Pianists are getting better, and recordings too.

I've played on one in a dealer/promo thing they were doing...

Bloody dreadful! But as far as digital pianos are concerned, quite decent.

However, NO electronic piano can compete with the real thing!

We heard the new Yamaha electric piano at a local dealer a couple of months back.

Much ado about nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by Dan Carney:
Out of interest, does anyone know what piano Fred Simon is playing on the recording of 'Poetspeak' (the one based on the Schumann...).

It has a lovely 'round' tone in the middle register.

Thanks for asking, Dan. It's a Grotrian. Glad you dug it.

All best,
Fred

The Stephen Hough Rachmaninoff Concertos came a couple of hours ago.

I have heard the 2nd and 3rd concertos.

They are live performances, and the hall acoustic is captured quite nicely.

The playing is flawless, and the balances between orchestra and piano are just about perfect.

On first listen, I find it a tad fast and unyielding. I am used to these at a more relaxed pace, with a generous rubato.

This is a prime example of why things have to be listened to more than once. You have to get used to things :-)

Fred,

Thanks for that!

Mike,

They are quite surprisingly quick. However, I think they are in-line with Rachmaninoff's own recordings. His playing is absolutely superb - on the surface he seems quite reserved. However, each listen tends to reveal more for me. They get better and better. He is a master of subtlety. Very different to my favourite Rachmaninoff 2 by Zimerman

There is a real sense of unity between Hough and Litton/DSO, and as you correctly point out, a great balance (although, just sometimes I'd like a little more piano...).

The 'Rach Pag' is brimming with excitement, and that XVIIIth variation... Yummy!

Rumour has it, the Hough Tchaikovsky Concerti will be released in a few months...


P.S. He is the godfather of my teacher's children.

Some of you may find his Telegraph blog very interesting (I do...)

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/c...author/stephenhough/

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:


I have been chewing on this one for months, and it is finally beginning to penetrate my thick hide.

Absolutely beautiful.

Highly recommended.

Got this around Christmas time, and it's indeed absolutely beautiful. I've played many of Mendelssohn's Songs without Words over the years, and it's so inspiring to hear a master like Barenboim bring them to life.

All best,
Fred

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:

I really don't like that Bartok, the themes are "clumsy".

Mike, is that "I really don't like that Bartok" piece, i.e., the piano concerto, or "I really don't like that Bartok" fellow at all?

Wondering,
Fred

I'm rather excited at the thought of listening to a 'new' CD by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, released by DG towards the end of last year. It contains live recordings made in Paris of Schumann's Piano Concerto, in 1984 with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Orchestre de Paris, and of four of Debussy's Images, recorded in 1982.

They don't make 'em like ABM any more!

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:

I really don't like that Bartok, the themes are "clumsy".

Mike, is that "I really don't like that Bartok" piece, i.e., the piano concerto, or "I really don't like that Bartok" fellow at all?

Wondering,
Fred

I like some of Bartok's work, such as the Concerto for Orchestra, but am uncomfortable with others, such as his string quartets and piano concertos.

It's not anything analytical, I just find that some of his folk based themes sound a bit clumsy to my ear.

This is just another personal weakness that might correct itself with more listening.

The Bartok String Quartets contain more agony than I want to subject myself to. I need a little more harmony and resolution than they offer.

Gave another listen to the Hough Rachmaninoff Concertos. I have accepted his tempos.

They are full of grace and polish, and do very well in showing off the beautiful melodies in this music.

Hough's playing is just stupendous.

Mike,

I'm happy to hear that the Hough is going down well.

I've not been listening (much) for a few days... the special piano lesson is approaching!

However, a pianist friend of mine has 'shown' me a couple of snippets of Julius Katchen's Complete Brahms (solo) set.

We listened in his Jag... I was unable to really form an opinion, or listen for production values, etc. but what I heard sounded quite promising!

Have any of you heard this box set?

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:

I like some of Bartok's work, such as the Concerto for Orchestra, but am uncomfortable with others, such as his string quartets and piano concertos.

It's not anything analytical, I just find that some of his folk based themes sound a bit clumsy to my ear.

This is just another personal weakness that might correct itself with more listening.

If you're interested in digging into Bartok (and I think someone who is as into Stravinsky as you are would do well to do so), besides the wonderful Concerto for Orchestra, an early piece of his, I'd give a strong plug for Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste and 3 Village Scenes.

Here are a few thoughts about Bartok ... some of his work, such as Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste, utilizes the Fibonacci series (1,1,2,3,5,8, etc.) and the Golden Section (A+B is to A as A is to B) in its formal organization. But unlike the somewhat forced and arbitrary nature of serialism, these principles are derived from nature itself ... found in things like the chambered nautilus and pine cones, and in that sense, Bartok's uses them as a skeleton.

The seeming clumsiness of some of his tunes is due in part to his use of Eastern European folk songs (he was a musicologist). Not only is there an inherent roughness in most folk music, many of these songs are in odd meters, neither strictly duple or triple but combinations of each. It's absolutely possible to become as comfortable hearing, and more importantly, feeling these meters, but it takes immersion over time. At a certain point they no longer sound or feel clumsy.

I think the three pieces I mentioned above are a great door into Bartok. The string quartets are amazing, but more challenging, influenced, as they were, by Beethoven's late string quartets.

By the way, my ten-year-old daughter loves Bartok, too, and has learned many pieces in the Schirmer edition of Album For the Young. Beautiful stuff, and a great way to get your hands on some Bartok.

All best,
Fred

In addition to Fred's suggestion, two other of my favorite Bartok pieces are the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (not the one with orchestra, just the original chamber version) and the Divertimento for Strings. His Second Violin Concerto and Sixth String Quartet are also excellent. He also wrote a lot of very fine piano music--Sonata, Out of Doors, Allegro Barbaro, Hungarian Peasant Songs.....he's a great composer in my opinion

Thanks Fred & Oldnslow, I think it's a good time to make a push on Bartok.

I know and love the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celest, the Miraculous Mandarin
and Music for Two pianos and percussion.

I have the violin and piano concertos, but have never developed an affection for them. This is where I will begin.

The Bartok String Quartets are another matter. To me they are the sounds of desperation and agony, and from what I've read of Bartok, those were his emotions when he wrote these quartets.

For several years I have avoided music filled with negative emotion, as it brings no pleasure.

Fred, I can hear the meter changes in the melodies, but they sound arbitrary at times. As you say, folk tunes are a little rough around the edges. This is where I really need to train my ear, to accept these folk melodies for what they are.

Stravinsky also has major influences in folk music, but they are transformed into something more elegant than what I find in Bartok. The meter changes are still there, but there is a flow in Stravinsky I find missing in Bartok.

Of course, the Stravinsky I'm speaking of is his dance music, where everything must flow for the dance.

Once again, a final note. Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra" was written in 1943, two years before his death, and so belongs to his mature period.

Gave a third listen to Hough doing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3. The playing is stupendous, but somehow doesn't suit the music. It is so fast, all the romance is given away in favor of drama. Drama is best in smaller doses, or in music built to take it. These melodies beg for romance. It makes them light up.

These are simple issues to fix :

1 - Slow down until the ebb and flow of the melodies begins to breathe.

2 - Apply rubato as the spirit moves you.

i.e. relax. This music demands it.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:
Once again, a final note. Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra" was written in 1943, two years before his death, and so belongs to his mature period.

Absolutely right, my mistake. Still highly recommended.

Best,
Fred

I listened to Pollini/Abbado/Chicago/DGG do the 1st and 2nd piano concertos early this morning.

Fred, I see the connection between Stravinsky and Bartok.

Somehow, the Bartok seems less satisfying than the Stravinsky. My emotional response to music is a reaction to the pattern of tension and release. The music brings you up, then it brings you back.

In the Stravinsky the moment of release is crystal clear, in the Bartok it is always a bit out of focus. In the Bartok, you have to wait longer. The music may even come to an end with something unresolved. Stravinsky does that to, in Petrushka, but in jest, and in service to the story.

That's how I see the harmonic differences between these two composers.

Both composers use mixed meter with a basis in folk music, but Stravinsky has edited his folk tunes, utterly transforming them while Bartok has maintained their integrity.

The Bartok is harder for me to love. Still, he has come alive in my imagination. Who knows what that will lead to.

Just random thoughts.

How do you learn to accept music that breaks with traditional western art harmony and rhythm, so that you enjoy it and might even come to love it?

How do you break through ingrained habit to allow new music in?

Due to illness, my wife and I have been denied the pleasures of live music for about two years.

Next weekend, we are going out to hear some, and every weekend for a while.

This lack of live input has reduced my listening sessions to functional autopsies, devoid of real joy.

I am hoping that a few weekends of the live stuff will restore my sense of playfulness, and let me approach Bartok with a sense of anticipation and adventure.

Wish me luck :-)

Just a note to Dan Carney, whose recital is sometime this upcoming week (not sure which day) at university.

Best wishes, Dan, I hope it is an amazing experience for you. Relax, let the music flow, and do your best. I am sure, from your personality displayed here, that you have prepared well.

And, when time allows, let us know how it all has gone.

regards
Jeff A

Dear Jeff,

Many thanks for your kind and encouraging words.

My recital is on the 28th (Thursday). In addition, my lesson with Martin Roscoe is today (!).

I've prepared as well as I can, and I'll hope for the best. However, sometimes, things don't always go as planned... Anyway, positive attitude.

I may be a little quiet on the forum from now until Thursday. However, as promised, I will report, in full, on this week's engagements!

Best wishes,

Dan

quote:

Originally posted by Dan Carney:

My recital is on the 28th (Thursday). In addition, my lesson with Martin Roscoe is today (!).

That will be a post to read two or three times. Go get em Dan! Good Luck :-)

Can't wait to read your results.

Thanks for the encouragement, Mike.

Just returned from my lesson with Martin Roscoe...

Positive news, he has agreed to see me again on an 'every now and then' basis! Works for me...

quote:

Originally posted by Dan Carney:
Just returned from my lesson with Martin Roscoe...
Positive news, he has agreed to see me again on an 'every now and then' basis! Works for me...

Excellent news, Dan. Forward momentum .... have a great week !

Jeff A