Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
Sun, Dec 11 2011, 7:40AM
#2
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
...but what I am really hoping is someone will give us another recoring of the Busoni version - odd and quirky that it seems to be (I have not heard it yet).
I'm not clear naupilus - is there something wrong with the Sara Davis Buechner version and what have you not heard?
Sun, Dec 11 2011, 8:03AM
#3
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
I'm not clear naupilus - is there something wrong with the Sara Davis Buechner version and what have you not heard?
Kev
I have not heard the Bach/Busoni Goldberg yet, in any form. What do you think of the Buechner version - is it worth listening to?
Mon, Dec 12 2011, 5:40PM
#4
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
What do you think of the Buechner version - is it worth listening to?
Naupilus, I haven't decided whether to buy the CD yet - I've listened to it on Spotify a couple of times and see it as more of a curiosity than a 'must have' CD. But that might change.
Busoni wasn't on my radar until you mentioned him above, but he maybe now because of the following...
http://anya-laurence.suite101.com/classical-music-review-bachbusoni-cd-a...
&
'A titanic pianist, an intrepid conductor, and a first-rate musical thinker, Busoni remains isolated & enigmatic as a composer, for all the lip service done his music'...
Ferruccio's father, 'seeing his son a potential Mozart, made him practice four sequential hours every day (surprisingly feeding him Bach and other German composers)...'
Greene's Biographical 1986
Mon, Dec 12 2011, 7:07PM
#5
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
Kev
Busoni left few recordings but he is rated by many as the best pianist since Liszt. He was also a great composer, both for his magnificent Bach transcriptions and some of his own works (Naxos has been ploughing through them with some success, but you need to supplement this with Pontinen on CPO and other discs).
He also wrote an odd beast of a piano concerto, which divides opinions (although I love it, I can see why it never became core repetoire) and some special orchestral works, most fo which are pretty short in length.
Busoni's link to Liszt is interesting. Busoni gave a series of all Liszt concerts that made people sit up and listen again to the composer at a time when he was not so recognised. He also came up with the glorious phrase, "Music is sonorous air".
Tue, Dec 13 2011, 7:23AM
#6
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
He also wrote an odd beast of a piano concerto, which divides opinions...
Naupilus, I enjoy some controversy. Spotify have this by John Ogden so I'll give it a try and get back to you. At over 70 minutes though, I'll have to factor it in somewhere in my busy listening schedule. :-)
Do you listen to any other lesser known composers that I should know about?
Tue, Dec 13 2011, 7:48AM
#7
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
p.s. I see that Presto Classical have some interesting discs under Busoni. I've ordered the Naxos A-Z to start with. The other discs I'm not so sure of - I'm a bit wary of mechanical reproducing pianos.
Wed, Dec 14 2011, 1:05AM
#8
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
Do you listen to any other lesser known composers that I should know about?
Kev
I am no expert and have over the last few years developed a rather random need to explore all sorts of music, with varying degrees of pleasure. So any tps below come with the caveat that they are personal choices.
Martinu - some really great music. Start with the string quartets, violin concertos and possibly one or two of the symphonies.
Berwald - lovely symphonies, very much in the mould of Mendelssohn.
Alkan - new passion of the year for me. Contemporary of Liszt and Chopin, almost forgotten.
Hindemith - He needs very careful listening but really there is so much more to his music than the usual orchestral pieces and the kammermusik. His operas run the gamut...
Harry Partch - only for the adventurous (i.e. those who think John Cage is interesting, but too wrapped up in the establishment). A true west coast maverick - is it music? Is it classical music? Harry would probably say no to the latter.
Wolfgang Rihm - you have to like modern music. You have to like music that takes few prisoners. If you do, then Rihm is one of the most interesting composers at work today. Start with 'Jagden und Formen' and the concerto pieces.
Wed, Dec 14 2011, 7:47AM
#9
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
Thanks for that Naupilus - I like to stray out of my comfort zone sometimes and the non-expert opinion is valuable when in the mood for trying something different. I'll be trying all your suggestions in the next few days.
Wed, Dec 14 2011, 6:55PM
#10
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
I really enjoyed all these exchanges between the author of the thread and Kev.
If I am allowed, since you move further than Liszt (which, though my huge admiration for his abilities, I'm not convinced of his complete compositional skills), I wish to recommend something "new" to listen to:
A new revelation to me was a kind of Liszt's "product" named Unspruch, a totally forgotten composer, whom the German label Genuin has brought very recently back to life with a double CD devoted to his piano music. The same label brought to light the Piano music of another overlooked French composer, namely Vincent d'Indy, in three separate discs.
Karlowicz and the more recent Bacewitz are two significant Polish composers, worthy of any attention possible.
Going back to my beloved "classical" (pre or post as well) period, if you appreciate the keyboard music of D. Scarlatti, explore the pianistic work of Soler, Galuppi, Clementi or Czerny. They are gems of music-writing for the keyboard, even when they are played on modern pianos.
Finally, indulge in the vast output of any great "well known" composer; you may find incredible pieces you were never aware of or you never thought they may were that great (some chamber and choral/vocal works of Mozart or Beethoven or Schubert, etc.).
Parla
Thu, Dec 15 2011, 8:16AM
#11
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
Thanks parla. Bacewitz is the only composer not appearing on Spotify, so I'll park him for now. My listening plan for the next few days then:
Alkan 12 Etudes op35/Marc-Andre Hamelin/Music & Arts because it's naupilus' new passion.
Urspruch Complete Works/Ana-Marija Markovina/Genuin because he was a Liszt favourite.
Busoni Piano Concerto/John Ogden/EMI 1989 Digital Remaster because it's controversial.
New music I have to listen to 2/3 times before I can digest it so I'll report back later.
Thu, Dec 15 2011, 11:31AM
#12
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
By the way, Bacewitz is a contemporary female composer.
Grasping this opportunity, please kindly note that, in German label Gramola, there are two great recordings of Piano music of the father (the great) Ignaz Pleyel and the son Pleyel (Camille). It was a revelation to me, particularly the very exciting recording of the works of the very gifted son, since the father has already a reputation (and a whole new concert hall in France) of hiw own.
Parla
Thu, Dec 15 2011, 2:21PM
#13
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
Yes, Karlowicz has come up before under the "lesser known composers" post which would seem to be where this thread has headed and should be redirected.
Kev wrote of the following quotation about Busoni "a titanic pianist, intrepid conductor and a first rate musical thinker Busoni remains isolated and enigmatic as a composer"
Well perhaps not surprising that he remains isolated as a composer. Best of luck with his overlong piano concerto (tell us what you think of it). At least it is just about listenable to unlike his Fantasia Contrapuntistica which John Ogdon again heroically hammers his way through.
Sat, Dec 17 2011, 9:42AM
#14
RE: Liszt 200 - how was it for you?
Yes, Karlowicz has come up before under the "lesser known composers" post which would seem to be where this thread has headed and should be redirected.
I would like to adhere to forum protocol so will continue there.
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The piano #2 and tunes - my group leader pointed to the bold opening of the #1 and said that there was no comparable phrase in the #2 (which has a quiet opening).
Embarrassment and Stephen Hough - I admit to checking my bank statement when listening to music at home but make up for it by attending concerts.
I might buy the Hough recording. I have the Zimerman and Berman but haven't pinned down a preference yet because the music is not familiar enough. I recently made comparisons with Glenn Gould and Murray Perahia playing the Goldberg Variations and Perahia won easily in the end, but it took time to digest the styles.
Walker and inaccuracies - I wonder if he criticises others in the battle for the 'undisputed authority' title? Jeremy Nicholas ('The Great Composers') labels Liszt as 'a mass of contradictions' - maybe that causes disputes.
Degas - would that be famous 'Ballet Class'?
Most of the inaccuracies that Walker is commenting on tend to be with the early biographies, and in particular those written by someone who had an axe to grind. I think his desire to set the record straight is not about his ego but more about presenting a truer picture of the composer. Liszt has been consistently pigeonholed and the generalisations don't sem to hold true when you know more. I am at the point now where I am reading about the 'Annees', which is proving more than intersting because I love the pieces and have family ties to Switzerland. It just all adds to the picture, which is why we read biographies isn't it?
Regarding Goldberg Variations I have to say I have a real soft spot for Gavrilov (DG) but what I am really hoping is someone will give us another recoring of the Busoni version - odd and quirky that it seems to be (I have not heard it yet).
Naupilus