For those interested but too far away from the Swiss Alps, all recitals are streamed live and available to rewatch until fall on medici.tv

I tend to look out for whatever Pletnev plays there (there was an interesting Beethoven recital in 2021 and a great Chopin recital in 2022), but his Rachmaninov PC 2 with Mäkelä and the resident orchestra on Sunday didn't work at all for me. Mäkelä's high-voltage style and Pletnev's low energy that evening made for a rather disjointed performance particularly in the outer movements that I found too unpleasant to ever watch again. Pletnev can still be fast and rhythmically crisp when so inclined (there are audience videos of the Saint-Saens PC 2 from October 2020 in Youtube with a terrific third movement), so I hope for better things with the Rachmaninov PC 1 this evening.

I also watched parts of the 30th anniversary gala night on Monday, which included the 10 Rachmaninov Preludes Op. 23 played by 10 different pianists (they had two grands on stage, with the spotlight switching to the other after each piece). Kantorow's No. 1 was the best of the entire set. Kissin played No. 2 the way you expect him to: Powerful, virtuosic, slightly overarticulated and heavy, and with surprisingly held-back octave runs. I liked certain spots of Mao Fujita's No. 3, but found it too fussy overall. Pletnev took a lot of time to smell the flowers in his very zen interpretation of No.. 4, to the point of disintegrating the piece. I didn't recognize Bronfman first, but his No. 5 was virtuosic, if a bit rushed and with a few finger slips. Kiril Gerstein played No. 6 strangely at twice the tempo one is accustomed to in this piece, as if to make up the time lost during Pletnev's turn. Malofeev has obviously no technical difficulty with No. 7, but I sensed no clear rhythm and direction in his interpretation - I have the same reaction to him as to Trifonov, after whom Malofeev seems to model his playing up to the way he sits before the keys. Debargue apparently sight-read through No. 8 (score on the piano, some missed notes and strange ritards which looking at the score being some indicators). Trifonov offered a strangely amorpheous interpretation of No. 9 which, like Malofeev, lacked tonal transparency and rhythm -- say what you want about Sokolov these days, but his Klemperian revisit of Op. 23 in 2021 or so (available on Youtube) is much more satisfying. Yuja Wang closed with a No. 10 which was OK and respectable, but failed to connect musically for me.

If anybody else is following this, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and recommendations of what to watch from the Festival.

M.A.

On Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 2:55:33 AM UTC-4, M. A. wrote:
> For those interested but too far away from the Swiss Alps, all recitals are streamed live and available to rewatch until fall on medici.tv
>
> I tend to look out for whatever Pletnev plays there (there was an interesting Beethoven recital in 2021 and a great Chopin recital in 2022), but his Rachmaninov PC 2 with Mäkelä and the resident orchestra on Sunday didn't work at all for me. Mäkelä's high-voltage style and Pletnev's low energy that evening made for a rather disjointed performance particularly in the outer movements that I found too unpleasant to ever watch again. Pletnev can still be fast and rhythmically crisp when so inclined (there are audience videos of the Saint-Saens PC 2 from October 2020 in Youtube with a terrific third movement), so I hope for better things with the Rachmaninov PC 1 this evening.
>
> I also watched parts of the 30th anniversary gala night on Monday, which included the 10 Rachmaninov Preludes Op. 23 played by 10 different pianists (they had two grands on stage, with the spotlight switching to the other after each piece). Kantorow's No. 1 was the best of the entire set. Kissin played No. 2 the way you expect him to: Powerful, virtuosic, slightly overarticulated and heavy, and with surprisingly held-back octave runs. I liked certain spots of Mao Fujita's No. 3, but found it too fussy overall. Pletnev took a lot of time to smell the flowers in his very zen interpretation of No. 4, to the point of disintegrating the piece. I didn't recognize Bronfman first, but his No. 5 was virtuosic, if a bit rushed and with a few finger slips. Kiril Gerstein played No. 6 strangely at twice the tempo one is accustomed to in this piece, as if to make up the time lost during Pletnev's turn. Malofeev has obviously no technical difficulty with No. 7, but I sensed no clear rhythm and direction in his interpretation - I have the same reaction to him as to Trifonov, after whom Malofeev seems to model his playing up to the way he sits before the keys. Debargue apparently sight-read through No. 8 (score on the piano, some missed notes and strange ritards which looking at the score being some indicators). Trifonov offered a strangely amorpheous interpretation of No. 9 which, like Malofeev, lacked tonal transparency and rhythm -- say what you want about Sokolov these days, but his Klemperian revisit of Op. 23 in 2021 or so (available on Youtube) is much more satisfying. Yuja Wang closed with a No. 10 which was OK and respectable, but failed to connect musically for me.
>
> If anybody else is following this, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and recommendations of what to watch from the Festival.
>

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I watched it and took some notes and largely agree with many of your observations. Good to Verbier for its innovative presentations.

Right off the bat, I somewhat disagree with you regarding Kantarow’s F sharp Minor Prelude. On the one hand, there were very impressive voicings in the left hand, finally detailed. However, this performance, I found to be overdone, as if the pianist is trying to convince us how musical and sensitive he is at every other measure is typical of many of these performances. It’s as if if they have a limited time to impress the audience and overstrain to do so.

Kissin’ s #2 provided relief with its straightforwardness and professionalism. This one is very difficult to bring off and he did so very well..

Mr. Fujita was, I’m afraid not very good at all. Fussy to the nth degree. He missed the forest for the trees. I wish he would listen to Rachmaninoff‘s own recordings of his Preludes, and realize that simple straightforwardness can be as musical, if not more, than fussiness.

I know that Pletnev is highly regarded by many, but I frankly found him very hard to take – definitely a performance designed to bring more attention to himself than the composer. Too doting and disembodied sounding.

Bronfman - A good #5 - powerful, full bodied and direct.

Gerstein #6 - Despite about four finger slips, he otherwise played this well with good tone, control, and interpretation.

Malofeev - Very good performance of a difficult prelude – technically and interpretively. It did, however, remind one that it is a definite advantage to have very large hands for Rachmaninoff playing.

Debargue - Too many starts and stops – too fussy.

Trifanov - E flat minor – I thought this was well done with a good sense of line.

Yuja Wang - I very much like her direct uncomplicated way of playing. Having said that, the performance struck me as a bit too superficial, both tonally and interpretively.

I’m not sure whether this was presented as one concert, as each performance stopped and started with new camera takes. If in fact, it was one concert there must have been tremendous pressure on each pianist due to the obvious competitive nature of the event. I really felt for them.

> M.A.

JohnGavin schrieb am Mittwoch, 26. Juli 2023 um 16:38:59 UTC+2:
> On Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 2:55:33 AM UTC-4, M. A. wrote:
> > For those interested but too far away from the Swiss Alps, all recitals are streamed live and available to rewatch until fall on medici.tv
> >
> > I tend to look out for whatever Pletnev plays there (there was an interesting Beethoven recital in 2021 and a great Chopin recital in 2022), but his Rachmaninov PC 2 with Mäkelä and the resident orchestra on Sunday didn't work at all for me. Mäkelä's high-voltage style and Pletnev's low energy that evening made for a rather disjointed performance particularly in the outer movements that I found too unpleasant to ever watch again. Pletnev can still be fast and rhythmically crisp when so inclined (there are audience videos of the Saint-Saens PC 2 from October 2020 in Youtube with a terrific third movement), so I hope for better things with the Rachmaninov PC 1 this evening.
> >
> > I also watched parts of the 30th anniversary gala night on Monday, which included the 10 Rachmaninov Preludes Op. 23 played by 10 different pianists (they had two grands on stage, with the spotlight switching to the other after each piece). Kantorow's No. 1 was the best of the entire set. Kissin played No. 2 the way you expect him to: Powerful, virtuosic, slightly overarticulated and heavy, and with surprisingly held-back octave runs. I liked certain spots of Mao Fujita's No. 3, but found it too fussy overall. Pletnev took a lot of time to smell the flowers in his very zen interpretation of No. 4, to the point of disintegrating the piece. I didn't recognize Bronfman first, but his No. 5 was virtuosic, if a bit rushed and with a few finger slips. Kiril Gerstein played No. 6 strangely at twice the tempo one is accustomed to in this piece, as if to make up the time lost during Pletnev's turn. Malofeev has obviously no technical difficulty with No. 7, but I sensed no clear rhythm and direction in his interpretation - I have the same reaction to him as to Trifonov, after whom Malofeev seems to model his playing up to the way he sits before the keys. Debargue apparently sight-read through No. 8 (score on the piano, some missed notes and strange ritards which looking at the score being some indicators). Trifonov offered a strangely amorpheous interpretation of No. 9 which, like Malofeev, lacked tonal transparency and rhythm -- say what you want about Sokolov these days, but his Klemperian revisit of Op. 23 in 2021 or so (available on Youtube) is much more satisfying. Yuja Wang closed with a No. 10 which was OK and respectable, but failed to connect musically for me.
> >
> > If anybody else is following this, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and recommendations of what to watch from the Festival.
> >
> Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I watched it and took some notes and largely agree with many of your observations. Good to Verbier for its innovative presentations.
>
> Right off the bat, I somewhat disagree with you regarding Kantarow’s F sharp Minor Prelude. On the one hand, there were very impressive voicings in the left hand, finally detailed. However, this performance, I found to be overdone, as if the pianist is trying to convince us how musical and sensitive he is at every other measure is typical of many of these performances. It’s as if if they have a limited time to impress the audience and overstrain to do so.
>
> Kissin’ s #2 provided relief with its straightforwardness and professionalism. This one is very difficult to bring off and he did so very well.
>
> Mr. Fujita was, I’m afraid not very good at all. Fussy to the nth degree. He missed the forest for the trees. I wish he would listen to Rachmaninoff‘s own recordings of his Preludes, and realize that simple straightforwardness can be as musical, if not more, than fussiness.
>
> I know that Pletnev is highly regarded by many, but I frankly found him very hard to take – definitely a performance designed to bring more attention to himself than the composer. Too doting and disembodied sounding..
>
> Bronfman - A good #5 - powerful, full bodied and direct.
>
> Gerstein #6 - Despite about four finger slips, he otherwise played this well with good tone, control, and interpretation.
>
> Malofeev - Very good performance of a difficult prelude – technically and interpretively. It did, however, remind one that it is a definite advantage to have very large hands for Rachmaninoff playing.
>
> Debargue - Too many starts and stops – too fussy.
>
> Trifanov - E flat minor – I thought this was well done with a good sense of line.
>
> Yuja Wang - I very much like her direct uncomplicated way of playing. Having said that, the performance struck me as a bit too superficial, both tonally and interpretively.
>
> I’m not sure whether this was presented as one concert, as each performance stopped and started with new camera takes. If in fact, it was one concert there must have been tremendous pressure on each pianist due to the obvious competitive nature of the event. I really felt for them.
>
> > M.A.

Thank you for sharing your perspective on the Rachmaninov Op. 23 at the Verbier gala -- very interesting. Maybe I should relisten to Malofeev and Trifonov again with fresh ears and closed eyes (I don't like their behaviour at the keyboard). By the way, the gala was indeed live. Like I wrote, they had two grands on stage, one for the uneven-numbered and one for the even-numbered preludes, and they switched camera and spotlight after each prelude. So indeed a challenging setup for the pianists involved.

If you want, you can give Pletnev another try: He performed the Rachmaninov PC this evening, which I enjoyed it a lot, and played Op. 23/4 again as encore -- this time on his own concert grand. Since a lot of what makes his current playing attractive to me is the beauty of his tone, the piano is certainly a factor.

I did listen to certain parts of Kissin's full recital (Bach Toccata and Fugue, a Mozart Sonata, and various Rachmaninov pieces), and what he does it just not my cup of tea -- at least when I am also watching it.

Next up on my list: Kantorow's recital with a Schubert-Brahms programme. I expect quite a lot from that, as I first heard Kantorow when I tuned into one of the 2019 Tchaikovsky competition rounds where he was in the middle of a great performance of Brahms' Sonata No. 2.

M.A.

I'm going to be very lowbrow here, and I'll be following the women's LPGA golf tournament at nearby Evian from Thursday 27th for 4 days. It should be on Youtube. Very pretty course with views of lake Leman.

I follow women't golf because it's more leisurely and I like the elegance of the players. A hobby. My own golf is very weak!

On Thursday, 27 July 2023 at 07:39:43 UTC+10, Andy Evans wrote:
> I'm going to be very lowbrow here, and I'll be following the women's LPGA golf tournament at nearby Evian from Thursday 27th for 4 days. It should be on Youtube. Very pretty course with views of lake Leman.
>
> I follow women't golf because it's more leisurely and I like the elegance of the players. A hobby. My own golf is very weak!

What about the women's soccer world cup?

Ray Hall, Taree

I got an audio file of Evgeny Kissin's recital. I'm enjoying it a lot.

Hank