Re: WAYTL - May 2006

Barenboim's new Mahler 7: I admired the sound and orchestral playing,
but found the performance (especially the first movement) eccentric
and wayward, particularly the emphasis on inner voices and
accompanying figures at the expense of the melodic line. I'll stick
with Rosbaud, Gielen, Kondrashin, et al.

Natan Brand vol. 1 (Schumann/Chopin): I bought this because it was
recommended here. Brand was a pianist with a huge sound and lots of
personality. When his interpretations "work," they are fabulous. I
thought his Kreisleriana was glorious. In other pieces, his
eccentricities were not to my taste; the opening movement of the
Chopin Sonata #2 I found weird and unsatisfying.

To compare with Brand, I pulled out some live Chopin recorded in the
'70s by another unknown pianist, Stella Czajkowski--a Polish Holocaust
survivor who made whatever career she had in Sweden after the war. A
strong technique and solid musicianship, but without the extra flair
that makes Brand so remarkable (and infuriating at times).

In the mail (I hope): the 6CD set of Mikhail Vaiman recordings
recently reissued on Melodiya. (Crotchet has it, but a Russian dealer
offered a much lower price, even taking postage into account.)

AC
.

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