jaspar Posted July 5, 2020 Posted July 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Steffen said: Common misconception. Instruments in the 18th century were tuned a little lower than today. Going by historic tune forks, Mozart most likely used a pitch of A=421.6Hz (rather than A=440Hz or whatever is used today). The problem with Steinway-style pianos is that they don’t have the attack required to play Mozart’s music correctly. They have a slow developing tone and a non-distinct bass register, which is great for playing the music composed for them, but not so great with music composed for fortepianos. I'm OK about the different pitch used back then, but to me the strings sound out of tune with each other, or striking one note sounds as if the strings are not perfectly in tune with each other. Of course, individual instruments vary (as with modern pianos). Steinways are not the only modern pianos that deserve attention, there's Bosendorfer, Fazioli, and the two I most prefer, Bluthner and C Bechstein. All very different.
Steffen Posted July 5, 2020 Posted July 5, 2020 13 minutes ago, jaspar said: Steinways are not the only modern pianos that deserve attention, there's Bosendorfer, Fazioli, and the two I most prefer, Bluthner and C Bechstein. All very different. Yes, they’re all somewhat different, but they’re all based on the Steinway mechanism. All of them have their strings crossed and all of them have a slow-developing tone.
jaspar Posted July 5, 2020 Posted July 5, 2020 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Steffen said: Yes, they’re all somewhat different, but they’re all based on the Steinway mechanism. All of them have their strings crossed and all of them have a slow-developing tone. Sorry, but I'm not quite with you. A piano is essentially a percussion (or percussive) instrument and once you strike a note, you have no further control over it. That is, the tone can't develop, as you put it. It's a finite thing. Once a note is sounded (struck), that's it. There can be on further intervention on the part of the player, except by the use of pedals, but I guess you weren't referring to that. Edited July 6, 2020 by jaspar
Steffen Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 I’m neither a performer nor an expert on pianos, but let’s hear it from the master himself: https://www.cornell.edu/video/malcolm-bilson-knowing-the-score In this lecture he makes a detour early on into the different pianos and what they can and cannot do.
Dilettanteque Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 Emerson String Quartet - Schubert: Late String Quartets and Quintet 4
Dilettanteque Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 Julia Fischer, Martin Helmchen - Schubert: Complete Works for Violin and Piano (Vol 2) 4
Dilettanteque Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 Tashi - Messiaen: Quartet For The End Of Time 3
jaspar Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, Steffen said: I’m neither a performer nor an expert on pianos, but let’s hear it from the master himself: https://www.cornell.edu/video/malcolm-bilson-knowing-the-score In this lecture he makes a detour early on into the different pianos and what they can and cannot do. Yes, that's all very interesting, but it doesn't alter what I said earlier, that once a note is struck by a player, it's tone cannot be altered by the performer, except perhaps by applying some pedal. His contention that a key, once struck and held, gives a slightly variable sound, is true enough, but that is a product of the instrument and if played normally, that can't be altered by the performer. In the clip you have cited, the sound of the 'modern' instrument, is in my opinion, somewhat dull and dead....there are much better sounding modern instruments than the Steinway in that clip. The fortepiano however, is (IMO) a poor sounding instrument, at least when compared to a good quality modern instrument. P.S. didn't have time to view the whole clip. I'll do that later....very interesting though. Thanks. Edited July 6, 2020 by jaspar
Dilettanteque Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 Emerson String Quartet - Bartok: Six String Quartets 3
jazzdog@groovemasters Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 3 hours ago, jaspar said: Yes, that's all very interesting, but it doesn't alter what I said earlier, that once a note is struck by a player, it's tone cannot be altered by the performer, except perhaps by applying some pedal. His contention that a key, once struck and held, gives a slightly variable sound, is true enough, but that is a product of the instrument and if played normally, that can't be altered by the performer. In the clip you have cited, the sound of the 'modern' instrument, is in my opinion, somewhat dull and dead....there are much better sounding modern instruments than the Steinway in that clip. The fortepiano however, is (IMO) a poor sounding instrument, at least when compared to a good quality modern instrument. P.S. didn't have time to view the whole clip. I'll do that later....very interesting though. Thanks. On a slightly different note, here is a link to the Stuart & Sons 108 key CGP: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-15/worlds-first-108-key-concert-grand-piano-built-by-australian/10246340 & a link to a player review site: http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2998246/stuart-sons-102-key-piano-player-report
jazzdog@groovemasters Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 Yehudi Menuhin, Tasmin Little, Nathan Milstein, Ernest Lush, The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, David Atherton, Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1, J S Bach - Partita No 3, Tchaikovsky, de Falla, Paganini. BBC Music Magazine – BBCMM363 The BBC Music Magazine Collection – Vol. 22 No. 1. CD, UK 2013. 3
jaspar Posted July 6, 2020 Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) 9 hours ago, jazzdog@groovemasters said: On a slightly different note, here is a link to the Stuart & Sons 108 key CGP: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-15/worlds-first-108-key-concert-grand-piano-built-by-australian/10246340 & a link to a player review site: http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2998246/stuart-sons-102-key-piano-player-report Here is a different take on Wayne Stuart and his pianos. This young chap wanted to audition one of Stuart & Sons pianos. Here is the quite extraordinary response he received from Wayne Stuart. Well worth a watch. Edited July 6, 2020 by jaspar 1
Dilettanteque Posted July 8, 2020 Posted July 8, 2020 Takacs Quartet - Beethoven: The Late String Quartets (Op 95, 130-133, 135) 4
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Dilettanteque Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 Alina Ibragimova, Vladimir Jurowski, State Academic Symphony of Russia - Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 1
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att23 Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 The Sea (La Mer) - Debussy, Ports of Call - Ilbert Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch 2014 AP reissue 5
att23 Posted July 10, 2020 Posted July 10, 2020 Reference Recordings release some years ago. Vaughan Williams - The Wasps Aristophanic Suite and Fantasia on Greensleeves Elgar - Variations on an original theme Enigma Kansas City Symphony with Michael Stern 5
mtan002 Posted July 10, 2020 Posted July 10, 2020 I fell in love with this magnificent Magnificat..... NO, this is not the Mary's or Bach's. But from young contemporary composers from Norway(or Swedish): Arnesen, Gjeilo and Kernis. The music is just so soothing. It is rich, melodic and the choir superb. At his difficult and extraordinary times, I found solace and calm in this disc. It's from 2L, the Norway record label. Music performed by my favourite group, the Trondheim Solistene You know what: the composers must have seen or spoken to God (your definition) to come out with this music. Hope you enjoy as much as I do. 5
BLAH BLAH Posted July 10, 2020 Posted July 10, 2020 (edited) CD...Mister Boom Boom's...Trios for piano, violin and viola... Early morning listening before the rain settles in...up here in Melbourne... Edited July 10, 2020 by BLAH BLAH 2
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