Beautiful! At times it is hard to believe it is a violin solo playing.
Inspirational, energetic yet soothing.
Mark Lubotsky. Violin Guadagnini, 1728.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partita #2 | Dm | BWV 1004 | ||
| Sonate #3 | C | BWV 1005 | ||
| Partita #3 | E | BWV 1006 |
Beautiful voice. Soft interpretation, full with sentiment. The sound is quite punished, esp. regarding the orchestral instrumentation. Lacking power, as compared to Pavarotti, he more than compensates with his intention. It is almost as if he himself were surprised with his facility to do as he pleases with his voice. With such fluid transitions, it is a shame the recordings sound so bad, but most are near or more than a century old.
Classic Options, CD: 20 tracks
I did not grow fond of this one, though I listened to it repeatedly. Nevertheless, I did find perhaps something in it. Musica ricercata is an interesting exploration of the spatial effects that a piano as a percussion instrument can develop. It concentrates on this by developing volume/intensity lines, by controlling reverberation, and by actually changing the spatial direction of sound, since a piano is a big instrument having different registers distinctively located.
It has not been as easy as I thought to enjoy all "classical" music. In this case I actually mean baroque which is my favorite hands down. This is the 3rd time I listen to the Sonatas for violin from Bach. I have also listened to the Suites for Cello several times. I can now tolerate their listening. In fact, I can say it is ok.
Mark Lubotsky, violin ( J.B. Guadagnini 1728)
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonate No.1 | Gm | BWV 1001 | ||
| Partita No.1 | Bm | BWV 1002 | ||
| Sonate No.2 | Am | BWV 1003 |
Lovely. Joyful! Superb. Light and inspirational.
Wispelwey is quickly becoming one of my few favorite interpreters. 73 minutes of nonstop barroque beauty.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concerto per il Violoncello | C | Adagio has cadenza form 18th century | ||
| Symphony | D | no. 104 | transription for flute, 2 violins, viola, violoncello and pianoforte | |
| Concerto per il Violoncello | D | all cadenzas Wispelwey's |
Amazing technical and expressive resources: the crescendo/decrescendo alternation during a legato is surprising. Joy, disdain for the world, intimacy, honesty. Although I love baroque, this is not my favorite. But for someone that enjoys vocal pieces, is a lover of technique, or likes baroque (and is not biased against the human voice, ahem, like me) this is an Archiv CD not to miss.
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Jory Vinikour, Harpsichord & Chamber organ
Jakob Lindberg, theorbo, lute & baroque guitar
Ander Ericson, theorbo
Note: the booklet includes the lyrics.
I believe that either I am becoming numb or this is too known. But I have not much to say.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symphony 31 | D | KV 297 | Paris | |
| Symphony 36 | C | KV 425 | Linzer | |
| Symphony 40 | Gm | KV 550 | First version without clarinets |
Disc I-9 is one of Bach's best. It has those melodic counterpoint, complex theme development, concerto structure alternating slow and fast movements. He has played with the instrument selection, which make each unique, for this as well.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concerto for flute, violin, harpsichord, strings & bc | Am | BWV 1044 | ||
| Concerto for oboe, violin, strings & bc | Dm | BWV 1060 | ||
| Concerto for oboe d'amore, strings & bc | A | BWV 1055 | ||
| Concerto for 2 violins, strings & bc | Dm | BWV 1043 | ||
This is one of the most beautiful CD possible. Leonhardt's interpretations is precise, concise, yet emotional. Nothing is missing, nothing is too much. The sound is excellent. It is hard to think a person is playing something so virtuously.
This CD has been praised so heavily, it was a must-have. And certainly it did not fail to the expectations created.
How sweet was the decrescendo in the sixth movement of the partita.
Beautiful "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" and the sonata for flute & harpsichord #2. Especially in the latter, how beautiful the transcription made by Kempff, that one can distinctly listen the flute in the piano.
Wow! Such a carefree playing of Mozart's Sonata #8 in Am.
The sound of the 1957 recording, that is Schubert's, is a bit too muted, and is the least giving, perhaps for being live. Yet, it is amazing how Lipatti plays each style so distinctively. And how tender and lovingly, yet seemingly carefree, he interprets each.
These recordings were done in 1950, 51 and 57, and they are so clear, a CD by EMI Classics.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partita #1 | Bb | BWV 825 | Bach | 1950 |
| Choralvorspiel | BWV 599 | Bach | 1951, "Nun komm', der Heiden Heiland" (arr. Busoni) | |
| Chorale Prelude | BWV 639 | Bach | 1951, "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" (arr. Busoni) | |
| Cantata | BWV 147 | Bach | 1951, "Jesu bleibet meine Freude" (arr. Hess) | |
| Sonata for flute & harpsichord #2 | BWV 1031 | Bach | 1951 (arr. Kempff) | |
| Sonata | E | Kk 380 | Domenico Scarlatti | 1951 |
| Sonata | Dm | Kk9 | Domenico Scarlatti | 1951, "Pastorale" |
| Sonata #8 | Am | K310 | Mozart | 1951 |
| Impromptu | Gb | D.899 N.3 | Schubert | 1957 |
| Impromptu | Eb | D.899 N.2 | Schubert | 1957 |
I had to listen to this CD 4 times, before I could appreciate it. I will quote myself after my first listening:
Well despite boasting the participation of Rostropovich, I have to say that I am not impressed by this work. I feel that it simply accumulates many loose phrases that end not being sufficiently tied up in a coherent work. I think it sounds like a Beethoven wannabe, with little dramatism.
This is my first impression, and I will listen to it again.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StreichQuintett | C | D 956 | Emerson String Quartet and Rostropovich |
Ah! What an amazing listening! Wispelwey plays so wonderfully: precise, emotive, subtle. I have heard (and posted before) on Casal's and Jaap ter Linden. Although both are recognized as good, I did not find either to appealing to my taste. I can also say that both have a similar free emotional style.
I look forward to listening more from Wispelwey.
Recording: January 1998
Baroque cello: Barak Norman, 1710
Violoncello piccolo (s.XVIII)
This is a 2 CD set under EMI Classics that includes several pieces for piano from Erik Satie (1866-1925). Noticeable are the 3 Gymnopéedies, and the Gnossiennes 1-6. Not much has to be said. Aldo Ciccolini's interpretation is of a good quality, though I personally did not like it, prefering Anne Queffélec's. As I read somewhere in the internet states, French piano composers should be played by women. I would qualify this interpretation as a good academic interpretation that I would rather ignore. [I bolden only the pieces I enjoyed. Most are just tedious.]
This is a Van Cliburn CD from RCA Super Audio CD. Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow and immediately back in the USA played in this concerto.
It took me several listenings until I appreciated these works closer to what I should have. The interpretation is flawless with seemless transitions. The interpretation of Rachmaninoff's main theme has quite a distinct touch. As the booklet describes about van Cliburn's magnetism with John Briggs words: "...I would simply say it is musical control coupled with spontaneous beauty." Nothing more clearly noted that in the first movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's concert.
Rakhmaninov's (Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов, 1 April 1873 – 28 March 1943) concerto is full of layers. Instead of big orchestral chords and accents, I can compare it with the layers of watercolor paintings, where to paint on top one has to let the lower one dry to preserve transparency.
Prokofiev's (Сергей Сергеевич Прокофьев, as he was born under Russian Empire; or Сергі́й Сергі́йович Проко́ф'єв, because he was born on what is now Ukraїne; 27 April 1891 – 5 March 1953) concerto, on the other hand, is full of pictoresque themes and phrases. It is lively and, thankfully, still contains melodic emphasis, despite the period's trend.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piano Concerto #3 | Dm | Opus 30 | Symphony of the Air, Kiril Kondrashin | Recorded Live in concert in 1958 |
| Piano Concerto #3 | C | Opus 26 | Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Walter Hendl | Recorded in 1960 |
What a lovely interpretation by David Ositrakh and Pierre Fournier. It is the second disc of the EMI Classics, double forte, that has Beethoven's Triple Concerto and Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3.
Full of passages from where to make postcards, I loved especially the theme for the 3rd movement, Vivace non troppo - Poco meno allegro, directed by Alceo Galliera and the Philarmonia Orchestra. In the first movement, just after its first third, the intertwining of both soloists, just before the entrance of the orchestra is quite beautiful. It could well be one scene he wanted to capture while he was writing this next to a lake. It resembles to me those little tableclothes that are of picked cotton.
As for Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in Gm, Op. 63, I can say what a graceful interpretation of a bland ouevre. With a comic British ending of the 2nd movement, I cannot say more.
The double forte 2CD edition seems to be out of print, but this is the most similar I found.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brahms: Double concerto | Am | Opus 102 | Oistrakh(violin),Fournier(cello) | |
| Prokofiev: Violin concerto #2 | Gm | Opus 63 |
Brilliant's CD1-8 sounds like a Mozart that escapes my comprehension, though not my enjoyment. These are courtly and mature. Symphony #33 shows resemblence to what will be #45.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symphony #33 | Bb | KV 319 | ||
| Symphony #34 | C | KV 338 | ||
| Symphony #35 | D | KV 385 | Haffner |
This disc is amazing too.
It plays a very nice sonata with its intended dead (as in latin) instrument, and its contemporary companion. These are the arpeggione a fretted, bowed, 6-string instrument, and the famous pianoforte which evolved into modern pianos.
I have to say that Rostropovich's interpretation is fantastic (as noted in earlier posts), but the charm of this historic recording is amazing. Very hard to find, indeed.
Along with the arpeggione sonata come the variations for flute and pianoforte "Trockne Blumen". I will omit comments on it, as it did not impress me.
Constructors:
Arpeggione: Anton Mitteis, mid s.XIX
Flute: Matheus Schrafft, 1830
Fortepiano: Joseph Brodmann, Vienna ca.1810
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonata für Arpeggione | D.821 | Klaus Storek, arpeggione Alfons Kontarsky, fortepiano | ||
| Trockne Blumen | D.802 | Hans-Martin Linde, flute Alfons Kontarsky, fortepiano |
Brilliant collection CD I-8.
Beautiful as it should be. Again flawless executions. (I have heard too many harpsichord works and feel a bit numb to comment further)
Musica Amphion, Pieter-Jan Belder
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concerto for 2 harpsichords and strings | C | BWV 1061 | Belder and Menno van Delft | |
| Concerto for 2 harpsichords and strings | Cm | BWV 1062 | Siebe Henstra and Belder | |
| Concerto for 3 harpsichords and strings | Dm | BWV 1063 | Belder, Henstra, and van Delft | |
| Concerto for 3 harpsichords and strings | C | BWV 1064 | Belder, van Delft, and Henstra |
