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Beethoven piano sonatas by Alexander Lonquich, Tamara Stefanovich, Tom Beghin and Peter Takacs.
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mandryka
Oct 6, 2012, 11:21:35 AM10/6/12
to
Tom put me on to Alexander Lonquich quite recently by mentioning his
Schubert CD. . His Beethoven Op 7 is quite simply incandescent,
certainly one of the best records of that I’ve heard. It’s on a live
CD from the Ruhr festival, with some other works, notably an excellent
op 79 – more less light hearted than usual and none the worse for that
– from Tamara Stefanovich.
Who’d have thought that someone could say something new with Op 111,
but Tom Beghin does that in the first movement at least, with a
wonderful, revelatory sense of the ebb and flow of the music, as if
the music is moving constantly from hyper activity to exhaustion. The
variations have a unity about them, this I a synthesising, integrating
interpretation and I think that that’s the best way to play this
movement. He has ideas about ornamentation and rhythm too. Texturally
some of the things he does is astonishing – I have never hears such
light and airy sounds produced from a piano before.
What impressed me about Peter Takacs’s Op 106 was the orchestral
sonorities he manages to create. Lena posted once about Kocsis here,
about how Kocsis at his best strobe lights the music, revealing
hitherto unsuspected sonorities. Well I think there’s quite a bit of
this in Peter Takacs too and for that reason alone I think this is a
valuable recording. He’s probably helped in this respect by the superb
recording and Bosendorfer. But still, hats off to him.
It can’t be easy to say something fresh with these pieces, especially
the late ones. All these records seem to me to be by creative and
imaginative and sympathetic musicians, all well worth hearing.
And they’re all on spotify.
Schubert CD. . His Beethoven Op 7 is quite simply incandescent,
certainly one of the best records of that I’ve heard. It’s on a live
CD from the Ruhr festival, with some other works, notably an excellent
op 79 – more less light hearted than usual and none the worse for that
– from Tamara Stefanovich.
Who’d have thought that someone could say something new with Op 111,
but Tom Beghin does that in the first movement at least, with a
wonderful, revelatory sense of the ebb and flow of the music, as if
the music is moving constantly from hyper activity to exhaustion. The
variations have a unity about them, this I a synthesising, integrating
interpretation and I think that that’s the best way to play this
movement. He has ideas about ornamentation and rhythm too. Texturally
some of the things he does is astonishing – I have never hears such
light and airy sounds produced from a piano before.
What impressed me about Peter Takacs’s Op 106 was the orchestral
sonorities he manages to create. Lena posted once about Kocsis here,
about how Kocsis at his best strobe lights the music, revealing
hitherto unsuspected sonorities. Well I think there’s quite a bit of
this in Peter Takacs too and for that reason alone I think this is a
valuable recording. He’s probably helped in this respect by the superb
recording and Bosendorfer. But still, hats off to him.
It can’t be easy to say something fresh with these pieces, especially
the late ones. All these records seem to me to be by creative and
imaginative and sympathetic musicians, all well worth hearing.
And they’re all on spotify.
td
Oct 6, 2012, 12:00:03 PM10/6/12
to
Lonquich, of course.
TD
AG
Oct 6, 2012, 4:27:17 PM10/6/12
to
> And they’re all on spotify.
in fact the wife downloaded it and told me about it....i'm so behind
the times! anyhow, i'm listening to the Lonquich Op106 now.... i'll
definitely want to listen to the Op7 as it is one of my favourite LvB
sonatas. Thanks for the post.
AG
mandryka
Oct 7, 2012, 3:12:32 AM10/7/12
to
I liked his record of Gesange und Fruhe, which is part of a big EMI
Schumann box, on spotify.
I would love to hear the D958.
AG
Oct 7, 2012, 5:23:36 AM10/7/12
to
> > Believe it or not but i only "discovered" spotify last week.... well,
> > in fact the wife downloaded it and told me about it....i'm so behind
> > the times! anyhow, i'm listening to the Lonquich Op106 now.... i'll
> > definitely want to listen to the Op7 as it is one of my favourite LvB
> > sonatas. Thanks for the post.
>
> > AG
>
> I couldn't get into that op 106.
>
> I liked his record of Gesange und Fruhe, which is part of a big EMI
> Schumann box, on spotify.
>
> I would love to hear the D958.
but i found he had this annoying habit of pounding the left hand quite
often which didn't sit well with me.
Going back to spotify; do you feel there is a noticeable jump in the
quality of the streaming (in respect of classical music) to justify
the extra £5/month for premium above unlimited?
Thanks.
mandryka
Oct 7, 2012, 5:58:55 AM10/7/12
to
nearly always.
I stream the spotify to my hifi with a Logitec Squeezebox, something
you can only do with the premium account.
I like percussive piano playing -- I can see why you enjoyed the Op
106 more than me and the Op 7 less!
Lena
Oct 8, 2012, 9:49:08 AM10/8/12
to
On Oct 6, 8:21 am, mandryka <howie.st...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
> Tom put me on to Alexander Lonquich quite recently by mentioning his
> Schubert CD. . His Beethoven Op 7 is quite simply incandescent,
> certainly one of the best records of that I’ve heard. It’s on a live
> CD from the Ruhr festival, with some other works, notably an excellent
> op 79 – more less light hearted than usual and none the worse for that
> – from Tamara Stefanovich.
>
> Who’d have thought that someone could say something new with Op 111,
> but Tom Beghin does that in the first movement at least, with a
> wonderful, revelatory sense of the ebb and flow of the music, as if
> the music is moving constantly from hyper activity to exhaustion. [...]
>
> Tom put me on to Alexander Lonquich quite recently by mentioning his
> Schubert CD. . His Beethoven Op 7 is quite simply incandescent,
> certainly one of the best records of that I’ve heard. It’s on a live
> CD from the Ruhr festival, with some other works, notably an excellent
> op 79 – more less light hearted than usual and none the worse for that
> – from Tamara Stefanovich.
>
> Who’d have thought that someone could say something new with Op 111,
> but Tom Beghin does that in the first movement at least, with a
> wonderful, revelatory sense of the ebb and flow of the music, as if
>
> What impressed me about Peter Takacs’s Op 106 was the orchestral
> sonorities he manages to create.
[...]
> What impressed me about Peter Takacs’s Op 106 was the orchestral
> sonorities he manages to create.
Thanks very much, Howard. I've heard all three, though I didn't yet
have time for entire sonatas, except for Lonquich's Op. 7. (Which I
quite liked.) Beghin was interesting, but I should listen to the
second movement, too. :) (And I should probably rehear Takacs's Op.
106 -- he's playing a favored sonata here, and I keep thinking too
much about what everyone else does/what I wish to hear, and
consequently listening too little (probably).)
> It can’t be easy to say something fresh with these pieces, especially
> the late ones.
effort. (Fortunately, for my taste, a pianist doesn't have to be
fresh, it's sufficient to be excellent.... :) )
(More later, as I hear more of these.)
Lena
Lena
Nov 7, 2012, 8:44:55 AM11/7/12
to
On Oct 6, 7:21 am, mandryka <howie.st...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
> Tom put me on to Alexander Lonquich quite recently by mentioning his
> Schubert CD. . His Beethoven Op 7 is quite simply incandescent,
> certainly one of the best records of that I’ve heard.
> [...]
>
> Tom put me on to Alexander Lonquich quite recently by mentioning his
> Schubert CD. . His Beethoven Op 7 is quite simply incandescent,
> certainly one of the best records of that I’ve heard.
>
> It can’t be easy to say something fresh with these pieces, especially
> the late ones. All these records seem to me to be by creative and
> imaginative and sympathetic musicians, all well worth hearing.
>
I don't know if "freshness" is a goal, per se -- I just never think
> It can’t be easy to say something fresh with these pieces, especially
> the late ones. All these records seem to me to be by creative and
> imaginative and sympathetic musicians, all well worth hearing.
>
about performance from quite this angle -- but for an incredible,
outstanding rendition of a Beethoven sonata (or two of them, and of
many other things besides), you and other enthusiasts should perhaps
try to hear Paul Jacobs' concert disc, on Arbiter. In case you
haven't.
Jacobs' Waldstein may be legendary, but IMO his Op. 10/3 is one of the
all-time great performances of anything in this repertoire. A lot of
excellent pianists just sort of pale in comparison. To me, this is
creative in just the right way -- I mean, Jacobs' imagination works to
build up Beethoven's, and not, so to speak, to bury it. (For
instance, Jacobs does some amazing justice to the rhythmic
complexities of the score.) Besides, can't complain that these tempi
aren't fast. :)
(There's other non-negligible stuff on this Arbiter disc as well.)
Lena
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