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Imperfect Pitch

Think of your favorite performers - be they instrumentalists, vocalists, conductors, what have you. Is there a common thread that binds them? Something similar about their interpretive approaches that resonates with you? For me, the commonalities are: • Above all else, intelligent phrasing. The abi...

Imperfect Pitch

Happy 213th birthday to Franz Schubert, one of the few composers who can melt your heart with a little turn of phrase.

Imperfect Pitch

You can't expect classical newbies to comprehend the music of Carter, Boulez, Schoenberg, and other composers of challenging music to grasp these works immediately. They need some kind of context, a frame of reference, before they are ready to tackle this kind of music. ... You have to start somewh...

Imperfect Pitch

Congrats to Wallingford - one of our longest-standing members, it seems (since 2003).

Imperfect Pitch

Congrats piston, you must be one of our most efficient posters. Keep it up and you'll reach five figures in Jan. 2012.

Imperfect Pitch

John F wrote:Beethoven's 5th symphony, except for the first movement and possibly the third.

But you can't just stop at the end of the third, it's criminal.

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Lance : I know, it's inexcusable :-) Just for you, I'm going to revisit Richter playing Schubert's A minor sonata, D. 784. It's a very moving performance, and one that I recommend if you don't already have it. MarkC : You seem very surprised by Richter's strong showing, but remember that our little...

Imperfect Pitch

Congrats to you, ravel30!

Out of curiosity, was "ravel29" taken? :-)

Imperfect Pitch

Congráts ás álwáys, Seán :-)

Imperfect Pitch

I'm also unclear on what the point of the original post is, but the subtext seems to be: judge the art, not the artist . To which I would agree in principle. But really, the issue is purely academic. Even if we wanted to judge a work of art according to the moral fiber of its creator, how could we ...

Imperfect Pitch

I had to laugh when I saw this subject line. Congrats, barney, and here's to the next 630 :-)

Imperfect Pitch

I still remember hearing Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2 in my elementary school music class. It was indescribably magical. That's the moment when I became smitten with classical music, and after all these years Bach remains one of my favorite composers. I find that his music rewards repeated listen...

Imperfect Pitch

I think Richter deserves his sterling reputation...... I don't think anyone is saying he doesn't. The question is, what exactly is his "reputation"? How high exactly is it? Obviously it's very high. But is it as high as is shown in this poll, where he not only gets the top spot but laps the competi...

Imperfect Pitch

I second Werner's earlier comment: fuzzy though it is, I understand "test of time" to mean something more than "personal favorite." If something stands the test of time, then basically, it polls very well.

Imperfect Pitch

I think Richter deserves his sterling reputation. His playing is unusually communicative, and thoughtful, with a distinctive "atmosphere." I find that he tends to linger in the memory long after the CD has stopped spinning. Strangely, though, I don't listen to his recordings very often. I can't rea...

Imperfect Pitch

Jack Kelso wrote:Chopin "more satisfying"? Perhaps to the general public

... and also, to me.

Imperfect Pitch

Does anyone else have the same problem with Schumann's piano works I don't have the same issue involving fast vs. slow pieces, but I do find that Schumann is a tough nut to crack. A few pieces from Kreisleriana (e.g., Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch ) and Kinderszenen (e.g., Von fremden Ländern und M...

Imperfect Pitch

The best I can do is alphabetical order:

Herreweghe
Pinnock
Szell
Toscanini
Walter

Imperfect Pitch

I am not an opera buff, so my list skews a little bit toward lieder/recital repertoire (except Tebaldi):

Elly Ameling
Kathleen Battle
Barbara Hendricks
Renata Tebaldi

Imperfect Pitch

Check out Alexandre Tharoud's excellent recording of that piece on his superb Couperin disc on Harmonia Mundi... http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=28305&name_role1=2&bcorder=2&name_id=2518&name_role=1 Based on the excerpt provided, I would say Tharaud's voicing is very good; bu...

Imperfect Pitch

Wow, Sokolov displays extraordinary voicing and precision in that Le Tic Toc Choc clip. Among living pianists I've heard, I would say only Hamelin and Volodos have comparable technique. But none of them crack my all-time top 5: 1. Glenn Gould 2. Sviatoslav Richter 3. Clara Haskil, Clifford Curzon, ...

Imperfect Pitch

1. Mozart
2. Bach
3. (tie) Schubert, Beethoven

< then a big gap, followed by >

5. Chopin

[Edited the order a bit - sorry Tiger.]

Imperfect Pitch

Hahn's debut CD (of selected Bach Violin Partitas and a Sonata - recorded in her early teens) blew me away in spite of some quibbles about her phrasing. But I found her later recording of Bach Concertos to be unremarkable, with tempos that were unnecessarily fast. So, with expectations appropriatel...

Imperfect Pitch

My main problem with opera is the recitativo . I find it unmusical. I have heard the Magic Flute, and I'll admit there are some absolutely incredible moments...I'm afraid it's just not my overall cup of tea. Then stay away from his Figaro... :mrgreen: Figaro: really great secco recitatives! And acc...

Imperfect Pitch

Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618. It exhibits succinctness and eloquence, grace and depth, sorrow and joy, humanity and transcendence ... an entire universe in less than 50 measures. In short, I find it to be the musical definition of perfection.

Imperfect Pitch

cps : Welcome to CMG! Perfect performances of Mozart? I'd say Murray Perahia's K. 310 comes very close, except the slow movement drags a bit. So, I created an iPod playlist where Perahia plays the outer movements and Dinu Lipatti plays the middle movement. Perfection! Similarly with Vesperae Solenn...

Imperfect Pitch

Transcriptions shed new light on a work, letting you return to the original with a different perspective. A bit like turning a color photo into black and white just for the fun of it. Of course there were practical reasons for creating piano transcriptions before recording technology came along. It...

Imperfect Pitch

living_stradivarius wrote:Interesting to know that Paganini VC 1 double harmonics have been the most popular. This is something you can only play well with a good instrument!

And a very good violinist :-)

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Ken - YouTube allows them everywhere except Germany for some reason. If you send me your e-mail address via Private Message, I'll see what I can do.

Imperfect Pitch

Werner: About the Scarlatti clip, you are correct - Lipatti is first, followed by a recording of Horowitz live in Moscow circa 1986 when he was 82. It's amazing what exceptional control he had over the keyboard at that age, even as he (understandably) slipped in consistency and virtuosity*. * As ev...

Imperfect Pitch

Thank you for your complete failure to address any of my points. Of especially notable impotence is the "look up the word" wheeze. Cheers, ~Karl[/color] Well, your post was wordy fluff not saying much, like most of them - i tried my best. :lol: Wordy fluff?? Karl, I believe this places you on par w...

Imperfect Pitch

I can't help admire James' courage, flying in the face of the orthodoxy - because that's what it is. The Bluffer's Guide says that there are four composers beyond criticism: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Your Particular Favourite. What a great website - thanks for the tip. I can already tell it will ...

Imperfect Pitch

Mozart is such a little lightweight next to a genius of Bach's stature and he knew and realized that himself. His music is all surface glitter & charm, effeminate, safe, polite and simple - if that's your kind-of thing more power to you! :? Come to think of it, I encounter lots of people in daily l...

Imperfect Pitch

If I could listen to only one composer for the rest of my life, it would be Mozart.

And somehow, I have a hunch his legacy will survive stray comments by CMG trolls :-)

Imperfect Pitch

slofstra wrote:which is the subject of a new documentary, Genius Within: the Inner Life of Glenn Gould

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to keep an eye out for this to hit U.S. shores.

Imperfect Pitch

slofstra : Thanks, I also like Curzon in Schubert although Horowitz - unidiomatic as he is - has grown on me. Gould's 1981 Goldberg has always been my favorite as an overall conception, although I sometimes think the 1955 recording is unbeatable on a variation-by-variation basis and the 1959 displa...

Imperfect Pitch

Thanks, I like meta-reviews like this. Reminds me of the cantankerous Bernard Haggin who liked reviewing other music critics. I discovered Haggin while in high school, in the early 90's, pre-internet. Back then I would consult both Gramophone and Penguin right in Tower Records before making a new p...

Imperfect Pitch

Many "eccentric" solo musicians could be surprisingly supportive, cooperative, even pliant in an ensemble setting. Jascha Heifetz is one example, as evidenced in this recording of Mozart. He displays perhaps a touch of willfulness in the A major Concerto, but not - to my ears - in the Sonata K. 378...

Imperfect Pitch

Thanks, Niki and Chosen Barley. Making these clips is really easy, and I did it using free software that's included with Windows (called Movie Maker). The program creates a video file that you can upload directly onto YouTube. The whole process takes maybe 10-15 minutes once you have the audio and ...

Imperfect Pitch

I've been posting some videos on YouTube. The idea is to compare different recordings of the same piece. Here they are; hope you enjoy them. The Paganini double-harmonics clip has been the most popular one so far, approaching 6,000 views and 60+ member comments since March. There is a surprisingly ...

Imperfect Pitch

I got to see Wang in concert when she subbed for Murray Perahia in Mozart and Mendelssohn concertos (Spring 2008 at Boston's Symphony Hall, backed by Marriner conducting ASMF). She was very accomplished, with unusually nimble fingers, offering Arcadi Volodos' demanding arrangement of Mozart's Piano...

Imperfect Pitch

I did say he was NOT a pianist's pianist. Yes, I should have said I agree with you that the moniker would not fit Gould. And, in reference to your more recent comments, I would add that Gould displays total command of what he does. This is reflected in the way he sculpts phrases, as you say - and i...

Imperfect Pitch

I do most of my serious listening in my study, but in the living room, where I like to read, I keep a boombox and the box of Gould CDs. Yesterday was kind of a relaxing day so I settled in with my Samuel Champlain biography and also worked through another 4 or 5 Gould CDs. Somewhere in the middle I...

Imperfect Pitch

Who was it that said Mozart takes on a completely different persona in his minor key works? I find some truth in that comment - his Sym #40, Quintet K. 516, Piano Concertos #20 and #24, Requiem mass, even the Piano Sonata K. 310 - are quite distinct from their major-key cousins and are generally co...

Imperfect Pitch

Misconceptions plague all kinds of music, not just Classical - and all kinds of things, not just music. There is only so much you can do to counter them. Besides, I'd say there is a germ of truth to the perception of Classical music being elitist and stuffy. In what other performing art do the perf...

Imperfect Pitch

Another vote for András Schiff. Somehow, he melds precise articulation and a strict rhythmic pulse with a luxuriant, pearly sound (the opposite of "dry" - maybe "wet"?), which works well in the French Suites and also the French Overture, BWV 831.

Imperfect Pitch

Hi Nathan, welcome to CMG. I think your music sounds great! (The playing too.) Nicely done.

The first piece, "My song 2", seems influenced by Chopin. The second one, "My song 3", has maybe a Spanish flair? Sorry if I'm way off the mark - point is, you should keep it up.

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Thank you, Corlyss and John. Based on your comments I've ruled out traveling to see the Met. I'm still pondering whether to see the Boston production. When I saw the Boston Lyric Opera's Don Giovanni in April, I was surprised by how strong the singers were and how weak the orchestra was (probably o...

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Has anyone heard of the opera company, Teatro Lirico D'Europa ? Are they any good? I'm thinking of seeing them in a production of Mozart's Figaro at Boston's Cutler Majestic Theater in March. Alternatively, I could try to catch a Met production later this month (assuming ticket availability), but I...

Imperfect Pitch

My list would look something like this. All warhorses because 8 recordings leaves no room for messing around. 1. Bach Cello Suites, Rostropovich 2. Bach Goldberg Variations, Gould '81 3. Bach Keyboard Partitas, Xiao-Mei Zhu 4. Mozart Marriage of Figaro, Giulini or Böhm (coin toss) 5. Mozart String ...

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