Charles Rosen, Benjamin Frith, Maria Tipo. Rosen’s sections on Schumann in The Romantic Generation are some of my favorite music writing anywhere ever. Was a real turning point in my appreciation of what Schumann was up to in his diabolically elusive and allusive solo piano worksActually that whole book would be urgent and key for this installment of this poll
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Friday, 22 November 2019 14:15 (four years ago) link
Duly noted, thanks. I haven't read Rosen and am only acquainted with his pianism via his Elliott Carter recordings.
― pomenitul, Friday, 22 November 2019 14:17 (four years ago) link
Dude you will LOVE the romantic generation It’s actually one of my top 5 non fiction books period
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Friday, 22 November 2019 16:16 (four years ago) link
Sold! I'm fascinated with German Romanticism in all of its forms (literary, philosophical, pictorial, musical, etc.) so it's my fault for not getting to it sooner.
― pomenitul, Friday, 22 November 2019 16:19 (four years ago) link
absolutely cosine the rosen writing love, he's great
― mark s, Friday, 22 November 2019 16:24 (four years ago) link
listening to an extremely crackly youtube of the cleveland symphonie fantastique (by choice - it seemed a more me-friendly interpretation than the cleaner boston one)
― imago, Monday, 25 November 2019 12:38 (four years ago) link
With Boulez conducting?
― pomenitul, Monday, 25 November 2019 13:41 (four years ago) link
nah some chap called rodzinsky, maybe i'll look for the boulez
― imago, Monday, 25 November 2019 14:00 (four years ago) link
*rodzinski
i am grand charlatan lol
― imago, Monday, 25 November 2019 14:01 (four years ago) link
i'm listening to Fantaisie Élégiaque and maybe it's me but this _really_ sounds like guitar tuning, like if it wasn't written in the 1830s i'd assume that was on purpose and it was some kind of postmodern thing
― Agnes Motörhead (rushomancy), Monday, 25 November 2019 14:39 (four years ago) link
For a powerful recent recording of the SF, look to Les Siecles conducted by Francois Xavier Roth.
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Monday, 25 November 2019 14:41 (four years ago) link
^ seconded. All period instruments, to boot.
― pomenitul, Monday, 25 November 2019 14:50 (four years ago) link
I'd also like to rep for Schumann's 2nd Sonata, whose first tempo marking is 'So rasch wie möglich' ('as fast as possible'):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1y9yQoDCng
― pomenitul, Monday, 25 November 2019 14:55 (four years ago) link
boulez one is pretty sick i must say
― imago, Monday, 25 November 2019 15:02 (four years ago) link
Indeed. All finely hued sinewy analytic colours.
― pomenitul, Monday, 25 November 2019 15:03 (four years ago) link
My fave of the three Schumann sonatas is definitely the first, but all three are great. For #2 I keep coming back to Bernd Glemser, Jorg Demus, and Richter.
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Monday, 25 November 2019 16:01 (four years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Wednesday, 27 November 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
Went with the Fantasie in the end.
― pomenitul, Wednesday, 27 November 2019 13:42 (four years ago) link
I've certainly spent most time listening to The Hebrides.
― jmm, Wednesday, 27 November 2019 13:51 (four years ago) link
Kreisleriana, as a representative of Schumann at his gnarliest and most formally unique
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 27 November 2019 17:54 (four years ago) link
Is there any reason why there are so many pieces by Felix Mendelssohn on the list, but nothing by her sister? A lot of her best work was composed in the 1830s, such as the 1831 Bible Oratorio and the 1834 string quartet.
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 27 November 2019 21:42 (four years ago) link
I'm not a huge fan of her music but I agree that the string quartet should have been an option.
― pomenitul, Wednesday, 27 November 2019 22:05 (four years ago) link
I ended up voting for 24 Preludes over Symphonie Fantastique, just bc I have already voted for a symphony and not for any solo works.
― No language just sound (Sund4r), Wednesday, 27 November 2019 22:53 (four years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Thursday, 28 November 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
Thanks for the recording tips by the way. This ended up being Schumann Piano Works Week in this house!
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Thursday, 28 November 2019 00:16 (four years ago) link
Only 14 votes? :(
I suppose it was to be expected after last week's Beethoven-Schubert bonanza.
― pomenitul, Thursday, 28 November 2019 08:15 (four years ago) link
Which recording of the Preludes do you goodly people recommend?
― Life is a meaningless nightmare of suffering...save string (Chinaski), Thursday, 28 November 2019 09:16 (four years ago) link
I'm a Pollini stan when it comes to Chopin in particular, so… Maurizio Pollini.
― pomenitul, Thursday, 28 November 2019 09:18 (four years ago) link
He has a fine forehead.
― Life is a meaningless nightmare of suffering...save string (Chinaski), Thursday, 28 November 2019 09:25 (four years ago) link
Ivan Moravec for the preludes
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 28 November 2019 14:54 (four years ago) link
Here’s my top 12 Schumann piano albums Davidsbundlertanze + Carnaval - Rosen (Sony)Kreisleriana + Kinderszenen - Argerich (DG)Fantasie + Carnaval - Arrau* (Philips/Decca whatever UMG call it now)Sonata #1 + Kreisleriana - Perahia (Sony)Richter DG recital incl Fantasiestucke + Waldszenen (DG)Humoreske et al - Richter (Melodiya)Symphonic Etudes + Humoreske - Andrew de Grado (Centaur)Sonata #2 et al - Bernd Glemser (Naxos)Fantasie (coupled with Schubert) - Pollini (DG)Novelettes - Jorg Demus (Nuova Era and other labels)Davidsbundlertanze + Fantasiestucke - Benjamin Frith (Naxos)Kinderszenen + Kreisleriana - Horowitz (Sony)*not sure what the current availability of Arrau’s Schumann recordings is, I’m sure they are in print, but in the Arrau Plays Schumann box set I have, Carnaval and Fantasie are on one disc and are both absolutely crushing
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 28 November 2019 15:15 (four years ago) link
Yes you end up with three Kreislerianas but whattayagonnado people like recording it
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 28 November 2019 15:16 (four years ago) link
These polls are so great - just what I needed in terms of focussing what has been a hideously disparate approach to stuff for so many years. I've always dabbled with him but it turns out I absolutely bloody love Chopin.
― Life is a meaningless nightmare of suffering...save string (Chinaski), Thursday, 28 November 2019 16:50 (four years ago) link