Brazilian composer

Thanks, Jarrett. Maybe if I had called the thread Brazilian Birds I would have had an overwhelming response!

I would probably now rate Messiaen as my favourite composer. There is a superb collection of the piano works played by Peter Hill, which, most particularly in Catalogue d'Oiseaux, has a hypnotic inner glow. (The set is available on Amazon UK at a very low price). Peter Hill's writings on Messiaen are also lucid and revealing. I was in Tokyo last week and noticed that there were some Japanese pianists who had recorded on the Fontec label - maybe I will try one or two of these, as the Japanese are deeply receptive to his music.

Other less well-known Messiaen works which are worth trying would be Chronochromie, Concert a Quatre and Eclairs sur l'au dela.

In a similar vein, the piano sonata of Barraque is worth trying. I must try some of his other work.

Cheers

David

Jarrett ; I haven't tried any of the Austbo recordings on Naxos, but they get consistently good reviews. I also notice that the Anatol Ugorski reading of Catalogue d'Oiseaux was now available in a "trio" set at half price.

For Vingt Regards, the main alternative reading I listen to is that by Aimard. This is bold and declamatory, which he carries off exceptionally well ; Hill is more gentle and lucid - both are excellent. I also have a recording by Yvonne Loriod on Erato ; her playing is good, but the recording is recessed and badly focussed, and this wouldn't be my first choice. Apart from some of the Japanese versions I mentioned earlier, I would also like to try Steven Osborne's reading on Hyperion which I hear is very good.

For Visions de l'Amen, I think that the Rabinovitch / Argerich one is hard to beat.

When I lived in Tokyo I did try some Takemitsu, mainly because of his references to Finnegans Wake which has been a minor obsession for about two decades, but didn't really find his music exceptional. Far better to go to Debussy directly - there is a very good set of the piano music by Samson Francois. Maybe you can give me some pointers for Takemitsu?

Jarrett ; well, I found a copy of the Anatol Ugorski Catalogue d'Oiseaux and La Fauvette des Jardins in the new trio set (same price as the Austbo/Naxos set), and it does sound good on first hearing - it doesn't displace Peter Hill's set (difficult to think what could), but it is different and as it's a convenient size, it could end up being a good travel companion. I'm not sure why this music is not better known - La Fauvette in particular is a sustained outpouring of lyricism.

I seem to be gravitating towards music of this era more and more - Cage (Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano), Barraque's sonata and Stockhausen (Klavierstucke) - any other good ideas?