World Premiere CD Recordings

Why can't anyone get it right?
Timtin
Pianodeity
Posts: 2002
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:36 pm
Instruments played, if any: Piano40
Music Scores: Yes
Contact:

Re: World Premiere CD Recordings

Post by Timtin »

Continuing my one-man Schumann love-in, I recently purchased (for a ridiculously low price) his complete piano works on 13 CDs, recorded nearly 50 years ago by the late Jorg Demus. The recording quality is pretty good, considering its age, although occasionally the piano sounds almost like a harp! What's really fascinating is that he presented the 5 Posthumous Variations to the wonderful Symphonic Studies Op.13 as an entirely separate set of variations, with the main theme replayed to start them off. But its duration is about twice that of its first appearance, and with some minor alterations. The question is - were those alterations simply Demus adding his own input, or did they come from elsewhere? The box set doesn't contain a booklet, so there's no information provided.
User avatar
FW190
Pianomaniac
Posts: 817
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:22 pm
Instruments played, if any: Piano
Music Scores: Yes

Re: World Premiere CD Recordings

Post by FW190 »

Hi Timtin,
the original edition of this wonderful (!) CD set did have a booklet for each CD. I have scanned the corresponding page, see attachment. You could find an interesting new edition made by Ray Alston on imslp:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphonic_Etudes ... 2C_Robert)
CD06_op.13b.pdf
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
In Bach we trust.
4candles
Pianomaniac
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:30 pm
Instruments played, if any: Piano, organ, (drums)
Music Scores: Yes

Re: World Premiere CD Recordings

Post by 4candles »

Mark Viner continues his traversal of Chaminade's piano music, including the first commercial recording of Op. 86/1 and /6.

Chaminade: Piano Music, Volume 2

4c
musiclife217 wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:52 pm Here is the updated list of to-be-recorded Chaminade premieres. Special thanks to Gamma1734 for his hard work and beautiful playing, delivering many premieres to the musical world!!! This list represents pieces of which there is NO known recording available (live, MIDI, or otherwise).

Op. 51 - La Livry
Op. 52 - Capriccio Appassionato
Op. 75 - Danse Ancienne
Op. 81 - Air de Ballet (6th) - Terpsichore
Op. 84 No. 02 - Prelude
Op. 87 No. 06 - Norwegienne
Op. 90 - Legende
Op. 98 No. 02 - Scherzetto
Op. 98 No. 05 - Chanson Russe
Op. 98 No. 06 - Rondo Allegre
Op. 103 - Moment Musical
Op. 108 - Agitato
Op. 109 - Valse Militaire
Op. 110 - Novelette
Op. 120 - Variations on an Original Theme
Op. 121 - Gavotte
Op. 136 - Capriccietto
Op. 144 - Gavotte (based on Op. 126 No. 3)
Op. 145 - Scherzo-Caprice
Op. 147 - Les Bohemiennes
Op. 149 - Gavotte
Op. 157 - Chanson d'Orient
Op. 161 - Chanson Negre
Op. 163 - Romanesca
WoO (Op. 1a No. 01) – Mazurka [No. 02 from this set has been ‘recorded’ as a MIDI on YouTube]
Timtin
Pianodeity
Posts: 2002
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:36 pm
Instruments played, if any: Piano40
Music Scores: Yes
Contact:

Re: World Premiere CD Recordings

Post by Timtin »

FW190 wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 11:59 am Hi Timtin,
the original edition of this wonderful (!) CD set did have a booklet for each CD. I have scanned the corresponding page, see attachment. You could find an interesting new edition made by Ray Alston on imslp:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphonic_Etudes ... 2C_Robert)
CD06_op.13b.pdf
Thank you FW190 for taking the time to answer my query, and I apologise for not responding much sooner. The Alston edition, with its sixth variation, is indeed interesting and most welcome to see!
Timtin
Pianodeity
Posts: 2002
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:36 pm
Instruments played, if any: Piano40
Music Scores: Yes
Contact:

Re: World Premiere CD Recordings

Post by Timtin »

Cyprien Katsaris's double CD of Bizet's transcription for piano solo of Mozart's Don Giovanni (or 'Don Juan' according to the CD's cover) is fascinating to listen to, and is presumably a world premiere recording. How often do famous pianists ever go anywhere near this particular genre? Almost never. Maybe it helped because the transcriber was also a famous composer.
Timtin
Pianodeity
Posts: 2002
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:36 pm
Instruments played, if any: Piano40
Music Scores: Yes
Contact:

Re: World Premiere CD Recordings

Post by Timtin »

Another recent CD release on the Toccata Classics label is Vol.2 of 'Brahms by Arrangement', which follows on from the previous volume, containing string quintet arrangements of his Piano Quintet Op.34 and the Clarinet Quintet Op.115. This new CD also contains a version of the Piano Quintet, but recast by Robin Holloway as 'Symphony in F minor' Op.34. I'm not sure about giving it such a grandiose title, but the music sounds pretty good played by the BBCSO under Paul Mann. The other pieces on Vol.2 are his Op.23 Schumann Variations and the latter's 6 Canonic Studies Op.56, both also skilfully recast by Holloway in orchestral form.
Timtin
Pianodeity
Posts: 2002
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:36 pm
Instruments played, if any: Piano40
Music Scores: Yes
Contact:

Re: World Premiere CD Recordings

Post by Timtin »

Chandos have issued a splendid world premiere recording of Hubert Parry's great secular cantata Prometheus Unbound. William Vann conducts the Crouch End Festival Chorus with the London Mozart Players. The CD's notes are, of course, written by Jeremy Dibble. Why such a superb piece has taken so long to become available commercially is a mystery - perhaps it's because it's by an Englishman whose isn't Edward Elgar!
Post Reply