Post by wehecht March 25, 2011 (11 of 18)
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tream said:
Huh....one of the things I loved about the Brautigam Beethoven was that, for the first time, the fortepianos used sounded like some semblance of a more modern piano, although you can still hear they are not.... I had hoped that these Mozarts would be closer to the Beeethoven sound.
Tom,
The notes to the disc indicate that as this series goes on the instruments and the size of the orchestra will change. This first disc of relatively early works uses a McNulty copy of a 1792 Walther instrument (as opposed to a larger 1802 Walther copy for the earlier volumes of the Beethoven sonata series). If you have other forte piano versions on hand for comparison the sound of the piano is not unlike that of Immerseel on Channel and Bilson on Archiv, both rbcds of course, but perhaps Brautigam's piano is just a bit richer with slightly more extended bass (don't expect too much, the compass of this piano is only FF-g3). In other words the sound is bright and clear and the action is very fast, though not "tinkly" in my book. The orchestra is quite small, and it's sound is rather on the "tart" side. I've enjoyed this immensely, but if you're really allergic to the sound of "original" instruments you might want to wait for later volumes in the series. The pianism is up to Mr Brautigam's usual extraordinary level.
Bill
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Post by seth March 25, 2011 (12 of 18)
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krisjan said:
I listened to this today and thought I'd post a few comments here rather than a full-fledged review. Great works - played with tremendous elan by all involved and in very good sound too. Those aspects alone would merit high ratings of performance and sound for this disc. BUT (yes, a big BUT) I simply don't like the sound of the fortepiano in this music. That alone ruins this SACD for me. In addition, the orchestra sound is pint-sized and they employ the usual HIP practices. I went through a HIP phase years ago and for a short while was intrigued by the different sound and approach of that style. It is something that I quickly grew out of and now prefer hearing classical music without the old practices and small forces. Now I know that many (maybe most) won't share that opinion and so my comments won't deter them. But please - tinkle, tinkle, tinkle - the music demands so much more than that! Needless to say, I won't be buying future installments in this series. Sigh.
I would suggest focusing on how the characteristics of the fp, like its shorter reverberation rate, allow for a different style of playing. I haven't heard Brautigam's new Mozart, but I assume like Levin and Bilson, his concept for how to play the piano part is totally different than how he would do it on a modern grand piano.
As for the orchestra, the smaller forces -- specifically smaller string section -- typically helps the woodwinds and brass come through clearer. So many Mozart performances go wrong with a heavy and opaque string sound.
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Post by bissie March 25, 2011 (13 of 18)
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steviev said:
Why worry when you can try everything upfront for free FREE FREE!!! at BIS's website?
Here's the relevant link for the disc in question:
http://www.bis.se/naxos.php?aID=BIS-SACD-1794
Bon appetite (assuming you have internet access).
But in much better sound quality on www.eclassical.com - in 30-sec consecutive instalments.
Robert
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Post by krisjan April 5, 2011 (14 of 18)
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Post by Masolino April 5, 2011 (15 of 18)
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Just heard the disc - both the recorded balance and the interpretation sound new i.e. unlike many of the Jeunehomme or Jenamy's I have heard before, on and off period instruments and fortepianos. A release worthy getting if one wants to (re)discover this music.
ps. I was surprised that BIS has now shifted to regular jewel cases for their SACD hybrids.
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Masolino said:
ps. I was surprised that BIS has now shifted to regular jewel cases for their SACD hybrids.
Bissie asked the forum about this sometime last year, consensus seemed to be (to the best of my memory) that the people posting at the time would rather RBCD cases with SACD's inside than the other way around! Actually, I think choice offered was a reduced number of SACD releases - still, the choice was still for more releases but without worrying so much about the packaging.
Regards
PN
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Post by Ernani71 April 5, 2011 (17 of 18)
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Masolino said:
ps. I was surprised that BIS has now shifted to regular jewel cases for their SACD hybrids.
Say it ain't so!!!
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Post by Masolino April 6, 2011 (18 of 18)
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Polly Nomial said:
Actually, I think choice offered was a reduced number of SACD releases - still, the choice was still for more releases but without worrying so much about the packaging.
Thanks for supplying the background information that explains this change. Obviously I wasn't around to cast my vote when the poll took place, but I would not have voted against the majority choice anyway.
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