Nikolai Medtner's dramatic Sonata Tragica, played by Earl Wild. If there is desire for that, I can upload Hamelin's performance of this piece, too, as well as few more of Wild's Medtner performances.
I happen to have his CD of Medtners Sonatas, and I've got to say, it is just like Hamelin stated himself: If you listen to Medtner for the first time it probably won't give you very much, but if you take the time to listen a second and a third time, you will discover all the greatness about his composing. Truly a great CD!
I was looking for Hamelin's performance, I just listened to Chaimovitz and wanted to see how Hamelin's was. They didn't call him Wild Earl for nothing, this is a superb performance.
Nyikolaj Medtner:Sonata tragica Op.39, No.5 1.Allegro risoluto 00:05 2.Poco quasi recitativo (ma tempo e sostenuto) 05:34 3.Coda:Allegro assai 09:14 Earl Wild-zongora
6:30 - 7:00 moments like this remind me of Leo Ornstein, or maybe i've been listening to too much ornstein...
11 лет назад
There's a story about Wild and a performance of Chopin Balladr 4. Someone told him it was a pretty bad performance and wild replied that yes he agreed and that there had been enough rubato for two ballade performances in his playing. He was a real 'Romantic' in his approach sometimes.
Sounds like he was referencing Anton Rubinstein's after-concert comment: "I could have given another concert with all the notes I dropped under the piano" (or words to that effect.
@perry1559 My problem too; we live in an age of great musicians (sportsmen etc) and need to take up every opportunity to see them live: I was lucky enough to meet Ponti in his prime, and have been there to experience performances by Ashkenazy, Serkin, Brendel etc.
@perry1559 Hamelin's is very good! I just came across with this wonderful recording back then, that's why I used this one. I was going to upload a Medtner Sonata by him some day in January - I will attach Sonata Tragica by him :)
@arsviatticae Well, I use the most obvious means to create my videos, what is Windows Movie Maker. I take the .pdf file, cut it into the readable amount of 4-4 staves, and finally sync the pictures with the music in WMM. I don't know those programs you mentioned so cannot judge them, but I know that the method I use works.
A very fine interpretation, true to the score; however a small reservation is perhaps evident - possibly a lack of technique in playing the piece fluently. As good as this rendition appears, the only lasting impression I had was hearing the performance of this on the now extant Vox/Candide pressing made by Michael Ponti.
Well, his playing is definitely 'wild', but he lacks any kind of restraint. As a result, the dynamic palette of the performance suffers... There is incredible technique, but interpretation is almost nonexistent. It was a wall of sound. I feel he tries to rely on the contrasting sections to bring a macroscopic form of clarity, but there is no fine-tuning to the smaller dynamics of the phrases, and the musical ideas suffer greatly. Where is the contrast between the ideas? Sometimes I cannot tell whether he is trying to bring out the left hand or the right hand. His pedaling blurs everything, and because he does not demonstrate good ability to bring certain voices out of the woodwork, the loud dynamics drown everything. The soft parts have no clarity either... I am worried that either this man has not studied the piece for too long, that he relies on his technique more than interpretation, or that his technique lacks the control needed for such intensely wrought work.
its a good job youtube has an endless supply of critics, here i was, haphazardly enjoying this energetic, emotional performance of an FRSM level late romantic masterpiece, until 'ninjaassassin27' quite rightly showed me, in a single paragraph, how much better it could be done. except... wait. oh thats right. ninjaassassin didnt show me shit, except for the fact his opinion means less than nothing and all he has done is make himself look like a puffed up self important idiot. (y)
ninjaassassin27 My current studies are Messiaens L'espirit du Joiue, Scriabin Sonata 10, and Faure Nocturnes 6 + 7. i loathe the organ so i have no intention of attempting to learn anything for it.
The organ is an interesting animal. Has a much wider and more versatile tone palette than the piano, by which it sacrifices almost all dynamic versatility except the length and articulation of notes. Tell you what, though, it builds up your keyboard technique and rhythmic accuracy tenfold! It is not for the faint of heart, and neither is that sonata. Scriabin, Messiaen, and Faure are some of my favorite composers. I guess it's true that there is always a bigger fish in the sea.
Great piece, well played. Infinitely better than Tozer's. I wish RU-vid would stop putting Tozer performances in my queue when there are so many better options.
