What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIII)
Posted by: Richard Dane on 01 January 2017
2017 has arrived today, so time to start this thread afresh.
Last year's thread can be found here;
New CD freshly ripped
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5/Van Cliburn/Reiner/CSO - CD rip.
(1997)
Oh yes! 
After watching of an exciting stage in the Vuelta....
UK 1970s vinyl.
Bert Schurink posted:After watching of an exciting stage in the Vuelta....
I added the review from Grammophone as I think this is a truly exceptional recording which ought to be heard by people who enjoy this music...
RACHMANINOV Etudes-tableaux. Moments musicaux
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Author:
Patrick Rucker
8 573469. RACHMANINOV Etudes-tableaux. Moments musicauxRACHMANINOV Etudes-tableaux. Moments musicaux
RACHMANINOV Etudes-tableaux. Moments musicaux
(9) Etudes-tableaux
(6) Moments musicaux
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Boris Giltburg, the Russian-born Israeli pianist who won the 2013 Queen Elisabeth Competition, is that genuine rarity: a pianist whose Rachmaninov is entirely idiomatic yet intensely personal in a way that yields fresh perspectives on this well traversed repertory.
Having many of the varied qualifications that make a great Rachmaninov player certainly helps. To begin with, Giltburg’s sense of rhythm is impeccable, with a chaste application of rubato that is organically derived from the life of the phrase. He is a master of the great surges and retractions of energy so specific to the composer. Giltburg’s pellucid sound is never forced; his large dynamic range has a soft spectrum, between mezzo-piano and ppp, which is infinitely calibrated and shaded. Clarity is everywhere paramount. Dense chordal passages maintain beautifully balanced voicing even at breakneck speed. His cantabile espressivo is that of a cultivated singer and his presto leggiero positively dazzles. Giltburg’s probing imagination unlocks within each of these small forms an individual microcosm with its own unique narrative. Rachmaninov’s affective range, which in lesser hands can seem limited, here unfurls with the natural, unaffected pride of a peacock display. If cliché and sentimentality are anathema to Giltburg, one never doubts that he speaks from the heart. His eloquence derives from a poise and restraint that, while uniquely his own, is not unlike the aristocratic delivery that was the hallmark of Rachmaninov’s playing.
The thoughtfully conceived programme looks back over two decades, from the ripe Silver-Age Symbolist/Impressionism of the second set of Etudes-tableaux, completed before Rachmaninov’s departure from Russia, to the six Moments musicaux of 1896.
The Etudes-tableaux in particular call to mind the old adage that, among musicians, the best techniques are those that draw least attention. The stillness from which conflict emerges and subsides in Op 39 No 2 is a quiet pool evoking some ideal, ethereal calm. The bright colours and delicate tinkling bells that embellish the folk tale of No 4 are crafted with a precision recalling Fabergé. The vast topography and heroic breadth of the mighty E flat minor, No 5, are achieved without brutality or overplaying. Even Giltburg’s most driven readings, such as the harrowing flight from the furies of No 6, are tempered with vivid contrasts that heighten their character. The molten volatility, for instance, of No 1, is simultaneously a study in shape and contour, whereas the ultimate purpose of the mercurial, swirling turbulence of No 3 is withheld until the final, desolate bars.
A visit to the younger composer in the Moments musicaux is equally rewarding. Structurally more song-like and improvisatory than the narratives woven by the Etudes, they pose subtler interpretative problems, no doubt the reason why relatively few pianists have recorded the full set. Giltburg brings a decisive integration and cohesion to these ‘miniatures’, the longest of which, admittedly, stretches to seven and a half minutes.
What makes this so special? As remote as Imperial Russia under the Romanovs seems to us today, Rachmaninov himself is relatively near. Think of the excellent recordings of his playing and conducting, the film footage and photographs, and the vast archival collections in Moscow, Washington and Switzerland. If few people alive today actually heard him play, the living tradition surrounding Rachmaninov, now 73 years after his death, is surely as rich as that of any comparable contemporary.
It may be, however, that the cumulative weight of this multivalent living tradition mitigates a truly fresh take on music so familiar that it can be said to have entered the vernacular. Listening to Rachmaninov’s contemporaries – Hofmann, for instance, or Moiseiwitsch, Rubinstein or Horowitz – play his music, one can’t help but be struck by their variety of stylistic approaches. Today, when the majority of professional pianists include some Rachmaninov in their repertoires, the interpretations seem to have shrunk to a median of predictable responses.
This, it seems to me, is what makes Giltburg’s readings so refreshing. Without ostentation or fuss, he has examined these scores in every kind of light, lived with them and come up with a vision that, without being wilfully contrarian, is nevertheless something beyond received wisdom. I suspect that before long this vision will place him among the truly memorable Rachmaninov interpreters, an elect including Moiseiwitsch, Horowitz, Kappel, Richter and Cliburn. His originality stems from a convergence of heart and mind, served by immaculate technique and motivated by a deep and abiding love for one of the 20th century’s greatest composer-pianists.
Filipe posted:
Beethoven Sonatas Op 57 (Appassionata) and Op 10 No 3 - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Another LP from Oxfam for £1.99 a few years ago.
I've also been playing the Barenboim Sonatas (HQS 1206) on EMI
No 9 in E major, Op 14, No 1
No 10 in G major, Op 14 No 2
No 12 in A flat major, Op 26
But this one beats that recording hands down. Of course Appassionata is much more well known, but this recording is absolutely tip top and draws you in from the beginning. I love his playing which is so fluid combining subtle lightness with power as required. The Barenboim recording just seemed to plod through with little excitement.
Phil
Agreed Phil. I've also struggled to enjoy Barenboim in general. Not sure why. I'm not a pianist, but some players seem to consistently connect me with the music and others not.
My favourite recording of Prokofiev's Brilliant First Symphony. He was being a Smartass parodying other composers, but clearly his ass was incredibly smart !
A 47minute Long String Quartet? It passes by in a brilliant flash...
At the end of the evening..
Mendelssohn's works for cello and piano, including the two cello sonatas, on period instruments - a fantastic record.
Cheers
EJ
Antimatter, saviour via Tidal.
Every now and then I need an album like this. Superb.
Now playing......
Charlie Haden and Antonio Forcione - Heartplay
This is a such a great album when you need some background music. Laidback and wonderful!
A little Fado for the first chance of sitting down today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OllQcPjA2wQ
Now Playing......
Nora Jones - Not Too Late
The mention from Bert above has me reaching for something from Nora, lovely voice singing all original compositions, sweet......
Now Playing......
Norah Jones - The Fall
......Continuing on with Nora's next album, thanks to Bert for the mention, certainly a nice pick me up compared to 'not to late,' although I like that album quite a bit. Anyways the journey continues on another evening.......
Now playing......
Amina Alaoui - Alcantara: Arabo-Andalusian Voice
Following the mention of Amina Alaoui by HAIM RONEN above peaked my interest and a subsequent search on Tidal revealed this album. Amina has a beautiful voice and the stunning opening track was enough to set the hook....... Looking forward to the next 13 tracks!