Word: pianos
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...London disc also features a recording of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Ronald Brautigam at the piano and Peter Masseurs supplying the trumpet solo work. The piece resembles Shostakovich's other concertos for violin and cello in that conventional devices of the Germanic school are used for delirious swells and placid falls, with the addition of unexpected minor chord modulations that open up new possibilities for the instrument. Those who see Shostakovich as a throwback to the Romantics should not underestimate the importance of his original variations on timetested themes...
Sony has released a new recording in its "Artist Laureate" series, this time featuring its premier chamber group--the quartet composed of violinist Isaac Stern, violist Jaime Laredo, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emmanuel Ax. This recording contrasts the piano quartets of Beethoven and Schumann, embracing both the Classical and Romantic periods in music...
...must admit to a certain bias coming to this recording, considering that I intensely disliked an earlier reading of the Brahms Piano Quartets by this same group. In particular, Isaac Stern is showing his age. As a violinist already infamous for his questionable intonation and tone quality, he dooms the ensemble even before recording began...
...rich and globular tone, but more often than not in this recording it acts as an obscuring miasmic veil, rather than a complement to the strings. He has an extremely heavy left hand and a matching right foot on the sustaining pedal. His efforts are more appropriate for piano concerti than for these subtly textured chamber works...
...Thru and Thru" don't quite live up to his success with the recent insta-classic "Eileen," though. "Mean Disposition" brings back Mick the way he is remembered; you can practically hear him strutting. There's no acoustic guitar or accordion nonsense on this track, just guitar, bass, piano and drums pushed along by the blaring voice we all know and love...