Classical Music for Aficionados
Just received this sad note from a piano dealership that is closing:
Dear Client, This is very sad news. The flagship piano store in KC for over 100 years is closing. The store that brought Steinway and other great brands to our region is going out of business. You can still buy online, but where can you go to try out a new Steinway, Boston or Kawai grand? This is another major blow to the cultural life of our city. There were many cultural influences in recent years: the general shift from making our own music to being entertained electronically, the lack of true music education in schools, parents forcing children to choose between sports and music, the general rise of crudity in all art forms, and people who think practicing is too much work. There were also political influences. The political-economic decisions that brought on the recession of 2008-15 robbed many of our citiizens of their discretionary income. As a result, they stopped buying instruments and paying for private music lessons. This forced Schmitt to cut their store space in half. It forced the closing of the Toon Shop and other music stores. The 2020 economic shut-downs and pandemic hysteria have hammered the nails in the coffin. Music and its related businesses were labelled "unessential" for five months. As a result, major orchestras, ballets and opera companies have been irreparably endangered. Chamber music is "virtual." Piano lessons are attempted over the phone. Our beloved violin repair expert has closed her business and taken a government job. Luyben Music, the iconic source of classical music since 1947, has shut its riot-cracked and graffitied store. My business was cut by 80%. Indoor vocal worship singing is forbidden. Our leading presidential candidate promises to shut it all down again if scientists advise. No wonder people are afraid to make a major musical investment. I'm sick of hearing phrases like "in these uncertain times" and "we're all in this together." We're not. The liquor stores, grocery stores, pet-food stores and gun stores are doing well. The music industry is dying. Is a virus really so selective? Now that my rant is over, if you or someone you know is interested in purchasing a better piano, this is a rare opportunity. If you have been getting-by with a worn-out heirloom or donated piano, here is a chance to honor that legacy with a decent instrument, especially one that carries a warranty. Ted Horowitz, RPT
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RV you stated the beauty of the music influenced your reaction and I can totally agree with you there. Lang Lang did really project that in his playing but he made a lot of the movements sound like Chopin Preludes which a lot of people may be happy with but to me way too much pedal on them. jcazador Jeremy I have perused your list and there are some stellar names there of which most people would be delighted with and I have fitted that category most of the time also. I currently have two favourites which are poles apart so that lets you know that most interpretations have playing in them that are most enjoyable . My current two are not even on your list that shows just how diverse they are. My first is Andras Schiff 1983 version because you can tell how much he loves playing them and therefor he says goodbye on the aria repeat with a smile . I shall never tire of them and by the way I think technically this version beats the known versions by everyone else. My next recording is by Ekaterina Dershavina and she gives us a quite literal interpretation but she has you glued to your seat and you keep saying to yourself "I have never heard this or that detail before" Hers is a voyage of discovery which I love going on regularly. Guys have a lovely weekend. Jim. |
Jim, et al There are so many recordings of the Goldbergs, I cannot get my head around a comparison of them. Here are some of them: Hewitt Tureck Watcha Gavrilov Gould Jarrett Feltsman Perahia Rana Sokolov Nikolayeva Angelich Leonhardt I know there are more somewhere in my hard drives, but that is all that shows up in my search. So Jim, tell us please, which is your favorite?
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RV I'm very sorry and I am upset that I have to disagree with you but I did not like Lang Lang's Goldbergs at all. I found that the opening aria was so slow it was like a dirge. That said though I have to agree that some of the variations were very good on the ear but I'm afraid the aria is the acid test for me and if too fast or too slow the rest of the piece suffers to me. The Goldbergs to me are so great that it takes a very brave musician to tackle them and it doesn't matter to me as you go further in that if you blow it at the start the piece remains lost. I do very much like Lang Lang in some pieces by Schumann and his favourite Liszt but I don't think you would like to hear them. He certainly has the fingers for Liszt. |
Lang Lang has just released a new recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, available on Idagio. Unexpectedly, it’s not bad. Each variation is repeated imaginatively different the second time around. The ornamentation is original and well integrated into the melodic line. The tone is lovely and the performance does “swing.” Of course, there is stiff competition in this work, but Lang Lang very well holds his own. |
Vladimir Sofronitzky Edition Vladimir Sofronitzky (piano) rec. 1946-60 BRILLIANT CLASSICS 8975 [9 CDs includes 2 cds of Scriabinhttp://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/June09/Sofronitzky_brilliant8975.htmalso this cd includes some Scriabin, but mostly other composers https://www.amazon.com/Vladimir-Sofronitsky-Scriabin-Museum-Vol-10/dp/B00D3JOOGQ |
Now listening to Sofronitsky Concert Recordings CHOPIN / DEBUSSY / LISZT / MOZART It is enough to make me weep https://www.amazon.com/Vladimir-Sofronitsky-Concert-Recordings-DVD/dp/B01B2W7U3O |
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Here is a beautiful rendering of a true masterpiece seldom heard by the most seldom played great composer of the last century . https://youtu.be/NxN2vrDeFjk?t=4 |
http://www.openculture.com/2020/08/hear-ten-of-bachs-pieces-played-on-original-baroque-instruments.html?fbclid=IwAR3gqxHxJ28If6OcfnxUBfUkdhrAaQstVE2jlPHbxT_rWl-1CyKJY02SwVo
http://www.openculture.com/2020/08/hear-musicians-play-the-only-playable-stradivarius-guitar-in-the-world-the-sabionari.html?fbclid=IwAR3A9Q7ZKUJDXmGac0bc8SwFoMFe9DmJMI7IdRSYmm37H8CF5uWD49lT0G8 |
@rvpiano Totally agree with you RV , when I was listening to The Chopin concertos the only thing on my mind was how I would love to hear Pletnev himself doing those arrangements. I have heard Pletnev live a number of times and two things he can really play are Chopin and Rachmaninov , in my opinion he is as good as anyone on the circuit these days. I have been listening to him since the early eighties and can say that in the early days he was quite an explosive pianist himself as evidenced from his Edinburgh Festival recitals at the Queen's Hall. I am sure Triifonov will grow into his fingers as they say. Maturity only comes with age. |
I’ve listened to most of the Trifonov compilation. Very competent playing. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about the interpretations. He certainly has the chops to play this music. In fact, he chooses slower tempos to bring out the incredible melodic beauty of Chopin’s writing even in runs. I just feel he doesn’t yet capture the magic of Chopin. He is still very young. |
Have you heard? Chopin evocations Tracklist 01-03. Chopin - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21 04-11. Chopin - Variations On "La Ci Darem La Mano", Op. 2 12. Schumann - Carnaval, Op.9: 12. Chopin 13. Grieg - Moods, Op.73-5: Étude "Hommage À Chopin" 14. Barber - Nocturne, Op. 33 15. Tchaikovsky - 18 Pieces, Op. 72: 15. Un Poco Di Chopin 16. Chopin - Rondo In C Major, Op.73 * 17-19. Chopin - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11 20-32. Mompou - Variations On A Theme By Chopin 33. Chopin - Fantaisie-impromptu In C Sharp Minor, Op. 66 |
@twoleftears I certainly agree with you but I would also say that Arrau's piano tone was second to none and you always left a concert saying to yourself that whatever he played in the concert couldn't be replicated by anyone. It is just a pity that his early recordings are marred by the recording pitfalls of the time. His recordings from the forties and fifties are technically unbeatable and every bit as good as Horowitz. A funny story - he was in attendance at the Berlin debut of Horowitz in the twenties . His mother who was with him and had nothing but insults for every other pianist she heard sat watching Horowitz dead silent. At the end of the concert Arrau was expecting a tirade from his mother , she looked round at her son and said you had better go home and practice because at the moment he plays better than you. I think he caught up with Horowitz though. |
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One more suggestion: Hang a trapeze bar over your toilet, tie it to the rafters. Rings work too. Make it easier to lower and raise your body. https://www.amazon.com/Essenc-Trapeze-Playset-Playground-Trapezoidal/dp/B08FM9NLTN/ref=sr_1_138?dchi... |
And dont laugh but i suggest to you against pain, some music designed to calm pain.... Only use the typewriter and the word " pain" calm or pain killer music, or any words about pain on "youtube channels".... Try the music that soothe you and you will see.... You must try some to chose the right one for you...With headphones sometimes it is better....Just try.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJRpoUk-mpU&t=338s This one help me tremendously but with anxieties and panic attack.... When i feel bad i cannot listen to ANY music, except those designed to help.... How to listen to anything when your brain cannot relax? It is necessary to calm the brain.... Some sound and REPETITIVE frequencies can do that.... It is one of my discovery in my last years of music and audio research.... Music and sounds technology is way more powerful than people imagine.... And yes placebo work, but placebo work all time being constitutive of human feeling and perceptions... I use music to calm physical anxiety and it works better than any heavy side effects medication... Each music has his own sphere of action in the body tough.... Bach will not soothe a tooth pain, some gong and chimes frequencies will do for example.... My best to you and i wish you good health... |
rv opiates are good for pain bad for digestive system! mj is good for pain no problem with digestive system opiates and mj have very different effects opiates obliterate the pain mj allows you to find the range of motion that is painful and helps you learn to exercise it carefully so pain diminishes you will probably be glad you did knee replacement but you will probably never do your other knee that's my story anyway good luck one more thing: do your physical therapy exercises conscientiously |
rvpiano, I had knee replacement last December. I did not know what pain was until after my surgery. I had a period of about a week when I didn't get much sleep and there was no relief from the ever present pain. My condolences. It will pass. At this point, I have no regrets about having the surgery. |
