Tír Na HiFi

In memoriam of the great French stage director Patrice Chereau. It´s a mind boggling, totally absorbing production.

Listening this evening to Leonidas Kavakos's deeply impressive rendition of the Beethoven violin sonatas (on Decca).  This performance stands apart from my personal benchmark versions of Faust/Melnikov (Harmonia Mundi) and Kremer/Argerich (DG) in the extraordinary sense of measured refinement that Kavakos brings to his playing of these chamber masterpieces without sacrificing anything of the emotional depth that Beethoven inscribed into this wonderful music.  I love the sense of wilful playfulness that Isabelle Faust and Gidon Kremer incorporate into their unfettered performances but the joy of this new recording lies in Kavakos's willingness to linger and patiently reflect and impart a sense of tenderness to this music.  The interplay with pianist Enrico Pace is also worth noting.  Just like in the modern instrument set of Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord he recorded with Frank Peter Zimmermann for Sony a few years ago, he is very much an equal partner in this music, alert and responsive to Kavakos's minutest inflections.  A quite superb set of these violin sonatas, played with great sensitivity and delicacy, very highly recommended.

And then I listened to a recent purchase, Helene Grimaud's performance of the Brahms piano concertos (on DG).  I was listening to Nelson Freire's quite brilliant versions recently (one of my most-played CD sets of the past 5 years) and I decided it was time for a new version.  There is a wonderful performance by Grimaud (accompanied by Michael Gielen) of the first piano concerto on Youtube and I found myself very tempted by this new release.  The most interesting thing about Grimaud's performance of the Brahms piano concertos is the calmness and serenity with which she lingers over the notes.  These are warm-hearted, ruminative and emotionally expressive performances that I find deeply affecting and wholly convincing.  Superb accompaniment from Andris Nelsons also (directing the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in the First and the Vienna Philharmonic in the Second).

I've been working my way through the Telemann Tafelmusik disks I recently purchased... very pleasant and well played, although I don't feel I can manage a whole box set in one sitting...

mcq wrote: And then I listened to a recent purchase, Helene Grimaud's performance of the Brahms piano concertos (on DG).  I was listening to Nelson Freire's quite brilliant versions recently (one of my most-played CD sets of the past 5 years) and I decided it was time for a new version.  There is a wonderful performance by Grimaud (accompanied by Michael Gielen) of the first piano concerto on Youtube and I found myself very tempted by this new release.  The most interesting thing about Grimaud's performance of the Brahms piano concertos is the calmness and serenity with which she lingers over the notes.  These are warm-hearted, ruminative and emotionally expressive performances that I find deeply affecting and wholly convincing.  Superb accompaniment from Andris Nelsons also (directing the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in the First and the Vienna Philharmonic in the Second).

That is interesting regarding a new Grimaud CD of the Brahms Piano Concertos. These are works that I am fond of and I do own a version of the Piano Concerto No. 1 played by Helene Grimaud under Sanderling conducting the Staatskapelle Berlin. I would like to hear her playing the second Piano Concerto.

Jared wrote:I've been working my way through the Telemann Tafelmusik disks I recently purchased... very pleasant and well played, although I don't feel I can manage a whole box set in one sitting...

Unless you were at an appropriate banquet!! I am pleased that you seem to like it overall.

Earlier....




Great performances if you do not know this CD Jared.

I haven't bothered to post my listening habits here of late as, amongst other things, I am slowly making my way through the recordings of the Eroica in my collection and there are some really splendid performances in there too.

Seán wrote:I haven't bothered to post my listening habits here of late as, amongst other things, I am slowly making my way through the recordings of the Eroica in my collection and there are some really splendid performances in there too.

A ripe subject if ever there was one for a thread or, dare I say it, a Project!!

Finishing off with some Schubert....





The beautifully melodious Arpeggione Sonata played by Anner Bylsma on violoncello piccolo (five-stringed) and Jos van Immerseel on fortepiano.

mcq wrote:Listening this evening to Leonidas Kavakos's deeply impressive rendition of the Beethoven violin sonatas (on Decca).  This performance stands apart from my personal benchmark versions of Faust/Melnikov (Harmonia Mundi) and Kremer/Argerich (DG) in the extraordinary sense of measured refinement that Kavakos brings to his playing of these chamber masterpieces without sacrificing anything of the emotional depth that Beethoven inscribed into this wonderful music.  I love the sense of wilful playfulness that Isabelle Faust and Gidon Kremer incorporate into their unfettered performances but the joy of this new recording lies in Kavakos's willingness to linger and patiently reflect and impart a sense of tenderness to this music.  The interplay with pianist Enrico Pace is also worth noting.  Just like in the modern instrument set of Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord he recorded with Frank Peter Zimmermann for Sony a few years ago, he is very much an equal partner in this music, alert and responsive to Kavakos's minutest inflections.  A quite superb set of these violin sonatas, played with great sensitivity and delicacy, very highly recommended.

And then I listened to a recent purchase, Helene Grimaud's performance of the Brahms piano concertos (on DG).  I was listening to Nelson Freire's quite brilliant versions recently (one of my most-played CD sets of the past 5 years) and I decided it was time for a new version.  There is a wonderful performance by Grimaud (accompanied by Michael Gielen) of the first piano concerto on Youtube and I found myself very tempted by this new release.  The most interesting thing about Grimaud's performance of the Brahms piano concertos is the calmness and serenity with which she lingers over the notes.  These are warm-hearted, ruminative and emotionally expressive performances that I find deeply affecting and wholly convincing.  Superb accompaniment from Andris Nelsons also (directing the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in the First and the Vienna Philharmonic in the Second).

I have to say that the Nelson Freire is also my personal favorite recording of both concertos, or at least tied up there with the Gilels/Jochum, and the reason is that these concertos work so much better when the soloist is not brutally highlighted, but rather well integrated with the orchestra, especially in the Second, as if it were a sinfonia concertante, and when the orchestra is the Gewandhaus the result is oh-so-satisfactrory.