I haven’t listened to classical music that much in the past 40 years, but I am getting back into it. I unexpectedly started to binge on youtube (I know, the sound is marginal, but I really like seeing the performers play, and it’s a lot cheaper and more convenient than live concerts).
When I was a young person, my favorite was Rachmaninoff’s 3rd, it could move me and propel me and lift me up. I still like it, but these days it seems to lack emotional depth and breadth - it’s too much the same sort of intensity, and all that intensity tends to put me off now.
These days, I’m very much liking Schumann’s A minor. Very romantic, lots of yearning and lovely things in it, and it’s a lot more than just a virtuoso piece. And I have a new favorite pianist, I have just discovered (although she is older than I am) Martha Argerich, still playing, better than ever apparently, in her 70s. Also a pianist who is remarkably free of affectation at the keyboard. I don’t know where I’ve been all her career, but thank heavens for youtube for this discovery.
So, please share what you would like the rest of us to discover.
And if Contemporary Classical doesn’t put you off, do yourself a favour and try :
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[li]Ligeti (Aimard - De Leeuw - ASKO/Schoenberg Ensemble)[/li][/ul]
Once you get past the initial surprise, it’s actually a fun piece with wacky off beats and shifting accents, while the rarefied second movement, Lento e deserto, is beautiful in an uneasy, dream-like way.
This is a recently restored recording that is a favorite of mine: Rachmaninoff piano concerto no. 2, Rachmaninoff playing, fully restored from the 1929 release. I agree with the first commenter: “This is frighteningly clear for a recording made in 1929 of the legend himself!” - YouTube
I’m a little unclear about the process, but I think this new restoration is from the master itself, not any pressings, plus much computer processing. More explanation is at this earlier attempt (click on “show more” in the description): - YouTube
Beethoven #1, mostly because of the “fingerbusting” final Presto. Ludwig has been winning all the piano duels in heaven with this one. Marthe Argerich, please.
Prokofiev #3, because of the spectral second movement.
Ferrucio Busoni’s sole Piano Concerto, c. 1910,which is filled with mystical visions and cosmic vibrations. This one is a five movement monster, so I’d take any piano player capable of keeping up.
Rachmaninoff No. 2 is amazingly popular, and with good reason. My favorite version features the supreme pianist Arthur Rubenstein. God damn what a combo–Rubenstein and Rachmaninoff, one of the most lyrical, chimeric pianists coupled with perhaps the most romantic, melodic composer. What’s not to love?
God, every time I get to that section, I blast the volume so it surrounds me, so I can revel and weep at how exquisitely passion exists when expressed in music. And no matter how often I listen: goosebumps.
How many popular songs came out of this concerto? Parts of it are in “All By Myself,” there’s of course “Full Moon and Empty Arms,” and… rats, I know I’m leaving one out… Anyway. My fave. Sigh.
Talking about white-hot intensity, I’ve always been blown away by the passage between 7:58 and 8:30 in this recording of Rachmaninov 3 (Argerich - Chailly - RSO Berlin). It starts at “very intense”, goes immediately through the roof and… well, just builds from there.
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