I was recommended this 3-CD set very highly, but I did not find it appealing. Nonetheless, I can comment on the wide character variation and expressivity that Hotter adds to the Winterreise.
Kempff makes each note count for itself, and his control is superb at all times, through pianissimo or fortissimo passages alike.
One would be reading too much into the score if one said that the [first] movement communicates a sense of leave-taking from life itself, but there is, beyond a doubt, resignation without resentment underlying the music.
| DISC 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
| Piano Sonata | Bb | D960 | ||
| Moments musicaux | D780 op.94 | |||
| DISC 2 | ||||
| 4 Impromptus | D899 op.90 | |||
| 4 Impromptus | D935 op.ph.142 | |||
| Piano Sonata | A | D664 op.ph.120 |
CD 1Franz Schubert
Beethoven
Mozart
| CD 2Franz Liszt
JS Bach + Kempff
|
I feel this music more as being incidental... or spatial. It is more of sensation evocation, rather than emotions... more a music for the skin, than a music for the heart or mind.
In an earlier version of this same post I wrote
I (ashamed to confess, as usual :*( ) did not find a particular connection to Le Sacre du Printemps. Conversely, I even feel relieved when I listened to L'oiseau de feu. Perhaps my still unsophisticated (although improving) ear still cherishes the comfort of acquaintance to a particular work.I can say now, several months later that I enjoy it and anticipate listening to it. I have to say that I needed to watch a TV documentary that explained the Rite of Spring to the broad audience, in order to enjoy the deliberate inebriatedness of the work. I still will have to contrast this version to Maazel's with the Radio Symphonie Orchester Berlin.
| Name | Key | Part | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD 1 | ||||
| Le Sacre du Printemps(La consagración de la primavera) | Part 1: The Adoration of the Earth | published 1947 | ||
| Le Sacre du Printemps | Part 2: The Sacrifice | published 1947 | ||
| L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird) | Suite 1919 | |||
| Jeu de cartes | ||||
| CD 2 | ||||
| Petrouchka | 4 scenes | |||
| Pulcinella Ballet | in one act | revised version of 1947 | ||
This is a fantastic CD from Deutsche Grammophon. Great virtuosismo and expressiveness. The orchestra is soft and full in the 2nd concerto. Supreme combination of Claudio Abbado and Maurizio Pollini.
Then I listened to the Tragic Ouverture, which was new to me. Energetic and melodic, delightful.
Lastly I would comment on the beauty of the first and third movements of the 1st concerto.
All directed by Karl Böhm and the Wiener Philharmoniker, except 2nd concerto directed by Claudio Abbado, pianist Maurizio Pollini
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concerto for Piano and Orchestra #1 | Dm | op.15 | Maurizio Pollini | CD 1 |
| Variations on a theme by Joseph Haydn | op.56a | CD 1 | ||
| Concerto for Piano and Orchestra #2 | Bb | op.83 | violoncello solo:Robert Scheiwein | CD 2 |
| Tragic Overture | op.81 | CD 2 |
Pau Casals hums through the profound and rich Cello Sonatas in the 1993 recording with Rudolf Serkin. A super bit mapping CD from Sony Classical, The Cello Sonatas: complete edition. This 2CD cannot be missed !!
Amazing.
| Name | Key | Catalogue | Musicians | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disc 1 | ||||
| Sonata no.1 | F | Op.5 no.1 | recorded 1953 | |
| Sonata no.2 | Gm | Op.5 no.2 | recorded 1951 | |
| Sonata no.4 | C | Op.102 no.1 | recorded 1953 | |
| Disc 2 | ||||
| Sonata no.3 | A | Op.69 | recorded 1953 | |
| Sonata no.5 | D | Op.102 no.2 | recorded 1953 | |
| 7 Variations on "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen" | WoO 46 | from Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte", recorded 1951 | ||
| 12 Variations on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" | WoO 66 | from Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte", recorded 1951 | ||
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.]
Fabulous work. I was set in a state of timelessness. (I have to add that organic influences helped to this effect) This endeavor has modified my taste for music. I now enjoy vocal music, which I previously did not; and now I have become addicted to original instruments.
The first part of the Messiah I found the most powerful and suggestive. Obviously the famous Hallelujah is a caress. It is specially interesting of this version, that one can actually make sense from the words sung in the Philips' Digital Classics CD.
Nevill Marriner conducts the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Soprano: Sylvia McNair
Mezzo-soprano: Anne Sofie von Otter
Alto: Michael Chance
Tenor: Jerry Hadley
Bass: Robert Lloyd
ASMIF Chorus Master: Lázló Heltay
[This post relates to 3 different CDs. Later posts are 1 CD per post, as the date is reflected directly in the post's metadata. I did not split it at a later date, since it would appear on a different date. (I will probably review them on the 2nd tour)]
Well, this is to show that not all works from great composers are great. Despite the delightfully predictable first movement, Allegro maestoso, from the Flute Concerto No. 1 in G KV313, Vol.2-13 was a bit dull. It is definitely listenable, but certainly not deserving more comment. And neither does the Second Flute Concerto KV 313 in D. Yet, they both contain lively themes that are heart-lightening.
In the Bach corner, the Viola da Gamba Sonatas (CDI-18: BWV 1027, BWV 1028, BWV 894, BWV 1029 ) didn't raise any special emotions. Perhaps more academic insight might be useful.
[Feb 2 07] I have later on decided to only have a post per CD. In this one 2 were "reviewed", to save words. I will leave it as it is, as apparently they will not be central in any way.
