New Releases

[Brian]

I was going to mention Matan Porat in defense of the "very mixed recital." But I was going to mention another of his albums, "Variations on a Theme by Scarlatti," where he takes a Scarlatti sonata and, like the Goldberg Variations, plays it at the start and end of the album, surrounding dozens of small works by other composers which he thinks sound like variations in obvious or subtle ways. The range goes from other baroque composers (Couperin) all the way to Kurtag and Boulez.

That album does not include one big piece chopped up into bits, like Porat's Carnaval or Ms. Schmidt's Miroirs. So it is different from what we're talking about. But it does one thing I really like - I really enjoy the experience of having a smart, tasteful, interesting artist curate a listening program for me without asking me, so that they can reveal all sorts of new things I'd never thought of. One example - Porat plays a Boulez Notation and then goes straight, without pause, into a piece by Mozart that's so weird I thought maybe it was more Boulez and not Mozart. That's a really surprising and delightful experience.

But that is a different kind of listening, I think. It's a sort of subservient, surrendering listening - it's like going to a great restaurant and telling the chef to cook whatever they want. Yes, 90% of the time I just want to hear Miroirs played complete and in order. But 10% of the time, if you're dealing with a really fascinating and trustworthy artist, listening with open ears can produce great results.

That Olafsson Debussy/Rameau album is another good example. But again, no complete work being split up. I'm sure that there must be an example of a recital that works where a big piece is split up. Might just take a few days for me to think of what it is 

[Mirror Image]

I think mixing up composers works okay when what you have is genuinely selections. For example, I found the Debussy/Rameau album by Víkingur Ólafsson quite interesting and successful. But he's not playing all of Debussy's Preludes or all of Children's Corner.  The albums that are annoying both of us are ones that take a complete work but present it as if it's selections.

I'm not interested in solo piano albums from any of my favorite composers that don't have the entire work performed, so you're much more tolerant than I am.

[Symphonic Addict]

I'd never heard of John Robertson (a New Zealand/Canadian composer who turned to music comparatively late). On the basis of the 1st Symphony on You Tube his music seems very approachable and lyrical.

The first two symphonies contain some sort of Neo-romantic music and they're pretty good, but I just wonder what happened with this composer when wrote the Symphony No. 3. It's a terrible setback, noticeably mediocre, imbued with banal ideas. That's what I call cheap music. If these symphonies 4 and 5 are gonna sound like the No. 3, I won't be hearing those works at all.

[Mirror Image]

I'm sure this has already been posted I'm sure, but...



...of course, Naxos would box this series up after I had bought them all individually. For those that missed out the first-time, don't hesitate and buy this set. Not all of the symphonies are top-drawer, but there is some fine music here.

[Iota]

I was going to mention Matan Porat in defense of the "very mixed recital." But I was going to mention another of his albums, "Variations on a Theme by Scarlatti," where he takes a Scarlatti sonata and, like the Goldberg Variations, plays it at the start and end of the album, surrounding dozens of small works by other composers which he thinks sound like variations in obvious or subtle ways. The range goes from other baroque composers (Couperin) all the way to Kurtag and Boulez.

That album does not include one big piece chopped up into bits, like Porat's Carnaval or Ms. Schmidt's Miroirs. So it is different from what we're talking about. But it does one thing I really like - I really enjoy the experience of having a smart, tasteful, interesting artist curate a listening program for me without asking me, so that they can reveal all sorts of new things I'd never thought of. One example - Porat plays a Boulez Notation and then goes straight, without pause, into a piece by Mozart that's so weird I thought maybe it was more Boulez and not Mozart. That's a really surprising and delightful experience.

The effect is similar for me in Marino Formenti's 'Kurtag's Ghosts', which is also really effectively curated. The effect the pieces have upon eachother in terms of perception is at times really striking, and sometimes as you say, delightfully disorientating. I'd recommend it highly.

[vandermolen]

I'm sure this has already been posted I'm sure, but...



...of course, Naxos would box this series up after I had bought them all individually. For those that missed out the first-time, don't hesitate and buy this set. Not all of the symphonies are top-drawer, but there is some fine music here.

Yes, this is of great interest John, although I think that I've bought too many of the separate releases to justify splashing out on the boxed set (not that this has stopped me in the pass, Thomson's Bax and VW cycles, Haitink's VW cycle and the Naxos Arnold cycle being examples  )

[Mirror Image]

Yes, this is of great interest John, although I think that I've bought too many of the separate releases to justify splashing out on the boxed set (not that this has stopped me in the pass, Thomson's Bax and VW cycles, Haitink's VW cycle and the Naxos Arnold cycle being examples  )

You may want to refrain from buying this set, Jeffrey as you may or may not have it coming in the post.

[Symphonic Addict]

Not sure if this CD was posted already: Penderecki's Sinfoniettas

[Mandryka]

Some Lambert de Sayve, and a lot of Lassus. Music which Kepler probably knew . . . and some striking pieces by a living composer called Calliope Tsoupaki.

[Mandryka]

Figuren der Sehnsucht, Hans Maier plays Frescobaldi, Froberger  and others on a meantone tuned accordion. It includes a couple of  pieces by Nikolaus Brass, a living composer and a great favourite of mine (though I'm not sure about the long piece here!)

He sometimes plays the baroque music in a way which is very eccentric in conventional HIP terms, many things sound unexpectedly like an elevation toccata and of course everything is durezze. But it's not totally unattractive and it really shows the harmonic impact of the tuning well in the baroque pieces. Viva discord!

NB I haven't heard the Zipoli - not my sort of thing at the moment.

[Mirror Image]

Not sure if this CD was posted already: Penderecki's Sinfoniettas

More doom and gloom from Penderecki.

[amw]

This is volume 8 of 9. Roscoe, like Hewitt, seems to be leaving the Hammerklavier for last.

I wasn't sold on his recording of the three last sonatas, despite someone else describing it as one of the great late Beethoven recordings. Opinions presumably will vary.

[amw]

Also a more interesting, or at least weirder, Beethoven sonata release. Tom Beghin plays Beethoven exactly the way Beethoven complained about all of Beethoven's own contemporaries playing Beethoven—i.e. with added ornamentation and ostentatious tempo changes. His technique also isn't that great. On a preliminary examination though, this seems more worth listening to than the earlier release of the late piano sonatas on Beethoven's Broadwood.

[Mandryka]

I wasn't sold on his recording of the three last sonatas, despite someone else describing it as one of the great late Beethoven recordings. Opinions presumably will vary.

I just listened to 109. It sounded like really good playing of a pretty mainstream interpretation. If there are new interesting ideas in there, you'd have to more familiar with the reception of the music than I am to notice them.


But rather nice nonetheless.

[Todd]

This is volume 8 of 9. Roscoe, like Hewitt, seems to be leaving the Hammerklavier for last.

I wasn't sold on his recording of the three last sonatas, despite someone else describing it as one of the great late Beethoven recordings. Opinions presumably will vary.

Martin Roscoe and great late Beethoven?  One day I shall find out, but not today.

[Mandryka]

It was 109 I heard this morning, not 110, I changed the post. But I listened to his 110 this afternoon, and the 109 again, and I must say, I think they were very enjoyable indeed, memorable performances for me. 109 especially was delicate, nuanced, touching, feminine - as in the "snowdrops gave a feminine touch to the table"

[Todd]

[Holden]

Was she 'fated' to live in the shadow of her 'feted' older brother as some would say? Her bio says otherwise.

[Florestan]

One for Todd (and Sarge  )



Information

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

CD1:

    (01) Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 1 No. 1
    (05) Piano Trio in G major, Op. 1 No. 2

CD2:

    (01) Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 1 No. 3
    (05) Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70 No. 1 "Ghost"

CD3:

    (01) Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 70 No. 2
    (05) Piano Trio in B flat major, Op. 97 "Archduke"


Trio Sōra
Pauline Chenais, piano
Clémence de Forceville, violin
Angèle Legasa, cello

Date: 2020
Label: Naïve

[Todd]

One for Todd (and Sarge  )

I mentioned it over a month and a half ago: https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,11592.msg1324832.html#msg1324832