Live Powell plays Opus Clavicembalisticum, to be downloaded by you

[mephisto]

I am very bad at changing my mind at the last moment.

Just not sure if i am capable of listening to 2 hours or more of modern music.

Thal

What about the Alkan?

[thalbergmad]

Yeh, i could always leave after that.

[ahinton]

I am very bad at changing my mind at the last moment.

Just not sure if i am capable of listening to 2 hours or more of modern music.

Thal

Whatever your capabilities in this direction may or may not be, the Ives dates from more than 80 years ago, the Albéniz from 1911, the Strauss from just over a century ago (the original, that is - the Sorabji transcription dates from as recently as 1947), the Skryabin from 1912-13 and the Alkan (the longest work on the programme) from the 1850s; given that the total programme is in any case less than two hours long, your capability of listening to "modern music" for any extended duration is unlikely to be called upon to any great extent.

See you there!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

You seem to have neglected 2 composers in you commentry.

Those are the ones that are of most concern.

1911 is modern enough for me.

Thal

[ahinton]

You seem to have neglected 2 composers in you commentry.

Those are the ones that are of most concern.

1911 is modern enough for me.

Thal

Not at all. The purpose of my "commentry" was simply to pinpoint the sheer quantity and diversity of music in Jonathan Powell's programme that is by no stretch of any reasonable person's imagination "modern", thereby allaying your concerns about "2 hours" +  of "modern music"; however, if "1911 is modern enough for" you, there's not a lot of hope, one may suppose...

Best,

Alistair

[lostinidlewonder]

The OC is not badly played at all, however I don't think it improves or is on par with Michael Haberman's interpretations especially in the massive climaxes with the billions of notes. I find Powell's approach gets a little too segmented and procedural, phrases do not have the individual identity that Haberman breaths. Still it's very good stuff with clarity superior to most of what Ogdon or Madge offers. Silver medal award

[retrouvailles]

I'd like to hear Habermann play the OC. I don't think he could do anywhere near as great a job as Powell does. Powell is one of the cleanest, clearest players of Sorabji. Just take any of his recordings for an example. Habermann sounds unclear a lot of the time to me.

[soliloquy]

Powell is more accurate but Habermann has more ferocity and a muchhhh better sound, IMO.

[arbisley]

I think I'd love to come to the concert but it's three days before my grade 8 cello exam and it costs quite a lot to get up there by train.... grrr, this is where I would love to be able to drive! shame, I'll try to get to something another time maybe... sorry for the useles post, but I also wanted to see what other people said about the recording! (which again I can not listen to because the *)(£*$)*^"!*£$& school network filters it)