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In Reply to: RE: Things soundin' bad in babe pianist's latest release? posted by Analog Scott on August 27, 2014 at 03:53:28
True, I'm a fan in general of Haskil and Curzon in Mozart, Backhaus and Gulda in Beethoven, Backhaus and Lateiner in Brahms, Arrau in Debussy and Chopin (with a few exceptions, I suppose), and specific records of many other famous pianists of the recent and distant past.
But I'm happy to discover newer talent. Frederic Chiu did a superb set of Chopin Mazurkas that imo surpasses any of the historical versions I've heard, including Rubinstein's. I thought I'd never warm to the Goldberg Variations on harpsichord, then along came Pierre Hantai. Alexandre Tharaud has a superb technique and grasp of contemporary piano music as well as earlier stuff.
But let's face it, when it comes to Schumann's Kinderscenen and Abegg Variations, there are already some pretty darn good versions out there. I own a few, and I'm not desperately searching for another. Why is Lise De La Salle recording them? Because the combination of a pretty face and beloved well-known classics is more likely to sell CDs and downloads? Not to me.
Edit: Also, the standard performers of our childhood do not always become unreproachable legends. Look at some of the discussions below about Isaac Stern.
Edits: 08/27/14Follow Ups:
"Why is Lise De La Salle recording them? Because the combination of a pretty face and beloved well-known classics is more likely to sell CDs and downloads?"
Or maybe the music speaks to her and she feels she has something to say about it?
Sounds to me as if Distler is not too far off here. She really does misread (or misplay) the rhythm in "Ritter vom Steckenpferd" ("Knight of the Hobbyhorse"), as Distler noted - I don't know what it is about this piece, but I've heard a couple of other recordings wherein the pianists make a similar rhythmic misinterpretation. Another thing I don't like is that she doesn't hold some of the longer notes for their full value - sometimes, this can be part of the rhetoric of an interpretation, but my feeling with Lise is that it's more a mannerism caused by unawareness. I asked by my wife what she thought of the playing, and she said, "Oh. . . it's OK. Lots of people could play it [Kinderszenen] that well."
Nice picture on the booklet cover though!
I listened to a Chopin recording by Lise, and heard some of that failure to hold sustained notes you mention. You're right, it's incredibly annoying, though I'm not sure why.
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