BaL 08.06.24 - Mozart: Piano concerto 23 in A major, K488

[Pulcinella]

Oh that was clear! But I thought getting back on the topic might not be such a bad idea.

Listening _almost_ live. Gosh that first Perahia clip was gorgeous. Not my thing though.

Why have period instrument recordings at all if you're only going to have one?

Certainly a good idea; thanks for that.
Recommended version added to initial post.

[vinteuil]

There are so many interesting HIPP recordings available ; it was exasperating (if not unexpected) that Lucy Parham only chose one to consider.

[oliver sudden]

Oh dear that wasn't my cup of tea at all. Alas I very much need a bit of bite and spontaneity in my Mozart and it seems that's precisely what our host didn't go for!

Another of those occasions when a panel would have been nice

[pastoralguy]

Lucy Parham chose her favourite version of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23 in A major.

Excerpts played:
1. Leif Ove Andsnes Mahler CO 2022 Piano entry
2. Murray Periaha ECO first piano entry
3. Rudolph Buchbinder, fortepiano, Vienna Con. Musica, Harnoncourt
4. G.Sokolov plays continuo! 'gentle touch 'plucking notes out of the piano' Mahler CO ; Pinnock
5. Clara Haskill VSO Sacher 1954 'quality playing'
6. Mitsuko Uchida earlier recording 'lyrical playing' ECO Jeffrey Tate
7. Rudolf Serkin cadenza from 1st movement, Columbia SO, A.Schneider
8. Alicia de Larrocha, Colin Davis early 1990s
SLOW MOVEMENT:
9. Clara Haskill see 5. tempo 'on the go' 'great simplicity VSO Paul Sacher
10. Back to Mitsuko Uchuda 6. Serenity 'time suspended' c.1990
11. Buchbinder: issues with tuning , masterclass in decoration see 3. Vienna Con. Mus.
12. Murray Periaha 'achingly beautiful see 2.
RONDO FINALE
13. G.Sokolov 'effervescent brilliance', listen to bassoon!
14. In the running:
G.Sokolov, Alicia de Larrocha (new excerpt) & ...
15. Another short-listed Murray Periaha 'endlessly playful' but not the fastest

Last two include Alicia de Larrocha , 1991,which 'sings with an inner voice' and Murray Periaha.
16. Winner: Murray Periaha ' one of the greatest Mozart pianists of our age' 1980s Sony: alone or in complete piano concerti cycle

Excellent summary, sir!

[LMcD]

Oh dear that wasn't my cup of tea at all. Alas I very much need a bit of bite and spontaneity in my Mozart and it seems that's precisely what our host didn't go for!

Another of those occasions when a panel would have been nice

Une tribune anglaise?

[CallMePaul]

There are so many interesting HIPP recordings available ; it was exasperating (if not unexpected) that Lucy Parham only chose one to consider.

This seems increasingly to be the case when any work post-1750 is under consideration. Is this the reviewer's choice or is there editorial/ production presure to concentrate on modern instrument recordings?
On a not entirely unrelated point, why does Andrew McG always emphasise that the reviewer is a pianist when this is the case? I noticed it a couple of weeks ago with Joanna MacGregor and earlier on with Alyson Devenish.

[HighlandDougie]

This seems increasingly to be the case when any work post-1750 is under consideration. Is this the reviewer's choice or is there editorial/ production presure to concentrate on modern instrument recordings?
On a not entirely unrelated point, why does Andrew McG always emphasise that the reviewer is a pianist when this is the case? I noticed it a couple of weeks ago with Joanna MacGregor and earlier on with Alyson Devenish.

I doubt whether there is editorial pressure, unless the reviewer wanted, say, nothing but HiPP recordings. Lucy Parham is used, I suspect, to play modern pianos rather than anything more historic so, apart from Buchbinder, went for the seductive sound of Perahia and de Larrocha (and Haskil) rather than anything more astringent. Who wouldn't like her top two but it was all a bit, to use that horrible Americanism, "meh".

[Roger Webb]

I doubt whether there is editorial pressure, unless the reviewer wanted, say, nothing but HiPP recordings. Lucy Parham is used, I suspect, to play modern pianos rather than anything more historic so, apart from Buchbinder, went for the seductive sound of Perahia and de Larrocha (and Haskil) rather than anything more astringent. Who wouldn't like her top two but it was all a bit, to use that horrible Americanism, "meh".

At least most other reviewers have given a rundown of the many prominent other recordings with a comment as to why they were not selected for playing. It's all a matter of the available time (45 mins is just not long enough) and that there's just more chat between the two of them. When it was studio made more recordings could be represented by being played and gradually eliminated, not so much time was wasted.....and fewer mistakes!

I'm happyish, my Lp version was chosen, but I would have thought, more Period Perfs should be represented in this day and age.....incl. Bilson my CD choice!

[oliver sudden]

At least most other reviewers have given a rundown of the many prominent other recordings with a comment as to why they were not selected for playing. It's all a matter of the available time (45 mins is just not long enough) and that there's just more chat between the two of them. When it was studio made more recordings could be represented by being played and gradually eliminated, not so much time was wasted.....and fewer mistakes!

I'm happyish, my Lp version was chosen, but I would have thought, more Period Perfs should be represented in this day and age.....incl. Bilson my CD choice!

I’m happy for a BaL or a Tribune to focus on ‘modern’ instruments and obviously happy for them to focus on the HIPP side of the discography (let’s face it, for most repertoire ‘staples’ 45 minutes is not going to be enough to do the slightest justice to the entire catalogue) but just having one token fortepiano was neither fish nor fowl for me I’m afraid!

At one point in the Sokolov I wondered if he was being paid by the minute.

[LMcD]

I’m happy for a BaL or a Tribune to focus on ‘modern’ instruments and obviously happy for them to focus on the HIPP side of the discography (let’s face it, for most repertoire ‘staples’ 45 minutes is not going to be enough to do the slightest justice to the entire catalogue) but just having one token fortepiano was neither fish nor fowl for me I’m afraid!

At one point in the Sokolov I wondered if he was being paid by the minute.

Are people going to be prepared to spend an hour or more on a Saturday afternoon listening to RR or will they tune in at 3.45 p.m (or whenever the winner on the expanded review is announced), or go to Sounds or BBC Radio 3 Schedules to find out who was the winner?

[french frank]

I was given the Brilliant complete Mozart box and have just checked who performed K488. All the concertos were played by Derek Han - not a name heard mentioned much round these parts, yet Musicweb was quite complimentary. Any thoughts? I only have Bilson and Géza Anda, and prefer Bilson. I have Han down as a sort of Jenő Jandó, reliably good if not a megastar.

[oliver sudden]

Are people going to be prepared to spend an hour or more on a Saturday afternoon listening to RR or will they tune in at 3.45 p.m (or whenever the winner on the expanded review is announced), or go to Sounds or BBC Radio 3 Schedules to find out who was the winner?

I hate to keep comparing BaL to La Tribune but I must admit that the whole idea of a ‘winner’ is a) not so hugely interesting as far as I’m concerned and b) even less so when it just boils down to one reviewer’s opinion (as opposed to the result of a battle of shining wits).

[Goon525]

Does anyone understand why she started with Andsnes, seemed to like it and made no critical comment, and then never mentioned it again?

[LMcD]

Does anyone understand why she started with Andsnes, seemed to like it and made no critical comment, and then never mentioned it again?

Perhaps he had to leif because his time was ove.

[smittims]

I agree with Oliver, and that is one reason why I rarely listen to BaL these days, though I was a regular listener fifty years ago or so. Particularly with a work like K488 one surely needs to acept that there are many different but equally-valid interpretations. My own favourites would fbe Solomon and Gieseking, but I wouldn't expect many to agree.

.I think that they sometimes lose sight of the probability that the programme isn't for people who already have many versions of the work and are looking for a fascinating niche interpretation, but those who are new to it and want one good, clear, safe record of the music . I remember once they did Schoenberg's Pelleas und Melisande and the chosen version for this very richly-scored piece was a historic recording with , to say the least , limited sound, which they chose because they liked the performance.