Record Review: non-BaL discs reviewed, etc.

[teamsaint]

15p awaits any forum member who can explain wtf Bryn is on about.

P.S. Btw, I know that a comma is also a butterfly.

P.P.S. The wasp is abusing the butterfly? IMaybe just made 3 shillings!!

The comma symbol has changing usage, as Boy George pointed out....

( no idea what Bryn is on about. Worse than one of his tech posts..... which I love reading, BTW)

[Bryn]

P.P.S. The wasp is abusing the butterfly? IMaybe just made 3 shillings!!

A x15 (or possibly x36) overpayment for what eventually dropped.

[Beef Oven!]

Now what's he on about?

I undestand about 12% of Bryn's techie posts, but I'm getting nothing on this!!!

[Nick Armstrong]

Now what's he on about?

I undestand about 12% of Bryn's techie posts, but I'm getting nothing on this!!!

You're being rather waspish today, Beefy!

[Beef Oven!]

You're being rather waspish today, Beefy!

[verismissimo]

Looking forward to Kenneth Hamilton on Richter this morning. Always new insights with him...

[Richard Tarleton]

Curious item on CDR this am. The excerpts played were unremittingly awful, one suspects chosen deliberately by Kenneth Hamilton whose witty commentary was most enjoyable. Thinking of those Hoffnung cartoons of pianists' hands, the excerpts chosen were to demonstrate that Richter's were the ones with two hammers attached.

I queued for tickets once at the RFH in the early 70s but was too late.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

yes most unappealing ... and why would one put up with the dreadful sound quality of the NY recordings made from under the floorboards

[Tony Halstead]

Curious item on CDR this am. The excerpts played were unremittingly awful, one suspects chosen deliberately by Kenneth Hamilton whose witty commentary was most enjoyable. Thinking of those Hoffnung cartoons of pianists' hands, the excerpts chosen were to demonstrate that Richter's were the ones with two hammers attached.

I queued for tickets once at the RFH in the early 70s but was too late.

I'm puzzled as to why Mr Hamilton would 'deliberately' choose those excerpts...
The piano sound in the Mozart A minor sonata was horribly clangy, and in the Liszt excerpt Richter sounded like 'Bang Bang'!

[Richard Tarleton]

I'm puzzled as to why Mr Hamilton would 'deliberately' choose those excerpts...

They seemed chosen - well, they would, wouldn't they - to illustrate the points which KH wished to make about Richter. Someone who was a fan might have chosen different ones - inc. Schumann for example. I don't think this item will have done much to persuade newcomers to buy these sets!

[Old Grumpy]

I don't think this item will have done much to persuade newcomers to buy these sets!

Too right - the price and volume of discs might dissuade them as well! £123.75 on Prestoclassical (other vendors are available)

OG

[Nick Armstrong]

I'm puzzled as to why Mr Hamilton would 'deliberately' choose those excerpts...
The piano sound in the Mozart A minor sonata was horribly clangy, and in the Liszt excerpt Richter sounded like 'Bang Bang'!

I've recorded this Richter segment and am saving it for some leisurely Sunday morning lie-in listening... but it sounds as if it's not unalloyed pleasure. I do find listening to Kenneth Hamilton's voice akin to listening to a circular saw cutting through ironwood, but the quality of his contributions usually makes it worthwhile

[Old Grumpy]

I do find listening to Kenneth Hamilton's voice akin to listening to a circular saw cutting through ironwood, but the quality of his contributions usually makes it worthwhile

Nice comparison

[Nick Armstrong]

Looking forward to Kenneth Hamilton on Richter this morning. Always new insights with him...

I've copied over some posts but given the specific subject matter, Richter fans should also consult this thread as there will be further overlaps I suspect and I can't be bothered to duplicate them all: http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?12951-Richter

[Nick Armstrong]

Well I enjoyed the hour-long listen to the Hamilton-McGregor double act on the Richter boxes.

I wouldn't say that all the extracts were in shocking sound - the first one was either the worst, or else my ears rapidly adjusted. (I hadn't appreciated that Richter was manic about not seeing microphones, adding to the engineers' difficulties).

Really fancied some of the Sony box recordings and look forward to hearing what vinrouge thinks once he has taken delivery of his impulse purchase... The Rachmaninov, for example, was fantastic - and interesting comment from KH about the differences between Richter ("sincere") and Horowitz (can't remember the adjective used, but it implied flirtation and ingratiation...) or Cortot ("Car-tohhhh" ).

As ever with these live chats, some oddities - chief among them AMcG wrongly saying that the Sony box included Brahms's First Piano Concerto, and Hamilton agreeing with him... The truth is of course that it's the legendary Leinsdorf/Chicago SO recording which has always been my absolute favourite performance of Brahms's Second. It was interesting to hear about the sheer breadth of repertoire and intensity of the concert schedule during the week or two of the New York concerts - but the third time this was trotted out was a little tedious - likewise KH's repetitious comment about Richter's 'internal metronome' (he avoided something being thrown at the radio by changing this to 'internal clock' on the third time through this observation).

I'm amazed to see that the amazon download of the 18 disc set is about twice the price of the CDs .... how can that make economic sense !??!