Of all the recordings of Schumann's piano concerto I have heard - this is the most inspiring! Congrats to that great pianist Ivan Moravec and to that little known orchestra - The Czech Philharmonic and Vaclav Neumann directing.
This recording is a once-in-a-lifetime miracle - among the tense competition in this impossibly crowded field some versions (Richter, Zimerman, Lipatti, Pollini) shine brightly, but this one supersedes them all. Moravec's much-loved musicianship is so unique. Just listen to the introductory bars: have you ever heard a more poetic and insightful reading of this? As of me, I can negate this with a clear conscience. Moravec will remain one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, but - sadly - probably also one of the most underrated ones.
There are so many great recordings of this concerto (Lipatti, Serkin, Kempff, Arrau, just to name a few), but this is certainly hors categorie. Thanks for the upload!
Ranks high among the very best -- just the right balance between lyrical tenderness (innig, zart und sehnsuchtvoll) vigor and exuberance. The last movement strikes me as the best I've ever heard. A truly INSPIRED performance. Makes the WUNDERKINDER winning contests today seem like heartless little showoffs in comparson.
Hyramess Hiramess thanks you for your attention. Yes is a fantastic edition one of the best of this concerto. Is my favourite edition togheter at Bruno Walter and Eugene Istomin (there is also in my you tube channel)
Moravec ? L'un des plus grands pianistes du 20e siecle: et je pese mes mots ; parce qu'ils ne seront jamais capables de definir clairement ce que je ressent a son ecoute,en fait il n'y a qu'ARRAU et KEMPFF qui me touchent autant a l'AME.
This is one of the best recordings of this concerto. I had the privilage to review it just after it was publihed. I remember I had a problem with incredibly stupid way of splitting the second and the third movement on the disc ( mov. 1 + 2 on one side and 3 on side 2 and Franck). This ruins the whole thing - I don´t know of any other recording butchered like this. And here you can hear the result: 21:50.
Can you tell us the date and place of this performance. I'm enjoying comparing it with another performance of Moravec with Neumann, and wonder where/when they took place. Thank you.
This is the first time I've actually listened to the slow movement in yearsexcept for Buniatishvili! Shape and what he communicates in each phrase Unforgettable ! Moravec in Schumann is ideal ,musical and .I would not recognize this pianist from his Chopin preludes. I'm disgusted by hisdisregards, distortions and ignoring the page in the Chopin preludes this from a pianis so utterly fastidious -and one would think he had no technique the way he plays the difficult preludes,16,24,fminoretc . His Kinderszenen is also supremely classed, sculpted ,full tone never smudged (a mistake in Chopin I'd say and why his Chopin sounds awful ,repainted and worse of all every phrase is some new unrecognizable new emotion we've never rightly heard in Chopin .Awfully wrong style to me I don't think I'll ever say his 1st Ballade is Chopin . Like a little old lady without the finesse of Novaes and none of the fire or eclat of a tiger like Argerich or Virsaladze ! But here is Schumann with drive , fire , passion grand line . I'll say the experience of Mehta and Buniatishvili in this has no comparison & is a wonder .The finale too fast but so new in utterance you'd think it was some new found Schumann .I hope someone gets this to Argerich : it should thrill her , ideas ,new verve totally in Schumann's language . The piano line comes out here so well never percussive I got he feeling from his preludes he was incapable of a forte and afraid to make one. The eleventh ,12 minute here show a pianist of artistry ,consistent phraseology .The new dynamics and subdued phrases in the cadenza and truly musical charachterizations give us a pianist speaking with power and it all feels like one grand consummate line .I always thought Geza Anda was in a class by himself here Moravec shows us that same class of musicality .Every phrase no two notes are the same dynamic level yet here it all feels like honest music making .This is going with the Buniatishvili as a unforgettable Schumann concerto ! I want to hear him in the difficult ,heavy full handed chords textured Brahms I cant imagine this type of clear but strong ,masculine textures.
![Yuja Wang: Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54 [HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fWDrJT0s1s8/mqdefault.jpg)
Of all the recordings of Schumann's piano concerto I have heard - this is the most inspiring! Congrats to that great pianist Ivan Moravec and to that little known orchestra - The Czech Philharmonic and Vaclav Neumann directing.
This recording is a once-in-a-lifetime miracle - among the tense competition in this impossibly crowded field some versions (Richter, Zimerman, Lipatti, Pollini) shine brightly, but this one supersedes them all. Moravec's much-loved musicianship is so unique. Just listen to the introductory bars: have you ever heard a more poetic and insightful reading of this? As of me, I can negate this with a clear conscience. Moravec will remain one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, but - sadly - probably also one of the most underrated ones.
There are so many great recordings of this concerto (Lipatti, Serkin, Kempff, Arrau, just to name a few), but this is certainly hors categorie. Thanks for the upload!
Ranks high among the very best -- just the right balance between lyrical tenderness (innig, zart und sehnsuchtvoll) vigor and exuberance. The last movement strikes me as the best I've ever heard. A truly INSPIRED performance.
Makes the WUNDERKINDER winning contests today seem like heartless little showoffs in comparson.
Hyramess Hiramess thanks you for your attention. Yes is a fantastic edition one of the best of this concerto. Is my favourite edition togheter at Bruno Walter and Eugene Istomin (there is also in my you tube channel)
Moravec ? L'un des plus grands pianistes du 20e siecle: et je pese mes mots ; parce qu'ils ne seront jamais capables de definir clairement ce que je ressent a son ecoute,en fait il n'y a qu'ARRAU et KEMPFF qui me touchent autant a l'AME.
This is one of the best recordings of this concerto. I had the privilage to review it just after it was publihed. I remember I had a problem with incredibly stupid way of splitting the second and the third movement on the disc ( mov. 1 + 2 on one side and 3 on side 2 and Franck).
This ruins the whole thing - I don´t know of any other recording butchered like this. And here you can hear the result: 21:50.
Can you tell us the date and place of this performance. I'm enjoying comparing it with another performance of Moravec with Neumann, and wonder where/when they took place. Thank you.
+TiticatFollies sure was recording at Prague from 12 to 14 Nov 1976. Thanks you for your attention
A year later reply, the recording was made in Prague, Chezchoslavkia at the Dvorak Hall in 1976
Czechoslovakia - sorry.
Thank you both.
10:16 someone is humming pretty loud. Kind of funny. Awesome piece anyway.
This is the first time I've actually listened to the slow movement in yearsexcept for Buniatishvili! Shape and what he communicates in each phrase Unforgettable ! Moravec in Schumann is ideal ,musical and .I would not recognize this pianist from his Chopin preludes. I'm disgusted by hisdisregards, distortions and ignoring the page in the Chopin preludes this from a pianis so utterly fastidious -and one would think he had no technique the way he plays the difficult preludes,16,24,fminoretc . His Kinderszenen is also supremely classed, sculpted ,full tone never smudged (a mistake in Chopin I'd say and why his Chopin sounds awful ,repainted and worse of all every phrase is some new unrecognizable new emotion we've never rightly heard in Chopin .Awfully wrong style to me I don't think I'll ever say his 1st Ballade is Chopin . Like a little old lady without the finesse of Novaes and none of the fire or eclat of a tiger like Argerich or Virsaladze ! But here is Schumann with drive , fire , passion grand line .
I'll say the experience of Mehta and Buniatishvili in this has no comparison & is a wonder .The finale too fast but so new in utterance you'd think it was some new found Schumann .I hope someone gets this to Argerich : it should thrill her , ideas ,new verve totally in Schumann's language . The piano line comes out here so well never percussive I got he feeling from his preludes he was incapable of a forte and afraid to make one. The eleventh ,12 minute here show a pianist of artistry ,consistent phraseology .The new dynamics and subdued phrases in the cadenza and truly musical charachterizations give us a pianist speaking with power and it all feels like one grand consummate line .I always thought Geza Anda was in a class by himself here Moravec shows us that same class of musicality .Every phrase no two notes are the same dynamic level yet here it all feels like honest music making .This is going with the Buniatishvili as a unforgettable Schumann concerto ! I want to hear him in the difficult ,heavy full handed chords textured Brahms I cant imagine this type of clear but strong ,masculine textures.