The Classical Music Guide Forums

arepo

I am deeply saddened to learn about the passing of this remarkable musician. He and some of the greatest and most skilled bassists and drummers who were part of his group gave me years of musical joy. I have all of his recordings and listen frequently to them because they are truly creative and bril...

arepo

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think either Babayan or his student Trifinov taught or was a student at Curtis.
If my memory is correct, Babayan was connected with the New England Conservatory.

cliftwood

arepo

Trump is blowing more smoke and if he's scared, he should be shaking in his boots.

All signs indicate he's heading for disaster and it can't be soon enough for the majority of Americans.

Isn't it painful to watch this tragedy ?

cliftwood

arepo

I second the nomination of Imogen Cooper to the list of exceptional Schubert interpreters.

Heard her recently and she was superb. She is very underrated, IMHO.

Hello, Henry.

cliftwood

arepo

eThanks to a gift from a dear friend, I just listened to the DG recordings of Kempff's complete Schubert piano sonatas, which are simply outstanding and a revelation for me. Frankly, there are so many fine Schubert interpreters, including Serkin, Uchida, Brendel, Schnabel, Lupu, among others. All th...

arepo

Henry.. Another superb review of the Angela Cooper's wonderful recital. Sorry I missed seeing you there. She remains, in my view, one of the best artists out there and doesn't get the recognition she richly deserves. The Haydn was delicious, the Beethoven outstanding and the Schubert the finest perf...

arepo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vALtCC_K4Hc
cliftwood

arepo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmMFPXNW0sM
cliftwood

arepo

John..
I'm not sure what you mean. Remember, I'm the Ancient Mariner of this forum and technically inept.

All I know is that I watched for years before the broadcasts just stopped.
Thanks for your help.

cliftwood

arepo

I'm a fully paid up subscriber to Medici and haven't been able to see anything for almost three months. I've registered endless complaints and they haven't responded other than to say I'll hear from them in a few days. Has anyone had a problem with them? I'm perplexed and very angry. Any suggestions...

arepo

I'll buy this CD for two reasons.
1. I think Hewitt is an exceptional artist.
2. I have great respect for maestrob's musical knowledge and taste

cliftwood

arepo

Balz is the best of the best at the Washington Post. This superb article should be must reading for every person who voted for this disgraceful moron. I wonder how many of these people are still certain they did the right thing and could possibly still support him after this performance in Helsinki?...

arepo

Very inventive and beautifully played, Thanks for brought it to our attention.
I remain a devout fan of the Jacques Loussier Trio in this genre and revisit his CDs on a regular basis.
cliftwood

arepo

Brian..
Some fine choices.
I'd like to add some other superb performances I've heard, in no particular order..
Boris Berman..# 7
Gyorgy Sandor..#6, 7, 8 & 9
Ashkenazy..# 7 & 8
Kasman..# 7 & 9
Bronfman..# 9
Alexander Sultanov..# 7
George Li..# 6
Sergey Redkin..# 8 & 9
Argerich.. # 6 & 7

cliftwood

arepo

Wow, Len.!! Quite a photo, too long ago to remember when that was. :lol: How about these names from the past ? Lofstra, piston, Stenka Razin, Heck, Calvin, Bob Zeidler, Pczipott, baldric, tom Dill, A.C Douglas, Junendon, TM Kerch, Scott Morrison, Peter McNally, owlice, opera lover, Perry Tannenbaum,...

arepo

The Eagles are a team of destiny. Forget the statistics.
They will be the Super Bowl winner.
Trust me.
Philadelphia is a wonderful city in so many ways and they deserve a winner.

cliftwood

arepo

Henry. Thank you for another brilliant review, which I've come to expect from you. Denk is quite an interesting artist, intellectually and musically and never leaves anything in the bag, making his recitals an event always. His Beethoven was really particularly beautiful. as fine a performance of th...

arepo

This is a tragic loss. He was an exceptional artist and will always remain in my memory as one of the great ones.
Thank you, Dimitri, for many special musical moments.
Rest in peace.

cliftwood

arepo

Another fine summary by Philadelphia's top reviewer. I completely agree with your comments. This young man is an exceptional talent and I wonder what he will bring us in another ten years. The Bach was stunning and the Ravel equal to any other pianist I've heard on this excruciatingly difficult work...

arepo

I also am in complete disagreement with JBuck and Belle on this one. In my view, Horowitz was a musical giant, albeit a bit eccentric at times. His Scarlatti is quite marvelous and I'm fascinated at hearing what you find unsatisfactory with his recording of the Sonatas. Honestly. with all respect, t...

arepo

The piano recital is certainly alive and well in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society series has been totally successful for many years, with sellouts on every piano recital and string quartet programs for decades. The current year piano recitals include Richard Goode, Benjamin Gosve...

arepo

I'd like to suggest three sets of Schubert sonatas that are hard to surpass in quality that have not been mentioned, as yet. Radu Lupu, Andras Schiff and Mitsuko Uchida are the artists and one could do no wrong in selecting any of the three as superb examples of great Schubert playing. All very spec...

arepo

Maestro.. Of the many large sets of the I have, Russell Sherman's definitely ranks very high overall. My preference has been Andras Schiff , Rudolf Serkin and Richard Goode, but the issue is so very subjective and I believe it's virtually impossible to select just one. In my memory of superb special...

arepo

I recently heard a performance by a quartet of students from Curtis of the Mendelssohn String Quartet # 2 in A minor, Opus 13. I was not aware of this gem and I was astounded at the beauty and creativeness of what this fine composer produced at the age of 18. Certainly one of the most superb string ...

arepo

Speaking of the Brahms 1st Concerto. . I was a student at Curtis in 1945 and had the rare privilege of accompanying Rudolf in two practice sessions where I played the orchestra part of the first and last movement. It was a scary assignment but I enjoyed the thrill of playing with this great man. See...

arepo

Republicans have refused to address this issue in any serious way, allowing the conflicts to fester and Trump’s finances to remain opaque. Congress has the power to legislate — to disallow emoluments, require divestiture of businesses, bar relatives (with their own holdings) from serving in governm...

arepo

From Time Magazine.. My Skin Crawled.’ Hillary Clinton Describes Tense Moment During Debate With Donald Trump Katie Reilly 10:27 AM ET In an excerpt from her upcoming book, Hillary Clinton said her "skin crawled" during the second presidential debate last year when Donald Trump hovered behind her w...

arepo

Loved to see Corey. He was a very funny and unusual comedy character.

I remember his opening lines were words like, "However" or "Nevertheless"..

They don't make them like Irwin any more.
Rest in peace.

cliftwood

arepo

The plot thickens and the demise of Mr.Trump is in the process of becoming reality.
I wish Robert Mueller Godspeed in his quest to rid our nation of this vermin from a role he is so totally unqualified to possess.
cliftwood

arepo

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiH6Yv5wbvVAhVH04MKHZyzCIQQFgg0MAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fblogs%2Fblog-briefing-room%2Fnews%2F344292-peggy-noonan-weak-and-sniveling-trump-is-not-as-strong-as-his&usg=AFQjCNE6CdU2_bn5PxpMY9lmYkqVK3vFbg c...

arepo

Reb..
I'm as frightened as you are about what this simpleton in the White House will do next.
By the way, it's great to see your name again on the forum.
Welcome back.

cliftwood

arepo

Trump thinks he's invincible and can intimidate Mueller. He continues to bury himself and I hope his demise from the throne is very close to fruition. What a despicable excuse for a President, who strangely is still supported by his core group of admirers. I wonder what it's going to take for that g...

arepo

Now that the floodgates may open, McConnell will finally realize that his dreams of total repeal of Obamacare are over, and he might think about something he's never allowed in 8 years, namely working with Democrats to solve the complexity of a solution to the flaws in the existing law.
cliftwood

arepo

maestro..
Your knowledge of music and your excellent taste in performances has always been admirable.

cliftwood

arepo

AC Douglas apparently left the internet in July of 2016. He was quite an amazing character in many ways, albeit controversial, to put it mildly. Clearly a very bright man, his desire to be a curmudgeon `turned most people against him, a role he thrived on. His obsession for all things Wagner dominat...

arepo

The best performance of this work by Schumann I believe to be by Murray Perahia on Sony.
Another fine Kreisleriana is By Radu Lupu on London.
This is a really difficult work to master.
cliftwood

arepo

Trifinov is , without question, one of the most skilled young pianists in the world .
If you want to hear his work, just go to medici.tv or YouTube and hold on to your hat.
An astounding talent.

cliftwood

arepo

Hindemith's Symphony in E flat remains never performed and remains one my all-time favorite works. Never could understand the lack of enthusiasm for this marvelous work.

cliftwood

arepo

Is there anything this incredibly incompetent moron does that really surprises you ?
I still stand by my prediction that he'll be resigning before the year is over.
Almost every Republican in the Congress has said nothing about this clown and they will suffer for their silence in 2018.
cliftwood

arepo

My prediction... Trump , with his continuing saga of lying, and his clearly inability to handle the responsibilities and the pressures of the Presidency, will not wait until his inevitable impeachment has been finalized and will resign from office, claiming his failing health and advice of his docto...

arepo

It's sickening to see that only an isolated Republican in the Congress has anything negative to say about the constant horrible mistakes, misstatements and outright lies by this brutally inept and dangerous man.
What are they waiting for before they speak out ?
Disgraceful .

cliftwood

arepo

Thank you, Henry, for another brilliant review.
Barnatan was a revelatory discovery for me and his musicianship was evident in every work he played.
A fine ending to a wonderful season of recitals by the Philadelphia Chamber Music organization.
Have a safe and healthy summer.

cliftwood

arepo

Are you surprised at this bit of news?? :wink: :wink: Comey sought more money for Russia probe days before he was fired, officials say The inside track on Washington politics. cliftwood By Ashley Parker By Ashley Parker Post Politics May 10 at 11:55 AM In this Wednesday, May 3, 2017, photo then-FBI...

arepo

To use his memorable words.....
Lock him up, lock him up, lock him up!!!
The Trump disaster continues unabated.
cliftwood

arepo

Henry..

Your usual fine review. Ax remains one of my most satisfying pianists, always tasteful, technically immaculate and consistently almost flawless. The Chopin sonata was memorable.
I always look forward to your in-depth analysis.
Regards,
cliftwood

arepo

Let me recommend a terrific recording of Max Reger's Piano writings, including the Variations and Fugue on a theme by Bach, performed by Marc-Andre Hamelin on the Hyperion label. A fine work and the CD also contains the Five Humoresques, Op.20 and Variations and Fugue on a Telemann theme, Op.134. cl...

arepo

Lance.. Three weeks before this great artist died in SF, I was fortunate to hear her recital at Haverford College. She performed the Shostakovich 24 Preludes and Fugues and if you closed your eyes and just listened, the pianist could have been a twenty-five year old woman, with no evidence whatever ...

arepo

I failed to mention a superb recording of the Scarlatti Sonatas by Mikail Pletnev, an artist who unfortunately as abandoned his piano career to become a conductor.
What a waste.

cliftwood

arepo

I must confess to the simple truth that I do not like the sound of a harpsichord, finding it to be too metallic, too harsh and lacking any audible subtlety. The sound of Scarlatti's superb sonatas on the modern piano are totally gratifying to my ear and I suspect that if the modern day piano existed...

arepo

Here's a truly wonderful performance of the Brahms/Bach Chaconne by Trifinov.
Very special.
cliftwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8-nWq6pqag

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