World Premiere CD Recordings

[Timtin]

It is more often by pure luck rather than any other reason that I occasionally
stumble across news of a world premiere CD recording of music that I thought
would be completely overlooked by the recording industry for ever more.

A good example is my recent chance discovery that the complete piano works
of Stanford had been recorded last year on the Sheva label.

So the purpose of this thread is simply to invite anyone who spots any world
premiere CD recordings of classical music from the past to mention it here.
I'd suggest that newly composed works aren't included in the thread's remit.

Thank you.

[4candles]

Thanks for this. I also recently discovered this same set of Stanford complete piano works. Some lovely music.

Further to my post on Paul Juon, and as I know several PianoPhiles are interested in Sorabji (not least the pianist of the recording ), I wanted to alert members to the fact that Toccata Classics plan to release the composer's Sequentia Cyclica super ‘Dies Irae’ ex Missa pro Defunctis in the coming months and are looking to subscribe advanced sales, if any of you would like to place your order. Quite an astonishing achievement by our friend isokani.

4c

[Timtin]

Thank you 4C. To update you on the Stanford piano music CDs,
unfortunately MDT emailed me yesterday to say that they weren't
currently able to fulfill my order with Sheva. However, I do already
own a 'highlights' CD containing samples from the whole set.
My order also included another world premiere recording -
Stanford's String Quartets Nos.5 and 8 on the Somm label.

As a postscript, this section of the forum is subtitled
'Why can't anyone get it right?'. Personally, I've never really
understood the reason for this question. My view is that almost
everyone gets it right when they make a CD. Having said that,
I wish keyboard works by composers like Dussek were recorded
a bit more on pianofortes rather than on fortepianos. If I buy a
CD of a Dussek PC, I expect it to be precisely that, not an FC!

[fredbucket]

As a postscript, this section of the forum is subtitled 'Why can't anyone get it right?'. Personally, I've never really understood the reason for this question. My view is that almost everyone gets it right when they make a CD.

The reason for that is quite simple - no-one (or very, very few) does get it right. Whether its the microphones and their placement, or excessive 'fiddling' with the sound in post-production, too many times what you hear is not the actual sound of the piano but someone's (often biased) view on what a piano should sound like.

Regards
Fred

[Timtin]

Thank you Fred for explaining your view.

In my experience, music on CD is far more 'right' than when
it is performed live. At one recital I attended a few years ago,
the pianist played Brahms's Op2 Sonata despite the adverts
and the programme saying that he was going to play Brahms's
Op5. Nothing was said about the change and most of the (small)
audience didn't even appear to realise that they'd been misled!

Regards, Tim.

[fredbucket]

At one recital I attended a few years ago, the pianist played Brahms's Op2 Sonata despite the adverts and the programme saying that he was going to play Brahms's
Op5. Nothing was said about the change and most of the (small) audience didn't even appear to realise that they'd been misled!

Isokani is allowed the occasional memory lapse, no?

Regards
Fred

[HullandHellandHalifax]

Thank you Fred for explaining your view.

In my experience, music on CD is far more 'right' than when
it is performed live. At one recital I attended a few years ago,
the pianist played Brahms's Op2 Sonata despite the adverts
and the programme saying that he was going to play Brahms's
Op5. Nothing was said about the change and most of the (small)
audience didn't even appear to realise that they'd been misled!

Regards, Tim.

Haha Tim, there is nothing new under the sun, Gottschalk was playing Beethoven which got cheered even though it was by him and he was being booed for his own compositions despite playing music by Beethoven. In Leipzig one of Liszt's circle sang lieder by Liszt saying they were by Schubert and of course they were thunderously applauded, the Liszt Lieder on the programme were roundly booed, and guess what, they were actually Schubert lieder that had been sung. Liszt enjoyed the joke tremendously when told afterwards what had occurred. So you see, the audience doesn't always need to know what is being performed to enjoy it and deception can be a good thing.
Over the use of a fortepiano or a concert grand in piano concerti of that period, I must confess to preferring the fortepiano with an orchestra of the right proportions and therefore colouring. With the larger orchestras and stronger pianos of the Romantic era that is a different story, but to use huge forces with a concert grand for a concerto written for smaller halls and orchestras and a more intimate style, less confrontational and more co-operative, then no, it is like cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer. Can you imagine playing Rach 2 on a fortepiano, of course not, then why should a Bosendorfer be "right" for Dussek or even Mozart.
regards
Brian

[Timtin]

Thanks for your very interesting reply Brian.

The recital I referred to was given in York, and I'd gone along
specifically because I wanted to hear Brahms's splendid Op5 Sonata,
not that Op2 turkey! The fact that most people there were taken in
by the misrepresentation added to my disappointment.

As regards fortepianos v. pianofortes, I confess to disliking the former.
To me they sound like cheap out-of-tune pianos. Therefore, for concerti
by Mozart, Dussek et. al. I much prefer the sound of the piano, even
though there are lots of perfectly good reasons for using a fortepiano.
This preference also applies to chamber music. Mozart's Piano Trios,
for example, sound just great when a piano is used imo.

Regards, Tim.

[musiclife217]

Probably fitting here as a "old world premiere..." The BnE never seems to disappoint with its treasure trove...

The digitized version of Leschetizky's Op. 01 - Nocturne (1st) [Reverie] - Gruß an die Nacht

http://bdh.bne.es/bnesearch/detalle/bdh0000198313

Now if only for the score, which I think lies in the BL.

Will be interesting to explore other offerings from BnE, as well.

[musiclife217]

Probably fitting here as a "old world premiere..." The BnE never seems to disappoint with its treasure trove...

The digitized version of Leschetizky's Op. 01 - Nocturne (1st) [Reverie] - Gruß an die Nacht

http://bdh.bne.es/bnesearch/detalle/bdh0000198313

Now if only for the score, which I think lies in the BL.

Will be interesting to explore other offerings from BnE, as well.

You can easily browse all of the composers and recordings here...look to the left and click "filter by author."

http://bdh.bne.es/bnesearch/Search.do?d ... ageView=en#