BaL 17.07.21 - Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor

[visualnickmos]

Agerich (a pianist whom I much admire) was not a surprising first choice, but based on the extracts played, seemed 'too perefct' for my taste, ticking just about every box the reviewer came up with. This is fine, but I felt that perhaps repeated listenings could become a little formulaic. It is certainly a work whereby many approaches are preferred, as opposed to just one. Arrau, Bolet, Brendel, Jando, to name a few, for example all tick the right boxes, and all have something of the 'unpredictable' about them. The occasional rough-edge thrown in - which is how I like to hear this work. I was rather impressed with Mr Grosvenor, too. May have to follow-up...

[Joseph K]

Katy Hamilton, as a musicologist rather than a performer (like DON, say), clearly wanted to concentrate on the music, which I think might explain why so few pianists were represented - hence the slightly longer extracts. It came across as a less "bitty" BaL than is sometimes the case. Her choice of pianists also seemed to be designed to illustrate different approaches - the Freire was there, muddy recording aside, because of his more "romantic" approach to the music, France Clidat because of her feeling for the "innerness" of some of the passages. Whatever, I thoroughly enjoyed it and, although I'm sorry that BG didn't get a second extract, I do think that Argerich deserved the laurels this morning (and not just because I have her recording).

[gurnemanz]

Agerich (a pianist whom I much admire) was not a surprising first choice, but based on the extracts played, seemed 'too perefct' for my taste, ticking just about every box the reviewer came up with. This is fine, but I felt that perhaps repeated listenings could become a little formulaic. It is certainly a work whereby many approaches are preferred, as opposed to just one. Arrau, Bolet, Brendel, Jando, to name a few, for example all tick the right boxes, and all have something of the 'unpredictable' about them. The occasional rough-edge thrown in - which is how I like to hear this work. I was rather impressed with Mr Grosvenor, too. May have to follow-up...

Good point about unpredictability, ie what you get in a live performance, especially of this work where each artist very much finds his or her own track. I mentioned somewhere above that I only really fully got into this piece the first time I heard it live - thanks to the immediacy and tension of hearing and seeing the work unfold in front of me.

[edashtav]

Katy Hamilton, as a musicologist rather than a performer (like DON, say), clearly wanted to concentrate on the music, which I think might explain why so few pianists were represented - hence the slightly longer extracts. It came across as a less "bitty" BaL than is sometimes the case. Her choice of pianists also seemed to be designed to illustrate different approaches - the Freire was there, muddy recording aside, because of his more "romantic" approach to the music, France Clidat because of her feeling for the "innerness" of some of the passages. Whatever, I thoroughly enjoyed it and, although I'm sorry that BG didn't get a second extract, I do think that Argerich deserved the laurels this morning (and not just because I have her recording).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Did she, in fact, record it in 1961 at all??

She didn't. I've removed it from the Liszt (sorry - list).

[vinteuil]

She didn't. I've removed it from the Liszt (sorry - list).

... ah, thanks for resolving the mystery, and pruning the liszt



.

[Maclintick]

Katy Hamilton, as a musicologist rather than a performer (like DON, say), clearly wanted to concentrate on the music, which I think might explain why so few pianists were represented - hence the slightly longer extracts. It came across as a less "bitty" BaL than is sometimes the case. Her choice of pianists also seemed to be designed to illustrate different approaches - the Freire was there, muddy recording aside, because of his more "romantic" approach to the music, France Clidat because of her feeling for the "innerness" of some of the passages. Whatever, I thoroughly enjoyed it and, although I'm sorry that BG didn't get a second extract, I do think that Argerich deserved the laurels this morning (and not just because I have her recording).

Spot on, HD. I could have done with another BG snippet, but no quibbles with KH's choices or her justification of them, & I feel sure DON would have appreciated her comments on pianistic technique & stylistic variety, the inclusion of the mercurial Cherkassky, & her depiction of Horowitz's "filigree" fingerwork. The period-instrument Michiels extracts were impressive, too -- I've never heard those gravelly 8ve Bassa chords sounding more menacing, as though the 1860s Bechstein was fighting back..

[Bryn]

Spot on, HD. I could have done with another BG snippet, but no quibbles with KH's choices or her justification of them, & I feel sure DON would have appreciated her comments on pianistic technique & stylistic variety, the inclusion of the mercurial Cherkassky, & her depiction of Horowitz's "filigree" fingerwork. The period-instrument Michiels extracts were impressive, too -- I've never heard those gravelly 8ve Bassa chords sounding more menacing, as though the 1860s Bechstein was fighting back..

I have not listened (yet). Did Liszt devotee Leslie Howard get a mention?

[vinteuil]

I have not listened (yet). Did Liszt devotee Leslie Howard get a mention?

nope

[Ein Heldenleben]

Spot on, HD. I could have done with another BG snippet, but no quibbles with KH's choices or her justification of them, & I feel sure DON would have appreciated her comments on pianistic technique & stylistic variety, the inclusion of the mercurial Cherkassky, & her depiction of Horowitz's "filigree" fingerwork. The period-instrument Michiels extracts were impressive, too -- I've never heard those gravelly 8ve Bassa chords sounding more menacing, as though the 1860s Bechstein was fighting back..

Yes too much of the focus with Horowitz is in his amazing octaves - not just the B major scales but the enormously demanding section that follows in the right hand that is then repeated in the left. How Horowitz can do that after the unbelievably delicate and musically sensitive filigree work on the excerpt is one of the miracles of the world . Just disappointed in the lack of Richter - I guess the dropped notes counted against him.

[Maclintick]

Just disappointed in the lack of Richter - I guess the dropped notes counted against him.

Yes. Richter not the only lacuna. I could happily have lisztened to a 90 min programme on this piece with extracts of Arrau, Brendel, Howard, inter alia.

[Jonathan]

Yes. Richter not the only lacuna. I could happily have lisztened to a 90 min programme on this piece with extracts of Arrau, Brendel, Howard, inter alia.

As would I!

[BBMmk2]

I presume that’s the DG recording? I have already. Very good too!