Classical Music for Aficionados

OK, Perahia/Abbado complete Schumann works for piano/orchestra.  Just listened now.  This is by some measure my favorite version of the concerto.  Excellent!

my latest "discovery"
Victor Ryachikov plays Mikhail Glinda, Complete Piano Music (3 cd)
Ryachikov writes:
For a long time the works that Glinka wrote for piano have been considered methodical and suitable only for study at music schools. I believe this is a wrong attitude.
To the attentive listener this music is redolent with feeling and delicate nuance. It is music full of love, tenderness, expression and humour; music of elegant simplicity and nobility. When played by pupils it can often seem primitive, even pompous.
This is because it needs a simplicity and naturalness that is very difficult to
achieve. It is as difficult to play as is the music of Mozart. My primary wish is for Giinka's piano music to return to the concert stage. I have been playing this music for many years and in many parts of the world and it never fails to touch people's souls. The pieces also complement excellently the works of other great composers in a programme. A love for this music, once born, never dies. Many of the pieces featured among these recordings are little known and are recorded here for the first time.

@jcazador

JC I have been listening to Radu Lupu’s boxset and must say it is most enjoyable. At this very moment I am listening to Schumann’s Kinderzenen and it is stunning to listen to , the extrovert movements are gloriously virtuosic. Although it won’t supplant my version by Claudio Arrau it is most definitely able to stand side by side to it. It is very nice to hear the digital transfers that have been expertly cleaned up , there is not a trace of tape hiss anywhere. I don’t know about the rest of you but I always thought Decca didn’t serve him too well as the record pressings I had of him were noisy and had an opaque cloud over them but these digital transfers now do him justice. Also a lot of the recordings were produced in the Kingsway Hall in London one of the best halls in the world for recording but how Decca could fog that glorious acoustc I fail to understand. I shall return to these performances with regularity.I have been reading your comments about Moritz Rosentahl and did you know that he was never recorded until he was in his 70s but the playing never sounded tired. Although Liszt said that his best pupils were Tausig and d’Albert he always refered to Rosentahl when one of his students was flagging and then Rosentahl would take control of the keyboard to spectacular affect. I feel that Rosentahl was the precursor to Godowsky as when he was young difficulties in execution just didn’t exist. Unfortunately Tausig died when he was very young so we don’t even have acoustic performances to guage from but from statements from other pupils who heard him they said his tecnique was even better in some areas than Liszts. d’Albert lost his concert tecnique because he only wanted to write operas and the handful of piano rolls he left are very poor.Once again thanks for the tip about Lupu.

@jcazador, I found your link and wanted to play it through my Bluesound, but only the Chopin Concerto #1 came up.
I have to say it is unbelievable. How they got rid of all the noise, yet keep the sonic atmosphere is a testament to human ingenuity. Though when I listen to music recorded in pre WWII Germany, I am stunned by the sound quality they captured even then. 
@twoleftears ,
Steven Hough is one talented guy. 
Richard (RVpiano) came to listen to my system and I played the Hummel Concerto #2- something he played in his earlier years- and we both enjoyed his performance- Mr. Hough's, that is.
Bob

Stephen Hough's compilation of York Bowen.
Most enjoyable.

now listening to
The Complete Recordings Box Set Moriz Rosenthal
Rosenthal was a student of Liszt, made few recordings, and they
have been resurrected with new technology.
I am enjoying them, a lot.
I will not attempt a critique, I defer to others who know far more.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Recordings-Moriz-Rosenthal/dp/B006ICUJ8M

Every time I hear a young composer expound upon composition , and I hear or read a lot of them, I come away with the same conclusion .
People who grow up in a rock culture simply rarely make good instrumental composers of classical music .
I was in a famous French philosopher’s class once upon a time .She said , "There will never be another Mozart. No one growing up in a modern society can ever have the concentration of mind available to him in the 1700’s ." Stuck in my mind for last 50 years .

JCThanks for your thoughts I was starting to think I was alone in my musings about the state of music but I'm glad to see I am not. In my country when we go to a concert we are always "treated" to some new composition by some "clown" just out of compositional school. Without resorting to expletives I can only summarise by saying listen to the amount of applause that is garnered after the piece finishes and how oh yes ! the half empty concert hall fills up miraculously after that piece.I think I shall rest my case.

Jim
I share your views on death of classical composition, about Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich.  I download modern composers, and delete them.
I had a teacher who said "if it is not in tune, and it is not in time, then it is not music".
I also agree that Osborne's Rachmaninov: Études-tableaux is wonderful.

updateLin's "Preludes" album is wonderful.Also love her "Chinoiserie".

I have been listening to Jenny Lin a lot lately.
Her Mompou, and her Silvestrov album "Nostalghia".
My kind of music, serene, peaceful, what they call "devotional" in some other cultures.
Highly recommended if you like that sort of music.
Also like her Stravinsky album, which I have not heretofore appreciated.
And now downloading her "Preludes to a Revolution".

While the rest of the world listens to Michael Jackson singing Rudolph the Red Nose , we classical fans have a huge choice of music that actually
does celebrate the Birth of Christ .
My personal favorite is a great that doesn't seem to get much attention these days , Michael Praetorius . Pick up anything that says Praetorius and Christmas and you can't go wrong .Couple of my go-to  are, Christmas Music: Hyperion CDA 66200Westminster Cathedral  Ch. , Parley of Instruments , Hill .
Renaissance Christmas Music , BIS CD 1035 , Viva Voce .Of course with Hyperion and BIS the sound will be  good .

Sorry for the misspelling of your name.  Was certainly not intentional.
Very embarrassing for me!

Twolefrears,

 Just received the Sudbin album.
Stunning SACD sound!
As I’ve said, aside from the B minor Sonata, a brilliant masterpiece, Liszt is not really my cup of tea.
But he does play Liszt brilliantly (shallow though I think the music is.)

A very good performance of Gaspard de la Nuit. (Pogorelich is my favorite in this.)

A dazzling performer, I think Sudbin could use more tonal color and imagination in his playing.

JC
Thanks for those listings I'll certainly look into them. Isn't it strange though that Radu Lupu never became universally popular in the way Perahia and Brendel did. I think as a person he was quite insular and never pushed himself.

try that again
Jim
Radu Lupu ‎– Complete Decca Solo Recordings Label: Decca ‎– 478 2340 Format: 10 × CD Box Set, Compilation

2 cds are Brahms, 5 cds are Schubert, 1 cd is Schumann, 2 cds are Beethoven

contents listed here:
https://www.discogs.com/Radu-Lupu-Complete-Decca-Solo-Recordings/release/9498947
available here
https://www.amazon.com/Radu-Lupu-Complete-Decca-Recordings/dp/B003KLM44G

Jim
Radu Lupu ‎– Complete Decca Solo Recordings Label: Decca ‎– 478 2340 Format: 10 × CD Box Set, Compilation i2 cds are Brahms, 5 cds are Schubert, 1 cd is Schumann, 2 cds are Beethoven contents listed here:https://www.discogs.com/Radu-Lupu-Complete-Decca-Solo-Recordings/release/9498947available herehttps://www.amazon.com/Radu-Lupu-Complete-Decca-Recordings/dp/B003KLM44G

Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne playing, errrrr, Schubert Piano Duets.

Absolutely delightful music.

And I like the recording.  The piano sound is realistic, not in your face, not hyped.  (Despite the label it's on!)

If any of you streamers want to hear perfection try Ivan Moravec, Mozart Fantasy in C minor for Piano on Supraphon .

LenI agree wholeheartedly re, Arpegionne Sonata and with your thoughts regarding Schubert as a whole. When Arrau was interviewed once he was asked who was the most difficult composer to play and he instantly said Schubert and the interviewer said that Schubert had written only one piece that was remotely virtuosic The Wanderer Fantasy. Arrau then countered that his music was too easy to turn into schmaltz and also too easy to counter the schmaltz and play very coldly.I agree with that remark in that many years ago I purchased a CD of Polinni doing late Schubert piano sonatas and played it just a couple of times as I found it wonderfully played but cold as ice. That's the problem with Schubert there ar too many people that play him cold. I also agree with your comments about Brendel, also look out for his book Musical thoughts and afterthoughts, a very good read.
jcazadorI must look out for the Radu Lupu recordings that you recomended, I love Lupu's Brahms but have never heard his Scubert, in fact I think I'll fire up Qobuz tonight and have a listen. Yes I read that story about Rachmaninov also , he certainly was a towering force of nature and we shall never see his like again.
to all,We have been talking about Rachmaninov and his compositions but who today has lifted up his mantle , my thoughts ? none. I get really depressed when I think of our new composers because the more I hear from them the less I like. The piano music they write is awfull and they can't or won't write a tune into there works , try asking one of them to write a fugue. No when Rachmaninov died piano composition died also , I'll even go further and say that when Shostakovitch died western classical music died also.Agree or disagree as you like but those are my thoughts.

Rachmaninov: Études-tableaux

S‎TEVEN OSBORNE piano

That is a new record the Hyperion label have just released and I was at a concert given by Osborne last year and he played more or less all the music on this CD and it was most enjoyable.

Have a great weekend guy's.

Jim.

Re: Rachmaninoff 

Did any musician in history combine performance and composition to such a high degree?
And remember, he stopped composing in his early forties for decades, he said because his music was considered too old fashioned. Only then did he turn to concertizing seriously and become arguably the greatest pianist of his age.
Towards the end of his life, he returned to composition to write some of his greatest music: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphonic Dances, Third Symphony.
As late as the 1950’s the Groves Dictionary referred to his music as “warmed over Tchaikovsky!”  Only lately has his time come to be recognized as one of the greats.

jim et al
I am in full agreement with your comments about Liszt, also Rachmaninoff.
I have too many recordings of both to list here.
For Schubert, I love Rada Lupu. The Complete Decca Solo Recordings(2010) is 10 cds, about half is Schubert.
I read a story about Rachmaninoff, as composer and pianist.
His piano teach Nikolai Zverev told Rachmaninoff that he should concentrate on becoming a concert pianist because he had so much talent;
and that he should not waste his time studying composition or composing.
Eventually Rachmaninoff won a gold medal  at his conservatory for his composition of a one act opera, "Aleko", and Zverev was on the examination committee.  Zverev gave Rachmaninoff his gold watch. 
Tchaikovsky attended and praised Rachmaninoff.

Jim, When you went to hear Brendel play Scubert, you got Schubert, with many you got/get them . The "heavenly lengths" bit came from Schumann in reference to the Great C major Symphony .
Few musicians were/are as learned as Brendel .I’ll look for the Arau.I had it once .

I saw a clip with Rubinstein saying the adagio to Schubert’s Quintet in C,d.956 , is the most beautiful music ever written .Lot of folks like Schubert because he wrote so many melodic " little pieces" . True enough, but according to Brahms anyway, everyone was a masterpiece .At 2 am this morning our local BBC 3 played both sides of a new Hyperion  CD with Steven Isserlis on Cello,Denes Varjon on pf .One side was the Chopin Cello Sonata Op.65, the other Schubert's Arpeggione SonataD.821 .

I doubt anyone could walk away from this great recording with any opinion other than both pieces are masterworks .

.

As an add on to Len's comments above regarding Heinrich Schutz,  I'd like to recommend the Ars Nova Copenhagen recordings on deCapo.  There is a boxed set of the Johannes, Lukas, and Matthias Passions, along with the Christmas and Resurrection histories, and finally Die Seben Worte.   https://www.amazon.com/Schutz-Narrative-Ars-Nova-Copenhagen/dp/B005MJDVWI/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=music&a...   $25 for the set, and these have pretty much become my standby recordings for these works.  They are sonically and artistically superb in my opinion.  Also the Vox Luminis recording of Musicalishche Exequeien on Ricercar is in the same league.  https://www.amazon.com/Musicalische-Exequien-Schutz/dp/B004S7ZZ5Q/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&...
If works such as these are of interest, and you aren't familiar with the works of Heinrich Schutz, it would be hard to do better than to start with these recordings.    My love and respect for Schutz is deep.  But he is more of an acquired taste, I suppose.   

Hi Len,I do agree with you about the Rubinstein Schubert and I would like to make a suggestion regarding D960, Arrau made a wonderful version of it perhaps even more Germanic than Rubinstein. He also played it with the long section in the first movement that all other pianists cut and when you hear it I am quite sure you will want other pianists to want to keep it also . What Brendel had to say about Schubert was a lot of his work had what he termed heavenly lengths ( pity he didn't stick to his guns and keep the D960 to the original manuscript himself ) . I do remember going to see Brendel in Glasgow in the 70's and beyond and he played the last three sonatas of Schubert and although he didn't shock and thrill as the big vitrtuosos would do his musical taste and commitment were above reproach, he was very well respected and popular in Scotland and when he played up here the houses were always full.

My favorite is whatever Schubert or Schumann is closest at hand .That said , here is 3 of the best seldom mentioned .

From a great not noted for his Schubert, Rubinstein with Wander Fantasia
in C and the great sonata D.960 with a few Impromptus thrown in .RCA 63054-2
Kempff on DG 459 412-2 another of the great D. 960 with the most
Germanic rendition possible of the Impromptus and Moments musicaux D.780
IMO one of Brendal’s best was Schumann on Phillips 434 732-2
in very good sound which he did not always get .Fantasiestucke Op.12 . Kinderszenen Op.15 and a near perfect Kreisleriana Op 16 .

 I take that back, it is perfect !

@jim204,
Though I have never been a big Liszt fan, I have to agree with your assessment of the Liszt transcription of the Beethoven symphonies.
They are quite amazing.
I only knew of the 4 hand transcriptions- which I discovered in an Italian movie that I have now forgotten-It was the Scherzo from the 9th symphony. Perhaps another member can tell me what movie it came from.
Bob

I just found your response to my post. So that is Currentzis.
I never heard of him until now.
B

That’s a good story.
 I think he had that effect on a lot of people.

You are so right RV I completely forgot about Horowitz what a Blunder that was I do apologiseThat reminds me of a story I read in the Claudio Arrau biography where his mother and him went to a recital by Horowitz and it was in 1925 in Berlin .His mother had nothing good to say about any pianist old or young that they heard but that night his mother sat there in disbelief at what she was hearing . When it was over she looked at her son and said "you had better go home and practice because he plays better than you" . What a downer for Arrau!!!!!

Jim,

You and I are in total agreement.
Rachmaninoff and Volodos, and I have to add Horowitz (and maybe Glenn Gould) are the greatest pianistic geniuses I’ve heard in my lifetime.
And just consider, with Rachmaninoff, his even greater genius was as a composer.
Just beyond belief!!!!!!

I agree wholeheartedly on the Liszt B Minor Sonata and think it was maybe the best Sonata from the 19th century and also that Liszt was probably the greatest example of piano playing during his lifetime and even now. He was responsible for the achievements from Debussy , Ravel , Rachmaninov and all others after he passed. He also has wonderful music written into his Annees de Pelerinage 1,2 and 3.Listen to his Benediction de deux dans la Solitude it is absolutely divine especially played by Claudio Arrau who studied with Martin Krause a student of Liszt who passed on a great tradition of Liszt playing. Also aside from Arrau Krause taught Edwin Fisher who was a great pianist in the first part of the twentieth century. People who denigrate Liszt usually cannot play what he wrote but forget that Liszt was able to play all the music that he ever wrote. Ravel with Gaspard de La Nuit and Balakirev with Islamey are two that I know of straight off. Has anyone ever listened to the Beethoven Symphonies that liszt transcribed for piano, it was an absoloutely Herculean task and again Liszt was able to play every note which took the breath away from all who listened to him.Cyprien Katsaris is a pianist who I have playing the 9 symphonies and the piano playing is astonishing and I have looked on Amazon and the 9 symphonies can be had for , from £17.04 but I can't say how much they can be had for in dollars but I am sure it would be quite cheap also. The pianist that I would say inherited the Liszt way of supreme playing and wonderfull compositions which again he could play with great virtuosity was Rachmaninov. He took over from Liszt in that his compositions demand a pianist of supreme technical abillity.I am really glad this century is producing pianists that are able to take on the mantle of liszt and I think the stand out perfomer at the moment that I would say is way above the herd is Arkady Volodos who can do things on the instrument that everyone can only dream of. Listen to Volodos playing his arrangement of Mozart's Turkish March and you would think he had three hands. I was once at a concert of his and he played it as an encore it was just unbelievable he threw it off like a Chopin prelude it really brought the house down . let me tell you I am glad that I travelled from my little town is south west Scotland all the way to London and back for that one concert. I couldn't get it out of my mind for days and that must be what Liszt's audiences must have felt also.

Great pieces!

I don't know greatest, but I have co-favorites -

Liszt's Annees de pelerinage and Schumanns Fantasy in C Major.

An interesting question occurred to me that I thought I would pose to the forum:

What is the greatest single piano solo piece ever written? (Or, what is is your favorite?  Maybe not the same question.)

 I would like to exclude the Beethoven Sonatas from consideration, as there are too many clear winners there.
Other than those, I have one to nominate.
Although I’m not a big fan of this composer, I have one of his compositions to suggest:

Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor. A monumental achievement to me.

 I’m really interested in what others might think.

Me too, as far as Mahler goes.  I have several complete cycles of the symphonies by different conductors.

Funnily enough I just added Currentzis to my cart last night.  I must have more different recordings of the Mahler symphonies than any other composer.  I grew up listening to the venerable Solti cycle on Decca, so that became imprinted in a way, and I still notice the differences w.r.t. Solti as a kind of benchmark.  So much for the teenage years...

Bob,

if if you want a treat, listen to this one.
 I’m going to pm you.

My favorite Mahler 6th is Horenstein conducting. It is a live performance and the audience never makes a sound. I think it is Stockholm.
Bob

I recently got an amazing new recording of Mahler’s 6th with Teodor Currentzis and Music Aeterna on SONY. I’ve had mixed feelings about this conductor’s past releases, always extroverted, but this one is truly remarkable.  Not a dull moment in the entire performance.
Inciteful and emotional to the extreme, this is Mahler playing at it’s best, in my opinion.
Excellent sound, too
I got it from Presto in England.  It won’t be released in the States  until December 5th.

+1 on Wild's 4th. For that matter I consider one of the great values in audio is the set of all 4 concertos by these forces. It's now available in a set on Amazon for $22 plus. Twoleftears, seriously, don't miss this if you really like these works. :-)

Good recording.  I like his performance of the 4th Concerto better than the 2nd.
My all-time favorite of the 4th is with Earl Wild and Jasha Horenstein.

And they keep on coming, keeping the mail carrier busy.
Daniil Trifonov + Philadelphia Orchestra, Rachmaninov 2 and 4, with some Bach in between as a palette cleanser.  Sounding very good so far.
But now I'll have to go back and listen to Ortiz, Janis and Michelangeli. 

Bought it on Presto Classical in U.K. for $14.25 plus tax.

Is the Sudbin recital compositions by Liszt, Ravel and Saint-Saens?
If so, its listed as $25-$79 on Amazon.

Another recommendation from you guys, just in today, Yevgeny Sudbin recital, on BIS.  Wow!  Stirring stuff.  The Liszt is indeed agitato molto.