Classical Listening

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes, everything I have heard with Glenn Gould is just brilliant.

[stlukesguild]

Emil- This may not be the best peformance of the Tchaikovsky No1., because it's in competition with innumerable others, including the Van Cliburn legendary and unbeatable recording, but I doubt that there will be a sexier performance than this. Every single note of the concerto is ingrained in my being and the music does eventually takes over from those golden thighs in its glorious finale: but only just.

Emil, you old pervert. I'll admit that there are performers who I may rate higher because they aren't hard to look at... Anna Netrebko being at the top of the list (along with Elīna Garanča and Kristine Opolais)...



and there are some performers whose looks I've found detrimental (Joan Sutherland is hard to buy in the various seductress roles she played... even with my astigmatism... and Rolando Villazon looks too much like Mr. Bean not to find myself laughing). But in opera we are speaking of singers who are also actors and actresses and an art form that is visual as well as aural.

But when it comes to pianists... I can't say that their golden thighs have ever weighed much in my judgment. Certainly I'm not likely to be attracted to Van Cliburn's thighs... and yet I still would place his performance above Yuja's any day.

Neely- Currently listening (and trying to de-stress) to some Glenn Gould Beethoven

I love Glenn Gould as well. I have nearly everything by Bach that he recorded. I only recently picked up some of his Beethoven performances. They are (as always) "interesting". They wouldn't be among my first choices for Beethoven... but neither would I be without them.

[Emil Miller]

[COLOR="#B22222"]
But when it comes to pianists... I can't say that their golden thighs have ever weighed much in my judgment. Certainly I'm not likely to be attracted to Van Cliburn's thighs... and yet I still would place his performance above Yuja's any day.

I don't see anything perverted in it: golden thighs have been an attraction to me since the days of the mini-skirt and the day when that ceases to be the case will be the day to call it a day.
I've spoken before about the matchless performance by Van Cliburn but I agree that he would not look nearly so attractive in the equivalent of Yuja's stunning red outfit.

And just to show that there is many a good tune played on an old fiddle:

http://youtu.be/fY1mkTPjh3o

[Anton Hermes]

I've spoken before about the matchless performance by Van Cliburn but I agree that he would not look nearly so attractive in the equivalent of Yuja's stunning red outfit.

It's too bad Wang couldn't be appreciated for her playing and not for the fact that she dresses like she's performing in a Bangkok bordello.

[Emil Miller]

It's too bad Wang couldn't be appreciated for her playing and not for the fact that she dresses like she's performing in a Bangkok bordello.

You obviously haven't read the critical reviews of her playing.

[Anton Hermes]

You obviously haven't read the critical reviews of her playing.

I was talking about yours, which mentioned her thighs and her outfit more than her piano playing.

[Emil Miller]

I was talking about yours, which mentioned her thighs and her outfit more than her piano playing.

Well, as an apparent newcomer to this site, you are unaware of the number of times that I have championed Yuja Wang's playing. I have been listening to and attending concerts of great piano playing before many of the members of this forum were born and it is my considered opinion that Yuja Wang is one of the greatest pianists of this or any other generation; the fact that she is also extremely attractive is the icing on the cake and to be enjoyed along with her fabulous technique.

[Dark Star]

I finally gave in and ordered this disc recently (in spite of the price) because I've been hankering for some late Brahms on a period instrument:



Based on a preliminary listen it is wonderful. The pianist really knows how to dig into Brahms' beautiful, melancholy side and can also play up the drama when necessary. The pianoforte sounds great. A reviewer on Amazon compared him to Kempff and I have to agree when it comes to generating a mellow, flowing sound. He has more of a dramatic sense than Kempff, though. Highly recommended in any case.

EDIT: I purchased Vol. 2 in this series last year (piano sonatas #1 and #3) and that disc also comes highly recommended.

[Charles Darnay]

On the subject of pricey discs, I have had my eyes on Viotti's Violin Concertos (Franco Mezzena) for some time, but the price of it does not suit my current income status. But......this:

[stlukesguild]

The pricey set that I have been eyeing for quite some time:



Arguably the finest "Ring" recording:

http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Ring-Ni...ds=Wagner+Ring

Another set I am drooling over:



http://www.amazon.com/Solti-Wagner-O...s=wagner+solti

Still... 36 CDs for a little over $100 US is a hell of a buy... especially when it includes Solti's entire "Ring Cycle" which alone sells for over $100 US.

[Lokasenna]

And the Solti recordings are so superb, too... That really isn't a bad price for that amount of music.

[Anton Hermes]

Well, as an apparent newcomer to this site, you are unaware of the number of times that I have championed Yuja Wang's playing. I have been listening to and attending concerts of great piano playing before many of the members of this forum were born and it is my considered opinion that Yuja Wang is one of the greatest pianists of this or any other generation; the fact that she is also extremely attractive is the icing on the cake and to be enjoyed along with her fabulous technique.

Her technique is truly amazing. But she's all about the fireworks and not the insight. It's not surprising that her outfits get so much attention; her playing only draws attention to her too. Whether people watch her or listen to her, they're only supposed to be thinking about Yuja Wang.

[Emil Miller]

Her technique is truly amazing. But she's all about the fireworks and not the insight. It's not surprising that her outfits get so much attention; her playing only draws attention to her too. Whether people watch her or listen to her, they're only supposed to be thinking about Yuja Wang.

Much the same was said of Franz Liszt's performances but he is also often referred to as the greatest pianist in the history of the piano. Noted for his flamboyant dress when young, he gradually toned down his appearance with the passage of time; as Yuja Wang has said: " I'm not going to be wearing short dresses when I'm forty so I might as well wear them now."
In any event, she doesn't always wear short dresses and often appears in traditionally long gowns.

[LitNetIsGreat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ9EUBXckB8

Just listening to Glenn Gould and Bach again, such a civilizing process.

I've just come across this film thing about Glenn Gould, it sounds interesting I wondered if anyone had seen it?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Films-...3197719&sr=8-2
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108328/

Edit: possibly my most listened to and favourite piece of all time - well certainly the first movement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnRIU4u7B9o

[Anton Hermes]

I've just come across this film thing about Glenn Gould, it sounds interesting I wondered if anyone had seen it?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Films-...3197719&sr=8-2
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108328/

I really liked Thirty-Two Short Films about Glenn Gould. It avoided the usual pitfalls of the conventional biopic by focusing on different aspects of his life and work in each chapter. The actor who portrays Gould doesn't look at all like the pianist, but his mannerisms and speech rhythms (sometimes he's even miming to actual recordings of Gould speaking) are quite appropriate. Some fans may complain that it's an arty, self-conscious movie, and Gould comes off as an inscrutable eccentric at odds with his audience and celebrity more than a genuine human being. But the film, like its subject, is fascinating nevertheless.