Lagavulin and Brahms

Tyson · « **on:** 18 Jul 2003, 04:00 am »

Has there ever been a better combination?

I love hotels that give me free liquor. . .

Tyson · « **Reply #1 on:** 18 Jul 2003, 04:11 am »

Although I have to say that the Katchen/Monteaux interpretation kinda sucks - emasculated is the word that comes to mind. Give me Gilels/Jochum or Hough/Davis anyday!

cyounkman · « **Reply #2 on:** 18 Jul 2003, 05:00 am »

I've never been a great fan of Katchen's Brahms. Hough is undeniably a great virtuoso, but he plays the first more in the classical than the romantic tradition for my taste.

When I was younger, I admired the intellectual vigour and austerity of Brendel's playing. Then my father-in-law lent me his pristine vinyl of Fleisher and Szell with Cleveland. For me there's no other recording that compares. Dramatic sweep, gorgeous tone colours, high-romantic intensity contrasted with heart-rending lyricism... OK. I'm done now.

Oh lord above! There's a German import Decca with Radu Lupu playing with de Waart and the LPO (Just found it on Arkivmusic). That I will have to hear.

I also heard Kristian Zimmerman do the first concerto live with Cleveland back in my school days: none too shabby, either.

Oh. Lagavulin is of course a classic; I don't remember if I've ever paired it with Brahms specifically... Right now I'm playing with Talisker: A little less smoke, a little more peat.

Tyson · « **Reply #3 on:** 18 Jul 2003, 06:16 am »

Hey, another classical fan on this board, awesome!

I've got the Szell/Fleiser recordings, but I'm always slightly dissapointed when I listen to it. I think it's a combination of the fact that I find Fleiser a bit mechanical. Many people level that charge agains Szell in general, but I think Szell is not the automaton his made out to me. In fact he is one of my favorite conductors, and his part of the brahms I find excellent (although Jochum still does brahms better than anyone).

I haven't heard Brendel, I will have to try to find it.

I did just pick up Arrau doing the 2 Brahms' concertos, I'll be doing some listening to it when I get back to Denver.

cyounkman · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Jul 2003, 03:24 pm »

I guess I've always found Fleisher's playing to have that 'structure' that very few can manage; and this without being academic. It is architectural music (my teachers went on and on about this), despite its defiantly emotional bent. I'll listen again (it's been a while), and I'll see if I hear any mechanical... [I just checked to see if there is some other recording--there isn't. Just to be sure, I'm listening to this one. There's also a very postiive review there. (not that I'm trying to convince you)

]

I think Szell is one of the great conductors: certainly as an organisational force he was responsible for the incredible renaissance of the Cleveland Orchestra. His technique was always very good, if not at the top, but his sheer energy and determination made him quite a force to be reckoned with (there are still stories told over drinks by long-standing CO members...). I recommend his Mozart 40: mercurial, a perfect tempo, and iron-fisted gracefulness (if that makes any sense).

Mr. Arrau is one of the grand, Patrician pianists of that generation (I am still deciding whether or not that is supposed to be complimentary); what I've heard of his recent playing hasn't held my interest much. Let me know what you think. How recent are the recordings?

I will have to find a copy of the Gilels/Jochum.

Tyson · « **Reply #5 on:** 18 Jul 2003, 04:49 pm »

Honestly, after the 70's, most of arraus stuff isn't worth hearing, IMO as his technique and conceptions just got slower. Since I have what I consider "straight" intrepretations as my foundation of most of my collection, I now like to collect CD's that have a definite "interpretation", I find that helps shed even more light on to a piece.

For me, Jochum is THE brahms conductor, I like his brahms even better than the bruckner he is so famous for. If you get a chance, his traversal of the Brahms symphonies on EMI is still unsurpasses by anything I've heard (including Walter, Karajan, Tosconini, Szell). Sorry about the rambling, few conductors inspire a lot of passion from me, but Jochum's Brahms is definitely in that category.

I will have to re-listen to the Fleisher w/your comments in mind. For me Brahms has always been emotion first, structure second (unlike, say, Beethoven), but I've never conciously listened to Brahms from a more structural frame of mind. I'll give it a whirl and see what I think. . .