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Martha Argerich: Live Broadcasts, Vol. 5 – Works of MOZART, BACH, SCHUMANN & CHOPIN – Doremi

Martha Argerich: Live Broadcasts, Vol. 5 – Works of MOZART, BACH, SCHUMANN & CHOPIN – Doremi

by | Dec 27, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

The Argerich legend continues in potent and sometimes manic performances from 1966.  Martha Argerich: Live Broadcasts, Vol. 5 – MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor, K. 466; BACH: Toccata in c minor, BWV 911; SCHUMANN: Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17; CHOPIN: 3 Mazurkas, Op. 59 – Martha Argerich, p./ Sym. Orch. of the North German Radio/ Reinhard Peters – Doremi DHR-8048, 78:27 (11/18/16)   [www.doremi.com] ****: The Doremi label continues to release previously unpublished sound documents from the volcanic performance career of Martha Argerich: here we have two 1966 concerts, from Hamburg and Milan, respectively. These interpretations testify to the then-twenty-five-year-old Argentinian’s fiery approach to her repertory, although the Schumann no less reveals the dangers of a temperament’s having become manic. The Mozart concerto (16 June 1966) displays Argerich at her best: she has a true sense of the Mozart style, attested to here and also in her collaboration with Eugen Jochum in the Concerto No. 18 in B-flat Major, K. 456 from Bavaria. Her fluidity and grace bespeak careful coaching from both Friedrich Gulda and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, “classicists” in their own right. I did not know conductor Reinhard Peters (1926-2008), who had a significant career […]

“44 Waltzes on 88 Keys” – SCHUBERT: Valses Nobles; BRAHMS: 16 Waltzes; DVORAK: 8 Waltzes; RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales – Peter Schaaf, p. – Schaaf

“44 Waltzes on 88 Keys” – SCHUBERT: Valses Nobles; BRAHMS: 16 Waltzes; DVORAK: 8 Waltzes; RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales – Peter Schaaf, p. – Schaaf

by | Nov 29, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Peter Schaaf bestows a natural affection of a series of Nineteenth-Century waltzes.  44 Waltzes on 88 Keys – SCHUBERT: Valses Nobles, D. 969; BRAHMS: 16 Waltzes, Op. 39; DVORAK: 8 Waltzes, Op. 54; RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales – Peter Schaaf, p. – Schaaf SR 102, 72:29 [info@schaafrecords.com] ****: Peter Schaaf won the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Chopin Prize in 1961 and the Morris Loeb Prize from Juilliard in 1965. A student of iconic piano pedagogue Rosina Lhévinne, Schaaf performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, had a modest solo recital career, then went into accompanying and chamber music. He played many recitals with Yo-Yo Ma, including his New York recital debut in 1971. Schaaf also worked with Kyung-Wha Chung, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Renata Tebaldi, and Jon Vickers, with whom he made a recording on the VAI label of Schubert’s Die Winterreise from a 1983 Toronto performance (VAIA 1007-2). For several years he led the Archduke Trio. Equally renowned for his photography work, Schaaf now feels the urge to record more keyboard repertory. The obvious addition to the standard “waltz repertory” comes in the form of the Dvorak Eight Waltzes, Op. 54, conceived somewhat abortively for a commission in 1879 for a grand […]

Koussevitzky conducts Rare American Symphony Performances = HARRIS: Sym. No. 5; HILL: Sym. No. 1; DIAMOND: Sym. No. 2 – Boston Sym. Orch. – Pristine Audio

Koussevitzky conducts Rare American Symphony Performances = HARRIS: Sym. No. 5; HILL: Sym. No. 1; DIAMOND: Sym. No. 2 – Boston Sym. Orch. – Pristine Audio

by | Oct 24, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

Three eminently American, powerful symphonies find their debut performances with Koussevitzky restored. Koussevitzky conducts Rare American Symphony Performances = HARRIS: Symphony No. 5; HILL: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 34; DIAMOND: Symphony No. 2 – Boston Sym. Orch. – Pristine Audio PASC 484, 77:49 [avail. in var. formats at www.pristineclassical.com] *****: Producer and engineer Andrew Rose deserves an honorable mention for the sheer effort lavished upon these previously unreleased, live performances by Serge Koussevitzky of classic American repertory, often from sources in originally sad shape. From BSO archives, 1943-44, Rose has virtually resurrected wartime concerts that fueled much for the aesthetic morale of our country during this critical period. The Roy Harris Symphony No. 5 – based on a process the composed called “autogenesis,” a kind of through-composed technique of building upon kernels of musical material played early and extended in their musical possibilities, a la Beethoven’s Fifth – is dedicated to the Soviet Union, at the time busy repelling the Nazi horde. The music contains aggressive, martial aspects: the first movement Prelude evolves from thirds, sixths, and repeated notes. The second movement Chorale capitalizes (rec. 27 February 1943) on the BSO’s strong suit of strings and brass: […]