It is impossible to go wrong with Mr Casadesus.
Quote from: Mandryka on August 29, 2025, 05:37:18 AMI like coke too.
This reminds me of a fun internet game. Go to google, type in "Florida Man <birth month> <birth day>" (ie, exclude the year) and see what the first result says. Mine says: "I'm not going to lie, it's cocaine."
Quote from: Todd on August 29, 2025, 07:00:02 AMThis reminds me of a fun internet game. Go to google, type in "Florida Man <birth month> <birth day>" (ie, exclude the year) and see what the first result says. Mine says: "I'm not going to lie, it's cocaine."
"Florida Man wearing Batman pajamas thwarts burglary at neighbor's house"
Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66733230
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Ragna Schirmer is one of the great pianists before the public today, but that does not always ensure great recordings. One can hear it in Noctuelles. Make no mistake, Schirmer's digital dexterity impresses, with nary a note out of place. Rhythm is fine, dynamics better, and control is absolute, but the piece doesn't feel right. Clinical Ravel is fine, but this sounds unidiomatic even when that shouldn't be a thing. Oiseaux tristes sounds technically secure but too austere, while the sheen of perfection in Une barque sur l'océan likewise evokes not a whole lot of anything. Alborada del gracioso has nice syncopation, but it sounds generic, and not Spanish in the least. The repeated notes, they sound spiffy. La vallée des cloches has the too austere by half feel thing going on. So, very well played, but not so great. C tier.
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When it comes to sleek, supremely well played Ravel, no one really surpasses Hinrich Alpers when it comes to hitting the notes. His bright, light, flowing open to Noctuelles captivates, and his smooth rubato and ability to switch up moods, ever so subtly, really stands out. The music just pours out, almost perfumed yet hazy, yet also clearly executed. Oiseaux tristes evokes Le Gibet to open, but with a tenderness, a gentleness as he lets notes and phrases taper away. The way he tiers dynamics, with some bright, almost brittle right hand playing rising above the accompaniment, oh my, yes. The sea starts calm and shimmering in Une barque sur l'océan, but the winds and the waves pick up, the music swells and undulates, the right hand playing tickles the ears, and the whole thing just flows so well. The rhythmic snap and energy and quicksilver dynamic contrasts of Alborada del gracioso hit the spot. The slower playing approximates guitar playing and has a dancy and comic tinge to it. Now, La vallée des cloches starts way quicker than normal, making it sound slighter than normal, though individual tolling notes stick out to great effect. After Alpers slows down, the music calms, the harmonies beguile, the mood controls the listener's every thought. Stupendous. S tier.
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Josefa Schmidt's recording is presented in the most annoying way possible for survey purposes, with the different tracks presented in jumbled order mixed with pieces by four other composers. That requires either programming a playlist or using the track number keys. Sheesh, that's hard. So is the recorded sound. Noctuelles is clear, quick, almost jittery. These are some aggressive moths. Schmidt's playing is very modern sounding, with an almost steely mien, though that's more down to the recorded sound. There's no doubting her digital dexterity. The opening to Oiseaux tristes implies that Schmidt could deliver a stone cold Le Gibet, and the slower playing eases up on the metallic impact, and in its place in cool austerity and proto-modern droning. (Unsurprisingly, her Crumb on the same disc is pretty nifty.) Une barque sur l'océan is a proper swirl of notes throughout. Alborada del gracioso starts off in exaggerated, clunky fashion. She speeds up a bit, and then in the slower music she slows things way down, and then returns to a not particularly fast take, though one infused with superb repeated notes and sharp glissandi. It's a proper scherzo. La vallée des cloches starts slow, but then morphs into a tense take, and one filled with different simultaneous dynamic levels. Coolness pervades. Had this been recorded up to modern snuff, she might be a level higher. B tier.
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When it comes to sleek, supremely well played Ravel, no one really surpasses Hinrich Alpers when it comes to hitting the notes. His bright, light, flowing open to Noctuelles captivates, and his smooth rubato and ability to switch up moods, ever so subtly, really stands out. The music just pours out, almost perfumed yet hazy, yet also clearly executed. Oiseaux tristes evokes Le Gibet to open, but with a tenderness, a gentleness as he lets notes and phrases taper away. The way he tiers dynamics, with some bright, almost brittle right hand playing rising above the accompaniment, oh my, yes. The sea starts calm and shimmering in Une barque sur l'océan, but the winds and the waves pick up, the music swells and undulates, the right hand playing tickles the ears, and the whole thing just flows so well. The rhythmic snap and energy and quicksilver dynamic contrasts of Alborada del gracioso hit the spot. The slower playing approximates guitar playing and has a dancy and comic tinge to it. Now, La vallée des cloches starts way quicker than normal, making it sound slighter than normal, though individual tolling notes stick out to great effect. After Alpers slows down, the music calms, the harmonies beguile, the mood controls the listener's every thought. Stupendous. S tier.
Museum Quality? It's just tht I thought his Schumann op 11 sonata was, a bit.
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Alexei Volodin is another modern pianist of seemingly limitless technical ability. In Noctuelles, that manifests itself in a very Ondiney sound and almost cartoonish zippiness, though his control is never in doubt. His ability to conjure a wide color palette at speed impresses. Oiseaux tristes offers a maximum contrast in terms of tempo, and Volodin imbues it with an almost Valses nobles et sentimentales soundworld to open, with bright, crisp bird calls coming only later. Une barque sur l'océan returns to fast playing right from the start, in something of a legato infused haze. In the most tumultuous passage, he reminds the listener more of Debussy and his playing is more about overt virtuosity than anything else. Alborada del gracioso is over-the-top fast, pushed to the point that it morphs into a garish showpiece. La vallée des cloches is slower, though fast in the context of the survey, and Volodin cranks out the playing with near organ-like power in places. Overall, this recording offers some awesome virtuosity but much less overall satisfaction than other takes. D tier
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Jean-Yves Thibaudet starts Noctuelles off with fast, flitting, ethereal playing that's as virtuosic and technically adept as any, and while one hears it and appreciates it, the real magic comes in the fact that Thibaudet somehow doesn't make his playing about his playing. The playing is simultaneously abstract and programmatic. Oiseaux tristes is slower, but not slow, and rather dreamy, almost, dare I write it, impressionistic, even though Ravel is not an impressionistic composer. That same feel pervades Une barque sur l'océan, which quickly but gently swirls to start, with Thibaudet dashing off the notes, and then building up to satisfying forte playing while effortlessly controlling dynamic undulations. Alborada del gracioso is light and snappy, with subtle and sublime right hand accenting and killer repeated notes. La vallée des cloches keeps the light, bright sound Thibaudet favors, and the speed and steadiness of the accompaniment is really quite something. He then slows up and plays in solemn, beautiful fashion, and the tolling left hand notes around five minutes are nearly hypnotic. Great Ravel playing, this. S tier.
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Naida Cole's take starts with closely recorded Noctuelles, clean, clear playing that often evokes a gentler style Scarbo. The slower music is calm, and the whole thing moves nicely between styles. Oiseaux tristes evokes Le Gibet to open, and Cole keeps her playing clean and cool, and she also nicely brightens up in the upper registers. Une barque sur l'océan starts off nearly song-like, and in the most vibrant playing she brings refined roiling to the mix. Alborada del gracioso is all about speed and energy, though obviously not when Cole pulls back appropriately, and there's both a sense of boogie in the left hand playing and some excellent, if not Thibaudet great, repeated notes. La vallée des cloches starts with hints of urgency, but quickly transitions to slower, more solemn playing, with nice tolling notes and expert use of sustain. Revisiting this recording makes me kind of wish that Cole would have pursued her piano career rather than selfishly deciding to help people by becoming a doctor. Pfft. B tier.
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David Korevaar starts Noctuelles with clear, controlled chaos, sort of sounding like dandified Cage. He then settles into standard playing that hints at museum quality playing. Oiseaux tristes sounds austere yet beautiful, with a somewhat languid feel despite the normal tempo. This sets up a nice contrast with the faster, brighter playing. Une barque sur l'océan is a model of controlled musical undulations that does a creditable job of evoking a boat on the water. Alborada del gracioso bops along nicely but lacks boldness or energy found in other takes. La vallée des cloches is sensibly paced and solemn, though a bit more oomph would be nice. C tier.
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Anne Queffélec is one of two pianists who appear twice in the survey, and in her first recording of the work, Noctuelles starts off quick, clean, and very dry, with a narrow dynamic bandwidth. It sounds like microphones were placed under the lid and the signal was compressed. So, it is both a marvel of clarity and too homogenous. Oiseaux tristes slows the tempo, and certainly the music sounds different, but the same close, limited bandwidth sound pervades. Une barque sur l'océan is a marvel of clarity, but impact is minimized by the constrained dynamics. Alborada del gracioso swings rhythmically, and has real gusto, but the dynamics hamper it too much. La vallée des cloches has a nice, gliding feel, but also sounds hemmed in. Obviously, Queffélec has the chops for the piece, but the recorded sound sinks the recording. D tier.
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Queffélec's second recording is interpretively very similar, and the sound is more resonant. But dynamics remain comparatively limited, though they are improved. It definitely is more enjoyable overall, but here's a case where a proper live recording, if one is floating around out there, might show the pianist in a better light. C tier.
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Georges Pludermacher plays a flitting, rhythmically unstable but controlled opening to Noctuelles, and then backs off, but less than some others, and keeps a slightly off-kilter pulse. Oiseaux tristes sounds almost impossibly dry, with shortened note timings and abrupt stops, and then some bold playing in the more robust music. Pludermacher does like mixing things up. Une barque sur l'océan swirls about with nice accents tossed into open, and Pudermacher builds up some real power before quickly falling back to let the notes swirl. The close, live recording really pays dividend every time Pludermacher turns up the volume. Alborada del gracioso bounces along with nifty rhythm, sweet sforzandi, and sweet repeated notes. Perhaps here the close recording results in some hard sounding playing, but that's OK. La vallée des cloches is slower, solemn, with nice tolling notes and some more abrupt stops, and a quick build up to a slow coda. (I can't remember if Pludermacher uses his custom, four pedal Steinway for this set, which allows for extra tomfoolery.) While he takes some liberties here, the results are fine. A tier.
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Seong-Jin Cho starts off with a flitting, varying Noctuelles, and he plays with tonal finesse and the subtlest of subtle dynamic gradations everywhere, tapering off to near silence and also generating enough strength where needed. His constant tinkering without outsize gestures is its own form a supervirtuosity, drawing attention to the playing, but 'tis nice playing. Oiseaux tristes opens with playing that goes from gentle to ridiculously gentle, all while allowing one to hear everything. He slowly builds up to some reasonably strong playing, but it's in the gentle and beautiful playing in the middle where Cho sounds most distinctive. He finds shades of shades of color and dynamics. It's perhaps too fussy, but man does he coax out a sound to savor. Une barque sur l'océan opens with swift, colorful, but subdued playing that almost sounds non-credible. He thwacks out some forte playing with ample power, showing it's all just ivory mastery. It's a wash of sound and color. Alborada del gracioso has ample rhythmic boogie, but here Cho often plays at a more subdued level in the non-boogying music and with such a rounded tone overall that the x-ray playing and almost sweet sounding right hand playing almost become too much of a good thing. Almost. La vallée des cloches see Cho bringing some whisper quiet playing to the open, then a steady but soft accompaniment under some soft edged right hand notes. He then slows way down for a while, generating a dreamy yet clear soundworld that becomes meditative the longer it goes on. A tier.
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Might as well go with two consecutive Chopin Competition winners back-to-back. Canuckian Bruce Liu dazzles right out of the gate in Noctuelles, with supreme agility, dynamic control, and playing that sounds not so much flitting as dashed off in an even more refined Earl Wild style, meaning one of absolute control. Some of his voicing is unique, bringing out tiny details, one note at a time. Oiseaux tristes starts slow, with gentle diminuendo going from pianissimo to more pianissimo, then Liu takes his time before seamlessly revving and cranking things up in the most refined way. It's hard to say Liu evokes anything; rather, he offers rarified abstraction of the most refined type. That same sense pervades the gliding opening of Une barque sur l'océan, which then proceeds to move into more powerful playing effortlessly. It doesn't offer the last word in dynamic contrast, but within the perfectly calibrated boundaries, it is without technical flaw. Alborada del gracioso is swift, rhythmically sure, brimming with color, and, oh yes, those repeated notes sound swell. And those left hand notes, they are good stuff. La vallée des cloches starts off quick, with some hefty left hand tolling notes punctuating the upper register playing, then Liu slows down, and the music takes on a dark-hued, solemn feel. Good stuff. A tier.
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Michelangelo Carbonara takes notably longer than most pianists in Noctuelles, and as is his wont, he eschews creating even the hint of an unlovely tone. As a result, energy and flittiness are AWOL, but a relaxed feel and beauty are copious. Oiseaux tristes starts so quietly, with the pianist barely eking out pppp playing that one sort ends up wallowing in the lackadaisical beauty. Even the bright bird calls sound like somewhat enervated chirps. This reads as a criticism, but it's really not. It's terribly atmospheric and unabashedly impressionistic. Une barque sur l'océan evokes ripples on a lake rather than the sea, and Carbonara makes even Cho's playing sound rather rough and harsh. Wide dynamic range is entirely absent here, too. Alborada del gracioso has a bit of pep, in the context of Carbonara's playing, but it comes off as quintessentially impressionistic. La vallée des cloches just sort of floats along, with the bell tolls too gentle by half, but the beauty is undeniable. This one is somewhat difficult to assess. Under no circumstances can this be considered a great recording, but as an alternative take, one emphasizing almost overwhelming beauty and dreaminess above all, it has its merits. B tier. But for many or most people, this would be D tier.
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Ol' moanin' Fazil Say has, from time to time (as in every recording), offered highly individual, even idiosyncratic interpretations. One needn't wait more than a few seconds to hear that here. Noctuelles starts as a chaotic wash of notes, with unstable tempi – to excellent effect, mind – and then he slows up to more standard playing. All the while, his tone appeals. His playing sometimes sounds dark, and it's never overwrought, but it also has a quasi-improvisational aspect, like Say is recomposing on the spot. Hushed playing opens Oiseaux tristes, and Say mixes up the playing and the styles. The quick right hand arpeggios are swift and subdued, the overall tenor of the piece subdued and more introspective that extroverted. Une barque sur l'océan starts with gentle right hand playing, more an impressionistic swirl, and he adds beefy but cloudy left hand playing. The swells satisfy, even if they don't offer maximum scale, and his vocalizing adds a dash of color or a distraction to taste. Alborada del gracioso is dispatched swiftly, with spry rhythm and nifty dynamic switch ups. It sounds rushed and nearly chaotic or reckless, in the best way. La vallée des cloches starts slow, but then promptly shifts to Ritalin addled speediness for a bit, before moving back to slower, more contemplative playing, before wrapping up in zippy fashion with a blunt, instant end. This is most definitely an idiosyncratic take, and a mighty fine one. A tier.
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Beatrice Rana offers a return to more standard playing, and she starts off with a Noctuelles that displays control and speed as good as any, creating nicely flitting playing delivered with absolute control. Dynamic control is tip top, and though one hears some pedaling, that only serves to underscore her precise control of every aspect of playing. The fastest playing goes right to the edge of sounding rushed, which is fine. Oiseaux tristes starts off with pianissimo playing of Yamane and Volodos quietude and suppleness, and then moves back and forth between this softer style and more vigorous playing well-nigh flawlessly. Une barque sur l'océan likewise starts off quietly, and Rana plays quietly at speed, which is much rarer than fast 'n' loud. As to loud, well, Rana makes the swells thunder, so she's got that base covered, too. (Seriously, her pianissimo playing is so insanely nuanced and quiet that, as with some Volodos recordings, one almost wonders if studio trickery aids in delivery.) Alborada del gracioso bops and darts, explodes and recedes, and is basically a ball of musical energy start to finish. La vallée des cloches has a nice, slow overall tempo, with some heavy duty tolling bells and enchanting solemnity. In terms of sheer pianistic display, this recording cannot be surpassed, though in terms of other qualities some others offer a smidge more. Still, S tier.
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Mikhail Rudy starts off Noctuelles with admirable clarity, and is as direct and close to a non-interpreter as possible to this point. It's just clean playing. Oiseaux tristes offers more of the same, as do all of the other movements. There's certainly no faulting Rudy's playing as playing, it's just that he doesn't really bring much, if any, character to the music. D tier.
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Triple double Hannes Minnaar, he of nimble fingers and lithe playing, starts with a quick, bright, clean Noctuelles that evokes little and comes close to rushing through to the end. To be sure, he controls dynamics nicely and navigates the playing well. Oiseaux tristes starts quick, slows down nicely, and in a more refined manner than Rudy, evokes not much. Some of the bird calls are bright and quick, but that's it. Une barque sur l'océan starts off with a relaxedish tempo and very lithe sound, though Minnaar does build up some decent weight in the most tumultuous playing. Alborada del gracioso has ample rhythmic swagger and a feel of near effortlessness to it. La vallée des cloches is slow, solemn, rich, with some really appealing tone throughout the range, and it's both austere and direct. Nary a whiff of sentiment is to be heard. It's the strongest piece in the work. C tier.
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Artur Pizarro, recorded in a large, resonant space, or with reverb added, starts with a Noctuelles that is quick but not flitting, though the trade-off is some nice accenting. The recording technique allows for fulsome dynamics, and Pizarro's left hand playing adds some oomph. Oiseaux tristes starts slow, and the quiet playing, aided a bit by the sound, sounds kind of dreamy and abstract, and Pizarro takes his time with the rest of the movement. He plays brightly and strongly where needed, but it takes on a sort of laid back feel as it progresses. Une barque sur l'océan sounds very Jeux d'eauy vibe at the outset, and is intimate in scale, and while Pizarro scales up nicely, it never truly deviates from the opening soundworld. Alborada del gracioso is not so fast, but the rhythmic component takes on a vaguely Iberian feel, which makes sense given the pianist's country of origin. It also finds Pizarro letting loose in terms of dynamics. While the recording technique accentuates the louder playing, it also sounds a bit blurred. La vallée des cloches maintains a semblance of the larger scale, and it sounds deadly serious and solemn, with some nice tolling notes. B tier.
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Jung-Ja Kim starts with a slightly broad tempo Noctuelles where the dynamic gradations withing a bounded range are the main appeal, and the full recorded sound takes away most of the edges. It's not particularly evocative of anything, it's just pleasant. Oiseaux tristes likewise sounds full and warm and pleasant. Kim's warm sound pays more dividends in Une barque sur l'océan, where the comparatively bass rich sound lays the foundation for some nifty swells, and Kim brings some nice variety to the upper register playing. Alborada del gracioso has nice enough rhythm, but the pace is slower than normal to open. That gives Kim the chance to play the second section more briskly to good effect. La vallée des cloches starts off gently, with a steady rhythm and some nice, if understated tolling bells. Overall, pleasant. C tier.
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It's been a minute since I last listened to one of his recordings, so it was time to hear Michael Endres, he of serious and studious and impeccable music making. He brings those traits to this recording. Noctuelles is swift but not rushed, sublimely clear, bright and rhythmically solid and entirely focused. No flitting, no meandering, just superb execution in a studious take. Oiseaux tristes opens quietly, with the first note quiet, the second a mere whisper. Moreso than with other recordings, it almost feels like the dynamic and tempo relationships here are executed with perfect mathematical precision, yet the playing sounds vital and immediate. Neat trick. Une barque sur l'océan starts swift and precise, and he keeps things on an even keel, as it were, until the big ol' swells and undulations arrive, and he the dispatches those with perfectly calibrated everything. Alborada del gracioso has impeccable, metronomically exact rhythm with fine dynamics, extraordinary but not showy repeated notes, and a just so vibe. La vallée des cloches starts quickly, then after about a minute switches to slow, solemn, atmospheric playing punctuated by nice tolling bells. There is no eccentricity, no outsize gestures, no tomfoolery of any sort to be heard in this proper, by the book recording, yet Endres still manages to sound individual. A tier. (Fingers crossed that he has secretly been toiling away at an LvB cycle for 2027 and ends up being the first pianist to deliver first class LvB, Mozart, and Schubert.)
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Marcelle Meyer starts with a Noctuelles that sounds rushed to the point that the notes sometimes just seem bunched together, with little discernible rhythmic pulse. The fingerwork is good, but it just sounds rushed. Oiseaux tristes starts slow, has clear fingerwork, but Meyer's rhythm again seems off, or even nonexistent, almost like a sight reading recording. The quiet, slow playing does sound nicely atmospheric, though. That same felling pervades Une barque sur l'océan, though Meyer does play with nice enough dynamic range. Alborada del gracioso fortunately has pretty good rhythmic snap and energy, which only shows that Meyer opted to play the first couple of pieces the way she did for a reason or reasons. It does sound a bit rushed in places, though. La vallée des cloches starts quickly, and has better dynamic contrasts than some later recordings, and then it turns slow and solemn, but again it just doesn't jell. D tier.
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Stewart Goodyear belongs to that cadre of modern keyboard wizards who know no limitations, and it shows. In Noctuelles, he zips along with gobsmacking speed and accuracy. Perhaps lightness and flitting about goes missing, but with trills like his, in don't matter none. And the dynamic control is just ridiculous. Oiseaux tristes starts slow, with gentle playing and perfect pauses, and then maintains an overall sense of calm, relatively speaking. In Une barque sur l'océan, Goodyear lays down a clear and steady though variable accompaniment, adds some spice with accents, and then only gradually builds up the power, with the left hand leading the way. The trills once again make the listener smile. Alborada del gracioso is ridiculously quick and clear, with a bopping rhythm, and repeated notes to equal anyone's. La vallée des cloches starts slow and subdued, picks up speed with nicely terraced dynamics, and then moves into slow, solemn, atmospheric playing through to the end. In terms of overt and absolute virtuosic display, Goodyear is right up there with Rana, though he is not quite as individual and unique. A tier.
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François Dumont starts off with bright, colorful playing in Noctuelles, though the playing is (purposely) not as clean and pointed as some others. It goes for hints of atmosphere. Oiseaux tristes retains the brightness, but starts slow and subdued, and it takes a good while before Dumont speeds up, and then he does so only briefly. It's all about the atmosphere. Une barque sur l'océan is swift and slight and colorful to open. Only after the first batch of trills, with Dumont offering some especially piquant right had playing, does he really rev up, to good effect, and his legato keeps the music undulating along. Alborada del gracioso has ample pep and drive, and those upper registers continue to tickle the ear. La vallée des cloches starts off quick and dreamy, with a legato haze, and then it transitions to almost hypnotic playing. A tier.
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Mr Insouciance, Walter Gieseking, exhibits his free-wheeling way in Noctuelles, which flits swiftly, though not as accurately as today's supreme technicians, but it has a live-in-studio feel. (I do not know how many takes were used, but it has a live-ish vibe.) Oiseaux tristes sounds slower than its timing suggests to start, extra-rapid passages notwithstanding, and then Gieseking dashes off the fast music with a sense of ease more serious virtuosos can't match. Une barque sur l'océan glides along effortlessly to start, and then, every time he plays the trills, Gieseking slows down a bit, then plays the trills at a super-brisk pace, and he turns the swelling playing into something almost improvisatory sounding. Alborada del gracioso has ample rhythmic vitality, with Gieseking choosing to add accelerandos here and there for effect. La vallée des cloches starts off with some of Gieseking's characteristic insouciance, dashed off in a carefree manner, and while he does slow down, he does only a moderately good job of creating any sense of atmosphere. As a remastering note, I listened to the References remastering, which I find preferable to the complete box. B tier.
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Angela Hewitt generates a nice, bright sound, and plays at a modest tempo in Noctuelles, but it sounds almost too smoothed over, too polite. Refinement is good, but excess smoothness may not always be. Aided by fine sound, and hampered by one too noticeable edit, she does deliver fine, shimmering descending playing ending in fine pianissimo sound. Hewitt offers some extremely quiet pianissimo playing in Oiseaux tristes, almost matching a few others here, and then takes her time with the rest of the piece, which ends up kind of dragging. Gentle, slow, and beautiful playing opens Une barque sur l'océan. While she does a creditable job of ramping up the scale, the piece retains a too slow or laid back feel. Alborada del gracioso has a slightly too slow tempo, and though the rhythm is steady, it doesn't groove. Fortunately, some of the low end notes have nice oomph. The slow playing is just too slow, though. La vallée des cloches has some attractive playing, but it is also kind of generic. Overall, not a favorite. D tier.
Very impressed by Alfonso Gómez - on Spotify.
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Samson François, in claustrophobically close and dry recorded sound, starts with an austerely clear Noctuelles, with the opening almost sounding like harsh modernism, though he relents after that. The same dry austerity permeates Oiseaux tristes to start, and while the dynamics are somewhat constrained, François does ramp up in the more florid music before calming things down again. Une barque sur l'océan starts light and fleet, with each note clearly audible, though again, François does build up to satisfying, if hard sounding forte playing. Alborada del gracioso offers the very rare case where a slow overall tempo works well, because François exaggerates every aspect of the playing. It becomes so serious that it almost sounds Germanic, and sort of reminds the listener of BAZ in places. La vallée des cloches sounds as serious and austere as it likely will or can in any version – though I'd like to hear one that pushes further – with a moderately quick open, a blunt transition to the slower music, and the bulk of the movement is solemn and austere at once, almost like a medieval take on Ravel. Too, the coda is so blunt that it almost feels like the music ends with part of the recording cut off. François is often an individual pianist, and this recording pushes boundaries. B tier.
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Alexander Krichel starts off with a slightly slow overall Noctuelles, though in the faster sections he plays with nice speed. Dynamics seem somewhat compressed as far as modern recordings go, though it sounds more like a mixing desk decision. It's perfectly pleasant, and perhaps a bit antiseptic. IOW, it's slightly slow, nearly interpretationless Ravel. Oiseaux tristes more or less maintains that approach, and there is no faulting his delivery of his preferred approach, with the piano and pianissimo playing quite well controlled. Une barque sur l'océan starts off quickish and the overall timing is fairly standard. Krichel plays with satisfying dynamic swells and undulations, but it is also truly direct playing. Alborada del gracioso is back to a slightly slow tempo, though rhythm and clarity both sound fine, and very finely graded. La vallée des cloches is slow or slowish start to finish, and while the opening sounds a bit enervated as a result, when the music shifts to the slower playing, the steadiness and solemnity work better. Krichel is in many ways the un-Barto. C tier.
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Steven Osborne starts Noctuelles in quick, light, flitting fashion, and maintains a steady forward momentum. Nary a note is out of place, and Osborne offers more of his fastidiously prepared museum quality playing. That is even more evident in Oiseaux tristes, in which every section is pristinely presented, yet evokes nothing more than the notes. In addition to predictable dynamic fineness, Osborne's tonal control beguiles. Une barque sur l'océan offers pristine beauty and rapidity to start, before building up to massive forte playing followed by magisterial musical undulations. Alborada del gracioso is not especially fast, but the precise, hard-hitting – but not too hard-hitting – delivery makes the music swing at the open, and then Osborne brings in big thwacks when needed. He speeds things up nicely in the second half, before slowing for the dramatic coda. La vallée des cloches starts with slow, barely there playing, the quickly transitions to swifter playing, and the quickly transitions again to slower, somber atmospheric playing, with some sweet, gentle tolling bells in the mix. A tier.
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Anna Vinnitskaya starts with a quick, flitting Noctuelles, with nicely and fluidly variable tempi, a bright sound, and fine dynamics. It's a thoroughly modern take, supremely well executed and characterful, but not too much so. No eccentricities here. A very Le Gibetian vibe marks the opening of Oiseaux tristes, which then moves along in a steady fashion until a puckish outburst, complete with (controlled) chaos around a buck fifty in, and then it falls back. Une barque sur l'océan sounds delightfully bright and breezy to open, and the big swells, if not as big as others, move up and down with remarkable fluidity, hence the remark. Alborada del gracioso is swift, rhythmically sure, and somewhat light, but very clear, with spiffy repeated notes. La vallée des cloches starts off with a light, dreamy sound and then after some nice heavyish tolling transitions to one of the most solemn takes around. B tier.
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Jean-Philippe Collard delivers a slightly broad Noctuelles, keeps pedaling down, delivers nice clarity, but the playing not only doesn't really evoke anything, it's kind of, well, plain. It would definitely fall into the interpretationless category. Oiseaux tristes fares better with this approach, with a slow, austere open moving to relaxed playing interspersed with some nicely flurryesque playing. Une barque sur l'océan is fairly broad, and while Collard does everything he needs to do, it sounds rather plain. Again. Alborada del gracioso defines middle of the road playing, with nothing that sounds bad, but nothing that really pops until around five minutes in. La vallée des cloches finds Collard in his best form, with a somewhat solemn feel right from the outset, but one out of five ain't great. C tier.
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Gwendolyn Mok starts with a quick, chaotic sounding Noctuelles, with the "period" piano offering a different sound, with quicker decays and a flatter lower register. It may also contribute to the slightly rushed and/or assertive sound. The quick decay helps accentuate the dynamic level differences between the notes in the opening of Oiseaux tristes. After the opening, the playing sounds slower than its actual tempo, and the timbre yields a hybrid impressionistic-modernist sound. Une barque sur l'océan opens with a flurry of notes, and the drier sound of the instrument makes the music sound more assertive. The upper registers appeal, but sound comparatively undernourished. Mok's quick approach offers the most in the very snappy Alborada del gracioso, which bops along straight through. La vallée des cloches starts off quickly, and maintains an overall fast tempo, and here the lower register tempo adds some tonal distinction that works nicely, but the playing sounds perhaps a bit too direct. C tier.
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Vlado Perlemuter's Vox recording starts off with a Noctuelles where the clean-ish fingerwork and purposely pulled to and fro tempo do a creditable job creating a musical approximation of mothy chaos. There's also a difficult to fully describe sense of ease to the music making, even though Perlemuter is no Rana. It's similar to what Cortot delivers in some of his recordings. Oiseaux tristes, also displaying clean-ish fingerwork, is unrushed, less evocative than the opener, but also displays that easy feeling. Une barque sur l'océan opens light and breezy, and adds some tumultuousness, but Perlemuter never really ramps up the forte playing, which is partly due to the old recording, partly due to the playing. Alborada del gracioso bops along nicely, with snazzy rhythm and ample energy. La vallée des cloches is taken more swiftly than normal for the duration, and the result is more effectively quasi-hypnotic, or at least lulling, than one would think. It just sort of sneaks up on the listener. Not one of the greats, but none too shabby. B tier.
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Pascal Rogé opens his Noctuelles markedly slower than most other versions, drawing out each note, lavishing small, little tonal nuances on each. He never really lets rip, instead displaying absolute control in every aspect of playing. Truth to tell, it's kinda Michelangeliesque. Oiseaux tristes starts off with hushed playing, then it moves into the same type of slow-motion, absolute control style of playing. He coaxes unsurpassed beauty from his piano while he does so, making the music sound like an extension of Debussy. Une barque sur l'océan keeps with the same vibe. In Alborada del gracioso, Rogé picks up the pace a bit, though he's hardly about speed here. Rhythmic verve, though, is quite high, and the dynamic contrasts are just swell. The slow and beautiful style remains in La vallée des cloches, and the opening works well, but after things slow down even more, the playing sounds not only solemn, but nearly transcendent in style. It's a deep piece from a composer not often associated with great depth. (Some really heavy duty low frequency noise appears in the coda, indicating some external noise source or excess studio knob twiddling to boost levels of what would have to be pppp playing.) This is an individual take on the work, to be sure. Big boxes do not come as fast and furious as earlier in the century, but surely Decca should release a Rogé big box. A tier.
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Has it really been nearly a quarter century since Lise de la Salle's recording was released? It has. Anhyoo, Ms de la Salle starts Noctuelles swift, light, and almost scattershot to open, with virtuosic flair to spare throughout. There are hints of Giesekingian nonchalance aplenty. Oiseaux tristes starts hushed and slow and bright, and throughout she displays delicious dexterity and an ability to slow way down and keep the musical tension intact. Une barque sur l'océan sparkles and undulates to start, and she just ramps up from there, with some nearly hypervirtuosic glissandi and swells, with the result an entirely surface interpretation of no little aural attractiveness. Alborada del gracioso is all snappy rhythm and energy and big dynamic swings and sweet repeated notes. La vallée des cloches starts slowish, switches to swiftish playing with the right hand playing poked out over the accompaniment, and then transitions to somewhat somber, definitely attractive, but also a bit too rushed playing. That a young teenager could deliver a version with so much energy and panache overall impresses. B tier.
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Paul Crossley, in slightly metallic sound, starts Noctuelles with a moderate tempo, fine clarity, and the playing is a bit bland. Throw in some patches of rubato that don't really work, and the opener ends up ho-hum. The bright, metallic sound works nicely enough in Oiseaux tristes, but Crossley keeps things a bit too laid back most of the time. Une barque sur l'océan sounds attractive to open, and the tempo works well enough, but as the piece continues on, it never really swells dynamics adequately, though the upper registers appeal. Alborada del gracioso is just too slow and lumbering. A whiff. Crossley's slower overall approach works better in La vallée des cloches, with a nice sense of atmosphere, but the overall work doesn't work particularly well. D tier.
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Homero Francesch starts Noctuelles dizzyingly fast, pushing the music beyond any semblance of something enjoyable. Francesch backs off after the opening onslaught, but keeps things taut and nearly twitchy. It's essentially the un-Crossley. There's no doubting the pianist's ability to hit the notes, but there's ample doubt about the approach. Oiseaux tristes can't help but start off slower, and indeed, Francesch plays with color and nuance to start, but then he ramps up speed again, though here it's more contained and less deleterious. Une barque sur l'océan evokes less a boat on the ocean than a kayak navigating Class 5.1 rapids. Alborada del gracioso is predictably fast, and aggressive, but that works a little better here, though it's not especially desirable, nor is the harsh sound. La vallée des cloches starts slowly for a few moments, revs way up, compressing everything, and then moves to a somewhat quick and kind of unpleasant style for the duration. Like Joe Kent talking, it's just too much. D tier.
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Alexandre Tharaud seems to start midphrase in Noctuelles, but otherwise goes for a very swift, nimble take. While not that much longer than Francesch, it's far less aggressive and far more flexible, and obviously preferable. Oiseaux tristes sounds clean and quick, and quite cool to start, with the upper registers having some real tartness to them. Une barque sur l'océan keeps with the quick, clean feel and undulates nicely, but in something of an almost too pristine, clinical way. The engineers did provide a recording that offers some of the widest dynamic range in the survey, which is nice. Alborada del gracioso, while quick, is more in line with most recordings, with more of those wide dynamic swings. Rhythm is solid if perhaps not ideally fluid. La vallée des cloches starts quick, then slows down to a still slightly quick approach that sounds decently atmospheric, but retains a certain coolness. C tier.
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Philippe Bianconi starts with clear, nearly (pleasingly) brittle playing in Noctuelles, with some emphatic phrase endings and nimbleness aplenty. There's a seriousness and refinement that limits the piece's ability to evoke any imagery, but that's fine. Bianconi brings that seriousness and refinement to Oiseaux tristes, making sure to luxuriate in the slow playing and deliver bright upper registers. Une barque sur l'océan starts beautifully, and with a sort of excess clarity, wherein every note is clearly audible and mostly evenly weight, the nice accents aside, and it creates a sort of cascading effect. The swelling playing is fine, if not massive. Alborada del gracioso is quick, snappy, and dry, with some punchy left hand playing. La vallée des cloches starts crisp and quick, and then when it moves to the slower music, it has nice tolling notes and a serious, almost severe mien. B tier.
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Alessandra Ammara starts Noctuelles quickly and clearly, and thanks partly to the close recording, the fine dynamic nuance pops out as much as the variable tempo. Her delivery also makes her playing sound a bit quicker than it actually is. Oiseaux tristes is a bit broad, and the fine dynamic control at the lower end again sound nice, though the maximum dynamic levels are a bit constrained. The salon style playing becomes more evident in Une barque sur l'océan, which is all about delicate dynamic contrasts and impressionistic beauty. Some of the playing adds some heft, but less than in most recordings. Alborada del gracioso has a bit more weight and nice rhythmic drive, but it lacks the penultimate word in energy, let alone the last word. La vallée des cloches is slow or slow-ish and focused on tonal and dynamic nuance start to finish, sacrificing a bit of atmosphere, but the tradeoff is worth it. B tier.
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Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is the other pianist in this group to record the work twice. In his first recording for MDG, played on a proper "period" instrument (a 1901 Steinway), Bavouzet starts with quick, fluttering playing in Noctuelles, captured in nicely resonant sound, allowing for nice dynamics. And his bright upper registers sound sweet. Also sweet, the way he alternates between swift and slow playing, where in the latter he lets notes and silences hang. Oiseaux tristes starts slow and soft, with the opening notes barely there, and the following music taking its time to develop. The upper registers again sound swell, and the way that he manages to create a sense of time suspension without playing especially slowly is quite nice, indeed. Une barque sur l'océan starts with a breezy haze of left hand playing, evoking more a breeze upon the water than the water itself, and the right hand notes pop in and out. In the more tumultuous playing, he quickly ascends and descends in volume to nearly spectacular effect. Alborada del gracioso is quick, bouncy, entirely satisfying in terms of rhythm, with the only minor drawback being the lack of ultimate clarity given the more resonant recording. A slightly quick open to La vallée des cloches gives way, with a superb, sustained transition, gives way to properly restrained and nearly transcendent playing, with subtlety heaped upon nuance. One of the greats. S tier.
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In his Chandos recording, Bavouzet switched to a Yamaha grand, also recorded in a somewhat resonant manner, and the instrument and time yield less stellar results. To be sure, the upper registers still sound sweet, and one hears it early in Noctuelles, but the slightly slower overall tempo and less individual take result in something less distinctive. Indeed, throughout, every piece sounds less compelling. There's nuance, just less of it. There's a nice color palette, but it's like 12 bit color vs 16 bit color. There's dynamic shading everywhere, and it is very fine, just not as fine. To be sure, this is a good recording, but it doesn't match the MDG recording. B tier.
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Monique Haas starts Noctuelles in clear, but also slow and clunky fashion, and while she speeds up a bit, the whole movement sounds comparatively drab. Oiseaux tristes starts slow, which works better than in the opener, but it never takes flight, as it were, staying sluggish. Haas almost shakes off the slowness in the opening of Une barque sur l'océan, and she delivers decent swelling playing, but the overall energy level is just sub-par. Alborada del gracioso, unsurprisingly, also sounds slower than normal, and the rhythm is decent but hardly excites. La vallée des cloches suffers the least from Haas' tempo choices, but the playing doesn't really evoke much or sound particularly lovely or compelling. D tier.
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Jacques Rouvier, very closely recorded with rolled off highs and lows, starts Noctuelles in fast, flitting fashion, and he keeps a fast overall tempo with comparatively little flexibility. It just sounds rushed. Oiseaux tristes likewise displays quick tempi and a relentless, somewhat inflexible forward drive. Une barque sur l'océan offers more of the same, and the compressed dynamics hem in the dynamic contrasts too much. Alborada del gracioso has snazzy rhythmic snap, but the rolled off upper and lower registers make it sound somewhat like a piece that would be used in a cartoon, albeit a good Looney Tune. (It was at this point that I had to double check and verify that I was listening to a FLAC and not an MP3.) La vallée des cloches starts very gently, and maintains that sound throughout, and it sounds nice, but that's it. C tier.
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The last three recordings are all well-known, S tier level recordings. Or at least that is how I remembered them, not having listened to any of them in the past six or more months. Time to see if I need to start taking large doses of Prevagen. Vocalizing Abbey Simon starts off with an unabashedly virtuosic Noctuelles, with the pianist dashing off the notes with speed, tonal variety, and dynamic variegation of the highest level all at once. He then slows way down, both instantly and fluidly, smells the ivory roses, plinks out notes, fiddles with tempo and dynamics everywhere, and then rips again. Oiseaux tristes is supremely light and colorful and slow and gentle to start, and then Simon slathers on more color and weight, gradually. His transitions between tempi are probably the best of this decent sized lot, and every note, chord, arpeggio, and phrase is both obviously meticulous and spontaneous sounding. Une barque sur l'océan starts with bright, almost inhumanly light and colorful playing, and proceeds to move to playing where dynamics swell and tempi undulate as organically as the incoming tide at Cape Perpetua. Alborada del gracioso of course has all the rhythmic vivacity one could wish for, but more impressive still is the continual tweaking of multiple dynamic levels. The repeated notes, they ain't nothin'. La vallée des cloches starts slow, hushed, with nuanced nuance, moves to a steady, hypnotic transitional section, and then arrives at the meat of the movement, in which he draws out rich tone and musical depth. Yep, definite S tier. S as in 'staggering'.
Quote from: Todd on October 12, 2025, 05:46:02 AM(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qm2X0-R3L._SY425_SX425_QL70_FMwebp_.jpg)
The last three recordings are all well-known, S tier level recordings. Or at least that is how I remembered them, not having listened to any of them in the past six or more months. Time to see if I need to start taking large doses of Prevagen. Vocalizing Abbey Simon starts off with an unabashedly virtuosic Noctuelles, with the pianist dashing off the notes with speed, tonal variety, and dynamic variegation of the highest level all at once. He then slows way down, both instantly and fluidly, smells the ivory roses, plinks out notes, fiddles with tempo and dynamics everywhere, and then rips again. Oiseaux tristes is supremely light and colorful and slow and gentle to start, and then Simon slathers on more color and weight, gradually. His transitions between tempi are probably the best of this decent sized lot, and every note, chord, arpeggio, and phrase is both obviously meticulous and spontaneous sounding. Une barque sur l'océan starts with bright, almost inhumanly light and colorful playing, and proceeds to move to playing where dynamics swell and tempi undulate as organically as the incoming tide at Cape Perpetua. Alborada del gracioso of course has all the rhythmic vivacity one could wish for, but more impressive still is the continual tweaking of multiple dynamic levels. The repeated notes, they ain't nothin'. La vallée des cloches starts slow, hushed, with nuanced nuance, moves to a steady, hypnotic transitional section, and then arrives at the meat of the movement, in which he draws out rich tone and musical depth. Yep, definite S tier. S as in 'staggering'.
Was hoping we'd finally hear about the great Abbey. Which means that out of the 13 Miroirs in my collection, 11 have been reviewed. Missing only Frederic Chiu and Francois-Xavier Poizat.
Quote from: Todd on October 12, 2025, 05:46:02 AM(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qm2X0-R3L._SY425_SX425_QL70_FMwebp_.jpg)
The last three recordings are all well-known, S tier level recordings.
So we have Simon here and I'm guessing the other two are Chamayou and Schuch. I have access to recordings by Aimard, Mejoueva, JJ Kim, GX Fu, Muraro and Poizat which I don't think have appeared yet. There may be others.
Quote from: Hobby on October 12, 2025, 12:47:59 PMI have access to recordings by Aimard, Mejoueva, JJ Kim, GX Fu, Muraro and Poizat which I don't think have appeared yet. There may be others.
If by JJ Kim you mean Jung-Ja Kim, she's on page two. If you mean someone else, that pianist is not included. There are many other recordings. I capped the survey at fifty.
Quote from: Todd on October 12, 2025, 01:10:08 PMI capped the survey at fifty.
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I'm intrigued by the audiofonic recording which appears to be by ravel as pianist - is anyone familiar with this and its provenance?
Quote from: hopefullytrusting on October 12, 2025, 01:34:05 PM(https://64.media.tumblr.com/29b379e91ef97320f701983148460bca/tumblr_n40gd3890s1sl21koo1_540.gif)
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Harrumph.
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Mr Frenchie French, Bertrand Chamayou, he of Liszt Transcendental Studies that make even the hottest pianistic properties of the day seem amateurish, comes next. Noctuelles is swift, pristinely executed, and if not as colorful as Simon (a tall order), his dynamic control may be even finer. And loud or soft, he can spin out notes at Ludicrous Speed, I tell you what. It's more purely pianistic than evocative, but that's don't matter even a quarter of whit. Oiseaux tristes starts oh so light and bright, with Bert holding back, before he doesn't. But whether going slow or fast, his control astounds, and he extracts bright pastel colors in his playing. A brisk breeze blows upon the surface of the rippling waves at the start of Une barque sur l'océan, Things thicken up as the more tumultuous music arrives, and then Bert cruises along the waves, as if captaining a Larry Ellison owned catamaran. Alborada del gracioso is an amped up, almost to the point of vaudevillian caricature, with almost inhumanly insistent rhythm and repeated notes where the pianist seems to be toying with the instrument. La vallée des cloches breathes in the opening. Then Bert speeds up, bringing uncanny steadiness to the left hand playing, before bringing the section to a slow end, with a pregnant pause. Then things go from great to freakin' awesome. Slow, steady, solemn, supremely refined, with tolling left hand notes and almost medieval religiosity to the playing, the music calms the mind. Tier S? Oh, yes.
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Herbert Schuch's debut recording remains one of the greatest debuts ever, and revisiting this reminds the listener that the dude's a beast. Like Tharaud, Schuch sounds like he starts Noctuelles midphrase, and then he launches into dizzyingly fast, precisely articulated playing that pulses with energy. It may not flit, but it darts about with precision. Schuch then proceeds to sound even more compelling when he slows down, expertly uses pauses, and delivers finely calibrated dynamics Then he returns to playing so fast and so precise that no one can surpass it. Oiseaux tristes starts slow, though Schuch opts not to play as quietly as some others, instead offering dynamic contrasts where everything has a perfect relationship with everything else. That ought not to be taken that he doesn't play quietly – he does – but rather when he ramps up later, it makes better overall sense. The slow playing again finds Schuch somehow sounding more compelling. His ability to alter touch at speed is a marvel to behold. Une barque sur l'océan undulates and flows, with more fine tonal variegation, and then Schuch builds up to towering, quasi-orchestral playing, before moving back to mists of music swirling about the listener's ears. Alborada del gracioso mixes snappy rhythm, mind-boggling dynamic control, and swell accenting. The repeated notes beguile, and the rhythmic control in slower passages compels at least as much as in the faster passages. La vallée des cloches, in Schuch's second best recording of that movement, starts off quick, with more sumptuous, tiered dynamics, slows to a hushed crawl, and the transitions to serene, beautiful playing, with some notes held just so, and others pushed just the tiniest of smidges. He delivers transcendent playing unsurpassed in this group of recordings. Unsurpassed and unsurpassable S tier.
Interwebs tiering: