Orchestral piano

[Ferretfancy]

Last night at the RFH I came across a great use of orchestral piano in the first movement of Shostakovich 5th where pounding chords lead into that baleful trombone statement a few minutes in giving a wonderful colour.

It was the LPO last night, conducted by Thomas Sondergard, his first engagement with the orchestra. It was a terrific performance which brought home to me what a fine symphony it is. But there, I usually think that the Shostakovich I happen to be hearing is the best!

The other work that I really wanted to hear in a live performance was Panufnik's Violin Concerto with Sergej Krylov as a stunning soloist. The work was originally written for Menuhin, and I have his EMI recording on CD. Unfortunately the recording found Menuhin at less than his best, with serious intonation problems. No such difficulty last night, it was superb.

[EdgeleyRob]

Possibly this ought to be mentioned elsewhere, but I heard this Alkan performance last evening, and it is available for re-hearing.

http://www.francemusique.fr/emission...-10-08-2016-20

Many thanks for this AM,made my home alone Sunday.
A stunning recital capped by a barnstorming Alkan Quatre Ages.
Bonus after concert Alkan miniatures and a chunk of the Cello Sonata,wish I'd paid attention in French at school all those years ago.

[Pulcinella]

Last night at the RFH I came across a great use of orchestral piano in the first movement of Shostakovich 5th where pounding chords lead into that baleful trombone statement a few minutes in giving a wonderful colour.

It was the LPO last night, conducted by Thomas Sondergard, his first engagement with the orchestra. It was a terrific performance which brought home to me what a fine symphony it is. But there, I usually think that the Shostakovich I happen to be hearing is the best!

The other work that I really wanted to hear in a live performance was Panufnik's Violin Concerto with Sergej Krylov as a stunning soloist. The work was originally written for Menuhin, and I have his EMI recording on CD. Unfortunately the recording found Menuhin at less than his best, with serious intonation problems. No such difficulty last night, it was superb.

The Shostakovich got a mention upthread (#12) from ferney!
Nice to hear that it was a good performance.

Off main topic, I too have the EMI Menuhin Panufnik (single-CD incarnation, c/w Berkeley and Williamson) but have just done a Hey Presto search and found several other recordings, including a new one on Naxos. I think jayne has spoken highly of the CPO Panufnik releases, so perhaps that's the one to go for.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/32788/Andrezej-Panufnik-Violin-Concerto

[Alain Maréchal]

Many thanks for this AM,made my home alone Sunday.
A stunning recital capped by a barnstorming Alkan Quatre Ages.
Bonus after concert Alkan miniatures and a chunk of the Cello Sonata,wish I'd paid attention in French at school all those years ago.

France Musique female announcers are often breathy, as opposed to the R3 breathless ones. I was concerned about some of Almoyel's slow tempi in Chopin and Liszt, but he convinced.

[ahinton]

Possibly this ought to be mentioned elsewhere, but I heard this Alkan performance last evening, and it is available for re-hearing.

http://www.francemusique.fr/emission...-10-08-2016-20

All those spelling mistakes/typos!...

[EdgeleyRob]

France Musique female announcers are often breathy, as opposed to the R3 breathless ones. I was concerned about some of Almoyel's slow tempi in Chopin and Liszt, but he convinced.

Saving his energy for the Alkan maybe

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Shostakovich got a mention upthread (#12) from ferney!

It did - but I don't think that the passage Ferretf mentions is the same as the one I illustrated (although the piano as an orchestral instrument is used throughout the work and with great success). I was thinking of the beginning of the Development section, where the drooping three-note figure on the strings at the end of the Exposition becomes a six-note ostinato (no "pounding chords") and the theme is then presented not by Trombones, but all four Horns in unison at the very bottom of their register. (They reach a bottom Bb [written - sounding Eb]. Off-Topic, but DSCH's orchestration in this work is stunning - the snarling sound that results is quite nastily different from Trombones playing in the same register. AND, remember, one of those players has to play the B*, three octaves higher in the Recapitulation - right at the dangerous top of the instrument's register, solo, and in canon with the solo flute, playing in its most comfortable register!)

* - B natural (sounding E natural) - the Music is in D major at this point; the only time we hear this key in the whole Symphony until the very final bars of the Finale.

[Pulcinella]

It did - but I don't think that the passage Ferretf mentions is the same as the one I illustrated (although the piano as an orchestral instrument is used throughout the work and with great success). I was thinking of the beginning of the Development section, where the drooping three-note figure on the strings at the end of the Exposition becomes a six-note ostinato (no "pounding chords") and the theme is then presented not by Trombones, but all four Horns in unison at the very bottom of their register. (They reach a bottom Bb [written - sounding Eb]. Off-Topic, but DSCH's orchestration in this work is stunning - the snarling sound that results is quite nastily different from Trombones playing in the same register. AND, remember, one of those players has to play the B*, three octaves higher in the Recapitulation - right at the dangerous top of the instrument's register, solo, and in canon with the solo flute, playing in its most comfortable register!)

* - B natural (sounding E natural) - the Music is in D major at this point; the only time we hear this key in the whole Symphony until the very final bars of the Finale.

Sounds like I need to get the score, and 'do a suffy', if you see what I mean (follow while listening!).
I have study scores of the 15 SQs, but not any of the symphonies.
Another project for the long winter evenings coming up.

PS: Can't wait till Santa reads my wishlist and brings this for me, so have ordered the score today.