Hi EJ,

Now here's a difficult topic to assess.  I'm not entirely quite clear on what you may mean by homogenous vs. differentiated and to some extent "left" and "right."  Given your examples, I think I get the idea but I could be wrong in the end anyway.  In the end, I'm probably the last guy who should try to assess music as if I like a piece of music I'm mostly open to any genuine performance across a wide latitude of tastes and styles.  Any player should be true to there own character and personality - then you get a genuine reading.  If I have 30 different Liszt Sonatas in my collection, I can't think of any I may not find one or two virtuous qualities.  Today I may be happy with one extreme style on the left and tomorrow be equally happy with another extreme to right.  

So having said this, I think I understand where all your examples fit in except for Grimaud as I don't have any issues with Grimaud's interpretations.  All I can see is that in the complete pool of players if I split them in a broad category of those who tend to emotion, excitement, conceptual vision, strong personality vs. non-emotional, focused on text/notes only, more intellectual & conservative group it would be clear to me that Grimaud fits squarely into the first grouping.  In my terminology, I would call the former group, left of center and the latter group right of center.  Those who have some qualities of both groups but nothing overtly strong from either side go down the center.  These are the safe players who probably have the largest following because they tend not to stick out and they offend the least number of people.

Now for Pacini and Leschenko, both clearly fall in the left of center but by degrees Pacini is so much closer to the center.  She has almost a grand vision.  Very clear and lucid.  Somewhat classical at the expense of being less romanticized.  Leschenko, on the other hand is a lot farther in the left side than either Pacinini or Grimaud, in my mind anyway and for me personally, I think this is a good thing.  Grimaud might be placed in between these two somewhere.

One example that I could talk about may be in touch.  While Grimaud has a very limited variation in her touch (mostly strong and forceful) Pacini's is different in that it is very clear, focused and straighter.  Leschenko again tends to offer an even further extreme.  Very light / quick at times and then very pointed at other times (when called for).  What fascinates me is how the emotional energy is so volatile.  She can stop on a dime.  The changes can be unbelievably quick.  From angelic to demonic in a split second.  She also brings about a unique voicing as result.  Her sonata comes across to me as a fantasia.  I've only listened to it once and so my opinion will change as I get more aware of what she is doing but for example her runs are quick and light but it may be the trickery of her playing as it feels like she plays with the tempo a lot.  On the other hand, going from soft to loud very quickly on a run can also fool the listener into thinking an accelerando is occurring with the building of energy.  Either way, I commend her for being an individual and using her imagination. I get a lot out of this.

That's my side of it.  In all honesty (and I may be so wrong about this?) I would tend to hedge my bet that Leschenko may not be your cup of tea.  Pacini is a very nice recording to have and if you had only Pacini and Leschenko in your library of choices, I'm almost sure that 9.5 times out of 10 you would pick Pacini.  I think the Pacini recording sound wise is the better also to my taste.

Regards,

Doug

Maybe by midweek I'll be able to agree with you.  I really like every recording I have of David Fray so far so I don't expect to be let down.  He is such a unique and musical character.  I have been dying here for nearly three months though waiting for this.  I ordered this in December.  The problem was that Amazon.ca made a mistake and listed the release date as December 2013 instead of December 2012.  It took awhile but after I pointed this out they finally just fixed it and it should come by Tuesday!!

Igor STRAVINSKY(1881-1971)
Serenade in A (1925) [11'43].
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH(1906-1975)
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor, Op. 61 (1942) [25'57].
Sergei PROKOFIEV(1891-1953)
Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat, Op. 83 (1939-42) [19'27].
Alexander SCRIABIN(1872-1915)
Piano Sonata No. 9 in F, Op. 68, 'Messe noire' (1912/13) [8'45].

"What connects these four towering works is precisely what separates them. Over a spread of personal and social politics three decades in the making, they remain unscathed (if somewhat neglected), breathing with vibrant life at Lubimov’s fingertips."

These two make a very fine ensemble and work well together.  I like this recording very much.

Doug, this is helpful. This sonata is close to my heart. I largely didn't understand it until a pianist in a masterclass I attended, Polo de Haas, took it apart for us brick by brick - and hooked me for life. For me, it's equal parts sonata and fantasy, and that's how I like my performances best. Helene Grimaud, as you say, with a forceful toucher, goes at it and throughout the whole thing tends to forget the fantasy, or diversity, of the work. Her sense of direction and unity of approach is admirable, but so at odds with my own views I can't bear myself to like it. Pacini is very different, but it goes to show, I hear it differently from how you describe it: less classical, more romantic than most, with a touch of Argerich's and Fisher's hot headedness (e.g. sudden changes in tempo). Less of a unified canvas certainly than Grimaud, Pollini, or Zimerman.

I will give Leschenko a try - if she is as emotional and volatile as you say, she may be exactly my cup of tea!

Cheers,

EJ

Sergei Rachmaninov: Eldar Nebolsin (Piano) 

Morceaux de fantaisies, Op. 3: no 2, Prélude in C sharp minor

And now for something completely different...

Attila is one of Verdi's middle period operas, his self-professed 'galley years'. A silly, dramatic story that is nevertheless light years beyond the average libretto of previous generations, is set to excitable, tuneful music. All of Verdi's operas are IMO at least as good as the best that Bellini and Donizetti came up with (excepting a few key works, like the excellent Lucia di Lammermoor), and this one is no different. However, at this point in his career Verdi had not yet mastered the ability to give every aria, duet, ensemble or other piece of music its individual signature. As Richard Osborne has said in his recommended volume on Verdi, you could take any aria from Attila and insert it in Lombardi, Alzira or La Battagli di Legnano, and it would make musical sense. That is not possible with any part of Rigoletto or any of the operas that would follow.

Now - within that group of exchangeable operas (roughly starting with I Lombardi and ending with Aroldo), Attila is one of the better ones: musically and dramatically more coherent than the others, and relatively few uninspired episodes. If you're coming new to Verdi, it's actually an excellent choice, lots of great tunes and nice roles for soprano and bass.

Two great recordings exist: Gardelli with Ruggero Raimondi and Christina Deutekom, and Muti with Ramey and Studer. Overall, I prefer Muti for its conducting and a magnificent Cheryl Studer.

Cheers,

EJ

My first ever Elvis long playing record, purchased in 1966.

The Wallflowers "Glad All Over"

Old Yellow Moon

Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell | Format: Audio CD

Vinyl. Blue box version.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto In B flat for bassoon and orchestra, K191/186e Concerto in G for flute and orchestra, K313/285c Andante in C for flute and orchestra, K315/285e Concerto in C for flute, harp and orchestra, K299/297c

7", 45 RPM, Limited Edition, Gatefold Sleeve

On CD:-

Crippled Black Phoenix - No Sadness or Farewell

On CD:-