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My Top 10 classical music pianists


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Agree on Fleisher but must admit I hadn't yet heard about Lilli Kraus, will have to check her out.

 

Kraus recorded two complete sets of Mozart sonatas. The earlier mono set from ~ 1954 is on the M&A label. The later stereo set from the 60s is on Sony. Some people prefer the earlier set; I prefer the later one.

 

Kraus recorded the Mozart concerti too. There is a complete set with Steven Simon conducting the Vienna festival Orchestra. She is great the conductor and orchestra are sub-standard. There are recordings of individual concerti with a variety of conductors/orchestras with no performance limitations but so-so 60s minor label sound (stereo).

 

Recordings of the Beethoven 3rd and 4th concerti have a stellar Kraus, good conductor & orchestra and so-so 60s stereo sound.

 

There is also some Schubert and a single Haydn sonata. All well done. Some Bartok too.

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Kraus recorded two complete sets of Mozart sonatas. The earlier mono set from ~ 1954 is on the M&A label. The later stereo set from the 60s is on Sony. Some people prefer the earlier set; I prefer the later one.

 

Kraus recorded the Mozart concerti too. There is a complete set with Steven Simon conducting the Vienna festival Orchestra. She is great the conductor and orchestra are sub-standard. There are recordings of individual concerti with a variety of conductors/orchestras with no performance limitations but so-so 60s minor label sound (stereo).

 

Recordings of the Beethoven 3rd and 4th concerti have a stellar Kraus, good conductor & orchestra and so-so 60s stereo sound.

 

There is also some Schubert and a single Haydn sonata. All well done. Some Bartok too.

Most of Lili Kraus recordings are in archive quality sound, but artistic quality easily transcends it. I believe I should name in addition to the mentioned above a wonderful cycle of Beethoven's violin sonatas with Henry Temianka; Haydn sonatas (she recorded more than one), Brahms and Schubert pieces, but most of all her fascinating Mozart in good variety.
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Most of Lili Kraus recordings are in archive quality sound, but artistic quality easily transcends it. I believe I should name in addition to the mentioned above a wonderful cycle of Beethoven's violin sonatas with Henry Temianka; Haydn sonatas (she recorded more than one), Brahms and Schubert pieces, but most of all her fascinating Mozart in good variety.

 

That word archive quality can mean different things to different people. Kraus did make some 78prm recordings. The ones that I mentioned are all LP era. The Sony Mozart sonatas set is quite listenable. The Vox sonata recordings sound oldest and least listenable. The some of the Mozart and Beethoven concerti are a bit boxy but after a minute I don't notice.

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It puzzles a lot how different we are, for me Matsuev, whom I saw live is a no-no recommendation. But, this is a beauty of life. Everybody has its own world and there is no sense in comparing. Or attempting to find a solid points valid for anyone.

 

We saw Matsuev yesterday at a solo concert in Berkeley. He started with the Beethoven Op110 and ended with Prokofiev's 7th Sonata. We had heard him a few years ago playing the Rach PC3 with Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orch, again in Berkeley. I believe this youtube captures the performance they did in Berlin on the same tour.

 

 

Matsuev won the Tchaikovsky competition back in 1992 and is a brilliant pianist with overwhelming technique. At the solo concert he tended to play everything loud with less much subtlety than Moravec, and less than Trifonov - more appropriate for the Prokofiev and Liszt Mephisto Waltz, and even much of the Schumann Symphonic Etudes, but not so much for the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky Meditations. I remember enjoying him in the Rach3. Because of a cough I had, I had to sit in the gallery of Hertz Hall (up high, behind the last row of seating - where they normally seat late comers before intermission) while my wife was sitting in our normal seats - fourth row left center (piano side). After the concert I remarked how clearly I could hear everything, even though I was as far away in the hall as one can be. She said it was because he was playing very loud - enough so that she took off her hearing aids.

 

Interestingly he played three encores - all quiet pieces, including a jazz improvisation.

 

I don't have any of his recordings to compare.

 

Larry

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I agree with your assessment of Richter by the way. I even had the pleasure of hearing him live in a solo recital on Brahms and Scriabin, many years ago. And his recording of Brahms 2 with Leinsdorf is just outstanding.

 

Thank you! Finally somebody agreeing that that is a great recording! Literally no other combination of pianist/conductor/orchestra has taken such an epic and coherent approach to the first movement. One of my absolute favorite recordings of anything.

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Thank you - those prices are indeed very, very good. While doing a little research into how he sounds on these (very good - I like the fact that he has his own style), I ran across these, where he is an accompanist, that also are very intriguing:

 

Presto Classical - Irnberger Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas series - Buy music CDs & DVDs online

 

The combi Korstick/Irnberger is very interesting - indeed.

Would like to compare their Kreutzer Sonate against my absolute favourite Argerich/Kremer.

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We saw Matsuev yesterday at a solo concert in Berkeley. He started with the Beethoven Op110 and ended with Prokofiev's 7th Sonata. We had heard him a few years ago playing the Rach PC3 with Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orch, again in Berkeley. I believe this youtube captures the performance they did in Berlin on the same tour.

 

 

Matsuev won the Tchaikovsky competition back in 1992 and is a brilliant pianist with overwhelming technique. At the solo concert he tended to play everything loud with less much subtlety than Moravec, and less than Trifonov - more appropriate for the Prokofiev and Liszt Mephisto Waltz, and even much of the Schumann Symphonic Etudes, but not so much for the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky Meditations. I remember enjoying him in the Rach3. Because of a cough I had, I had to sit in the gallery of Hertz Hall (up high, behind the last row of seating - where they normally seat late comers before intermission) while my wife was sitting in our normal seats - fourth row left center (piano side). After the concert I remarked how clearly I could hear everything, even though I was as far away in the hall as one can be. She said it was because he was playing very loud - enough so that she took off her hearing aids.

 

Interestingly he played three encores - all quiet pieces, including a jazz improvisation.

 

I don't have any of his recordings to compare.

 

Larry

Loud - it is very correct description of Matsuev's art. I'm not speaking about volume of the sound only.
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That word archive quality can mean different things to different people. Kraus did make some 78prm recordings. The ones that I mentioned are all LP era. The Sony Mozart sonatas set is quite listenable. The Vox sonata recordings sound oldest and least listenable. The some of the Mozart and Beethoven concerti are a bit boxy but after a minute I don't notice.
My hard drive which stores classical music, including Lili Kraus recordings is not accessible for me right at the moment - I could not check what recordings on which labels it has. But from my memory I could tell the sound is very good, even from pre-stereo period.
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Thank you! Finally somebody agreeing that that is a great recording! Literally no other combination of pianist/conductor/orchestra has taken such an epic and coherent approach to the first movement. One of my absolute favorite recordings of anything.
If you need someone's voice totally disagreeing you may count myself..)
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Thank you! Finally somebody agreeing that that is a great recording! Literally no other combination of pianist/conductor/orchestra has taken such an epic and coherent approach to the first movement. One of my absolute favorite recordings of anything.

Absolutely! Richter Leinsdorf and Gilels Jochum are unbeatable on Brahms 2!

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Absolutely! Richter Leinsdorf and Gilels Jochum are unbeatable on Brahms 2!

 

Have you listened to Moravec + Mata?

 

R

"Science draws the wave, poetry fills it with water" Teixeira de Pascoaes

 

HQPlayer Desktop / Mac mini → Intona 7054 → RME ADI-2 DAC FS (DSD256)

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No. do you have a source?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Concerto-Piano-Orchestra-Brahms/dp/B000001Q9K

 

Looks like this is Brahms 1, not 2.

 

Larry

Analog-VPIClas3,3DArm,LyraSkala+MiyajimaZeromono,Herron VTPH2APhono,2AmpexATR-102+MerrillTridentMaster TapePreamp

Dig Rip-Pyramix,IzotopeRX3Adv,MykerinosCard,PacificMicrosonicsModel2; Dig Play-Lampi Horizon, mch NADAC, Roon-HQPlayer,Oppo105

Electronics-DoshiPre,CJ MET1mchPre,Cary2A3monoamps; Speakers-AvantgardeDuosLR,3SolosC,LR,RR

Other-2x512EngineerMarutaniSymmetrical Power+Cables Music-1.8KR2Rtapes,1.5KCD's,500SACDs,50+TBripped files

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am listening today to the various Beethoven sonatas from complete set of Friedrich Gulda, and I should admit – while being aware of this highly reputed readings for years I am discovering its power and beauty only now. I believe I could add it to the very top of my personal list of best LvB sonatas interpretations.

 

In quite different vein, if we're speaking about comparatively young pianists which may deserve wider recognition or closer attention I would like to name Natacha Kudritskaya. She is Ukrainian currently residing in Paris. Her Rameau recording is pure beauty for anyone who would dare to accept less the usual speed playing in quite modern style, somehow resembling Keith Jarrett recording of Händel for ECM.

 

rameau-kudritskaya.jpg

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