The Piano Maven with Jed Distler

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Reconnecting with Wilhelm Backhaus’ 1954 recording of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Jed shares his recent thoughts about this vintage interpretation, for which we’ve provided a link to listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0ud7EwbPaY

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Jed explores Meloclassic’s deluxe 29 CD/1 DVD Walter Gieseking 130th Anniversary Edition, the largest collection of broadcast and concert recordings featuring the legendary pianist, with many items published for the first time.

Link to purchase:

https://www.meloclassic.com/home/walter-gieseking-edition/

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In response to your feedback from the previous episode devoted to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K. 488, Jed talks about four recordings of K. 488 that he missed, all of which you recommended!

Here are links to the performances:

Solomon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKYmqFXqTZI

Grigory Sokolov - https://ww...

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Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K. 488 is one of the composer’s most popular and beloved works in this genre, and has been quite lucky on disc. Jed surveys the K. 488 discography, singling out distinctive versions to consider. Here are links to hear some of these:

Arthur Rubinstein (1949, Golschmann/St Louis) - https://www.youtube.com...

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Sviatoslav Richter’s 1960 American debut made musical headlines, chiefly for the series of five recitals he gave in quick succession at Carnegie Hall in October. The recitals were recorded and issued by Columbia Masterworks, yet went out of print almost as quickly as they appeared. For decades these discs were a kind of “holy grail” among piano mavens. In 1996 Jed wrote...

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Jed discusses Beethoven’s sometimes overlooked yet delightful Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major Op. 14 No. 2, citing a wide variety of recordings to explore. Here are links to some of those recordings:

Artur Schnabel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbYeVXQpAFo

Wilhelm Kempff (wartime 78s) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbX43nNleFc

...

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Can we trust Artificial Intelligence to recommend piano recordings? Well, yes and no. Jed explains why on this first in a series of “Maven Chats.”

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On this episode Jed discusses Warner Classics’ box set edition of Italian piano legend Maria Tipo’s complete EMI and Fonit Cetra recordings.

Here are links to several cited examples:

Bach Italian Concerto - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUweFba-MfM

Beethoven Piano Sonata Op. 2 No. 3 Mvt. 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1mv...

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Pianists occasionally record repertoire for which they are not immediately associated, or else they record works that one never would imagine hearing from these particular artists. On this episode, Jed explores examples of pianists “playing against type.”

Here are links to recordings discussed:

Glenn Gould: Chopin Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor - https://www.youtube.com...

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Alicia de Larrocha’s only recording produced especially for Columbia Masterworks featured three works of Maurice Ravel. It’s never been reissued on CD outside of Japan. Jed discusses this fascinating and hard-to-source release on this episode. Here’s a link to the music:

Alborada del grazioso - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2upEuqpqA6M

Valses...

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Jed discusses three of Emil Gilels’ commercial recordings of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1; with links to the performances below:

with Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony (1955) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJy-hKfHdfw

with Lorin Maazel/New Philharmonia Orchestra (1972) –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHl73cAsGhw

with Zubin Mehta/New York Philharmonic (1979) – (video) https://www.youtub...

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The unique and iconic improvising pianist, composer and bandleader Cecil Taylor (1929-2018) is the subject of today’s episode. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed recommends:

Conquistador (1966) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lq7liyDznk

Indent (1973) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ_UYNRKvBQ&list=OLAK5uy_lD9tgOUv7eJXPcsAbhDfEavQdGrMtEuYc

Sp...

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Jed recommends recordings for one of his favorite Mozart Piano Concertos, No. 17 in G Major K. 453.

Here are links to some of the recordings discussed:

Ernst von Dohnanyi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSo5SKsSQ6s

Edwin Fischer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYPFLlW9AaU

Rudolf Serkin...

Here’s a challenge - name a pianist who never made a bad recording.

Jed comes up with five pianists who possibly qualify. Here are links to selected recordings by these five:

Sergei Rachmaninov – Liszt Polonaise No. 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku5vyVticwA

Dini Lipatti – Ravel Alborada del gracioso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfypT_q6EUk

Ivan Moravec – Debussy Feux d’artifice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReXA2xlbq9M&list=OLAK5uy_kRuoBH-ae0Vld9umNkJVlV_Ghqbugp_WY&index=2

Martha Argerich – Chopin Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp M...

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On this episode, Jed talks about five notable Mozart pianists who brought divergent yet equally compelling approaches to this composer’s keyboard works. Here are links to listen:

Lili Kraus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2doJV0FR8Q

Walter Gieseking (Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K. 467) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

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Jed talks about Piotr Anderszewski’s Warner Classics release devoted to a probing selection of late Brahms piano pieces, while also exploring comparative performances of certain works. Here are links to several of the comparisons cited in this episode:

Op. 118 No. 2 – Anderszewski - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpISuRuqylc

Op. 118 No. 2 – Emanuel Ax - https://www.yo...

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Jed praises Boris Giltburg’s recent Naxos release devoted to early piano pieces of Rachmaninov.

Listen to the Nocturne No. 3 (1887) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_UzZmcZtZU

And compare both Giltburg’s earlier and new recordings of the Prelude in C-sharp Minor Op. 3 No. 2

Earlier recording - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKMbiBuJtvw

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Richard Strauss’ youthful and irresistible Burleske for Piano and Orchestra is the topic for this episode, where Jed discusses key recordings from the 78 and mono LP era, as well as top recent releases and several historical documents.

Here are links to some of the performances discussed:

William Kapell 1948 broadcast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix...

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Jed takes a deep dive into Deutsche Grammophon’s Friedrich Gulda Edition, which encompasses 84 CDs devoted to the pianist's complete recordings for labels controlled by Universal Music, plus some bonus DVDs.

Gulda was one of the 20th century’s most fascinating, multi-talented, confrontational and boundary-breaking musicians, who embraced both classical and jazz idioms with equal fervency and commitment. How...

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Morton Feldman’s hypnotically absorbing Triadic Memories has fare well on disc, and to mark the composer’s centenary, Jed explores several catalog options.

Here are links to the recordings discussed:

Roger Woodward - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM2_Vow5mms&list=PLbG9xmYd3shTK3wbQlBZaXI-_QNIsYP8a

Aki Takahashi - ht...

If you search for piano recordings via downloading and streaming platforms, you may encounter the name Claudio Colombo, who has seemingly recorded everything ever written for the piano, and for the harpsichord as well. Or has he? Just what is this all about? Jed tries to find out for himself on this episode.

Some examples:

Clementi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMAOTrCTYT4&list=PLjQOybcDkZBMDEqcph3Os-Tixbl4v4MxO

Brahms - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmVCcXY0Xbg

Schubert for Clarinet and Piano - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor Op. 58 may be the most frequently recorded among all of the Romantic piano sonatas, and Jed has his hands full on a lengthy episode that explores this work’s rich discography.

Here are links to several of the recordings discussed:

Moriz Rosenthal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn4SmBSoG_I

Alfred Cortot (1933 recording) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EWRIOvTK0w

Percy Grainger (4th movement) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qW371IdjiA

Nadia Reisenberg (1st movement) - ht...

A rebroadcast of Episode 20 from Season 1, where Jed discusses complete cycles of the Chopin Etudes on record.

If you enjoy this rebroadcast, please consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Link to Jed’s Gramophone Collection Chopin Etudes Survey: https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/chopin-s-etudes-a-deep-dive-into-the-best-recordings

Links to selected recordings:

1. https://musicandarts.com/product/zayas-plays-chopin-12-a%C2%89tudes-op-10-12-a%C2...

A rebroadcast of Episode 23 from Season 2, where Jed discusses fifteen favorite recordings of Beethoven's last and largest piano work, the Variations on a Theme of Diabelli Op. 120.

If you enjoy this special extended episode, please making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Link to Jed's 2015 Gramophone survey of the Diabellis on record: https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/45340/page/118?term=distler%20diabelli

Link to an...

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Link to Yunchan Lim’s Official Goldberg Variations Aria Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seYfmj3L2EA&list=RDseYfmj3L2EA&start_radio=1

Other recordings mentioned in this episode:

Lori Sims Promo Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOp_QE4-JYc

Klara Wurtz (complete recording) - https://www.youtube.co...

I;m launching a multi-episode discographical exploration of Messiaen's monumental piano cycle Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus, starting with four recordings dating from the late 60s through the late 80s.

So sorry that I kept pronouncing the pianist's name "Jean Rudolphe," when it's obviously "Jean-Rodolphe." My apologies!!!!!

Here are audio samples from the recordings under discussion:

Michel Béroff - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvd2zGk11ic

Peter Serkin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlgD6cLyvj4

Anton Batagov - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

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Here are recommendations for three recent releases devoted to the Five Beethoven Piano Concertos:

Inon Barnatan – Concerto No. 1 Third Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jfAI0ZRGcs

Garrick Ohlsson – Concerto No. 5 First Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=729a99oqRBw&list=PL44gxJwuwoaZWuiR72s4g7Xj6gEHxA2HB&index=13

Haochen Zhang – Concerto No. 4...

Jed talks about Krystian Zimerman’s Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Schubert's Piano Sonatas in A Major D. 959 and B-Flat Major D. 960

Links to selected movements are here:

D. 959 – II. Allegretto - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fubKC4TNi2g&list=PLsUQ1iTYBB1W0lEePuydi5ytSzbgscj3k&index=2

D. 960 – IV. Allegro ma non troppo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8WNaFz_F0U

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicki...

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Jed talks about Ingrid Fliter's first volume of Chopin Mazurkas on the Outhere label. Here's a link to her performance of the C Major Mazurka Op. 24 No. 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujQ_TktdZeA

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This episode focuses upon seven highly distinctive all-Liszt recitals that surely will enhance any piano collection. Here are links to sample selections:

1. Claudio Arrau - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nMR83ly5GU

2. Minoru Nojima - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3SoQ5-LCLI&list=PLrpUfzCDMUy106Wd9zufyedpnTFTXBt7u

3. Sandrine Erdely-Sayo...

Jed discusses a terrific all-Schubert release from the Prague Piano Duo.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_yu59RaaAY&list=OLAK5uy_nbCOUfqIFHKJwhOEzQaxNWFor_PIZM7nw

Bandcamp link: https://praguepianoduo.bandcamp.com/

Welcome to our second episode of Season Three.

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A listener asked me about Sviatoslav Richter’s August 26th 1977 Salzburg Festival recital issued on the Orfeo label. I hadn't heard this disc in a while, so I decided to revisit it.

Here's a link to the music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0_PSRycUck&li...

Welcome to our first episode of Season Three!

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Chopin’s Barcarolle is the topic of this episode, where Jed recommends some of his long-time favorite recordings. Here are links to recordings discussed:

Alfred Cortot – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNhHWqVvPrg

Benno Moiseiwitsch - https://www.youtube.com/watc...

"Vladimir Horowitz Plays Great Sonatas" is culled from the legendary virtuoso's Columbia Masterworks and RCA Victor catalogs, and features selections ranging from the Baroque era to mid-20th century works that are strongly identified with the pianist.

Although most of the performances can easily be sourced outside of this collection, piano mavens still will want to know about this ten-disc set, which can be obtained from second-hand dealers: https://www.amazon.com/Vladimir-Horowitz-Plays-Great-Sonata/dp/B0056K4V2M

A look back at the Winter 1999 issue of International Piano Quarterly (now International Piano), when twelve critics were asked to pick their top piano releases for 1998, as well as to mention recordings they’d like to see reissued. How many of these reissue requests came to pass over the next 27 years? And have their 1998 top release choices stood the test of time?

Here are links to some of the recordings discussed:

The William Kapell Edition - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8079691--william-kapell-edition

Medtner – Complete Piano Sonatas, with Marc-André Hamelin - https://www.prest...

An adventurous six-CD box set containing original piano works by Beethoven, plus chamber and orchestral repertoire in rare solo piano transcriptions, all brilliantly served up by Cyprien Katsaris.

Link to the recordings: https://www.amazon.com/Chronological-Odyssey-Cyprien-Katsaris/dp/B081WQS75L

Here's a rebroadcast of Season Two Episode 60

:Jed discusses four out-of-print piano box sets that are ripe for reissue:

Milosz Magin plays Chopin (Accord, 10 CDs). A link to his Etudes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzArJYgJqdE

Annerose Schmidt plays Mozart's Complete Piano Concertos (Berlin Classics, 10 CDs). Link to purchase - https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-Concertos-Wolfgang-Amadeus/dp/B0036ULAY6

France Clidat plays Liszt (Decca, 14 CDs). Link to listen to Hungarian Rhapsodies No.s 1-10 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afo2NTiZz2Y

Raymond Trouard: Une vie pour...

Jed discusses Claudio Arrau: The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals, Pasadena, California, USA, 1977, 1981 and 1986 - a five CD set containing previously unpublished performances by one of the 20th century's most singular pianists. For more information, visit First Hand's website: https://firsthandrecords.com/products-page/album/claudio-arrau-the-ambassador-auditorium-recitals-pasadena-california-usa-1977-1982-1986-5cd/

Here is yet another list of ten piano box sets that Jed would like to see released in the future, although whether or not his wish will come true is an open question! Pianists discussed include Gina Bachauer, Tamas Vasary, Rafael Orozco, Bruce Hungerford, Rudolf Firkusny, Sequeira Costas, Cyprien Katsaris and a special edition of piano recordings issued in the 1950s by the American M-G-M label.

Links to earlier Box Set Wish List episodes:

https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven/1789163/

https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven/2027603/

Link to “Ripe for Reissue” Box Set Epis...

Jed talks about recordings of Rachmaninov’s Four Concertos and Paganini Rhapsody that fall “under the radar" according to him, yet have great value and interest.

Here are links to the pianists and their interpretations:

Concerto No. 1: Tamas Vasary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRvbD20edYU&list=PLyrANGPNARULY0PWEc0R3HuZNfRP2oD9L&index=1

Concerto No. 2: Julius Katchen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Evhp3hO1U&list=PLJhYe4hsVJRdwFJnYM10LPS21E4A21ZVB&index=3

Concerto No. 3: Mirka Pokorná - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3wBB_v...