Ivan Moravec - RIP

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Posted on July 27, 2015 at 11:32:02

Posts: 26477
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
Since: February 6, 2012

Looks as if he died earlier today. He was born in 1930 and was definitely one of the great pianists of the twentieth century.

I was fortunate indeed to have gotten to know him a bit better than many were able to, since I was a student in one of his master classes in the early 80's, I helped him with a lecture he did at Stanford, and I had dinner with him and his wife twice.

The recordings he made on the Connoisseur Society label were fabulous, but there were some great recordings he did for other labels too - one of my favorites is the very personal Schumann Concerto / Franck Symphonic Variations he did with Neumann and the CzPO on the Supraphon label.

RIP.

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Love his Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4...

kuma

22:53:11 07/27/15

Wow, what an honor to have met him. I love his Chopin Nocturnes and his recording of the Mozart #25 PC....

jdaniel@jps.net

21:29:32 07/27/15

Yup - both those recordings are great

Chris from Lafayette

00:17:29 07/28/15

...

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Love his Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4...

kuma

22:53:11 07/27/15

Wow, what an honor to have met him. I love his Chopin Nocturnes and his recording of the Mozart #25 PC....

jdaniel@jps.net

21:29:32 07/27/15

Yup - both those recordings are great

Chris from Lafayette

00:17:29 07/28/15

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP

Ivan303

18:42:55 07/27/15

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP

steve.ott@kctcs.edu

18:34:49 07/27/15

2

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP

Chris from Lafayette

01:06:58 07/28/15

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP

pbarach

17:18:10 07/28/15

This is a sad loss

k-k-k-kenny

17:59:23 07/27/15

Actually, I have a picture. . .

Chris from Lafayette

00:59:13 07/28/15

I have a Debussy CD that I love!

oldmkvi

11:38:44 07/27/15

I have a Debussy CD that I love!, posted on July 27, 2015 at 11:38:44
oldmkvi Audiophile Posts: 10583 Joined: April 12, 2002	I hear where Herbie Hancock got some of his Musical Ideas! Sus 4 heaven... Ivan plays beautifully.

This is a sad loss, posted on July 27, 2015 at 17:59:23
k-k-k-kenny Audiophile Posts: 552 Location: Melbourne Joined: May 5, 2007	His playing always seemed to me meticulous without being fussy, essentially humble. A servant of the music rather than an exponent of his own considerable brilliance. A very great pianist indeed. Of course, for all I know he may have been a completely different animal at the dinner table, throwing bread rolls and ventilating petty jealousies, but somehow I doubt it.

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP, posted on July 27, 2015 at 18:34:49
steve.ott@kctcs.edu Audiophile Posts: 795 Joined: January 16, 2009	Love his playing. I have Mozart 20 and 23, and his Brahms no. 2. What else do I need to get?

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP, posted on July 27, 2015 at 18:42:55

Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001

Streaming this one now.

In the words of Napoleon Dynamite, SWEET!

What a breath of fresh air after being 'Lang Langed' to death by today's keyboard 'greats'.

And there are dozens of his albums up for streaming between QOBUZ, TIDAL and Deezer Elite.

Sadly not the Command Classics though, but many are still available on ebay.

First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

Wow, what an honor to have met him. I love his Chopin Nocturnes and his recording of the Mozart #25 PC...., posted on July 27, 2015 at 21:29:32
jdaniel@jps.net	makes me think that Mozart was actually a good composer.

Love his Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4..., posted on July 27, 2015 at 22:53:11

kuma
Audiophile

Posts: 10273
Location: IN
Joined: July 8, 2001

I also remember him for playing Mozart No.22 for Amadeus soundtrack.

I'll check out his Debussy tomorrow.

Yup - both those recordings are great, posted on July 28, 2015 at 00:17:29
Chris from Lafayette Audiophile Posts: 26477 Location: SF Bay Area Joined: February 17, 2004 Contributor Since: February 6, 2012	Looks as if he's got a couple of recordings of #25, one with Vlach and one with Marriner. (I'm not sure if I even have the one with Marriner, although I do remember hearing it.) Also #20 on video: Heady times - this was recorded not too long after the Iron Curtain fell. It seems to give this performance something even more special than the CD with Marriner.

Actually, I have a picture. . . , posted on July 28, 2015 at 00:59:13

Chris from Lafayette
Audiophile

Posts: 26477
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
Since: February 6, 2012

. . . of the two of us at one of those dinners, and he's got this big grin on his face. He was actually quite jovial during both of the dinners I referred to, and he had some very funny stories, a couple of which I've related in previous posts. David Oistrakh keeps popping up in a couple of recent threads, so let me mention one story (which I don't think I've posted yet) that Mrs. Moravec told me concerning Oistrakh. This was during the days when Karel Ancerl was the conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, and Oistrakh was already quite portly. After a concert where Oistrakh appeared as soloist with the CzPO (Ancerl conducting), there was a party at the Ancerls' apartment (the Moravecs were there too), and Mrs. Ancerl had gone to considerable trouble to get a supply of Mozartkugeln (the famous chocolate/marzipan confections from Austria) - which must have taken some doing with the Iron Curtain in the way. In any case, she had arranged the candies on a serving tray for the guests to enjoy (typically, a couple for each guest), but before she brought it out from the kitchen, she had to leave for a moment to take care of something else. When she returned, there was the serving tray, with all of the Mozartkugeln missing and Oistrakh standing nearby with a guilty look on his face. She went up to Oistrakh and said, "David! You didn't!", whereupon Oistrakh replied, "I'm sorry - I couldn't help myself!" The Moravecs were very amused by this!

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP, posted on July 28, 2015 at 01:06:58
Chris from Lafayette Audiophile Posts: 26477 Location: SF Bay Area Joined: February 17, 2004 Contributor Since: February 6, 2012	Well. . . there are more Mozart concertos, the Brahms No. 1, Beethoven 3 and 4, solo Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy - most of it is top quality. Another performance I really like (with a composer you don't normally associate with him) is his Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue.

RE: Ivan Moravec - RIP, posted on July 28, 2015 at 17:18:10
pbarach Audiophile Posts: 3307 Location: Ohio Joined: June 22, 2008	Also the Ravel Concerto in G, Franck Symphonic Variations, and two recordings each of the Schumann and Brahms #1 concertos.

Music Lane

Ivan Moravec - RIP

73.222.105.47