BaL 28.02.14 - Schubert: Piano Sonata no 20 in A D959

[Nick Armstrong]

Will the winner be typed in bold type when the result is known, still?

Yes it will, I'm sure, thanks to EA's good offices. Enjoy the tension, Bbm! Some of us already know the winner, but won't spoil the surprise...

[Bryn]

Pity the winner isn't downloadable; or available on a single disc.

At less than a tenner (including p&p) for 6 CDs, and considering what else you get, I'm not complaining.

[waldo]

But much of what SW said made sense to me, and the recorded sound of the Eschenbach stood out as instantly involving and attractive (ditto, the Radu Lupu, to me, the sound of which she criticised). By contrast, I really do not like the sound or the style of Paul Lewis's recording and was pleased that wasn't the Union-Jack-waving final choice. And Uchida's fussing with the music I also found arch and uninvolving - great live, perhaps, but...

Pity the winner isn't downloadable; or available on a single disc.

Quite agree re. Paul Lewis - not my cup of tea, at all, and I especially hate the sound, which is wet and very close. You can heard the pedal thumping all the way through, not much different to a drum.

As for the "winner", it is also on the Great Pianists series (2 discs), which is where I have it........

[Richard Tarleton]

At least it wasn't that monster of blandness, Brendel.

Posts like this - basically just an insult to a great artist - make me very sad.

[Nick Armstrong]

As for the "winner", it is also on the Great Pianists series (2 discs), which is where I have it........

nla....

[waldo]

Posts like this - basically just an insult to a great artist - make me very sad.

Do all negative opinions make you sad? If so, you must need a lot of tissues to get through BAL every week. If I couldn't distinguish between insults and criticism, I am not sure I would ever turn the radio on.

[Richard Tarleton]

Not at all. I don't think "monster of blandness" constitutes criticism. I don't think the term would be used on BAL.

[waldo]

Of course it constitutes criticism. Strongly put, rhetorically forceful, perhaps exaggerated, but clearly criticism nonetheless. I do think Brendel is bland (as do others). You just don't agree with me, but instead of saying that, you are pretending it is an "insult", so you can have the pleasure of getting on your high horse to say so.

Hey presto! In the sanctimonious blink of an eye, an aesthetic discussion becomes a moral one! Move over while I mount my favourite horse and prepare my most magnificent scowl.

[Barbirollians]

Of her four finalists - the sewing machine fortepiano sound was horrible in the Bilson , the Lewis was too declamatory for my liking throughout and the Eschenbach sounded fine but not really a stand out .

Brendel is a quite outstanding Schubertian - I heard him live on a number of occasions and bland is the very last word I would think of to describe his playing . His digital 1980s Schubert recordings are marvellous .

Perahia seemed to be dismissed for no obvious reason . Is the EMI Kovacevich no longer available ? That is probably one of my favourites but despite her caveats about the recording the one that went on my wish list from this BAL was the Lupu.

[Bryn]

To lighten the mixture, a touch of trivia; the 2005 Decca 4 disc set of Radu Lupu recordings has a double take on the use of asterisks. On the back insert of the jewel case an asterisk is used to indicate a digital recording. In the booklet an asterisk indicates an analogue recording. What's that all about?

[Don Petter]

Is the EMI Kovacevich no longer available ? That is probably one of my favourites but despite her caveats about the recording the one that went on my wish list from this BAL was the Lupu.

Available, but a trifle pricey. (Second hand one looks OK though.)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Piano-Sonata-D-959-Stephen-Kovacevich/dp/B000002RUJ

[Pianorak]

At less than a tenner (including p&p) for 6 CDs, and considering what else you get, I'm not complaining.

Couldn't find that- but found it at 14.98 euros (incl. of 5.99 euros p&p) at jpc-schallplatten Versandhandelsgesellschaft mbH

[ardcarp]

and the recorded sound of the Eschenbach stood out as instantly involving

I really do not like the sound or the style of Paul Lewis's recording

I agree entirely about the sound. I can only describe the Eschenbach as sounding closer miked...something which often doesn't do the piano any favours...but here it made every detail transparent. It was more like hearing it in a salon rather than a concert-hall, perhaps.

I agree too that pianists who fuss over every detail, e.g.treating every phrase with oh-so-much-finesse, just become wearing in such a big architectural structure.

Leaving aside the fortepianos, did anyone notice slight differences in pitch between versions? If it was not my ears deceiving me, I just wonder why, in this digital age, a version should be released that is not at A440. Maybe someone with a knowledge of the recording business could comment?

[Pianorak]

Is the EMI Kovacevich no longer available ? That is probably one of my favourites. . .

One of my favourites as well - ever since I heard him playing that work at the Barbican a few years ago. An unforgettable performance!

[vinteuil]

... it was good to be reminded how marvellous the Bilson is; I think I prefer it to the Vermeulen, not least for the more seductive piano sound. Both are of course essential.

The Eschenbach was new to me, and I thought it an excellent Library choice - and the cheapo brilliant box gives you so many other goodies! A must buy, I think...

Like others, I now find Uchida too mannered, tho' the detail she brings out can be fascinating. I'm sure I'll still go on listening to the Brendels, the Staier, Zacharias, Schnabel, Lupu, Badura-Skoda...