Too much piano?

[PJPJ]

I thought this was a great segment of CD Review. Some very interesting comparisons, as you say ammy. I've just caught up with is all. What shone out for me was the tremendous interpretation by Bavouzet - can that man do no wrong?! Electrifying Pathétique - familiar music, new minted with no extra effects, and beautifully recorded: real alchemy. .......

I had promised myself not to buy any more recordings of Beethoven piano sonatas but I have a strong feeling this set will become irresistible.

[HighlandDougie]

Moi aussi, except in my case my resolve weakened when I saw its comparatively cheap price with amazon.fr. Like Caliban, I thought what I heard of his Pathétique to be, as C puts it, "tremendous". And it's already Monday afternoon and I haven't bought a CD yet this week

[Nick Armstrong]

Moi aussi, except in my case my resolve weakened when I saw its comparatively cheap price with amazon.fr. Like Caliban, I thought what I heard of his Pathétique to be, as C puts it, "tremendous". And it's already Monday afternoon and I haven't bought a CD yet this week

Did you buy? I haven't yet...

But, returning to the generality of this thread's title, I must say my heart leaps to read about this coming Saturday's programme: recent releases of piano concertos and solo piano music by Rachmaninov and Shostakovich

(Could do without blooming Turandot on BAL though )

[HighlandDougie]

[QUOTE=Caliban;180437][COLOR="#0000FF"]
Did you buy? I haven't yet...

According to Amazon's 'suivi de colis', it's in a UPS van and will be delivered today. I am also usually enthusiastic about BaL's piano 'bits' (unlike, say, great chunks of baroque opera, well maybe Handel and Rameau apart) so maybe it was the heat last Saturday which made all that Beethoven seem just a little too much. It has now cooled down so I'll try again via i-player - and I did get to to hear the keenly-awaited M. Bavouzet (a model railway enthusiast so a man who can do no wrong in my eyes).

[HighlandDougie]

[QUOTE=HighlandDougie;180508]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]
Did you buy? I haven't yet...

According to Amazon's 'suivi de colis', it's in a UPS van and will be delivered today.

Duly arrived - to be listened to after I've finished watering the fruit trees

[HighlandDougie]

Watering the fruit trees clearly angered the rain gods as the thunderstorm (with accompanying hail) outside has given me the chance to dip into each of the three discs (one sonata from each).

Closer recording than J-E B's Debussy from the Potton Hall, although it gains a bit more bloom from disc one through to disc three. Whatever, it matches the music with the early Haydnesque sonatas losing nothing from the slightly dry quality of the sound. He's using the Hall's resident Steinway. Well-articulated, poetic, thoughtful and unshowy playing (e.g. in Op 10/2 and, as we heard on CD Review, in the Pathétique). My favourite Beethoven pianists are Schnabel and Kempff, with a bit of Richter, Gilels and Pollini, depending on the sonata. While I need to listen to more (and maybe without claps of thunder), I don't find Bavouzet coming up short in such company.

Chandos makes mention of 24/96 so for download enthusiasts that format might reveal some opening-out of the recording. Not that the normal CD quality is in any way deficient but, if you like concert-hall Beethoven, it might seem a bit intimate by comparison.

Chandos seem to be on a bit of a roll again at the moment - this new cycle and the Dénève/Debussy set (which is my favourite orchestral recording so far in 2012) plus Ed Gardner in Lutoslawski etc etc. Long may it continue.

[DoctorT]

Speaking of new piano recordings, has anyone heard any of Marc-Andre Hamelin's Haydn?

[gradus]

Schwetzingen has wonderful piano recitals, indeed the BBC often has concerts from the Schwetzingen festival but Schwetzingen also has a splendid monument in honour of Asparagus; White of course and much grown locally.
It is perfectly possible to grow white asparagus here but perhaps the bother of earthing it up is the problem.

[french frank]

Schwetzingen has wonderful piano recitals, indeed the BBC often has concerts from the Schwetzingen festival but Schwetzingen also has a splendid monument in honour of Asparagus; White of course and much grown locally.
It is perfectly possible to grow white asparagus here but perhaps the bother of earthing it up is the problem.

Can't resist following this up: they have a monument to WHITE ASPARAGUS???

(I, of course, approve of the white asparagus)

Ha!

[MrGongGong]

Can't resist following this up: they have a monument to WHITE ASPARAGUS???

(I, of course, approve of the white asparagus)

The problem though is that it's simply green asparagus forced in the dark
so much less flavour
they do make a huge fuss about it in Belgium though
but (as I said before) any asparagus is better than none at all

[french frank]

so much less flavour
they do make a huge fuss about it in Belgium though

Less is more! I think the flavour is more delicate - and prefer it. So apparently do the Schwetzingers.

[Resurrection Man]

Why do we so seldom see the fat white asparagus in this country? .....

Just take a walk around a Morrison's.....oh, sorry, got confused with the customers.

[Resurrection Man]

I know what you mean. I don't like broccoli, and the last time I went to the supermarket they had piles of the stuff. I'm going to write to my MP and complain.

Yebbut....you'd be pretty hacked off if all they had to sell WAS only broccoli.

[Resurrection Man]

..... I wonder if there is a clear pattern to these various tastes or are they random preferences?

I'd say an eminently sensible view on life !

[JFLL]

The problem though is that it's simply green asparagus forced in the dark
so much less flavour
they do make a huge fuss about it in Belgium though
but (as I said before) any asparagus is better than none at all

Less flavour? Not the ones I've eaten on the continent. Perhaps they know how to prepare it. The British idea seems sometimes to be to 'boil it into submission' as Beachcomber once put it.

My mother has a great aversion to 'forced' rhubarb. I think she thinks it's cruelty to vegetables.