BaL 31.05.14 - Schumann: Kreisleriana

[visualnickmos]

"Like" Thanks Alpie.

Also, I find that the older I become, the more I find myself enjoying Bernstein's recordings, whereas there was a time when I wouldn't have really bothered to investigate, explore or whatever. There is, to my hearing, something quite extraordinary about the "sound" he creates as a conductor. Always 'big' but when required a 'gentle giant' - I adore his Mahler (only recently) and his Mozart, mostly with Vienna.... how do others feel about Bernstein? Or more precisely, his recorded legacy?

[visualnickmos]

I realise I've gone TOTALLY and inexcusably off the track here, but I'm just following on from where I left off.
Back to Schumann: I have an LP of Kempff (DG) in this oeuvre, but it's a bit heavy-going.
I have Lupu (Decca's complete solo piano stuff of said fabulous pianist) and it is wonderful - light in the right places, and above all, it carries itself very naturally. Most enjoyable.

[Pianorak]

Jonathan Biss has recorded an excellent Kreisleriana, coupled with the Fantasie in C and Arabeske in C. On another disk he's recorded the Davidsbuendlertaenze.

[visualnickmos]

I wonder if this will be in with a shout? I don't know it, but I have one or two CDs featuring Jeno Jando, and he is rather good; Beethoven cello sonatas, being one.....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schumann-Piano-Works-Vol-1/dp/B00002607G/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1401052148&sr=1-2&keywords=kreisleriana+naxos

[richardfinegold]

I realise I've gone TOTALLY and inexcusably off the track here, but I'm just following on from where I left off.
Back to Schumann: I have an LP of Kempff (DG) in this oeuvre, but it's a bit heavy-going.
I have Lupu (Decca's complete solo piano stuff of said fabulous pianist) and it is wonderful - light in the right places, and above all, it carries itself very naturally. Most enjoyable.

I'm sorry that you feel that way about Kempff. I have a 4 disc (I think set) set of his Schumann recordings on Dg and it is my prefered Schumann listening. I really like the directness of his approach; he seems to hit the heart of the music without trying to over remote or over interpret. I particularly like his Scenes of Childhood.
Regarding your query about Leonard Bernstein, he is one of my favorite Musicians, but his recorded legacy is a mixed bag. it extends for decades, and although it is an oversimplification, as he aged--particularly in his last decade--his recordings tended to become bloated and more about Bernstein trying to find meaning in music and much less of him simply letting it rip. I tend to avoid his recordings from that period, although there are some noteable exceptions ( both his Mahler and Shostakovich 7s). Your mileage may differ.

[richardfinegold]

I wonder if this will be in with a shout? I don't know it, but I have one or two CDs featuring Jeno Jando, and he is rather good; Beethoven cello sonatas, being one.....



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Schumann-Pia...sleriana+naxos

I think Jando is a fantastic musician. His career both benefited and suffered from the sheer fecundity of his recordings for Naxos. I'm sure he appreciated the exposure as an alternative to complete anonymity, but as a music over, when it seemed as though he was releasing 6 discs by 3 different composers every month, you had to wonder about the depth of his commitment. I find that most of the recordings that I did buy have held up pretty well. One fantastic one and on topic for this thread (s0ort of) his the pairing of the Brahms and Schumann Piano Quintets with the Kodaly qt.

[visualnickmos]

......although there are some noteable exceptions ( both his Mahler and Shostakovich 7s). Your mileage may differ.

Yes - his Shostakovich 7 is stunning, and so too is his Mahler.

[BBMmk2]

I havn't much Schumann at all in my collection. I will be quite interested in this BaL, for sure! :)

[verismissimo]

Gieseking. Wow!

[gradus]

It would be interesting to have a list of the recordings each reviewer has listened to. This mornings BAL was expertly conducted but seemed to me to focus on half a dozen or so pianists, I may well have missed it but did Mr Hamilton explain why they were the chosen few?

[verismissimo]

It would be interesting to have a list of the recordings each reviewer has listened to. This mornings BAL was expertly conducted but seemed to me to focus on half a dozen or so pianists, I may well have missed it but did Mr Hamilton explain why they were the chosen few?

It seemed to me that, having played us a stream of exciting performances - Horowitz, Cortot, Argerich among them - he rather against his instincts settled for a somewhat safe, middle-of-the-road recommendation in Perahia.

I saw the latter give a Schumann recital at Snape Maltings some 25 years ago and was underwhelmed then!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Murray Perahia was the winner, but it's only available on CD in a huge box set.

[LeMartinPecheur]

It would be interesting to have a list of the recordings each reviewer has listened to. This mornings BAL was expertly conducted but seemed to me to focus on half a dozen or so pianists, I may well have missed it but did Mr Hamilton explain why they were the chosen few?

He said at the end that there were many other recordings that had merit. So presumably the ones he played were the ones he particularly wanted to talk about because he really liked them? IIRC he played no versions that in his opinion were clearly the way not to play the work.

[Don Petter]

Murray Perahia was the winner, but it's only available on CD in a huge box set.

Except for the single CD I bought this morning before the price went up!

(Also available as an mp3 download.)


I thought it was a recording I could listen to repeatedly with pleasure. Others had interesting insights, but were perhaps too quirky to live with (Gieseking like an escaped racehorse , and Horowitz lurching like a man with one leg .)

[Nick Armstrong]

I've just caught up with this BAL. It was a selective shortlist, as flagged by AMcG when introducing it ("KH... comparing recordings from some of his favourite performers").... but an absorbing 40 minutes, I found. Fewer versions meant more opportunity to compare different readings of the same passage (Uchida-Argerich-Perahia, in one instance, I think - very revealing).

I realised I don't really know the piece, and also that I have Uchida* on my shelf Call me negligent.

It was Argerich who really captured my attention - just downloaded her, to add to Mitsuko.

One of those BALs where the runners-up get my vote rather than the 'chosen' version.




*The "Carnaval" that accompanies it on the disc was the BAL choice in that work, if a sticker on the cover is to be believed - doubtless why I bought it... that, and the fact that another sticker proclaims it as one of those 'Special Purchases' in the HMV sales of yore...


PS: glad you're still around, visualnick