Piano Forum
Piano Board => Repertoire => Topic started by: bjm412 on August 21, 2007, 09:00:56 AM
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What is the best/your favorite recording of Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel (op.24)?
I have Katchen's rendition, which is absolutely amazing. This made me fall in love with the piece. Sublime performance.
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Katchen was solid
but i prefer Richter's live one, Ernst Levy and Egon Petri
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alexei lubimov isn't bad. kinda sparkly playing. not as 'choralish' as light. you'll never find as clear of playing, though. it's one of a kind.
https://www.rhino.com/store/digital/detail.lasso?upc=809274998668
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I have a great Brahms CD with Francisca Skoogh, she includes the Handel suite on which Brahms made the variations, too:
https://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=5921
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I've always liked the recording by Arrau.
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Solomon was good, and Katchen.
Just to add, since this piece is in my repertoire atm, that fugue is the most horribly un-pianistic, uncomfortable piece i've ever played!
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really? I read it through once (slowly) and the fugue seemed okay but I might be wrong after just a readthrough of course... what are the difficulties in it?
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ive never listened to this piece and theres no youtube video. were can i listen to it for free?
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ive never listened to this piece and theres no youtube video. were can i listen to it for free?
Here is the only non-commercial recording I can share with you. As I belive it's against the rules of this forum to post commerical recordings. It's a Pletnev recordings from the Wigmore Hall 27.10.1995.
https://www.sendspace.com/file/654b17
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thank you very much mephisto
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I have Emmanuel Ax's recording. It's not bad.
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Stephen kovacevich has a recording... And I thought it was pretty good.
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Just heard Katchen's recording which also made me fall in love with the piece. Splendid.
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Just heard Katchen's recording which also made me fall in love with the piece. Splendid.
Did you have to revive a nearly 2 year old thread to say that?
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Pletnev's is very good and tds's is very good.
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As one might expect from me, three 'outsiders'. Number one-the very great Egon Petri, recorded 1938. Number two- Jorge Bolet, recorded `1980. And last of all-Sergio Fiorentino, recorded 1965. BTW-the fugue is not too unpianistic if you have worked your way through most of Brahms' '51 Exercises'!
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As one might expect from me, three 'outsiders'. Number one-the very great Egon Petri, recorded 1938. Number two- Jorge Bolet, recorded `1980. And last of all-Sergio Fiorentino, recorded 1965. BTW-the fugue is not too unpianistic if you have worked your way through most of Brahms' '51 Exercises'!
Unpianistic is unpianistic, no matter how many exercises you do. :)
In any case, Brahms wrote piano music deliberately to be unpianistic, according to Charles Rosen. He was the sort of Anti-Liszt of the piano; his exercises are also very uncomfortable.
The fugue is not pianistic, but it is not the most awkward thing Brahms wrote.
Walter Ramsey
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Katchen was solid
but i prefer Richter's live one, Ernst Levy and Egon Petri
I love Ernst Levy, I didn't know he recorded this.. how can I hear it? Is it published?
Also, is the Petri published?
Walter Ramsey
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Petri's performance is on 'Egon Petri Volume 3' which was on Pearl-Pavilion label. I do not know whether it is still available. Number is GEMM CDS 9078.
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I love Ernst Levy, I didn't know he recorded this.. how can I hear it? Is it published?
Also, is the Petri published?
Walter Ramsey
His performance is on YouTube