On The Hunt

[Todd A]

If you ever feel like it I'd be interested in hearing your thought about this recording:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00005UOW0/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

I do need to circle back to Moravec sometime. One of my favorite recital going experiences involved seeing him near the turn of the century. He sounded exactly the same in person as on disc, with just a hint more vitality. After the recital, I bought a Mozart concerto disc and had him autograph it. He and his wife, sitting patiently behind him, were most gracious, and when I told him that his Debussy was of the same quality as Michelangeli's, which is no exaggeration, he smiled widely and thanked me in a disarmingly humble way. A great artist.

 

[Todd A]

Sebastián Forster. Somewhat quick overall, with a pronounced staccato, there's often a sense of relentless forward drive, but it doesn't sound particularly secure. Some passages are slowed down, perhaps to navigate through them, and while high enough energy, there's little sense of fun. The Scherzo fares a bit better, being pressed a bit. There's still something of a lack of fun. In the Menuetto, Forster plays with a nice combination of reasonable lyricism and halting bite - the melody more or less flows, but the accompaniment starkly and unpleasantly contrasts throughout. The Trio is reasonably clean but faceless. The Presto is just slightly relaxed in tempo and displays the relentless forward drive. A shorter way to summarize the sonata is quick-ish, stiff, and ugly. Blech.

 

[Todd A]

Dino Ciani. It's always unpleasant to revisit this cycle. The sound is so atrociously bad that one can never entirely adjust. Even so, through the crap sound, one can hear that Ciani generated a big tone that expanded in the hall. He takes the Allegro at a relaxed tempo, and he plays with great and seamless flexibility, varying tempo and dynamics with an unvirtuosic virtuosity. Some of the specific tempo choices might raise an eyebrow, but this is live, real music making. Ciani then rips through the Scherzo, imparting lots of energy and a sense of fun, and knowing when to back off, and how to belt out forte with gusto. The super-quick Menuetto flows in the outer sections and blazes in the middle, while the Presto is a high voltage affair, with towering forte playing. Pity the dismal sound sinks what is otherwise a very fine performance.

 

[Todd A]

Robert Benz. Benz goes for an extra-zippy Allegro, at just over eight minutes. The sound is smaller in scale, and is characterized by peppiness, springy rhythm, and trills as good as can be got when they appear, and a "dramatic" deceleration before the snappy coda. The Scherzo is slightly more comfortable in terms of tempo, retains the springy rhythm, adds even bolder dynamic contrasts, and more or less sounds just right. Benz keeps the outer sections of the Menuetto light and tight and lyrical, and plays with notable power in the trio, and he ends with a Presto stylistically like the Allegro, just quicker. Overall, better than I remember.

 

[Electrostat]

I do need to circle back to Moravec sometime. One of my favorite recital going experiences involved seeing him near the turn of the century. He sounded exactly the same in person as on disc, with just a hint more vitality. After the recital, I bought a Mozart concerto disc and had him autograph it. He and his wife, sitting patiently behind him, were most gracious, and when I told him that his Debussy was of the same quality as Michelangeli's, which is no exaggeration, he smiled widely and thanked me in a disarmingly humble way. A great artist.

Those Supraphon discs that he made live are a treasure. I agree with you on his Debussy as well, I wish he would have recorded the entire Suite Bergamasque, what he did record on that "French Keyboard Masterpieces" set is sublime.

 

[Todd A]

André De Groote. De Groote takes his time in the Allegro. It never sounds slow, and unfolds in a nice enough fashion, with a right hand bias, though the forte passages have nice build ups. The music just sounds too polite. The Scherzo is peppier, but retains the politeness. Predictably with such a style, the outer sections of the Menuetto come off well, while the Trio remains polite. The Presto has is politely peppy. It's not a bad recording, I can write that.

 

[mjw]

The sound is so atrociously bad

On the ironically named Dynamic label.

 

[Todd A]

Abdel Rahman El Bacha. In the Forlane recording, El Bacha plays the repeatless Allegro with ample energy and rhythmic snap, and in an unaffected manner. But the lopped off music is missed. In the Scherzo, El Bacha goes down the treacherous path of playing it slowly, and he doesn't do quite as well as some others who attempt the same thing. His forte outbursts are well done, though. The Menuetto is fast in the outer sections and well done in the Trio, and the Presto (like the prior three movements stripped of precious music) is reasonably quick and energetic and possessed of a nicely weighty bass, and the overall sound is a bit gruff. Pity so much music is stripped away.

In the Mirare recording, El Bacha corrects his music cutting ways and plays on a rather fine sounding Bechstein. He plays the Allegro in modestly swift fashion, but allows himself a bit of breathing room in terms of tempo and phrasing, and he plays with more individuality. While not a hard-hitting version, and a bit on the formal side, the sense of mischievousness is there, albeit in a manner akin to wearing a garish pocket square with a white dobby shirt and solid blue tie. El Bacha again goes down the treacherous path of a slow Scherzo, and the results are better here, especially with some still somehow jittery left hand chords. The Menuetto is stilted and sort of (purposely) anti-flowing in the outer sections, but man, EL Bacha nails the Trio. A unique take. The Presto has a looser feel to it and boogies along nicely. The Mirare recording is definitely a big step up over the Forlane.

 

[Todd A]

Ikuyo Nakamichi. Ms Nakamichi opts for a slow Allegro and a hyper-detailed, small-scaled approach, with the resplendent recording sort of exaggerating her scale. Not exaggerated is her very careful fingerwork, her delicate trills, her seriousness. The movement lacks a bit in the fun department. But the meticulousness offsets it. (I listened through cans for this one, which sort of amplifies the pianist's traits, and her generous pedaling.) The Scherzo is a bit more puckish and dominated by a non-domineering left hand. At times, it's as if melody and accompaniment are sort of being played free-form, and then they come together right when they should. A Menuetto of rather formidable beauty in the outer sections and a slow, exaggerated Trio that hits the spot follows, and the piece ends with a Presto of more than ample energy and more superb clarity. The left hand playing again manages to dominate without boxing the listener's ear; Nakamichi draws the listener in, inviting the lucky soul to enjoy what's on offer rather than blasting it out. Very nice, and better than I recalled.

 

[Todd A]

Aldo Ciccolini. Some slightly quick phrases launch an Allegro of standard timing. Ciccolini favors a pretty clean staccato style, poking out the left hand playing much of the time. He plays with nice energy and humor and plays the forte passages decently. While the approach is not as unaffected as Ian Hobson, it's more or less no-nonsense. The Scherzo has nice dynamic contrasts and is no-nonsense, but it lacks a bit of energy and drive. The Menuetto is somewhat laid back in the outer sections and a bit heavy and dull in the Trio, though Ciccolini does not disappoint in the Presto, which is all energy and fun. Not a great version overall.

 

[Todd A]

Gerard Willems. With the big ol' Stuart & Sons piano adding Bösendorfer heft and Fazioli color, Willems starts off with a straight-ahead Allegro of perfectly middle of the road tempo. The playing includes ample wit and humor, with nice dynamic contrasts (it better have these!) and a sense of relaxed fun. Willems takes a slightly leisurely overall tempo in the Scherzo, though he does zip through some passages. The piano accentuates some of the dynamic contrasts, which fortunately are not overdone even though they could have been. There are places where it sounds like Willems pauses to reposition his hands, or at least he decides to make the playing seem blocky. The Menuetto sounds lovely in the outer sections even though there's no special emphasis placed on the music, and the Trio is bold, and the Presto is too, which, when combined with the instrument, makes the not especially fast movement sound faster than it is played.

 

[Todd A]

Rudolf Buchbinder. In the Teldec recording, Buchbinder starts off with a dry, quick, jittery Allegro with somewhat compressed dynamics. The energy level is super-high, the demeanor a serious approximation of fun, and the approach classical. The Scherzo ramps up the style, and adds a bit more dynamic oomph to the mix. The Menuetto and Trio are both much slower than the preceding two movements, with the Trio punctuated by even wider ranging dynamics than the Scherzo, and the Presto returns to the style of the first two movements. A superb rendition. The RCA version is similar in terms of tempo in the Allegro, but it's more serious, too serious, and sounds just rushed through in comparison. The Scherzo has a bit more flexibility, but not much, and the Menuetto and Trio are a bit dour in comparison, though some of the Trio has some nice scale. The Presto, while having nifty left hand playing and wider dynamics, and being the best movement in this recording, is still lower energy and less compelling than the Teldec take. The Unitel version is closer to the Teldec in terms of overall style and feel, especially in feel. There's a more relaxed sense about the playing, though Buchbinder keeps things quick and vibrant. Same for the Scherzo. Same, too, for the Menuetto and Trio. Hell, same too for the Presto, which has a lighter overall touch and sounds like great good fun. This version lacks the last bit of pianistic pizazz of the Teldec studio version, but is high grade stuff.

 

[Todd A]

Yukio Yokoyama. Light, bright, crisp, and playful in the Allegro, with nicely accents and dabs of rubato. The right hand playing receives slight emphasis, and Yokoyama plays with impressive exactitude, and his trills here of nearly the standard setting type in his E flat concerto recording. The Scherzo is neither fast nor slow, but here Yokoyama adds some more heft to the left hand playing, and the forte outbursts fully satisfy. The outer sections of the Menuetto are swift, lyrical, and surface-y, while the Trio is potent and slowed down - or at least it sounds a bit slower given the tempo in the outer sections. The Presto is a bundle of energy, played fast and bold, and it boogies and growls when and where it should. Better than I recalled.

 

[Todd A]

Rita Bouboulidi. Bouboulidi takes a broad tempo in the Allegro, and the playing is often thick, gruff, heavy, and clunky. Sometimes it sounds a bit unsteady, too. The Scherzo is a bit better, and holds together better, but even it is a bit rough. The recording combines the last two movements for some reason, and the Menuetto is dynamically flat and sounds just plain ugly. There's relatively little tempo contrast with the dynamically limited Trio, and the Presto is clunky and heavy and unpleasant to listen to. One of the worst.

 

[Todd A]

Sequeira Costa. At 9'38", Costa's take on the Allegro is about as slow as it gets or can get. More an Andante, one forgoes energy and verve and fun, but the trade-off is that Costa plays with immense clarity. It's like Celi on the piano. The likewise slow Scherzo sounds a bit better, and again one can enjoy the great clarity, but it lacks the energy necessary for maximum enjoyment. The slowness works nicely in the outer sections of the Menuetto, while the clarity helps the Trio, and the Presto, while slow has a jaunty if studied feel to it. Not a great version, but there's enough there to revisit.

 

[Todd A]

Listened to the Americans. Did a here-and-now pianist shootout thing. Why not listen to what old, dead white Germans Bill and Bill did on disc? No good reason that I can think of, so here goes:

First, Wilhelm Backhaus. In the mono version, Backhaus omits the repeat in the Allegro, starts slow, then revs things up. While not the peppiest, lightest, etc, the old pro sort of just cruises along dandily, letting the music flow out from under his fingers. His note durations, sustains, pauses, accents, and dynamics all sound just right in the context of his conception. In the Scherzo, Backhaus plays with stern antics, adding left hand weight and a just right sense of mischievousness. Even the high pitch spurious noise cannot detract from the musical good time. The Menuetto is attractive but rather serious, with the Trio more serious yet, and the Presto sounds just fine. Again, it's not the highest energy version, but its just-rightness is impossible not to notice. Top tier stuff. The stereo recording, recorded not too terribly long afterward, is, unsurprisingly, much the same. Listening back to back makes me appreciate that there's actually what seems like a greater degree of freedom in the stereo recording, but a greater sense of purpose in the mono, which one can hear pretty readily in the Scherzo, for instance. Don't get me wrong, Backhaus' stereo remake is high end stuff, it's just not quite as good.

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Second, twice as much Wilhelm Kempff! Starting with the wartime recording, early middle aged Kempff, like Backhaus, drops some music and comes in at an overall time in the Allegro that is strikingly similar. Kempff sounds much freer and more relaxed, though. There are whiffs of improvisational romanticism throughout. The Scherzo offers more of the same, with the pianist scampering across the keyboard in a jocular, none too heavy manner. The Menuetto, more than any other version to this point, is a gentle dance, while the Trio offers a striking contrast. The Presto is again fairly light and eminently flexible, with an inevitability to the sound. It's really quite something. As this essentially provides and aural glimpse of what prime age Kempff sounded like live, one gets to just absorb the superdupergoodness.

The mono DG set is more formal and less flexible. Everything still sounds light enough and conceptually similar, but it's just not as free. Too, though the sonics are better overall, the dynamic contrasts do not seem as relatively broad. The DG stereo set has slightly better dynamics, but it sounds a bit less free. Paradoxically, the playing sounds more fun, certainly in the Allegro, and even in the slower, less peppy Scherzo. The Menuetto is lovely, with the smallest hints of tension in the outer sections, and some in the Trio, while the Presto has nice energy and dynamics, if not the best clarity or balance. Still, it's quite nice.

The live recording on King International is different than the others in that the Allegro has no cuts, but rather it does have Kempff adding some improvisations (eg, a big ol' glissando) to cover up memory lapses and some undeniably sloppy playing while still, somehow, managing to get the spirit just right. Indeed, it's more spot on than the two magnetic tape studio efforts. The same holds true for the Scherzo, which sounds free and loose and carefree, with satisfying dynamic outbursts. The third movement ends being something quite special, with lovely, flowing, yet slightly tense outer sections, and a Trio that manages to marry punch and wistfulness. The Presto, while not exactly the most note-perfect rendition available, nonetheless has oodles of energy and drive and closes things out splendidly. Even given the performances' limitations, it's really rather excellent.

So, two top tier performances out of six, with nary a dud to be heard.

 

[Todd A]

John Lill. Lill also goes for an extra-slow opening Allegro. Indeed, even at 9'18", it sounds slower than Costa, and much less engaging. When the pace does pick up, the playing sounds congested, though that may be more down to recording technique. The Scherzo is slow and kludgy, though the forte outbursts have some kick. The Menuetto is middle of the road, though the Trio is kludgy and kind of soft edged. Then, somehow, Lill knocks it out of the park in the Presto. He plays with speed, drive, fun, energy, rhythmic snap, and hints of aggression. It's so qualitatively superior to the rest of the sonata that one almost wonders if it was recorded a year or two before or after the other movements. Overall, a dud.

 

[Todd A]

Idil Biret. Like a fair number of other pianists, Biret takes a broad overall approach in the Allegro, but she mixes things up in terms of tempo throughout, though she never plays especially swiftly. Her Alberti bass, though not heavy, is nice and clear, and her melody is quite lyrical at times. While she never produces a particularly loud tone, some of her left hand playing assumes a 'large' sound in forte passages. The Scherzo is nicely done, and the Menuetto is especially lovely in the outer sections, with a sort of boisterous Trio. The sonata ends with a Presto that sounds nice and fun, with some right hand accents popping out here and there. Not a great version, but, for lack of a better description, a comfortable one.

 

[Todd A]

Akiyoshi Sako. Sako goes for a snappy opening movement at 8'06", and the overall demeanor is very classical and fun, though Sako never really lets loose or anything. He tweaks note values here and there, but nothing obtrusive, and he allows the focus to be mostly on melody, though sometimes the left hand dominates. The Scherzo, while not particularly swift, is played with ample energy and a sense of boogie, with the left hand playing providing the wholly satisfying foundation. The Menuetto sounds tuneful and lovely in the outer sections, while the Trio is wonderfully boisterous. The Presto is just a joy from start to finish, with every positive attribute a listener could hope for. An excellent take.

 

[Todd A]

Alfredo Perl. The slightly distant, muffled sound offers a sonic contrast to some other recordings. Perl opts for a standard timing in the Allegro, and he plays with a sort of relaxed overall feel and some smooth legato in places. It sort of elegantly moves along in places, which may or may not be a good thing. The Scherzo is played nicely, without much in the way of mannerism, as is the Menuetto and Trio. The Presto is zippy and has nice bass, though the less than ideally clear sound doesn't help. Overall, this is an unexceptionable recording that fails to capture the imagination.