# Guy can write, Guy can Play



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

I know there's a piano thread on a similar topic but this is more general. We used the phrase initially about J J Sheridan who specialises in Carolan. One is an excellent interpreter of the other who is an outstanding or favourite composer.

Another pairing we have identified is Andrew Manze on violin playing Handel - brilliant.

My own (rather controversial) one is Gould and Bach.

OK the question is - what pairing do *you *consider to be such a "marriage made in heaven" - the best performer / interpreter of your favourite composer?


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2013)

Rostropovitch for the Britten 'cello suites. Not that either are my favourite performer or composer!


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Taggart said:


> [...]
> OK the question is - what pairing do *you *consider to be such a "marriage made in heaven" - the best performer / interpreter of your favourite composer?


15 seconds of contemplation produces Kocsis > Bartók for pianist and Fricsay > Bartók for conductor. Subject to change without notice.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Guy can write, girl can play. 

Schnittke-Victoria Postnikova, Irina Schnittke
Dutilleux-Genevieve Joy
Scriabin-Maria Lettberg
Bach-Marie Claire Alain

OK, a couple of guy-guy pairings.

Bernstein-Lukas Foss
For Bartok's piano concertos, I like Gyorgy Sandor.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Following Gould > Bach, I'd say Casals > Bach.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

This thread is plain sexist, chauvinist, fascist attempt to disminish women's balblalaalballala.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Aramis said:


> This thread is plain sexist, chauvinist, fascist attempt to disminish women's balblalaalballala.


Oh, Aramis, how *could* you!  
These days 'guys' is used routinely for people of either sex.
Wait - that doesn't mean you've done a plain sexist chauvinist etc post, does it?
No. It *doesn't*.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

How about one of the greatest lost opportunities in classical music history? Bartok playing his own piano concertos.

Nobody recorded him. What were they thinking?


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

starthrower said:


> [...]
> For Bartok's piano concertos, I like Gyorgy Sandor.


I'm not going to sidetrack Taggart's thread - it's a good notion - but had to chuckle (not sneer) at your mention of Sandor. I consider him an enthusiastic Bartókian who didn't penetrate beyond the top layer of the music. The genius of Bartók is partly that the top layer is often good enough.

Back on track:

on violin - Tanenbaum > Bach


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

May I add

Celibidache > Bruckner

?

I don't want to raise a fuss, anyway


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

starthrower said:


> How about one of the greatest lost opportunities in classical music history? Bartok playing his own piano concertos.
> 
> Nobody recorded him. What were they thinking?


but Stravinsky > Stravinsky is recorded, and a very good pairing indeed!


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

By coincidence, I recently heard an historic recording of Stravinsky and son playing piano together. It was on Bill McGlaughlin's Exploring Music radio show.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Scott Ross playing Scarlatti is a real treat.

Daniel Barenboim doing Mozart's sonatas and concertos also rank among my favourite recordings.

And obviously, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing Schubert.

But really there are too many perfect-pairings to mention


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2013)

Coming to think about it (mind dulled by a tad too much Beaujolais Nouveau - not outstanding this year; is it ever?), to answer the question very precisely about 'the guy can write and the guy can play' : do we (not me, I'm afraid) have anything to say about recordings of Rach, Strav and Prok playing their own works? Surely that would be a/the litmus test?


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

Fabio Biondi > Vivaldi Concertos
Biondi, with his wild, indecorous Vivaldi recordings: Vivaldi works needn't be treated like the dull and decorous offspring of a true gentlemen, but vivacious displays of virtuosity. Who's better for that than Biondi? 

Sir Thomas Beecham > Haydn
Joyful and spirited, elegant, and supremely enjoyable. Beecham hated the harpsichord and felt free to make minor alterations in the orchestration where he felt it worked better on modern instruments, and his carefree and enjoyable Haydn, mirroring his attitude, is exactly the sort the composer may have enjoyed. 

I'm going in part by personality here, mind you.


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## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

+1 for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing Schubert. Just got that recording ... wow. 

What about Starker > Bach Cello Suites? I love them, anyway! 

- Bill


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2013)

Cheyenne said:


> Fabio Biondi > Vivaldi Concertos
> Biondi, with his wild, indecorous Vivaldi recordings: Vivaldi works needn't be treated like the dull and decorous offspring of a true gentlemen, but vivacious displays of virtuosity. Who's better for that than Biondi?


Absolutely, Cheyenne - these Biondi performances rock, as Vivaldi should!! Spot on comment!


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2013)

BillT said:


> +1 for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing Schubert. Just got that recording ... wow.
> What about Starker > Bach Cello Suites? I love them, anyway!
> - Bill


That DFD Schubert - as you say BillT - 'effing mega WOWZA! As for Starker on the Bach, got to take a different view with with you there. Starker on any of the 'big' Romantic concertos no problem, but not on the Bach. There we go, each to their own.


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## ShropshireMoose (Sep 2, 2013)

Cortot > Chopin
Milstein > Bach (of the J.S. variety)
Busch Quartet > Beethoven
Marc Andre-Hamelin > Medtner
Horowitz > Scarlatti
Beecham > Delius

And thousands more too numerous to mention. On the subject of lost recording opportunities, I think the worst one must be when Rachmaninoff approached RCA and asked if they would record himself and Horowitz playing his suites for two pianos and RCA's recording director Charles O'Connell turned him down because they'd not long recorded them with Vronsky and Babin!
He likewise turned down Rachmaninoff's offer to record a series of his recital programmes, because it seems Mr. O'Connell didn't rate Rachmaninoff as either a composer or a pianist! Ye Gods, if I could have got the blighter by the scruff of the neck!!!!


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## LancsMan (Oct 28, 2013)

I've been a fan of Bach / Gould partnership for decades but only comparatively recently heard the only pianist he says influenced him - that is Rosalyn Tureck. Well I've now got to admit that I'm just as much a fan of hers when it comes to Bach playing. Plus she doesn't hum along (not that I really mind Glen's vocalisations!)


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## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

TalkingHead said:


> That DFD Schubert - as you say BillT - 'effing mega WOWZA! As for Starker on the Bach, got to take a different view with with you there. Starker on any of the 'big' Romantic concertos no problem, but not on the Bach. There we go, each to their own.


So who do you prefer? Let me try them out. I want to see if you are worthwhile to listen to, or if you are another one of those "TalkingHeads" 

- Bt4


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2013)

BillT said:


> So who do you prefer? Let me try them out. I want to see if you are worthwhile to listen to, or if you are another one of those "TalkingHeads"
> - Bt4


Fair do's! For the Bach 'cello suites I tend to shy away from Tortellier, Starker, Rostropovitch ... My preference really is for HIP performers such as Anner Bylsmer and Jaap Ter Linden. Jean-Guihen Queyras ain't half bad, either. 
And whilst I don't particularly "like it" in terms of intonation and recording quality, I also maintain a special place for the Casals.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

TalkingHead said:


> Fair do's! For the Bach 'cello suites suites I tend to shy away from Tortellier, Starker, Rostropovitch ... My preference really is for HIP performers such as Anner Bylsmer and Jaap Ter Linden. Jean-Guihen Queyras ain't half bad, either.
> And whilst I don't particularly "like it" in terms of intonation and recording quality, I also maintain a special place for the Casals.


I can second Jaap Ter Linden; that tends to be my go-to recording of these works. But I do have a fondness for Tortellier as well


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

ShropshireMoose said:


> Cortot > Chopin
> Milstein > Bach (of the J.S. variety)
> Busch Quartet > Beethoven
> Marc Andre-Hamelin > Medtner
> ...


I disagree, Cortot isn't greater than Chopin... actually, the only equation here I'd agree with is Busch Quartet > Beethoven, because it's 4 > 1, seems right.

Regards


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## ShropshireMoose (Sep 2, 2013)

Aramis said:


> I disagree, Cortot isn't greater than Chopin... actually, the only equation here I'd agree with is Busch Quartet > Beethoven, because it's 4 > 1, seems right.
> 
> Regards


It seems that I have misunderstood the use of ">", in each of these cases what I meant was that the respective artist was, in my opinion, amongst the supreme interpreters of the works of these composers, not that they were greater than the composers! Maybe equal, but, oh well, we live and learn!


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## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

TalkingHead said:


> Fair do's! For the Bach 'cello suites I tend to shy away from Tortellier, Starker, Rostropovitch ... My preference really is for HIP performers such as Anner Bylsmer and Jaap Ter Linden. Jean-Guihen Queyras ain't half bad, either.
> And whilst I don't particularly "like it" in terms of intonation and recording quality, I also maintain a special place for the Casals.


Never heard of any of them. Time to try something new!

- Bill


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

First that comes to mind:
Nicolai Medtner / Hamish Milne, piano
This could be because not many others have recorded so much Medtner, but I like to think otherwise.

Then looking through my catalog for any that stand out to me:

J. S. Bach / Julian Bream, lute and guitar
Beethoven / Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Beethoven / Andras Schiff, piano
Beethoven / Guraneri Quartet
Brahms / Beaux Arts Trio 
Sir Edward Elgar / Jacqueline du Pré, cello
Alberto Ginastera / Emerson , Lake and Palmer (couldn't resist  )
John Field / John O'Conor, piano
Charles Ives / Leonard Bernstein
Charles Knox / Eine Kleine Knox Musik Ensemble (for the name if for no other reason)
Jean-Marie Leclaire / Jean Francois Paillard Chamber Orchestra 
Messiaen / Riccardo Chailly ?
Monteverdi / Jordi Savall
Mozart / Mitsuko Uchida, piano
D. Scarlatti / Wendy Carlos, synthesizers
(Sorry, but I've never heard it done better on any instrument. If only she had honored the repeats!)
Schubert / Andras Schiff, piano
Schumann / Claudio Arrau, piano
Richard Strauss / Wilhelm Furtwangler (Fritz Reiner honorable mention)
Stravinsky / Stravinsky
Vaughan-Williams / Bryden Thomson


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## Guest (Nov 23, 2013)

BillT said:


> Never heard of any of them. Time to try something new!
> - Bill


Then you got some listening ahead of you, Monsieur!


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Messaien - Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Mozart - Robert Levin or Malcolm Bilson


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## BillT (Nov 3, 2013)

TalkingHead said:


> Then you got some listening ahead of you, Monsieur!


Hey TH, I tried all of these -- nice! Thanks for sending them. I liked them all, but really all I could conclude is that I liked them all.

I don't think I could state a preference unless I listen to them repeatedly on my big, effing expensive  hifi. Seeing / hearing them on my computer just doesn't do the trick. I need to get in my LR, turn the lights out, get rid of all distractions, and get into it. I definitely will try on CD either the Anner Bylsmer or Jaap Ter Linden (any specific CDs you like?).

If I can find a way to link my laptop with the hifi that would help (separate thread - I'm pretty confused right now).

Thanks for posting those! I really appreciate the referrals. The Bylsmer vid showing him teaching a lesson on the cello was cool! Clearly you are not 'just' a talking head :tiphat:

- Bill


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Aramis said:


> I disagree, Cortot isn't greater than Chopin... actually, the only equation here I'd agree with is Busch Quartet > Beethoven, because it's 4 > 1, seems right.
> 
> Regards


That there > indicates direction of flow. Plenty of room for Cortot in Chopin's music.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Arthur Honegger < Serge Baudo

Debussy < Boulez

Mahler < Bruno Walter

Ravel, solo piano works / piano concerti < Samson François / Samson François; André Cluytens

Poulenc; solo piano music / piano concertante (Concerto & Abaude) < Gabriel Tacchino / Gabriel Tacchino; Georges Prêtre

"That other category"

Stravinsky < Stravinsky [Honorary second, Karel Ančerl]

Lukas Foss < Lukas Foss

John Adams < John Adams

Berio < Berio


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Brendel and Beethoven, Ax and Haydn, Pollini and Chopin (the Polonaises), Bolet and Liszt.


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

If these haven't been mentioned already:

Claudio Arrau > Beethoven

Tatiana Nikolaeva > Shostakovich

Mirella Freni > Mozart


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Guy can write - Vivaldi, Four Seasons. Guy can play - Adrian Chandler of La Serenissima, playing in tonight's concert at Norwich Cathedral, ably backed by Norwich Baroque, the ensemble directed by my fiddle teacher, Jim O'Toole:










This was the concert of a lifetime. Vivaldi was a genius. Talk about *verve*. Adrian Chandler's bow moved so fast, it made me seasick. The sheer spirit of the music & the playing left me bedazzled - I felt wobbly walking back to the car park.

Truly, guy can write - guy can play!


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