Great 20th Century Solo Piano

[Choo Choo]

Kocsis Bartok is absolutely dreadful. It shouldn't be even mentioned in this thread...

Because...?

Kocsis's playing is very rhythmical - which can give a hard edge even to more delicate works like the Sonatina - but I don't know that it's inauthentic.  And it's superbly executed.  If you're brought up on the early Sandor cycle (as I was) it can take some readjustment.  It would also be wrong to run away with the idea that this is the definitive account, there can be no other.  But I can think of many of the solo works in which I find him preferable to e.g. any of the Sandor cycles (Out of Doors Suite, for example.)  And if there is a better set of the PCs, I've yet to hear it (and I've heard a few.)

I heard Kocsis play PC#3 live some years ago, and it was even better than that Budapest recording.

He also gave a Beethoven recital before a small and select audience including Uchida and Brendel (as well as moi), and the only word that comes close to conveying the impact of that is revelatory.

[Don Giovanni]

He also gave a Beethoven recital before a small and select audience including Uchida and Brendel (as well as moi), and the only word that comes close to conveying the impact of that is revelatory.

How come you were lucky enough to be there?

[Choo Choo]

Being a pink cat, I am able to sneak into these things unobserved.  This is, in fact, just about the only advantage to being a pink cat that I've discovered.

[Sean]

O Mensch is right about the Messiaen, in fact Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus-Christ of 1944 is distinctly the greatest 20th century piano work.

[karlhenning]

O Mensch is right about the Messiaen, in fact Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus-Christ of 1944 is distinctly the greatest 20th century piano work.

And why, please tell, is it necessarily greater than (say) the Shostakovich Opus 87?

[Sean]

And why, please tell, is it necessarily greater than (say) the Shostakovich Opus 87?

It's a completely different order of creativity, and for one thing it isn't a collection of pieces but a unified cycle using an array of related material. And it isn't neo-Bachian.

[Don]

It's a completely different order of creativity, and for one thing it isn't a collection of pieces but a unified cycle using an array of related material. And it isn't neo-Bachian.

Given that Bach is my main man, I find the neo-Bachian elements very compelling.  Anyways, I'd rather listen to the Op. 87 than any solo instrumental work by Messiaen.  Put another way, Op. 87 RULES.

[Sean]

Given that Bach is my main man, I find the neo-Bachian elements very compelling.  Anyways, I'd rather listen to the Op. 87 than any solo instrumental work by Messiaen.  Put another way, Op. 87 RULES.

I'll go with the First sonata. The rest of the pf music as far as I know was written on demand and, like so much else of his music in that category, is infected with the humdrum.

[Scott]

Carter's Night Fantasies and 90+ are great contributions to the instrument.

I'd second these nominations. Just got word of a concert done recently by Pierre-Laurent Aimard in which he did both the Carter Night Fantasies and Ives's Concord Sonata. I would love to have been there. And yesterday I spent a good bit of time with his recording of Vingt regards sur l'Enfant - Jésus.

And then there was his very recent Zankel Hall happening called Collages-Montages which you can read about here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/14/arts/music/14pier.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[Florestan]

DUKAS: Variations, interlude et Finale.

Not bad, but I'll rather recommend his Sonata in E flat minor.

[Scriptavolant]

The presence of such names as Medtner and Rachmaninov would raise the question of what we mean by saying "20th Century".

[Florestan]

The presence of such names as Medtner and Rachmaninov would raise the question of what we mean by saying "20th Century".

Well, 1901-2000, I guess.

[BorisG]

The presence of such names as Medtner and Rachmaninov would raise the question of what we mean by saying "20th Century".

Also, were not Medtner and Rachmaninov one and the same?

[karlhenning]

It's a completely different order of creativity . . .

Is it?

. . . and for one thing it isn't a collection of pieces but a unified cycle using an array of related material.

Shostakovich meant for his Opus 87 to be performed as 'a unified cycle'.

And it isn't neo-Bachian.

Hm.  "Neo-Bachian" is implicitly "less great," is it?

[bwv 1080]

Is it?

Shostakovich meant for his Opus 87 to be performed as 'a unified cycle'.

Hm.  "Neo-Bachian" is implicitly "less great," is it?

Or is it "less filling" ?

[bhodges]

I'd like to nominate as a possible choice: Michael Finnissy's The History of Photography in Sound (1997-2000), with the caveat that I have not heard the whole thing, only portions.  (It's in 11 parts, lasting some 5-1/2 hours.)

The portions I have heard -- "Alkan-Paganini" and "Etched Bright with Sunlight" -- are fascinating and are more interesting with repeated hearings.  Nicolas Hodges includes them on this excellent all-Finnissy recording:



Pianist Ian Pace did the world premiere of the entire cycle, described on his website here:

Ian Pace on Finnissy

--Bruce

[lukeottevanger]

Kocsis's playing is very rhythmical - which can give a hard edge even to more delicate works like the Sonatina - but I don't know that it's inauthentic. 

I wouldn't know about Kocsis being inauthentic either, but Bartok's own recordings of his piano works are much more lyrical than one might expect from the image sometimes presented - a perfect blend of subtle, varied tone and obvious inner strength.

[Maciek]

Nicolas Hodges

Out of pure curiosity: Are you related?

Maciek

[bhodges]

Out of pure curiosity: Are you related?

Maciek

As far as we know (we've corresponded briefly) the answer is no.  But with a little more genealogy work, reaching farther back, who knows?

--Bruce

[milk]

I'm going to see if I can revive a very old thread. It's just that I would like to see a few more lists here. For me, certainly Shostakovich's set of preludes and fugues. Lately, I've been immersed in Prokofiev's war sonatas. I love them. I don't think Koechlin was mentioned here but he has some wonderful piano music (I'm kind of leaving aside Debussy's masterpieces for the moment). Janacek. Hindemith. I'm just starting to appreciate Ligeti. I haven't gotten to Messiaen yet. And I've generally been on a Weinberg kick the last few months. What else rates?