What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol.IX)

Johann Sebastian Bach:  David Fray (Piano) 

Partita no 2 in C minor, BWV 826
Toccata in C minor, BWV 911

Doug,

David Fray is going to give a concert at the Chicago Symphony in May playing Mozart (piano concerto #25), Bartok and work of Mason Bates (2006).

Haim,

I've said it before but it bares repeating from time to time.  "It's just not fair!"  I hope you are taking advantage of some of these opportunities?  Of course, this explains why I have to buy so much music....

Franz Schubert:  Maria-Joao Pires (Piano) 

Piano Sonata No. 16 in A minor, D 845

Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat major, D 960

This is just lovely.  Pires knows how to only focus on beauty of the music, the spiritual aspects and a wonderfully warm tone.  She isn't in a hurry and that suites me just fine.  It's been around 16 years since her last Schubert outing with Le Voyage Magnifique and it has been well worth the wait.  That album was dedicated to Sviatoslav Richter who died that year on August 1st. 

Doug,

I don't know about Fray.. We saw last Sunday Paul Lewis playing the three late sonatas of Schubert and the next guy on my list is definitely Andre-Marc Hamelin. Pollini is also playing the first Brahms piano concerto. He is in such high demand that he is performing three nights so you can pick the one that is convenient for you.

Now that looks real good. At times it felt like Paul Lewis was in overdrive while playing the D960.

Forgotten Melodies:  Polina Leschenko (Piano)

Valse 'Amour', Op. 2 by Mischa Levitzki 

Piano Sonata no 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36 by Sergei Rachmaninov (Horowitz version)

Forgotten Melodies Cycle 1, Op. 38 by Nikolai Medtner 

Nothing I could say would come close to explaining how Polina Leschenko's playing affects me.  She leaves me totally dumbfounded as I sit goggled throughout and afterward by the effect as if intoxicated beyond measure and I can't make the right words come out of my mouth.  Well, there are no words to suffice great music and playing.  Before anyone gets too excited though I should probably just plainly state, don't worry.  This is a very personal thing and it only applies really in my strange, unique world maybe.   It just happens to have hit a nice nerve with me. I have listened to and heard a lot of music so this tends to push you somewhere eventually, looking for something off the well beaten paths of all the greats of the past century.  When I listen, I often - actually, probably always - have to relate what I hear and imagine how this is accomplished at the keyboard.  In my mind she is one special player but then an artist like this wouldn't be suited to those who would only seek one or two recordings of anything.  There are too many things I'd like to talk about that just give me goosebumps.  Polina Leschenko makes a nice contrasts for someone who might have 20 or 30 recordings already of the same thing and don't mind being pushed to the edge from time to time.

This playing simply takes my breath away.  It is unique.  It has character.  It is fresh.  It is warm and poetic and at once aggressive and masculine.  It is soft, quick, and clearly voiced.  It opens up new worlds for me and whether you like her style or not it seems to be addictive for me to feel someone else's drive and spontaneity and exotic ideas rather than someone who can just play the notes really well.   

This will be a great weekend now.

Doug

Much earlier, Leschenko on Russian TV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JWNJy-Z-xc

Pink Floyd.  The Final Cut.  2004 CD remaster.  This one has been growing on me lately.  Fifth night in a row listening to it.  I think this 2004 version has the best SQ of all my PF cds.

Doug,

Book a flight and come over! 

Haim,

Pollini is playing all Chopin program on Apr.21 and all Beethoven Sonata program on May 5th at The Carnegie.

Tempting but good seats are gone tho. 

ALL-BEETHOVEN PROGRAM

• Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13, "Pathétique"
• Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53, "Waldstein"
• Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp Major, Op. 78
• Sonata No. 23 in F Minor "Appassionata"

Program

• CHOPIN Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 45
• CHOPIN Ballade in F Major, Op. 38
• CHOPIN Ballade in A-flat Major, Op. 47
• CHOPIN Four Mazurkas, Op. 33
• CHOPIN Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 39
• DEBUSSY CLAUDE DEBUSSY Préludes, Book I

Roland Hanna: GERSHWIN CARMICHAEL CATS

A wonderful recommendation from Haim.

Nice start of the Saturday Morning:

young star ...

Cheers,

EJ

First listen and truly dreadful production in my opinion.

Listening a lended CD from a friend:

Cheers,

EJ

Very delicate and especially nice at the beginning in the high registers:

and I also would prefer it over another contender:

Everyone out....LOUD time!

I like the voice of Renee but the chosen tempo for the Four Last Songs is just too fast....