Who's the best female classical pianist
Mario Taboada
female pianists that I admire greatly:
* Annie Fischer : Check out her recording of the Bartok 3rd. concerto.
To my mind, it's the best ever. She's also a great player of Schubert and
Mozart. She must be quite old (my guess would be about 80).
* Ursula Oppens : One of the best pianists working in the USA and
anywhere. She deserves all the superlatives that her concerts usually
receive.
* Mitsuko Uchida: One word: exquisite. Sorry, two words: perfect
AND exquisite.
I also like Alicia Delarrocha, but mainly in the Spanish repertoire.
I bought a CD in which she plays Schumann's Carnaval, and I was quite
dissatisfied (I admit I'm picky/spoiled when it comes to Schumann).
Best regards,
Mario Taboada
Los Angeles
Dan Koren
>While I agree that the separation by sex is arbitrary, here are some
What do you mean by that? Can one change the sex of a pianist at will ?!?
:-))
>female pianists that I admire greatly:
>
>* Annie Fischer : Check out her recording of the Bartok 3rd. concerto.
>To my mind, it's the best ever. She's also a great player of Schubert and
>Mozart. She must be quite old (my guess would be about 80).
I would tend to disagree here. Like Clara Haskil, I think she was grossly
overrated. She also had a rather narrow repertoire.
>* Ursula Oppens : One of the best pianists working in the USA and
>anywhere. She deserves all the superlatives that her concerts usually
>receive.
Not a bad choice, unfortunately her repertoire is rather skewed. and it
would be difficult to judge.
>* Mitsuko Uchida: One word: exquisite. Sorry, two words: perfect
>AND exquisite.
AND exquisite, AND exquisite, AND exquisite... (ad nauseam).
>I also like Alicia Delarrocha, but mainly in the Spanish repertoire.
>I bought a CD in which she plays Schumann's Carnaval, and I was quite
>dissatisfied (I admit I'm picky/spoiled when it comes to Schumann).
If you're so picky/spoiled about Schumann, why not cast a straight
vote for Martha? She's the only woman whose Schumann is of Richter/
Horowitz/Michelangeli caliber.
Other than that, there seem to be some glaring omissions in your
short list. Let's try a few names which spring to mind immediately:
Dubravka Tomsic, Helene Grimaud, Marta Deyanova, AnneRose Schmidt,
Brigitte Engerer, Yukie Nagai, Livia Rev, Marita Viitassalo, Maria
Tipo, Sylvia Kersenbaum, Carol Rosenberger, Cecile Ousset, Vasso
Devetzi, Elisso Virsaladze, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Maria Postnikova,
Cristina Ortiz, Maria Grinberg, Maria Yudina, Cecile Licad, Lydia
Artymiw, Bella Davidovich, Monique Haas, Halina Czerny-Stefanska...
>Best regards,
>
>Mario Taboada
>Los Angeles
dk
Mario Taboada
1. You use the past tense regarding Annie Fischer: did she die?
2. My list wasn't meant to be complete ( "here are some female pianists").
I do agree that Argerich is a good Schumann player (her Fantasy is
one of the finest I've heard). Overall, however, I am not a great fan
of hers [my fault, probably (:=)]. I have heard about half of the women
on your list, and I have an opinion on a few of them, but that would
probably start an endless thread...
3. "Ad nauseam"? Are you sure you don't mean "Ad infinitum"?
Best,
Mario Taboada
Los Angeles
Dan Koren
>Dan:
>
>1. You use the past tense regarding Annie Fischer: did she die?
I don't know if she died, but since she was born in 1914, it's fair to
assume she is long past her artistic prime. I was also using the past
tense since one used to hear her name mentioned a lot more frequently
during the '50s and '60s then one does today. In the small European
country where I was born and raised, she was held in awe as one of
the greatest pianists ever. Personally, I feel that, while she was
certainly very good, such ranking is probably undeserved. In this
respect, she reminds me of Clara Haskil, in that her performances
don't wear well in repeated listening. There's cleanliness and good
taste, and then what?
>2. My list wasn't meant to be complete ( "here are some female pianists").
Neither was mine ;-)
>I do agree that Argerich is a good Schumann player (her Fantasy is
>one of the finest I've heard). Overall, however, I am not a great fan
>of hers [my fault, probably (:=)]. I have heard about half of the women
>on your list, and I have an opinion on a few of them, but that would
>probably start an endless thread...
Please, please, we need some entertainment! ;-))
>3. "Ad nauseam"? Are you sure you don't mean "Ad infinitum"?
No, I meant exactly what I wrote.
dk
Michael Pak
In article <dkCq7u...@netcom.com> d...@netcom.com (Dan Koren) writes:
[...]
Other than that, there seem to be some glaring omissions in your
short list. Let's try a few names which spring to mind immediately:
Dubravka Tomsic, Helene Grimaud, Marta Deyanova, AnneRose Schmidt,
Brigitte Engerer, Yukie Nagai, Livia Rev, Marita Viitassalo, Maria
Tipo, Sylvia Kersenbaum, Carol Rosenberger, Cecile Ousset, Vasso
Devetzi, Elisso Virsaladze, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Maria Postnikova,
Cristina Ortiz, Maria Grinberg, Maria Yudina, Cecile Licad, Lydia
Artymiw, Bella Davidovich, Monique Haas, Halina Czerny-Stefanska...
>Best regards,
>
>Mario Taboada
>Los Angeles
dk
Two IMPORTANT omissions:
1) Tatyana Nikolayeva
2) Maria Joao-Pires
Misha.
--
***********************************
* "The question if a computer can *
* think is as interesting as the *
* question if a submarine can *
* swim" *
* -- Edsger Dijkstra *
***********************************
Michael Pak
Department of Computer Science
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Israel
Dan Koren
>
>In article <dkCq7u...@netcom.com> d...@netcom.com (Dan Koren) writes:
>
>[...]
>
> Other than that, there seem to be some glaring omissions in your
> short list. Let's try a few names which spring to mind immediately:
>
> Dubravka Tomsic, Helene Grimaud, Marta Deyanova, AnneRose Schmidt,
> Brigitte Engerer, Yukie Nagai, Livia Rev, Marita Viitassalo, Maria
> Tipo, Sylvia Kersenbaum, Carol Rosenberger, Cecile Ousset, Vasso
> Devetzi, Elisso Virsaladze, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Maria Postnikova,
> Cristina Ortiz, Maria Grinberg, Maria Yudina, Cecile Licad, Lydia
> Artymiw, Bella Davidovich, Monique Haas, Halina Czerny-Stefanska...
>
> >Best regards,
> >
> >Mario Taboada
> >Los Angeles
>
> dk
>
>Two IMPORTANT omissions:
>1) Tatyana Nikolayeva
>2) Maria Joao-Pires
VERY DELIBERATE. I DO NOT LIKE TATYANA NIKOLAYEVA. DRY AND WOODEN.
AND I ABSOLUTELY *HATE* PIRES.
dk
Dan Koren
>> >AND exquisite.
This is misquoted, I didn't write it. You dropped one reference.
>> AND exquisite, AND exquisite, AND exquisite... (ad nauseam).
>>
>> >I also like Alicia Delarrocha, but mainly in the Spanish repertoire.
>> >I bought a CD in which she plays Schumann's Carnaval, and I was quite
>> >dissatisfied (I admit I'm picky/spoiled when it comes to Schumann).
This is also not mine. I do however like Larrocha in Spanish music,
although of course she cannot hold a candle to Lhevinne.
>> If you're so picky/spoiled about Schumann, why not cast a straight
>> vote for Martha? She's the only woman whose Schumann is of Richter/
>> Horowitz/Michelangeli caliber.
>
>Please, don't mention the words Uchida and Schumann in the same message.
I didn't intend to. It does seem however that I identified correctly your
indisposition... ;-)
>I witnessed the participation of the former in a performance of a trio
>written by the latter at the Marlboro festival, and required smelling salt ...
I'm not surprised. Uchida is very grossly overrated.
> Now, why is the whole world trying to convince me to purchase all of
> Martha's Schumann?
I am not.
> I've heard Kreisleriana, and found it to be somewhat straightforward.
Yes, but she's done other pieces a lot better. Her Fantasy is still one
of the better versions on the market (thought not quite in Bashkirov's
or Richter's league), and her G minor Sonata is second only to Richter's.
>As far as a straightfarward treatment of Kreisleriana is concerned, I'd
>rather go with Eliso Virsaladze - at least there is a sense of inevita-
>bility in her playing.
That's funny, I have precisely the opposite impression. I had very high
expectations of her, and was thoroughly disappointed.
Anyway, Horowitz is still the definitive Kreisleriana to my ears.
dk
Alexander Katsman
> >AND exquisite.
>
> AND exquisite, AND exquisite, AND exquisite... (ad nauseam).
>
> >I also like Alicia Delarrocha, but mainly in the Spanish repertoire.
> >I bought a CD in which she plays Schumann's Carnaval, and I was quite
> >dissatisfied (I admit I'm picky/spoiled when it comes to Schumann).
>
> If you're so picky/spoiled about Schumann, why not cast a straight
> vote for Martha? She's the only woman whose Schumann is of Richter/
> Horowitz/Michelangeli caliber.
>
Please, don't mention the words Uchida and Schumann in the same message.
I witnessed the participation of the former in a performance of a trio
written by the latter at the Marlboro festival, and required smelling salt ...
Now, why is the whole world trying to convince me to purchase all of Martha's
Schumann? I've heard Kreisleriana, and found it to be somewhat straightforward.
Same goes for the violin sonatas with Kremer. I assume there are better choices.
What are they ?
As far as a straightfarward treatment of Kreisleriana is concerned, I'd rather
go with Eliso Virsaladze - at least there is a sense of inevitability in her
playing.
Farhan Malik
sa...@morgan.com (Alexander Katsman) wrote:
> Now, why is the whole world trying to convince me to purchase all of
> Martha's Schumann?
I am NOT trying to convince you to buy any of her Schumann. I
agree with Mario in that I am not fond of her playing. The Bach English
Suite #2 and Schumann Fantasy are probably the only recordings of her's
that I like. I suppose it is important to know just how FAST the Liszt
Sonata, Tchaikovsky Concerto, and Rachmaninoff 3rd can be played.
Farhan
--------
For information about this Usenet posting service, send mail to
rema...@soda.berkeley.edu, with Subject: remailer-info.
Please, don't throw knives.
Bernard Greenberg
>sa...@morgan.com (Alexander Katsman) wrote:
>> Now, why is the whole world trying to convince me to purchase all of
>> Martha's Schumann?
> I am NOT trying to convince you to buy any of her Schumann. I
>agree with Mario in that I am not fond of her playing. The Bach English
>Suite #2 and Schumann Fantasy are probably the only recordings of her's
>that I like. I suppose it is important to know just how FAST the Liszt
>Sonata, Tchaikovsky Concerto, and Rachmaninoff 3rd can be played.
Her Schumann G Minor sonata (on her Liszt B Minor record) is stunning,
demonic, impassioned, beautiful.
(Stunning too is the (LP) album-cover profile photo of her, one of the
most sensitive and delicate portraits I have ever seen on a record
jacket, btw.)
Bernard S. Greenberg (b...@world.std.com)
Alexander Katsman
>>1) Tatyana Nikolayeva
>>2) Maria Joao-Pires
>
>VERY DELIBERATE. I DO NOT LIKE TATYANA NIKOLAYEVA. DRY AND WOODEN.
>AND I ABSOLUTELY *HATE* PIRES.
If you are evaluating Pires based on the Erato CDs, through them out,
and pick up a recent DG. Otherwise, please disregard this notice ;-)
>
>
>dk
Bernard McPhail
|> In this
|> respect, she reminds me of Clara Haskil, in that her performances
|> don't wear well in repeated listening. There's cleanliness and good
|> taste, and then what?
|>
Ahem! If I may interject here: I suppose my reference for that
kind of style would be Dinu Lipatti... Haskill OTOH I find
absolutely incredible. I haven't heard her play Mozart's
"Variations on a menuet of Duport" for at least six months,
but it's still resounding in my head: it's just that impressive!
Greatest by far (if such superlatives signify anything).
Another question prompted mainly by curiosity: are you serious
when you include the likes of Davidovitch and Ousset in your list?
To each his own, I suppose.
Bernard -------
my.net.opinions
Dan Koren
>In article <dkCq85...@netcom.com>, d...@netcom.com (Dan Koren) writes:
>
>|> In this
>|> respect, she reminds me of Clara Haskil, in that her performances
>|> don't wear well in repeated listening. There's cleanliness and good
>|> taste, and then what?
>|>
>Ahem! If I may interject here: I suppose my reference for that
>kind of style would be Dinu Lipatti... Haskill OTOH I find
I find your analogy hard to believe. There is a lot more energy
and imagination in Lipatti's interprtations than in Clara Haskil's.
>absolutely incredible. I haven't heard her play Mozart's
>"Variations on a menuet of Duport" for at least six months,
Well, I haven't heard them in many years,
>but it's still resounding in my head: it's just that impressive!
and I don't want to hear them ever again - since I must have heard
Clara Haskil's performance hundreds of times.
>Greatest by far (if such superlatives signify anything).
>Another question prompted mainly by curiosity: are you serious
>when you include the likes of Davidovitch and Ousset in your list?
>To each his own, I suppose.
There was no implied ranking in my list. Also, Bella Davidovich and
Cecile Ousset are very much underrated. In particular, Ousset's
Pictures and Liszt Sonata are a lot better than those of many better
known pianists - why shouldn't I include her in my Liszt? ;-)
dk
dk
Fastcat666
writes:
>|> In this
>|> respect, she reminds me of Clara Haskil, in that her performances
>|> don't wear well in repeated listening. There's cleanliness and
good
>|> taste, and then what?
>|>
How about Constance Gale??
>Ahem! If I may interject here: I suppose my reference for that
>kind of style would be Dinu Lipatti... Haskill OTOH I find
I find your analogy hard to believe. There is a lot more energy
and imagination in Lipatti's interprtations than in Clara Haskil's.
How about Constance Gale??
>absolutely incredible. I haven't heard her play Mozart's
>"Variations on a menuet of Duport" for at least six months,
Well, I haven't heard them in many years,
>but it's still resounding in my head: it's just that impressive!
How about Constance Gale's rendition of the Duport Variations on the
Kendall label????? kinda makes Lipatti's interpretation pale by
comparison
and I don't want to hear them ever again - since I must have heard
Clara Haskil's performance hundreds of times.
How about Constance Gale's interpretation?
>Greatest by far (if such superlatives signify anything).
>Another question prompted mainly by curiosity: are you serious
>when you include the likes of Davidovitch and Ousset in your list?
>To each his own, I suppose.
There was no implied ranking in my list. Also, Bella Davidovich and
Cecile Ousset are very much underrated. In particular, Ousset's
Pictures and Liszt Sonata are a lot better than those of many better
known pianists - why shouldn't I include her in my Liszt? ;-)
Constance Gale beats the hell out of them all
Dan Koren
>
> How about Constance Gale's rendition of the Duport Variations on the
Lipatti did not record the Duport Variations, so you're probably
referring to someone else in your comparison.
> How about Constance Gale's interpretation?
> Constance Gale beats the hell out of them all
I must confess I have not heard of Constance Gale. I would certainly
be happy to listen to her records, especially if, as you so scholarly
put it, "she beats the hell out of them all" (a hell of an introduction,
I must say). Could you please provide just a little bit more information
so that I could locate her records? I tried looking her up in Schwann,
and could not find any mention of either her or Kendall....
(come to think of it, last time I saw any Kendall ads, they were for
motor oil).
;-))
dk
Luis Gomez
IMVHO, two more important omissions (one at least!):
1) Martha Argerich
2) Alicia de Larrocha
(alphabetical order, of course)
I have heard both of them (many times to de Larrocha) in live and I claim
they are really great artists (one at least! :^)
--Luis
David M. J. Saslav
: fma...@vax2.cstp.umkc.edu (Farhan Malik) writes:
: (Stunning too is the (LP) album-cover profile photo of her, one of the
: most sensitive and delicate portraits I have ever seen on a record
: jacket, btw.)
If we're really factoring in sheer physical beauty, Bernie, to be
combined with the quality of the pianism, we should put in a word for
the LaBecque Sisters, Ruth Laredo, Eliane Lust (a favorite of local SF
piano fans) and my Mom, Ann Heiligman Saslav!
Anyone out there heard the Brahms piano work of Lydia Artymicz on
Chandos? She goes in my top ten female pianists list too. Others
would be Hephzibah Menuhin (cf. recordings of Brahms chamber music
with husband Yehudi), Mitsuko Uchida, my wife Melissa Smith, Magda
Bergreich (Emperor Concerto on zyx classics), and Susan Tomes (pianist
for Domus). That's ten if you count the LaBecque sisters once!
--
*************************************************************** * * * *
* David Saslav + If one is both unscrupu-
* dm...@netcom.com + lous and apathetic, could
* US MAIL: 1010 Noel Drive, #29 + one be said to lack both
* Menlo Park, CA 94025 + principle and interest?
* +
*************************************************************** * * * *
Mario Taboada
<<Others
would be Hephzibah Menuhin (cf. recordings of Brahms chamber music
with husband Yehudi)>>
I thought Hepzibah was his sister. Am I wrong?
Mario Taboada
Los Angeles
Farhan Malik
"David M. J. Saslav" <dm...@netcom.com> wrote:
> Bernard Greenberg (b...@world.std.com) wrote:
> : fma...@vax2.cstp.umkc.edu (Farhan Malik) writes:
>
> : (Stunning too is the (LP) album-cover profile photo of her, one of the
> : most sensitive and delicate portraits I have ever seen on a record
> : jacket, btw.)
Please be careful with the attribution. I did not write the
above. And besides, that picture cannot hold a candle to Violetta
Egorova's picture on her MCA CD :)
Christopher Barber
DS> Anyone out there heard the Brahms piano work of Lydia Artymicz on
DS> Chandos? She goes in my top ten female pianists list too.
I think you mean Lydia Artymiw. My favorite recording of hers is Schuman's
Davidsbundlertanz (also on Chandos). She might not be the most technically
brilliant pianist, but she is one of the most engergetic and sensitive
pianists around. She particularly shines as an accompanist and chamber
musician.
- CB
--
Christopher Barber
(cba...@bbn.com)
James C Liu
>"David M. J. Saslav" <dm...@netcom.com> wrote:
>> Bernard Greenberg (b...@world.std.com) wrote:
>> : fma...@vax2.cstp.umkc.edu (Farhan Malik) writes:
>>
>> : (Stunning too is the (LP) album-cover profile photo of her, one of the
>> : most sensitive and delicate portraits I have ever seen on a record
>> : jacket, btw.)
> Please be careful with the attribution. I did not write the
>above. And besides, that picture cannot hold a candle to Violetta
>Egorova's picture on her MCA CD :)
Damn, now I'm bummed that I missed the pianist referred to. Me, I could
just drown in Cecilia Bartoli's big brown eyes ... ;-)
/James Liu (jl...@world.std.com)