Albrecht Mayer, Norrington / ZKO — Zurich, 2014-11-25

(…) The last position in the program (after the intermission) was Mozart’s Symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550, in its first version (without clarinets), preceded by some explanations (in English) by the conductor. Sir Roger Norrington first alluded to numeric relations between the two symphonies (No.4 vs. No.40 — second vs. second-to-last symphony), then referred to the fact that K.550 is overused, known too well even, and played in warehouses and escalators…

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, op.111

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, op.111 — Comparing recordings with the following artists: Wilhelm Backhaus (1961), Paul Badura-Skoda (1969), Daniel Barenboim (1984), Ronald Brautigam (2008), Friedrich Gulda (1967), Julius Katchen (1968), Wilhelm Kempff (1964), Igor Levit (2013), Maurizio Pollini (1976), András Schiff (2012), Artur Schnabel (1935)

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Comparison Summary

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas — summary for comparisons of recordings, involving the following artists: Wilhelm Backhaus, Paul Badura-Skoda, Daniel Barenboim, Ronald Brautigam, Edwin Fischer, Emil Gilels, Friedrich Gulda, Clara Haskil, Jos van Immerseel, Julius Katchen, Wilhelm Kempff, Igor Levit, Mikhail Pletnev, Maurizio Pollini, Svjatoslav Richter, Arthur Rubinstein, András Schiff, Artur Schnabel, Mélodie Zhao

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, op.16

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2, op.16 — comparing recordings with the following artists: Yundi Li, Seiji Ozawa, Berliner Philharmoniker (live, 2007) / Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (live, 2013); comments on “blind” comparisons on the radio

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor, op.21

Chopin: Piano Concerto F minor, op.21 — comparing recordings with the following artists: Askenase/Ludwig (1963), Avdeeva/Brüggen (2012), Haskil/Markevich (1960), Rubinstein/Barbirolli (1931), Rubinstein/Steinberg (1946), Rubinstein/Wallenstein (1958), Rubinstein/Ormandy (1968)

Yulianna Avdeeva — Warsaw (Live Webcast), 2014-05-30

On 2014-05-30, the final concert from the season 2013/2014 in the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall was broadcast online. The concert featured Yulianna Avdeeva, the National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir under the direction of Jacek Kasprzyk, and the tenor Thomas Warmijak. The program for the concert included…