BaL 16.12.17 - Schubert: Piano Sonata no. 21 in B flat D960

[Bryn]

I'm listening to the Bilson now on Spotify - even at 320 it sounds very good and is worth the subscription to be able to hear all the contenders. In fact, I've put the complete Bilson Schubert in a playlist as I'm so impressed with what I'm hearing. It'll be great to dip into this in the coming weeks, especially as the download price, as has been said earlier, is a bit steep...

How reliably uninterrupted do you find Spotify Premium? I have been experiencing far too many glitches and dropouts on QOBUZ HiFi FLAC and mp3, streaming of late, even with a 100Mbps fibre.connection.

[waldo]

How reliably uninterrupted do you find Spotify Premium? I have been experiencing far too many glitches and dropouts on QOBUZ HiFi FLAC and mp3, streaming of late, even with a 100Mbps fibre.connection.

Hardly ever interrupted for me. I have basic, slow broadband, too. (I run it from my phone and into Chromecast audio, which has an optical out into my amp's own DAC........)

[Pianoman]

How reliably uninterrupted do you find Spotify Premium? I have been experiencing far too many glitches and dropouts on QOBUZ HiFi FLAC and mp3, streaming of late, even with a 100Mbps fibre.connection.

None whatsoever so far; my mediocre TalkTalk broadband copes fine. The interface is very good and finding things like this Bilson set is a real plus when they're difficult or expensive to find.

[Bryn]

Thanks waldo and Pianoman. I will sign up for the 99p a month trial on the morrow.

[richardfinegold]

I missed which Brendel recording was featured, a live performance with applause obvs., can't find the info on the website.

I'm glad I didn't delay my departure to complete my wildfowl count on the estuary, as they didn't start till 0950, so will have to listen to the whole thing later. Good to hear the ridiculously slow getting short shrift also....

I have the big Brendel box and it contains 4 versions of this work, with two being live, one from 1997, the second from 2008
I’ve just played the 1997 recording. I wouldn’t place it above the studio accounts. Here Brendel seems somewhat mannered and tentative....it’s curious that a live account would have less spontaneity than a concert performance.
Otoh, the live recording of the D.959 Sonata from the same concert is tremendous. I particularly like the way he brings out the tremolos in the first movement

[ardcarp]

I must have missed the reason for discarding the Lupu.
Anybody remember why he decided against it ?

Anyway, as ever I really enjoyed DONs review, and learned a lot from it.

Yes. Strange. He kept the Lupu right to the end, but only referred to it as 'veiled' or understated throughout. He probably admired Lulu (who wouldn't?) but didn't have time to justify his reasons because of the dreaded format. In fact DON has the clout and broadcasting experience not to be too bothered by the AMcG interjections. In fact I'd like publicly to stick up for DON, disliked as he is by some on The Forum. He is hugely well-informed and a fairly nifty pianist, and in yesterday's BAL he was being serious and to-the-point and not in his jocular-popularising-music-to-the-masses mode. Nothing wrong with that either!

[Richard Tarleton]

Yes. Strange. He kept the Lupu right to the end, but only referred to it as 'veiled' or understated throughout. He probably admired Lulu (who wouldn't?) but didn't have time to justify his reasons because of the dreaded format. In fact DON has the clout and broadcasting experience not to be too bothered by the AMcG interjections. In fact I'd like publicly to stick up for DON, disliked as he is by some on The Forum. He is hugely well-informed and a fairly nifty pianist, and in yesterday's BAL he was being serious and to-the-point and not in his jocular-popularising-music-to-the-masses mode. Nothing wrong with that either!

Couldn't agree more. I found it a most informative BAL, and like ts learnt a lot. I almost didn't mind the "dreaded format" on this occasion as DON used it well.

[Rolmill]

...He probably admired Lulu (who wouldn't?)...

Well yes, though I'm not sure "veiled or understated" suitably describes her 'Boom bang-a-bang' delivery

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

In fact I'd like publicly to stick up for DON, disliked as he is by some on The Forum. He is hugely well-informed and a fairly nifty pianist, and in yesterday's BAL he was being serious and to-the-point and not in his jocular-popularising-music-to-the-masses mode. Nothing wrong with that either!

Well, you know, he really wants to make me shout (sometimes ) - but you are quite right: when he is "being serious and to-the-point" he is an insightful and informative and very fair commentator. But the "jocular" style sounds patronising at best to me, and puts his own presentation before consideration of the Music - had this been a solo effort from him, I would have taken the chance and listened hopefully to the BaL; but the combination of a possibly "jocular" DON in combination with three hours of AMcG - well, the danger that I may have run out of Ramipril was just too great.

[BBMmk2]

How reliably uninterrupted do you find Spotify Premium? I have been experiencing far too many glitches and dropouts on QOBUZ HiFi FLAC and mp3, streaming of late, even with a 100Mbps fibre.connection.

I have no problem with Spotify Premium. Sound very good at all times. No differences at all. no glitches or droputs. Could be network trouble with your provider?

[ardcarp]

Well yes, though I'm not sure "veiled or understated" suitably describes her 'Boom bang-a-bang' delivery

[Bryn]

I have no problem with Spotify Premium. Sound very good at all times. No differences at all. no glitches or droputs. Could be network trouble with your provider?

More likely, I think, with the fact what my QOBUZ account is base in France, not the QOBUZ UK facility. It appears I can only change this when the annual renewal comes up in June (I have been with QOBUZ a few years). The way things are, including recent changes to the QOBUZ streaming security features, makes it more likely I will simply cancel, rather than switching to the UK.

[BBMmk2]

More likely, I think, with the fact what my QOBUZ account is base in France, not the QOBUZ UK facility. It appears I can only change this when the annual renewal comes up in June (I have been with QOBUZ a few years). The way things are, including recent changes to the QOBUZ streaming security features, makes it more likely I will simply cancel, rather than switching to the UK.

i was thinking with the pricing system QOBUZ has, compared to Spotify premium SP, beats it hands down, especially with the quality of the sound.

[Nick Armstrong]

I will be shocked to the core if DON does not choose a Fortepiano recording .

You'll have made a start on the Christmas brandy then, Barb...

I found this BAL rather bitty, no doubt due to the stilted "What have we got next?" dialogue format which wasted time and annoyed me more than some other two-handers in the past. Sporadically informative but after the focused interest and illumination of the recent Gerontius and Bruckner motet BALs, I found it was frustrating. No quarrel with the conclusions reached, however.

(Surprised that there hasn't been more outcry here over the fact that, DON having highlighted the first time bar and the first movement repeat, the Brendel was played without reference to its omission...)

[Pianoman]

i was thinking with the pricing system QOBUZ has, compared to Spotify premium SP, beats it hands down, especially with the quality of the sound.

Yep I have no issues at all, reliability or sound quality, and this Schubert Bilson instance is a good example of the benefits of streaming - I’m impressed with his playing of all the sonatas thus sampled, and to me his instrument is superior to the one used by Staier (also on Spotify....) As a coda, the full ECM catalogue is now on there