Daniel Barenboim thread

[prodigy1220]

Who thinks daniel barenboim is a great pianist? I do!!!!!1

[brahmsian]

I have a CD of his Chopin Nocturnes. They're excellent.

[arensky]

Sometimes I think his interpretations are a bit stodgy, but when he's good he's great! His Brahms 2nd Concerto and his Bartok Concerti are extraordinary, and yes his Nocturnes are beautiful too...

[rlefebvr]

All right, someone with taste. I am a huge fan. His Bach WTC collection is amazing.

I will have to look for the Chopin Nocturnes.

[Kassaa]

His nocturnes are boring IMO.

[perfect_pitch]

His Mozart Concertos are fantastic. He does a good job at them.

[Tash]

i like his mozart piano concertos, and his bartok concertos are quite good, except the very end of the 3rd i was like wth is he doing

in terms of conducting, his interpretation of bach's magnificat was seriously bizarre and i really hated it....

[prodigy1220]

I like his moonlight sonata alot!!!! i think his performance of mvt 3 is one of the best

[bachisdashit]

Well he's awesome duh...
I saw him conduct CSO once
Heard he's an arsehole in real life though...

[totallyclassics]

I didn't know he played Beethoven!  Cool!  I have his Chopin nocturnes.  AMAZING!
A must for Chopin fans!

Thanks,

Tc

[bronwyn87]

er....not really a fan of barenboim's
though a lot of people i know love the beethoven cycle, i don't think its all THAT good...
he actually does really well with the chopin nocturnes. i think he tone is perhaps more suited to that...

[jehangircama]

he's quite good. i've heard his pathetique, moonlight and appasionata and they're good....

[ramseytheii]

He's much in th enews these days because he gave some lectures in England to a huge number of people, complaining about the effect of Muzak on our lives and culture, and also because he is about to retire from his Chicago Symphony post after 15 years.
Barenboim is often criticized for doing too much at unequal levels of achievement.  I would agree with this criticism!

I don't like his WTC recording at all, because I think if one wants to take a more "Romantic" approach, it is better to follow the subtly of an Edwin Fischer, rather than trying to make big grandiose statements, which in my opinion are just suffocating the music.  Also his phrasing sometimes is just stupid (see b minor fugue WTC I).

The Beethoven recordings I didn't like at all, I heard them a while ago but I remember them as being overpedalled and blurry, maybe it was just the recording techniques.  But I went to see a live concert of his in Carnegie Hall during the time of his Beethoven sonata seminars, and the A-flat sonata op.110 was really great, i won't forget it.  Unfortunately the other two sonatas on the program were just a mess, I mean I don't think he practiced them at all.  Once again Barenboim spraeds himself too thin.

Walter Ramsey

[rlefebvr]

I am a big fan. I have his WTC and Chopin Nocturnes and they are both awesome.

I agree with Ramseytheii that his approach is very much on the Romantic side. Especially his WTC, but I enjoy Baro because of it. I do not like the Static approach some use with Bach. The piano has matured since his time and I think it is O.K. to add nuances that were not possible in his period if one chooses to do so.

It is difficult to argue with Ramsey's post, but a lot of what he see's as a negative, I sees as a positive. It's a matter of taste really.

I give him my 2 thumbs up.

[elias89]

I heard him one year before in concert performing 4 Beethoven Sonatas. Appassionata was terrible (extrem high amount of mistakes ), Waldstein OK.

[jamie_liszt]

I think he's fantastic, Chopin Nocturnes, Bach, Beethoven Sonatas, Mozart concertos are very well played.

Anyone seen the Barenboim masterclass on the beethoven sonatas, great good video.

[canardroti]

The best Beethoven i've heard.
I heard he's an *** in real life as well. go figure, he might have Beethoven's attitude...or is he his reincarnation? oooh..oohh.. OOOH..

[lol_nl]

His way of playing is special, and sometimes it suits a piece and sometimes it's just what it sholdn't be. I like his nocturnes, but his Bach is awful, with the rubato etc.

[burstroman]

Barenboim's recording of the complete Mendelssohn "Songs Without Words" is impeccable as far as tempi and taste, in my opinion.