What are you currently listening to (Classical)?
- Thread starter Bachtoven
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He is coming to Boston to play #3 followed by Shostakovich Symphony 15, I'm looking forward to it.
Andrea Lucchesini's Beethoven piano sonatas were my best music purchase from 2018; truly stunning performances and sound quality. Recorded live.
Then it will be the chamber arrangement for the 15th symphony, which is played by a trio with three percussionists. It should be fantastic
Tonight Yuga Wang!
So avoiding the way too easy double entendre or disrespectfully playing with her name and just straight to the point Wang here is fairly wonderous.
Rachmaninov, Ligeti, Scriabin and Prokofiev makes for a lovely late romantic piano program and these are expressive and rich pieces. A recent upgrade on the caps on my horns is making great music even more so and now every session the essential quality of the music becomes even easier to engage with and also easier to discern. Much loving piano and the horns and thinking good things of Yuga Wang’s piano virtuosity at the very same time.
So avoiding the way too easy double entendre or disrespectfully playing with her name and just straight to the point Wang here is fairly wonderous.
Rachmaninov, Ligeti, Scriabin and Prokofiev makes for a lovely late romantic piano program and these are expressive and rich pieces. A recent upgrade on the caps on my horns is making great music even more so and now every session the essential quality of the music becomes even easier to engage with and also easier to discern. Much loving piano and the horns and thinking good things of Yuga Wang’s piano virtuosity at the very same time.
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The last vivacious movement of Yuga Wang’s live performance of the Prokofiev war sonata 3 from the live Berlin Concert signed me on for more.
Now joined on stage by Leonidas Kavakos for Brahms Violin sonatas
They are in some ways rather the odd couple... Leonidas the thinking man’s platonist and Wang the designer chic piano chick... but appearances are deceiving and they do genuinely make very much great music together here.
Now joined on stage by Leonidas Kavakos for Brahms Violin sonatas
They are in some ways rather the odd couple... Leonidas the thinking man’s platonist and Wang the designer chic piano chick... but appearances are deceiving and they do genuinely make very much great music together here.
Left for work this morning at 5am for a 2 and a half hour commute south on the freeway culminating in peak hour traffic congestion in Sydney before 8hrs on class... what to play in the car???
Time to pull out the ever inventive and sometimes utterly meditative Domenico Scarlatti.
I try to listen to Scarlatti on harpsichord but I never last long. Purists be damned I love this on the piano. Vladimir Horowitz first won me over with his piano transcriptions of Scarlatti. I’d get lost in the listening it had such flow. Scarlatti was never quite as celebrated as some other Baroque giants like Bach and Handel.
I’ve tried other well reviewed performances like Mikail Pletnev but they never really captured that flow of consciousness quality that Horowitz had with this music. Cue Yevgeny Sudbin. His performances recall for me that amazing flow and the mesmerism. I played this album in the car this morning and even the freeway was a pain free zone. Time passed and I was utterly at peace by the time I got into the campus for work.
Playing a bit more Scarlatti again tonight at home on the Harbeth 40.2s with the SET. This music is just good for the soul.
Time to pull out the ever inventive and sometimes utterly meditative Domenico Scarlatti.
I try to listen to Scarlatti on harpsichord but I never last long. Purists be damned I love this on the piano. Vladimir Horowitz first won me over with his piano transcriptions of Scarlatti. I’d get lost in the listening it had such flow. Scarlatti was never quite as celebrated as some other Baroque giants like Bach and Handel.
I’ve tried other well reviewed performances like Mikail Pletnev but they never really captured that flow of consciousness quality that Horowitz had with this music. Cue Yevgeny Sudbin. His performances recall for me that amazing flow and the mesmerism. I played this album in the car this morning and even the freeway was a pain free zone. Time passed and I was utterly at peace by the time I got into the campus for work.
Playing a bit more Scarlatti again tonight at home on the Harbeth 40.2s with the SET. This music is just good for the soul.
This Scarlatti is beautiful. Thankyou.
Btw I also don't enjoy listening to harpsichord longer than one song even I have an excellent pressing for that.
Tang
Death and the maiden. Schubert’s extraordinary musical expression at a time of realisation of his approaching death. Pavel Haas Quartet’s recording of this work is something I return to time and time again.At times fierce and then beautifully haunting I find this intensely involving music making. The Allegreto, the final movement based on a tarantella is traditionally a dance to ward off madness and death. Passionate, touching and marvellous. I love Schubert and I especially love this performance.
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Purists be damned indeed, I make sure to let people know of my displeasure with harpsichord on the Hoffman classical threads when I can haha!
You should hear his Rachmaninoff solo disc if you haven't absolutely amazing performances of the Chopin Variations, just as good as Ashkenazy's. I really like his Scriabin disc as well.
So far only his most recent Beethoven disc has let me down.
Scarlatti is on harpsichord or nothing for me whereas I listen to Bach on both harpsichord and piano.
Give a try to Gustav Leonhardt (RCA SEON) or get the complete recording of the 555 sonatas by Scott Ross which is only available on CDs (Erato).
In the recent releases on harpsichord, Christian Holtz recorded a beautiful version of Scarlatti's fandango and a variety of sonatas (Editions Hortus).
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Yes, I also enjoy Sudbin’s Medtner as well as the Scriabin. Will have a listen to the Chopin variations... many thanks for the pointer.
Hi ddc, over the years I’ve explored earlier music performed on original instruments and often appreciate it and can enjoy either that or modern instrument versions but for some reason the harpsichord still kind of eludes me so getting in all 555 Scarlatti sonatas on harpsichord might not be such a wise investment... strangely I can see how it could even make Scarlatti’s genius even more apparent... but I’d hit half way through a movement and I’d already be starting to get my thoughts on what music to go to next. It’s just a sonic thing... I think I like the comfort of the grand piano but do go fine with going the distance with the fortepiano.
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My issue with Scarlatti on harpsichord is Scarlatti's keyboard music is sort of "homogeneous" then combine with an instrument that can't modulate dynamics and it makes it all sound even more similar. Subdin's "transcriptions" to piano are very intelligently done.
Sudbin’s reads on them are really deeply meditative... impossible to say but I feel that Scarlatti might have approved, well maybe at any rate. Imagine what Domenico Scarlatti could have done with a growly rich and fat B3 Hammond organ or Bach might have done with a Moog... have I gone too far?
Tonight Debussy and Poulenc cello and piano sonatas Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexandre Tharaud.
Queyras seems to be renowned for taking liberties with tempi (as opposed to taking liberties with tempura) but I do rather like this music. The Poulenc is really fresh sounding and fascinating and I like a good bit of Debussy most anytime and most anywhere.
Queyras seems to be renowned for taking liberties with tempi (as opposed to taking liberties with tempura) but I do rather like this music. The Poulenc is really fresh sounding and fascinating and I like a good bit of Debussy most anytime and most anywhere.
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