Discussion:
Is this the best Schumann op. 14 on record?
(too old to reply)
DeepBlue
2024-07-26 05:38:49 UTC
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Ayako Uehara live recordings from
the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition:



I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.

What do the piano mavens think?

TIA
Classical Music Daily
2024-07-26 11:41:16 UTC
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Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
TIA
No idea, but we heard her over 20 years ago at the Dubrovnik Festival,
and she was impressive then :

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2003/07/dubrovnik3.htm
--
Classical Music Daily
https://www.classicalmusicdaily.com/
Rachmaninoff
2024-07-27 07:05:36 UTC
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Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
TIA
Excellent. Revelatory, even. This sonata never sounded to me like it was
composed around the same period as the Fantasie, until now. Other
performances make it sound more like late, dense, dark, esoteric
Schumann.
DeepBlue
2024-07-27 08:52:26 UTC
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Post by Rachmaninoff
Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
TIA
Excellent. Revelatory, even. This sonata never
sounded to me like it was composed around the
same period as the Fantasie, until now. Other
performances make it sound more like late,
dense, dark, esoteric Schumann.
Thanks for listening!
DeepBlue
2024-07-27 09:14:32 UTC
Permalink
Post by Rachmaninoff
Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
Excellent. Revelatory, even. This sonata never
sounded to me like it was composed around the
same period as the Fantasie, until now. Other
performances make it sound more like late,
dense, dark, esoteric Schumann.
How about this Mephisto?



TIA!
Rachmaninoff
2024-07-28 06:19:35 UTC
Permalink
Post by DeepBlue
Post by Rachmaninoff
Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
Excellent. Revelatory, even. This sonata never
sounded to me like it was composed around the
same period as the Fantasie, until now. Other
performances make it sound more like late,
dense, dark, esoteric Schumann.
How about this Mephisto?
http://youtu.be/zaWDZ-riuiQ
TIA!
She plays it with a light touch, excellent speed and clarity. A bit like
Cziffra, but not as heavy or flashy. Obviously she is an exceptional
talent, but I like my Liszt a little more trashy.
DeepBlue
2024-07-28 05:05:49 UTC
Permalink
Post by Rachmaninoff
Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
TIA
Excellent. Revelatory, even. This sonata never
sounded to me like it was composed around the
same period as the Fantasie, until now. Other
performances make it sound more like late,
dense, dark, esoteric Schumann.
What do you think of this one?

Yasuko Furumi PTNA 2017



TIA!
Rachmaninoff
2024-07-28 06:27:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by DeepBlue
Post by Rachmaninoff
Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
TIA
Excellent. Revelatory, even. This sonata never
sounded to me like it was composed around the
same period as the Fantasie, until now. Other
performances make it sound more like late,
dense, dark, esoteric Schumann.
What do you think of this one?
Yasuko Furumi PTNA 2017
http://youtu.be/HPhXMmt58vQ
TIA!
Quite different from Uehara. Bolder tonal palette. Interpretation is
more old-school. The playing suggests to me how I imagine Horowitz might
have played it in the early 60s without the agogics of his late 70s
performances.
DeepBlue
2024-07-29 01:38:12 UTC
Permalink
Post by Rachmaninoff
Post by DeepBlue
Post by Rachmaninoff
Post by DeepBlue
Ayako Uehara live recordings from
http://youtu.be/bthGw96jh7g
I like it better than Horowitz and Sokolov.
What do the piano mavens think?
TIA
Excellent. Revelatory, even. This sonata never
sounded to me like it was composed around the
same period as the Fantasie, until now. Other
performances make it sound more like late,
dense, dark, esoteric Schumann.
What do you think of this one?
Yasuko Furumi PTNA 2017
http://youtu.be/HPhXMmt58vQ
TIA!
Quite different from Uehara. Bolder tonal palette.
Could partially be related to recording venue
and record age. AU's performance was recorded
in 2002 at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition
in Moscow, while Yasuko Furumi was recorded
in 2017 at the PTNA competition, in clearly
better sound.
Post by Rachmaninoff
Interpretation is more old-school.
She doesn't quite project the total loss of
control AU pulls off with so much control! ;-)
AU must have had the high of her life at
the competition!

It is otherwise pretty clear that YF has
listened both to Horowitz and to AU. The
latter is nothing less than a national
hero in Japan.

YF sounds more "organized"/"structured"
and less improvisational than AU. She is
very good, but doesn't quite reach the
inspiration level and the refined detail
that is AU's hallmark. AU's phrasing is
also more fluid than YF's, or than more
other pianists' for that matter.
Post by Rachmaninoff
The playing suggests to me how I imagine
Horowitz might have played it in the early
60s without the agogics of his late 70s
performances.
Good call. As Rosenthal once said about
Paderewski, Horowitz was no Horowitz in
his later years.

Cheers!

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