Great Piano and Chamber Music

[TheSound]

I think perhaps the most technically gifted pianist I have heard is the Russian Evgeny Kissin, though I wouldn't say he was somebody I would wish to hear playing Schubert sonatas or Bach preludes, as he is quite flambouyant, and more suited to showpiece works such as this, but amazing none the less! He's a wizard...

 

[LG]

^^I have quite of few of his albums, he is very good.

I am partial to Sviatoslav Richter more myself...but there are so many gifted pianists it's hard to just have one favorite.

I'll post another piece tomorrow when I have more time TS.

 

[LG]

Here's one of my favorite Beethoven Sonatas, "Appassionata" the first movement played by Horowitz.

 

[TheSound]

I have received instructions from LG to update this thread with some nice chamber music!! So here's two pieces I love, my wife (the talented half of the relationship!) also for relaxation away from the orchestra plays with colleagues in a string trio and a quartet, not professionally, just for fun, church fund-raisers, charity functions etc, even this weekend busking in the town center with their red-noses on to raise some money for Comic Relief! And her two all time favourite pieces are, I think (?)... these...perfection!!!

 

[LG]

I have the Schubert piece of course, great choice.

And I love Borodin, I don't think I have that one in the collection...

Two resounding picks TS.

Here's a Liszt piece, Rhapsody #2

 

[TheSound]

The Lizst is just beautiful!

Not sure when my next 'entry' will be LG, as we are leaving early tomorrow morning for a family wedding in the south of France, place called Argelès-sur-Mer, will be away for 9 days I think. Probably come back posting reems of Debussy and Ravel!

 

[LG]

Enjoy the holiday TS, nothing wrong with Ravel and Debussy.

 

[TheSound]

Thanks!

I've not quite gone yet LG, time for something special.

Plus both myself and my wife have decided to take our laptops with us, mainly so we can keep in touch with the kids at home here who are staying with our best friends while we are away (the kids aren't coming, too much loss of school time over a whole week) so I will still try to post when I can from lovely (hopefully) sunny south of France! May inspire me, and will keep me out of trouble.

I was listening to Radio 3 the othe day and they played this, which I think is rather, well, perfect...was there ever a more complete and intuitive musician than Afred Brendel?

 

[LG]

That's good news,,,I'll check out your latest offering a little later and post another one.

 

[TheSound]

Our daughter, who is only 11, sat her Grade 6 piano exam on Thursday, so we are hoping for the best. She sailed through Grades 1-5, including all the 'theory', remarkable for her age, but at Grade 6 they 'up the ante' quite a lot. Anyway, this is the piece the examiners set her to learn and play, she thinks she did OK, if it was half as beautifully played as this, then she will have done well. It's Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie