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Posts: 26477
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
Since: February 6, 2012
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I especially like Sudbin's recording of the Second Concerto, with what would seem to me to be his unlikely collaboration with the North Carolina SO! I have Sudbin's [EDIT: Oops! I meant Hamelin's!] recording of the complete Medtner sonatas set too - besides its innate quality, it's also a wonderful base from which to branch out to other interpretations of these works. For instance, in Medtner's greatest Sonata (the "Night Wind"), Hamelin pays very strict attention to the composer's markings throughout the work. Mejoueva, in the same work, is more freewheeling and, one might say, not as scrupulous about every last one of the literal indications in the score. However, hers is the superior performance (at least for me) in terms of generating excitement and emotion, although I still like the Hamelin performance too. (Mejoueva also benefits from the superior engineering she's afforded!) In addition, there are a couple of other interesting alternatives in the other sonatas from Lucas Debargue and others.   BTW, in her performance of the 6 Skazki (Folk Tales or Fairy Tales) on the recording shown above, Mejoueva plays quite differently than she did in these works in her earlier album on Denon, which I showed in my previous post. I prefer that Denon performance, which features near-miraculous transparency of the textures, although the more overt drama of the later performances also has its attractions. Thank you for the recommendation of the Tanayev Oresteia Overture - I do not know it. As for Arensky, yes - a very enjoyable composer - although I'm reminded of a story about Rimsky-Korsakov attending a performance of one of Arensky's orchestral works, and not being impressed with Arensky's orchestration, as he loudly whispered to Stravinsky (so that other people in the audience could hear!), "Scandalous! Imagine using the noble bass clarinet that way!". LOL!
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