Adagietto | Chopin - Étude Op.10, No. 3 in E Major, "Tristesse" | Claudio Arrau @Adagietto | Uploaded November 2013 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
Frédéric Chopin - Étude Op.10 Nº 3 in E Major, "Tristesse", 1832. Claudio Arrau, "The Philosopher of the Piano", 1956.
Arrau's Complete Études
Recorded: 15 - 22 & 29.VI. and 5.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London. Producer: Alan Melville and William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1957 by Columbia Ltd. Mono/ADD. This Compilation & Digital Remastering (P) 2007 by EMI Records Ltd. "Great Recordings of the 20th Century". EMI Icons - EMI Classics, 2011 and Warner Classics, 2013.
Grand Prix du Disque Frédéric Chopin 1990 from the Warsaw Chopin Society.
As always with Arrau, the Pianism takes a back seat to Music Making, are a prime example of how myth making regarding Arrau's Recordings. Arrau approaches Chopin's Etudes as a genuinely mature musician and sensitive interpreter who obviously wishes to bring out their musical, not technical, qualities. In Opus 10, No. 3, for instance, he infuses the music with a deep sadness that recalls its XIX Century Title, "La Tristesse." Incidentally, this record received the Grand Prix du Disque Frédéric Chopin from the Warsaw Chopin Society when it was re-released in 1990.
The twenty-four Études of Frédéric Chopin (divided into two separate opuses, 10 and 25, but actually composed almost simultaneously) remain the most significant entries in that particular musical genre. Chopin refers, in a letter dating from the fall of 1829, to having written a study "in [his] own manner," and indeed, a great chasm stands between his achievements and the far drier études of his predecessors (one thinks of Moscheles, Czerny, and Hummel in particular). It was not Chopin's intent, as it was with many nineteenth-century pianist-composers, to create studies of mere technique and raw dexterity; here, instead, are works with an inexhaustible array of textures, moods, and colors to explore. These are works meant for the concert hall as well as for the practice room. The twelve Études published as Chopin's Opus 10 are an indispensable tool of the modern pianist's craft: they are a rite of passage that no serious pianist can ignore.
The Étude in E major Op.10, Nº 3 is the first of Chopin's studies to resemble the composer's own Nocturnes more than a traditional technical study. It has been called a tone-poem in miniature, and the wonderful cantabile phrasing bespeaks the composer's great love of opera. A famous anecdote relates how the composer, while teaching this particular work to a pupil (Adolf Gutmann), broke down and cried out, "Oh, my homeland!".
Despite the slightly cramped, airless sonics, Arrau's characteristically warm and ample sonority makes itself felt in these 1956 recordings. The pianist uncovers layers of depth and disquiet in the slower Études that others merely prettify. The treacherous extensions in the E-Flat Étude, for instance, are distinctly projected and balanced, rather than strummed. Arrau's spectacularly honest technique enables him to articulate Chopin's sparkling figurations with a liquid legato unaided by the pedal. As always with Arrau, the pianism takes a back seat to music making.
28.XI.12
Frédéric Chopin - Étude Op.10 Nº 3 in E Major, "Tristesse", 1832. Claudio Arrau, "The Philosopher of the Piano", 1956.
Arrau's Complete Études
Recorded: 15 - 22 & 29.VI. and 5.IX.1956, No. 3, Abbey Road Studios, London. Producer: Alan Melville and William Mann - Balance engineer: Neville Boyling
Recording first issued in 1957 by Columbia Ltd. Mono/ADD. This Compilation & Digital Remastering (P) 2007 by EMI Records Ltd. "Great Recordings of the 20th Century". EMI Icons - EMI Classics, 2011 and Warner Classics, 2013.
Grand Prix du Disque Frédéric Chopin 1990 from the Warsaw Chopin Society.
As always with Arrau, the Pianism takes a back seat to Music Making, are a prime example of how myth making regarding Arrau's Recordings. Arrau approaches Chopin's Etudes as a genuinely mature musician and sensitive interpreter who obviously wishes to bring out their musical, not technical, qualities. In Opus 10, No. 3, for instance, he infuses the music with a deep sadness that recalls its XIX Century Title, "La Tristesse." Incidentally, this record received the Grand Prix du Disque Frédéric Chopin from the Warsaw Chopin Society when it was re-released in 1990.
The twenty-four Études of Frédéric Chopin (divided into two separate opuses, 10 and 25, but actually composed almost simultaneously) remain the most significant entries in that particular musical genre. Chopin refers, in a letter dating from the fall of 1829, to having written a study "in [his] own manner," and indeed, a great chasm stands between his achievements and the far drier études of his predecessors (one thinks of Moscheles, Czerny, and Hummel in particular). It was not Chopin's intent, as it was with many nineteenth-century pianist-composers, to create studies of mere technique and raw dexterity; here, instead, are works with an inexhaustible array of textures, moods, and colors to explore. These are works meant for the concert hall as well as for the practice room. The twelve Études published as Chopin's Opus 10 are an indispensable tool of the modern pianist's craft: they are a rite of passage that no serious pianist can ignore.
The Étude in E major Op.10, Nº 3 is the first of Chopin's studies to resemble the composer's own Nocturnes more than a traditional technical study. It has been called a tone-poem in miniature, and the wonderful cantabile phrasing bespeaks the composer's great love of opera. A famous anecdote relates how the composer, while teaching this particular work to a pupil (Adolf Gutmann), broke down and cried out, "Oh, my homeland!".
Despite the slightly cramped, airless sonics, Arrau's characteristically warm and ample sonority makes itself felt in these 1956 recordings. The pianist uncovers layers of depth and disquiet in the slower Études that others merely prettify. The treacherous extensions in the E-Flat Étude, for instance, are distinctly projected and balanced, rather than strummed. Arrau's spectacularly honest technique enables him to articulate Chopin's sparkling figurations with a liquid legato unaided by the pedal. As always with Arrau, the pianism takes a back seat to music making.
28.XI.12
![Frédéric Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 2, I. Grave, Doppio movimento | Arturo B. Michelangeli (1/4) [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Gw7UDd7r7fI/hqdefault.jpg "Frédéric Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 2, I. Grave, Doppio movimento | Arturo B. Michelangeli (1/4) [HD]
Frédéric Chopins Piano Sonata Nº 2 in B-flat minor Op. 35
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, piano
I. Grave - Doppio movimento http://youtu.be/Gw7UDd7r7fI
II. Scherzo http://youtu.be/72ch4nC1o44
III. Funeral March: Lento http://youtu.be/oL_HFnnywEU
IV. Finale: Presto http://youtu.be/OUXt2ihNFac
Complete Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw7UDd7r7fI&list=PLF2ayhcb2yRUKn41x0r2wznBFQauB2YFI&index=1
Chopin wrote the Funeral March that became the third of the four movements here in 1837 and composed the other three movements two years later. Almost since it was first heard, this work was looked on not as a sonata in form, but as a collection of four rather diverse pieces the composer assembled under one musical roof, Robert Schumann being the first to make the charge of a lack of cohesion between the various movements. However, several musicologists in the late twentieth century pointed out a number of previously overlooked or at least ignored qualities in this composition that bind the movements as inseparable musical siblings.
The sonata can be viewed as something of a life cycle. The first movement serves as the life force, struggling, loving, and suffering. The ensuing Scherzo enacts demonic forces in the main section and good forces in the lyrical alternate melody of the trio section. When this movement ends with a partial recalling of the second theme, it is not clear which set of forces has emerged victorious. The third movement Funeral March represents death or mourning for the hero of the first two movements. The ghostly finale, with its swirls of dark winds, has evoked many ominous images in the minds of listeners, and serves the life cycle here as a kind of final picture of the deceased, who lies in his quiet grave, with the rustles of the wind the only disturbance above.
There are many thematic and harmonic relationships between the movements, too. The harmonies in the Funeral March can be noticed in all three of the other panels. Also, there is a thematic kinship between the alternate melody in the first movement and the lovely theme in the trio to the Scherzo. Other ties between the first two movements exist: both are stormy and hard-driven at the outset, and each features a lyrical second theme. The structural likeness between the main themes in both these movements is also worth noting: each is built on repeating motifs, the first part of which is presented twice before moving upward on the keyboard to complete the thematic idea.
In the end, this sonata, while unorthodox in some respects, is a painstakingly worked out composition of great subtlety, hardly comprised of a loosely strung-together set of piano pieces. But for all its grand and profound design, it has always been Chopins themes and keyboard writing that have made this work popular. The third movement Funeral March theme is as famous as any ever written, and the compelling nature of the fast themes in the first movements, and their alternate melodies as well, have made this sonata popular the world over.
Sonate pour piano no 2 en si bémol mineur, op. 35, Frédéric Chopin
Sonata para piano n.º 2, Frédéric Chopin
II Sonata fortepianowa (Chopin)
Frédéric Chopins Klaviersonate Nr. 2 b-Moll op. 35")
![Philip Glass - The Hours [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LpBg05HV6Q8/hqdefault.jpg "Philip Glass - The Hours [HD]
Philip Glass - The Hours, 2002. Michael Riesman transcription.
Branka Parlić, piano. Synagogue, Novi Sad. 5.VII.2005
The Hours, Music from the Motion Picture for piano.
There are movies where you notice the soundtrack, and others where you dont. The latter is usually considered ideal, and yet its impossible to ignore Philip Glass pervasive, all-encompassing soundtrack while watching Stephen Daldys celebrated follow-up to Billy Elliot (the same could just as easily be said of Elmer Bernsteins majestic music for Far From Heaven). This isnt such a bad thing - far from it. The piano-dominated score, incorporating motifs from Glass Satyagraha, Glassworks, and Solo Piano is, by turns, lush, sumptuous, and stirring.
Philip Glass score for the film The Hours is very typical of Glass, with its nearly constant repetition and slowly evolving variations on a theme. It suits the moods of the film perfectly, reflecting mesmerically the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters, but remaining subservient to the film itself. Michael Riesman, a long-time associate of Glass, has transcribed the score of The Hours for piano. It wasnt hard for him to do this: the score prominently features the piano alongside the orchestra, and Riesman performed the piano part in the soundtrack recording. His solo piano version covers exactly the same music as on the soundtrack album, but to call it a reduction of an orchestral work would be unfair. Yes, it is one instrument instead of many, but just by the facts that its a single performer being responsible for realizing the music and its no longer an accompaniment to screen images, Riesman is able to add to it more expression and more life. Even though his tempos and the track times match the soundtrack almost exactly, he is able to take tiny liberties with the phrasing of themes so that the quiet desperation of the music isnt quite as desperate. It doesnt matter if he uses a larger array of dynamics and is not quite as strict with time. Whereas listening to the soundtrack without the film can be almost unbearably boring or depressing, depending on your state of mind, listening to Riesmans version is less so. Although the track titles make no sense without film, in this version, the music is able to stand on its own as a distinct creative work, with more vitality and wider-ranging sentiment than the soundtrack.
The complicated storyline, based on Michael Cunninghams Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (which was, in turn, inspired by Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway) is inherently dramatic and emotionally compelling enough that it doesnt really need music to get its message across. And the actors, including Nicole Kidman (Virginia Woolf), Julianne Moore (Laura Brown), and Meryl Streep (Clarissa Vaughn), breathe such life into these three distinct characters, living in three different time periods, that they dont need really need the music either. But its always there, like a ghostly presence in each womans life, helping to tie their divergent storylines together as much as the themes that are common to each. In the end, the score is as much a unifying force as Peter Boyles deft editing and, most importantly, Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway, which was originally to be called The Hours.
Pianist Branka Parlić is one of the most prominent interpreters of contemporary classical music in Eastern Europe. She graduated from the Belgrade University of Musical Arts in the late 1970s and studies under Professor Olga Mihailović. She later honed her craft at the Summer Music Academy in Nice under Professor Pierre Sancan of the Paris Conservatory. While studying, she also co founded the well-known Ensemble for Different New Music.
Taking on the task of presenting the cycle of the legendary Phillip Glass Metamorphosis, is probably the most challenging task in the sphere of contemporary minimalism since Parlics classical undertaking of Erik Saties Gnossiennes in the 1980s. The album which she released back then, called Initiés, was the first album that contained one of Saties compositions ever recorded here.
Branka Parlić premiered the Glass pieces in Novi Sad in 2004 and the performance of Metamorphosis No.2 recorded at this show was broadcasted regularly on prestigious British TV channel Classics FM. Recently, another British TV channel C Music TV http://www.cmusic.tv/cmusic/ started to broadcast two videos in Parlic rendering: Opening by Philip Glass and Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt. She also act as Artistic Director of the Concert Series New Ears for New Music in Novi Sad.")
