BaL 28.05.16 - Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op17

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Kenneth Hamilton recommends a recording of Schumann’s Fantasie, Op17

The Fantasie in C major was composed by Robert Schumann in 1836. It is popularly thought of as one of Schumann’s greatest works for solo piano. It had its origins in a piece Schumann composed to express his unhappiness at being parted from his beloved Clara Wieck, whom he later married. This later became part of a work meant as a contribution to the appeal for funds to erect a monument to Beethoven in his birthplace, Bonn. It was eventually published in 1839 with a dedication to Franz Liszt.

Available versions:

Dag Achatz
Joaquín Achúcarro
Rune Alver
Géza Anda
Audrey Andrist
Leif Ove Andsnes (download)
Martha Argerich
Claudio Arrau (multiple versions)
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Wilhelm Backhaus
Volker Banfield (download)
Stephen Beville
Idil Biret
Jonathan Biss
Christina Bjørkøe
Jorge Bolet
Alfred Brendel (multiple versions)
Nicolas Bringuier
Luca Buratto
Pedro Burmester
Dino Ciani
Shura Cherkassky
Clifford Curzon (multiple versions)
Michel Dalberto (download)
Jorg Demus
Danae Dorken
Alexander Drozdov
Sergei Edelmann
Youri Egorov
Timothy Ehlen (download)
Sergio Fiorentino
Annie Fischer
Yakov Flier
Walter Gieseking
Jakob Gimpel (download)
Bernd Glemser
Daniel Gortler
Naum Grubert
Susanne Grützmann
Andreas Haefliger
Marc-André Hamelin
Hideyo Harada
Ian Holtham
Michael Houstoun (download)
Julian Jacobson
Jin Ju
Vladimir Horowitz (multiple versions)
Stephen Hough (download)
Julius Katchen (download)
Cyprien Katsaris
Wilhelm Kempff (multiple versions)
Kevin Kenner
Stanislav Khristenko
Evgeny Kissin (download)
Anton Kuerti
Alicia de Larrocha
Ignacy Lisiecki
Paul Lewis
John Lill
Louis Lortie
Jean-Pierre Marty
Florence Millet
Barbara Moser
Eugene Mursky
Yves Nat
Lucia Negro
Thomas Nutzenberger
Ian Parker (download)
Rebecca Penneys
Murray Perahia (download)
Vlado Perlemuter
Carmen Piazzini
Herbert de Plessis
Mikhail Pletnev
Maurizio Pollini
Sviatoslav Richter (multiple versions)
Bruno Rigutto
Arthur Rubinstein
Eric Le Sage
Lise de la Salle
Felipe Scagliusi
Olga Scheps
András Schiff
Annerose Schmidt
Eric Schneider
Joel Schoenhals (download)
Leonard Shure
Vytautas Smetona (download)
Grigory Sokolov
Vladimir Sofronitsky
Michael Studer
Jeffrey Swann
Claudius Tanski
Annika Treutler
Valerie Tryon
Mitsuko Uchida
Florian Uhlig
Denes Varjon
Dinorah Varsi
Tamas Vasary
Gerhard Vielhaber (download)
Ferenc Vizi
Lars Vogt
Arcadi Volodos
Mikhail Voskresensky
Alexis Weissenberg
Earl Wild
David Wilde
Cordelia Williams
Klára Würtz
Avan Yu
Li Yundi
Juana Zayas (download)


Orchestrated by Joseph James:
English Chamber Orchestra with members of the Schubert Ensemble, Orlando Jopling

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Sterling listing, Alpie - one of the greatest works written for piano by anyone, I would say. I already have Pollini, Perrahia, Lewis, and Demus. Still quite keen to add another disc or two - especially any recorded using a piano from around the time the work was written.

[aeolium]

Excellent work, EA - back to the archive mines after a relatively comfortable week with Handel's Alcina! Pollini I think won the palm last time this was on BaL in 2003, with Richter as a budget choice. Lots of recordings since then though....

[silvestrione]

What an astonsihing list! Agree this is a masterpiece. Love the Pollini, Richter and Arrau versions, but might go for an interesting addition!

[Jonathan]

Indeed, a marvelous work. I believe there is a recording by Charles Rosen of the earlier version (please correct me if I am wrong!)

[Pianorak]

Astonishing list indeed! Richter, Arrau's Ascona 1959 and Jonathan Biss recordings are among my favourites - but seems I haven't even scratched the surface.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Astonishing list indeed! Richter, Arrau's Ascona 1959 and Jonathan Biss recordings are among my favourites - but seems I haven't even scratched the surface.

The CDs play much better this way.

[Nick Armstrong]

Fantastic list Alpie. And a fantastic piece. I have Perahia, Schiff and neighbour Tamás

Heard a spellbinding perfomance live a year or so ago in Reading by Radu Lupu (who is surprisingly absent from the discography).

Looking forward to this BAL (though I wish it were Stephen Plaistow, who's always great at Schumann recordings, good though Kenneth Hamilton is)

[Pianorak]

The CDs play much better this way.

Trust you! I suppose I was asking for that.

[gradus]

Only ever heard the earlier version once but I look forward to learning more about it though with a list as long as the above I suppose it's unlikely that Mr Hamilton will find the time to say much about it.
If ever a work cried out for an extended edition of Performances on Record this must be it.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Hmm, haven't taken out insurance against expenditure on a new version - Ashkenazy, Brendel, Curzon and A Fischer have long been on the shelves, and really should be enough.

But if I'm feeling adventurous there's a still-sealed s/h LP of Pollini that I was given a wee while ago...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But if I'm feeling adventurous there's a still-sealed s/h LP of Pollini that I was given a wee while ago...

The Pollini is very, VERY good.

[LeMartinPecheur]

The Pollini is very, VERY good.

That is its, and his, reputation but he and I don't always get along I'm afraid Too often I find him formidable technically but completely glacial expressively. But I do keep trying, e.g. his LvB late sonatas most recently.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

That is its, and his, reputation but he and I don't always get along I'm afraid Too often I find him formidable technically but completely glacial expressively. But I do keep trying, e.g. his LvB late sonatas most recently.

Yes - a lot of people find this. All I can say is that Pollini's work is white hot for me - completely involving and convincing. (I seem to like many performers and composers who are often described as "cold"; the lack of "emoting" is something that really warms the cockles of my heart, mind, and soul - exposing the wonders of the Music for me better than any other approach.) So it goes.

[silvestrione]

Astonishing list indeed! Richter, Arrau's Ascona 1959 and Jonathan Biss recordings are among my favourites - but seems I haven't even scratched the surface.

Yes: unfortunately the sound on the Arrau Ascona version is not great. I especially like Arrau live, and his 1963 Ravel Gaspard on Ermitage is in good sound and a revelation.
The live Richter versions are more committed than his (nevertheless very fine) EMI disc, but also suffer from poor sound and/or 'accidents'!