The Magic of Raymond Lewenthal (1923 - 1988)

[michael_sayers]

Hi Everyone,

Most recordings of him don't sound like these. What I like about them is that they aren't played just phrase-to-phrase - the music has a definite route and destination. And also sometimes in the playing, in the way some notes are held, or the tempo changes slightly, the way some phrases are stretched, and the way the chords are rolled in Clair de Lune, I think one gets an echo of Ervin Nyiregyhazi's soft side. Raymond Lewenthal heard him perform several times in the 1940s and hearing his sound is sure to leave an impression that doesn't readily depart from the mind.

How Fair This Spot (Rachmaninoff-Lewenthal)

Claire de Lune (Claude Debussy)

Liebesträume No.3 (Franz Liszt)

Preludes Op. 11 (Alexander Scriabin)

Symphonic Etudes Op. 13 (Robert Schumann)

The Swan (Saint-Säens - Godowsky)

Mvh,
Michael

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Most recordings of him don't sound like these. What I like about them is that they aren't played just phrase-to-phrase - the music has a definite route and destination. And also sometimes in the playing, in the way some notes are held, or the tempo changes slightly, the way some phrases are stretched, and the way the chords are rolled in Clair de Lune..

Yes, very definitely Romantic-style pianism, and different to much of his playing where he can sound a bit brittle, even abrasive, at times. Of course such playing suited some of his Alkan, and his Hexameron was very exciting.

Some people might be interested in his radio talk on Alkan:

(interspersed with performances - it's lengthy but worthwhile).

[ahinton]

Listening to RL giving a good account of the delicious Saint-Saëns/Godowsky Le Cygne (for which thanks for the link) led me to Cherkassky playing the same (as I first heard him do many years ago) and, my respect for RL notwithstanding, I find Cherkassky far more persuasive.

This then led me, with no small amount of trepidation, to the second of the three Godowsky Symphonic Metamorphoses on Johann Strauss II's waltzes, this one on the that from Die Fledermaus (and dedicated to JS II's widow) from a live recital by Valentina Lisitsa, whose playing I usually find depressingly ordinary, so it is with no small pleasure that I can report that, in this fearsomely challenging work, she really does rise to the occasion very well indeed; yes, I've heard it played better, but I don't ever recall hearing Lisitsa play better than she does here at

OK, so the thread's about Lewenthal so let's get back to him!

Best,

Alistair

[michael_sayers]

Here is a interesting Raymond Lewenthal recording of Bach and Chopin.

This one isn't so easy to happen upon at YouTube.

[michael_sayers]

Listening to RL giving a good account of the delicious Saint-Saëns/Godowsky Le Cygne (for which thanks for the link) led me to Cherkassky playing the same (as I first heard him do many years ago) and, my respect for RL notwithstanding, I find Cherkassky far more persuasive.

This then led me, with no small amount of trepidation, to the second of the three Godowsky Symphonic Metamorphoses on Johann Strauss II's waltzes, this one on the that from Die Fledermaus (and dedicated to JS II's widow) from a live recital by Valentina Lisitsa, whose playing I usually find depressingly ordinary, so it is with no small pleasure that I can report that, in this fearsomely challenging work, she really does rise to the occasion very well indeed; yes, I've heard it played better, but I don't ever recall hearing Lisitsa play better than she does here at

OK, so the thread's about Lewenthal so let's get back to him!

Best,

Alistair

Hi Alistair,

Thanks for sharing that link!


Mvh,
Michael