BaL 20.10.12 - Schumann's Etudes symphoniques

[amateur51]

I seem to have two: Bruno-Leonardo Gelber from 1968 and Adelina de Lara from 1951.

De Lara's recording is boxy, but fascinating because she was a pupil of Clara Schumann. This is her memory of one lesson:

"I had just finished playing part of Brahms's Scherzo in E flat minor, op 4, when the door opened and in walked a short stout man. He wore a beard and his hair was long, swept back from a magnificent brow...

"The unususl intrusion into one of my teacher's lessons caused me to glance at her. Would she be annoyed? But to my surprise she was smiling at the intruder, a smile I had rarely seen before. Without greeting him she told me to repeat what I had already played. By then the visitor was standing behind me and I began to play.

"Then, as I finished the opening phrase I heard his voice: 'No, no, it is too fast - you must draw it out like this.' His hands were already on the keyboard, and Clara Schumann was saying, 'Let Dr Brahms show you, Adelina.'"

A great story, veris! Many thanks

I've only seen Bruno Leonardo-Gelber once but he made a few recordings and is still active, I believe. I rather liked his playing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Leonardo_Gelber

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjz1neFfl-k&feature=related

[antongould]

I seem to have two: Bruno-Leonardo Gelber from 1968 and Adelina de Lara from 1951.

De Lara's recording is boxy, but fascinating because she was a pupil of Clara Schumann. This is her memory of one lesson:

"I had just finished playing part of Brahms's Scherzo in E flat minor, op 4, when the door opened and in walked a short stout man. He wore a beard and his hair was long, swept back from a magnificent brow...

"The unususl intrusion into one of my teacher's lessons caused me to glance at her. Would she be annoyed? But to my surprise she was smiling at the intruder, a smile I had rarely seen before. Without greeting him she told me to repeat what I had already played. By then the visitor was standing behind me and I began to play.

"Then, as I finished the opening phrase I heard his voice: 'No, no, it is too fast - you must draw it out like this.' His hands were already on the keyboard, and Clara Schumann was saying, 'Let Dr Brahms show you, Adelina.'"

As Ams says truly wonderful story.......

On topic very much looking forward to this BAL.

[Don Petter]

I've just downloaded and listened to Cortot, which I don't recall having heard before.

I'm afraid he seems far too brash for me, and seems to rush through the work, with no dynamic subtleties, as if he's looking forward to going home.

Maybe it's my loss - I'll give it another go or two, but at the moment I have the image of a bull in a china shop.

[verismissimo]

Here is Adelina de Lara talking about Clara Schumann:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0H0P6094-8

[BBMmk2]

I do rather like Schumann's piano music but not much else in his output,buthis piano music does rather appeal to me. i especially like this work(as Itriedmy best to play this o piano).

[amateur51]

Here is Adelina de Lara talking about Clara Schumann:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0H0P6094-8

Many thanks indeed veris - a wonderful slice of musical and personal history

[amateur51]

I've just downloaded and listened to Cortot, which I don't recall having heard before.

I'm afraid he seems far too brash for me, and seems to rush through the work, with no dynamic subtleties, as if he's looking forward to going home.

Maybe it's my loss - I'll give it another go or two, but at the moment I have the image of a bull in a china shop.

I wonder if we've listened to the same performance Don? Here is Cortot in almost improvisational form in his pre-war recording - start at 57':43"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKNkXzllB3o

[Don Petter]

I wonder if we've listened to the same performance Don? Here is Cortot in almost improvisational form in his pre-war recording - start at 57':43"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKNkXzllB3o

am,

Thanks for that 1929 version. He does seem to have a lighter touch there and is much more ruminative. I need to listen to both versions some more.

The version I downloaded was from 9th May 1953, as issued on HMV ALP 1142 (Though the download came from the French issue: FALP 321). The recording of this later performance doesn't seem to help, as it feels very close up and 'in your face'.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I'm slightly horrified to find I have 5 versions, 3 apparently not mentioned yet. The mentioned ones are Ashkenazy and Grainger (Pearl CD from 78rpm discs, not piano roll). The unmentioned ones are Arrau (Philips) and Lympany (LP transfer of HMV 78s from around 1950), plus a non-Nimbus Cherkassky (Decca 433 654-2, live from Carnegie Hall 2/12/91).

We don't seem yet to have raised the issue of just how much music we want in a recording of this work: surely EA should tell us precisely how many variations are played in each version, and in which order

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphon...ies_(Schumann) will explain... Does anyone get excited about the variations that Schumann eventually ditched?

[Don Petter]

I'm slightly horrified to find I have 5 versions, 3 apparently not mentioned yet. The mentioned ones are Ashkenazy and Grainger (Pearl CD from 78rpm discs, not piano roll). The unmentioned ones are Arrau (Philips) and Lympany (LP transfer of HMV 78s from around 1950), plus a non-Nimbus Cherkassky (Decca 433 654-2, live from Carnegie Hall 2/12/91).

We don't seem yet to have raised the issue of just how much music we want in a recording of this work: surely EA should tell us precisely how many variations are played in each version, and in which order.

I trust this will be covered in the programme. Some play just the twelve from Op.13, others add all the five Op.Post, others only some of them (Anda just two, for instance), and then, as you rightly say, there is the additional question of order.


It is also a favourite work of mine. Witness the fact that when I stopped updating my record index, about fifteen years ago, I had twenty recordings (all as it happens on CD), and probably have acquired others since.

Interestingly, of those twenty, eleven are not in EA's list of those currently available:

Casadesus
Cherkassky
Demus
Gelber
Gianoli
Gilels (CD)
Moiseiwitsch
Nat
Schiff (CD)
Sofronitsky
Weissenberg

[verismissimo]

I'm liking Anda a lot...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm liking Anda a lot...

[Don Petter]

I'm liking Anda a lot...

But why did she say that the only Anda recording available was the BBC Legends one (with its poor sound) when the Testament performance is equally obtainable?

http://www.mdt.co.uk/schumann-carnaval-op-9-etudes-op-16-geza-anda-testament.html

It would have been very useful to hear how this rates against the BBC one.

(I have three Anda recordings, but not the Legends - do I need that as well? )

[gradus]

I'm a Kissin fan in this work for his sense of fantasy, brilliance and poetry and he includes all the posthumous studies. Adelina de Lara too for the association with Clara Schumann. I felt Kempf got slightly short shrift.

[Peter Katin]

Cortot does not seem to be available, except on YouTube.

I'm sorry that Cortot was only given a short quote - for sheer poetry that's the one for me.