5 comments about John Cage - The Seasons / Leng Tan, Russell Davies, et al.

1. This disc includes three major Cage works and two versions of a minor work. With performers such as the Cage expert Margaret Leng Tan on piano, and that stalwart of contemporary American music, Dennis Russell Davies conducting, the performances are excellent, and one work, Seventy-Four, is not available elsewhere in any version.

   Seventy-Four is one of Cage's late 'number pieces' for orchestra. In it, the each performer is given a range of time in which to start and stop playing individual notes in their part. The orchestra (of seventy-four players) is split into two groups--one half plays one part and the other half plays the other; because of the playing technique the sounds are blurred and one note merges into another before the first note has stopped sounding. The performers are permitted to microtonally bend their notes, casting a shimmering harmonic aura over the already meditative music, and evoking memories of Scelsi or 60s Ligeti, though in a more austere manner. The disc contains two performances of this work; what perhaps might surprise listeners in that they--despite the apparent randomness involved in performing the piece--really sound very similar.

   The Seasons--heard here in the orchestral version rather than the alternative version for solo piano--is a ballet score from 1947, and one of the most important pieces from Cage's early period. It is charmingly written in a faux-naïf modal style similar to that of the String Quartet in Four Parts, with movements representing each of the seasons separated by brief interludes. The interlude that precedes the entire work is repeated at the end, giving a satisfying circular feel to the work. This work feels very much of a piece with a lot of the Americana of the 1930s and 1940s, though it is more restrained (Appalachian Spring it ain't). It represents a side of Cage that should perhaps be better known.

   More fragmentary is the Concerto for Prepared Piano and Orchestra, written in 1950 and 1951. This uses basically the same harmonic ideas as The Seasons, but the musical design itself is much more fragmentary and radical. The first movement is slow, almost pointillistic at times, with the percussive sounds of the prepared piano alternating with the orchestral part. The second movement is more lively; again the soloist and orchestra play only separately. The finale is a key moment in Cage's career--it's the first time where he consciously used chance procedures (in this case coin-tossing and hexagrams from the I Ching) to create some of the musical material. In this movement, the soloist and orchestra do play together, but the musical material is even more fragmentary than in the opening movement. This is a fascinating work, and the performance on this disc is very strong.

   The disc ends with the Suite for Toy Piano--a piece of fluffy frivolity from 1948, played both in the original version and in the rather superfluous orchestral version by Lou Harrison. This is the only piece on the disc that I don't return to.

   This is an excellent disc and might serve as a good introduction to Cage for those interested in exploring the music behind the myth.




2. I have been recently revisiting the work of John Cage, from the early experiments with timbre and rhythm, through his aleatoric period and beyond. While at one time I would have dismissed him as a poser...or a philosopher at best, now I am more and more convinced of his singular genius. This genius is beautifully represented on this amazing CD with Magaret Leng Tan and Denniss Russell Davis. Nearly every phrase in the composer's career is represented.

   The earliest music on the disc is the ballet score for The Seasons. This is an amazing work...it almost sounds like one of the Sonatas and Interludes orchestrated. Cage has moments of almost Stravinskian clarity, oriental filligree and yet the work is dominated most by beautifully proportioned juxtapositions of sound blocks. It is a haunting and mesmerizing work. As is the suite for Toy piano, presented both in it's original form and orchestrated by Lou Harrison. Cage manages to create a lush and elaborate rhythmic scheme out of very limited means.

   The Concerto show Cage moving into his next phase of work. The language is more abstract and dissonant...almost like Webern. In fact, this is a transition work into Cage's later aleatoric style. The third movement contains some of Cage's first forays into chance procedures. The result it intensely colorful, dramatic, and fascinating.

   The two other pieces on the disc are two realizations of 73, one of Cage's computer generated number pieces, which dominated the last few years of his life. 73 refers to the number of instrumentalists in the piece. There is not score to the work. Each instrumentalist is given a series of notated events and a time frame for the events. Timbre, effects, and timing are left up to the performer to some extent. 73 is particularly interesting in that there are only two series of events split between orchestra members...one series for higher instruments and one for lower instruments. The result is a work which slowly evolves from droning note to droning note...almost resembling the late work of Nono or Scelsi. Both versions of the piece are hypnotic.

   Margaret Leng Tan is a marvelous pianist, particularly in contemporary repertoire. And Russell Davies conducts with clarity and an ear for balance. If you've been afraid of Cage, this is the disc to get. The sound world is marvelous.




3. For John Cage, an orchestra was an assembly of musicians playing traditional sound-making instruments, not the grand ensemble required by Mahler to produce waves of well-tempered orchestrations, & Cage conceptualized accordingly. So while the Concerto may seem not quite a concerto, the clusters, open spaces, punctuations, prepared piano sounds do indeed showcase the performers concerto-style. The composition also achieves a sense of motionless that is kin to Satie. The Suite for Toy Piano makes an even stronger connection to the Sage of Arceuil.

   This is a superb collection. Margaret Leng Tang brings just the right combination of committment, detachment & wit to the music. Dennis Russell Davies stays out of the way as much as he can, allowing whatever happens next to happen next. The players are enjoying themselves - Cage's scores are realized well only when everyone cooperates and has a good time. You will, too.

   Bob Rixon




4. This is a collection of bad pieces by a great composer, for those who like his bad pieces. Most of Cage's work before "Music of Changes" is just cross-over entertainment (with some "exceptional exceptions"), and just for this reason it has a good selling potential today. With exception of "Seventy-four" all the pieces in this CD come from this period (the "Concerto for Prepared Piano" is a transition work). I see Cage basically as a composer of solo keyboard or chamber music, and this CD shows irrefutably that he could not handle an orchestra. "The Seasons" is much better in the original keyboard version, and "Seventy-four" could as well be played by the audience - that would be a great experiment! The "Suite for Toy Piano" is good enough as a satire and the author recommended that it should be played on a toy piano, or on a ordinary instrument - as I see (listen to) it orchestrating such a piece is rather an insult than a homage to the composer. I really did not like this CD. Don't buy it! Have another Cage instead, like "Music of Changes" played by Herbert Henck (WERGO), or Joan LaBarbera's beautiful "Singing Through John Cage" (New Albion).



5. How times change! Cage seems to have gone from being regarded in some circles as anti-musical to being regarded as a classic. This CD concentrates, with one exception on music written in the late 40's, early 50's, just on the cusp of when he moved into his 'aesthetic of non-intention', or techniques of chance. He moved on from a beguiling sound world indeed: 'The Seasons' has real melodic appeal, try the Spring movement (track 3) - or relish the enigmatic and somewhat protean gestures of the Concerto for Prepared Piano, which seems to become more disembodied as it progresses. The Suite for Toy Piano is ingenious, and a great idea to follow it with contemporary Lou Harrison's orchestration of it, which makes it sound very beefy indeed: a delicious contrast. My personal jury is still out on the one late piece, dating from Cage's last year: Seventy-Four, 2 versions of which are recorded here. It is indeterminate, with parts allotted to just high and low instruments. It has a floating and ethereal quality, certainly, but I miss the more bracing and personal invention of the early pieces, which sound more revolutionary. Exemplary performances and vivid recording: a very stimulating anthology.

2 comments about Viennese Violin: The Romantic Music of Lehár, Kreisler & Strauss.

1. Classic CD magazine gave this CD one star and I really don't understand why. Admittedly the reviewer's credentials are better than mine, but I really enjoyed this disc. I have several versions of "Vienna, City of My Dreams" both vocal and instrumental, in my collection and it's interesting to compare interpretations. The Kreisler piece "Tambourin Chinois" will never be my favorite, no matter who plays it. This is a Telarc disc and their CD's are generally very well done. To sum up, I like Erich Kunzel and I like the selections from the Viennese Romantic repetoire.



2. Mr. McDuffie's style and artistry creates a CD that is wonderful to listen to. The CD appeals to all ages being a favorite of my small children. I would strongly recommend this work to anyone who loves violin music.

No comments about John Dowland: Complete Music for Solo Lute.

1 comments about Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice; La Péri; Symphony in C.

1. This cd is breathtaking. The sound is spectacular especially on La Peri, which is the gem of this compilation. Not to say that the other selections are not great because they are also played very well. But if you want a spectacular account of La Peri this is the CD for you. Also at the price if you never listen to the other selections you still got a bargain.

4 comments about Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane; Symphony No. 3.

1. How often are we given the opportunity to revel in Roussel? Too infrequently, we are reminded, until a concert of well known French music played with élan happens to feature a work such as Albert Roussel's Symphony No. 3 nested among the well known favorites such as Ravel's 'Le Tombeau de Couperin' and 'La Valse' and Poulenc's 'Concerto for 2 Pianos'. Such was the case at a recent Los Angeles Philharmonic concert, one that the conductor of this excellent recording was scheduled to conduct but defaulted to the orchestra's superb assistant conductor Daniel Bringuier. Hearing the Roussel live is as refreshing as discovering something new, and yet here is a recording to savor that is as fine as any of this work available.
   
   Stéphane Denève knows his way around and through this brief (25 minute) symphony and is able to capitalize on all the creative aspects of the work while knitting it together in a way that eludes many conductors. The symphony is rich with melodies painted on a backdrop of some of the more original and unique percussive writing in the literature. While the spirit of the work is exhilarating, listening repeatedly to the way Denève keeps the textures clear reminds us of just how fine (and how very French!) is this 20th century masterpiece. This is a symphony AND a performance to cherish.
   
   Denève also manages to make the better known ballet score 'Bacchus et Ariane' sound both grand and eloquent. And while his Royal Scottish National Orchestra may not be the richest sounding ensemble, it is very responsive to Denève dissection of the score. In all this is a recording very much deserving to be a part of every music lover's library - especially those who have neglected the always surprising pleasures of the music of Albert Roussel! Grady Harp, March 08



2. The mature music of Albert Roussel (1869-1937) represents a high water mark of early 20th-century French neoclassicsm. Roussel's symphonies are crystaline compositions of great integrity combining clarity, grace and logic in a synthesis of counterpoint, impressionistic colorism, and potent rhythms and dissonance. Until very recently, listeners wanting newer recordings of these works had few truly good options to choose from: a version of the Third and Fourth on Chandos with Neeme Jaervi is deeply inadequate, while the complete symphonies with Charles Dutoit does not appear to have garnered a lot of favor. But just in time for the seventieth anniversary of Roussel's death, a group of recent recordings has given Roussel-lovers cause to rejoice: Christoph Eschenbach and the Orchestre de Paris have given us recordings of the First, Second, and Fourth, and now we have this terrific new version of the Third on Naxos.
   
   This recording has received several enthusiastic reviews, including one in Gramophone magazine. In Stephane Deneve the Royal Scottish Orchestra has a leader that obviously understands the French idiom, and leads a performance of the Third Symphony that is attentive to all the expressive requirements of the work. The pounding opening is attacked with vigor, the rhythms are sharply etched, and the dissonant outbursts that interrupt at various points in that movement are delightfully shocking. Yet Deneve gives plenty of expressive shaping (including great flexibility of tempo) and reveals oases of calm in the midst of turmoil and relentless motion. The Third has at its center a superbly conceived slow movement, a serene panorama constructed in a perfect arc. Deneve takes this music with seriousness and dignity, throwing into relief the cafe'-nightclub music that interrupts at the middle of the movement, and setting up an especially patient build-up to an incandescent climax. The ballet BACCHUS AND ARIADNE was composed around the same time as the symphony, and shares many characteristics with it; avoiding any overt "ancient" evocations, it instead clothes the Greek myth in acrid harmonies and motor rhythms. A few very brief patches of ragged ensemble do not in any way detract from my hearty recommendation of this disc.



3. After many years of neglect by the record companies, Albert Roussel's orchestral music seems to be coming into its own. There are currently excellent low-price recordings of the Third Symphony -- his most popular; the one commissioned in 1930 for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony, along with Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms -- by such artists as Cluytens/Colonne onEMI, Dutoit/Orchestre National de France on Apex/Warner, and Järvi/Detroit on Chandos Classics. His 'Bacchus et Ariane' ballet is slightly less well-represented, especially the complete score (arranged by Roussel into two suites that are simply Acts I & II), but there are competing versions by Järvi/Detroit and Yan Pascal Tortelier/BBC Philharmonic. What's more, most of these competing versions are also offered at budget price. So what's a person to do?
   
   Well, as much as I like this new version by Stéphane Denève and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, I must cast my vote for the EMI which only costs a couple of dollars more for 2 CDs containing the Symphonies Nos. 2, 3 and 4, as well as one of the Bacchus Suites, the Festin de l'Araignée, and the Sinfonietta. Granted, they are older recordings but they have been very nicely remastered and sound terrific. Further, the French orchestras led by Cluytens, Prêtre and Dervaux play gorgeously throughout. I imagine that Denève and RSNO (of which he has been the music director for a couple of years now) will record more of Roussel's orchestral output but the cash outlay will be significantly more for the amount of music presented. And as far as that's concerned, I thought the sound on this new recording was just a little cloudy and with the brass sometimes drowning the strings.
   
   Scott Morrison



4. It is unconscionable that the symphonic works of the French composers Alberic Magnard and Albert Roussel have been so neglected on disc and in the concert hall!
   This performance on the super budget Naxos label may, hopefully, bring to a wider audience the wonders of Roussel's music. And, let me say right away, vies with the best in sound and exceeds all in interpretation!
   The only performances that come close to the third symphony on this disc are Berstein's and Cluytens'.
   Roussel's 3rd can be described as neo-classical with a 'French flavour' and is eminently approachable. The slow music hints at the 'nature' music so well known in Debussy and and the fast outer movements have a rhythm and energy that Stravinsky would have been proud of. Both the vigour and harmony throughout this work is compelling! That Martinu was one of his students is obvious.
   The rest of the programme is taken up by the most sensitive and inspiring account of Roussel's most well known work - Bacchus et Ariane - even when compared with the excellent version by Tortelier on Chandos.
   Deneve's accounts of both works cries out to heard by anyone interested in great music, particularly of the first half of the twentieth century!
   I can hardly wait for the other three symphonies!
   Do yourself a big favour and have a listen. Rewards are waiting in abundance!

4 comments about Ravel - L'enfant et les Sortilèges · Ma Mère l'Oye / LSO · Previn.

1. This is NOT a review of the recording - it is a review of the booklet accompanying the CD - nearly every other page of the booklet is the libretto of Verdi's "Falstaff" - which means a good chunk of the program notes for the Ravel are NOT included!



2. He has a beethovenian approach of the score which is quite a contradiction. Broad tempos, large orchestra, big sound.
   
   Everything is technically perfect but we are very far from RAVEL. In addition, the french diction of the singers is very poor.
   
   What a difference with his EMI recording of the 80's which is a real gem.
   
   The reference is obviously Ansermet but let's not forget BOUR (mono sound) & JORDAN (stereo sound).



3. I know L'enfant... almost as well as I know my name, and I don't even speak French. When compared to the many versions that I already have, it ranks second only to the version I remember from my childhood. Pairing L'enfant et les Sortileges with the Mother Goose Ballet was inspired. This CD would provide a wonderful introduction to opera and classical music in general to the young and those who are untested in classical music. There is one fault. I hate the cover art. I like Chuck Jones, He has made some great cartoons and created some memorable illustations however this misses target completely. It is as if he only listened to a small part of the opera and hastily threw something together to meet a deadline. None of the magic has been conveyed. There is so much more that could have been done. This may seem like a trifle to most but being a fanatic about L'enfant et les Sortiles as well as a graphic designer this was a disappointment. Apart from that The recording was great as was the performance. Very enjoyable



4. At long last there is a set of the two Ravel operas that will be a welcome addition to any collection of French music, Ravel's works, opera, whatever sub-category you can name. Both are on Deutsche Grammophon label, both feature the London Symphony Orchestra under Andre Previn, and both have covers by cartoonist Chuck Jones that belie the value of what lies within. (457 590-2) is a charming work (literally) about a young boy who so maltreats his room, possessions and local animals that they all decide to counterattack. Usually done as a ballet with singers to the side, special effects (animated furniture and even a living math textbook) and the Dance dominate what the eye sees in a full production. But as with most good opera scores (we will debate the adjective at some other time), the music alone is enough to keep our attention as long as we follow the text for at least the first hearing. The lament of the Shepherds and Shepherdesses is among the loveliest moments in all opera, as is the very end when one word convinces the animals to spare the child. Pamela Helen Stephan makes the "Enfant" believable enough musically, although her voice is a bit too mature-sounding. Perhaps the Fire of Elizabeth Futral could use a bit more (forgive this) pyrotechnics, but she and the rest of the large cast are just fine in their roles of objects and animals. The filler offering on this disc, in the expanded orchestral version suffers by comparison with most competitive recordings; but thematically the producers could not have chosen a better companion piece. The second work, < L'Heure Espagnole> (457 590-2) begins very promisingly with the ticking of clocks. And indeed the plot is really quite funny what with grandfather clocks being carried up and down a flight of stairs, with and without amorous wooers hidden inside them. At first hearing, I planned to write how Chaucerian the whole thing was until I found the characters summing the whole thing up with a reference to Boccaccio! The problem on a recording is that the music follows French speaking patterns and there is simply not that much musically that will encourage repeated hearings. But I do urge local vocal groups to get a good English translation and do a staged production of this work as part of an evening's concert. It will be "a regular riot" as Jackie Gleason used to say. Again, the that fills out the CD has been far better treated on other recordings.

2 comments about Sentimental Favorites (25).

1. The recordings are fair at best. The performances poor to better.

   I will dispose of this one.




2. I used to think that classical music is boring, but this CD has changed my mind. The first time I listened to this CD I said, its OK. Later every time I listen to it I discover a new beautiful music. I feel calm and relaxed. I mostly liked the Borodin, Mozart and Faure songs. It is really 25 sentimental favorites. Now, many titles of the 25 "?" Favorites are on my wish list....

5 comments about Erik Satie: Gnossiennes; Gymnopédies; Ogives; Etc..

1. Those who love and detest these unique renderings are both, in a sense, correct. Just because an interpretation deviates from what we expect it to sound like doesn't make it wrong. Necessarily. Sure, excessive interpretive freedom can wreck the enjoyment of an otherwise fine piece of music. Witness Ivo Pogorelich's nonsensically detached, self-indulgent performances of Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto that he toured with a few years ago. Ultimately, though, either it "works" or doesn't, a purely subjective determination. Robert de Leuw's rendering (or rending, as the case may be) can be experienced either as pure bliss or torture. I err on the side of the former, but appreciate the contrary view.



2. Satie's beautifully melancholic piano music is made sooooo dull by Mr Leeuw's elephantine playing, and this lethargic speed completely ruins my enjoyment of it. There is nothing in the music to warrant such a gross miscalculation of tempo. I'd recommend other recordings of Satie's music which more faithfully adhere to his intentions (Roge etc.)



3. The interpretation of Gnossiennes is worth the price of this CD. The slow, soulful rendition of that piece is the best anywhere. However, I agree with a previous reviewer that the downtempo approach does not work for other Satie favorites. The slow motion, low energy rendition of other pieces can be maddening.



4. The poetry, subtle energy and elasticity of Satie's music is entirely lost in De Leeuw's interpretations. The pieces are drawn out to an extent where each note becomes a fragment that does not add up to a whole. The music of Satie thus becomes as unengaging as elevator music.

   Eric Satie was a restless and discontented innovator who barely had finished with one musical style until he moved on to the next. This tireless energy can be found in other recordings of Satie's music - most notably by Anne Queffelec - where even the most famous of Satie's composition, the slow Gymnopedies 1-3, reflect Satie's dynamic persona.

   In order to profoundly understand music and see it from the inside, it is necessary for the interpretor to understand its composer. This is not the case with De Leeuw.




5. There are some pieces of music that need to be played fast and flashy, and others which must be played slow and compelling. These are of the second nature. And De Leeuw captures the essence of this music. Early Fusion - dreams of Hashish and Opium and the Desert - melancholy - wistful - mysterious - meandering - wandering -- full of the fine textured Algerian and Turkish colored patterns that overlay all visions, views and vistas which we might conjure of our world. An exceptional rendering - an artist who resonates to what must have been the true intent of the composer - slow, forceful, pulling, compelling mystery of Mystery. I am glad I read, and believed, the other reviews - much more elegant than this - and which, each and every one, pointed out the true genius of this performance. Those reviews simply reflect the truth that few words can hold. Perhaps, those truths might be further mirrored in these long remembered words:

   Wandering, Dreaming --
   Dreaming that Dreams
   Forever Wander
   -- Basho --

5 comments about Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin [Box Set].

1. These are the earlier discs of Rubinstein's Chopin, recorded by HMV in London during the 1930's. It is less complete than his later recordings for RCA - no Sonatas, no Ballades, no Etudes. The sound is naturally of its time - but in many ways more natural than the sharply-lit, slightly edgy piano sound RCA favoured in the 50's and 60's. Nevertheless, these are the Chopin performances I return to most.
   
   Rubinstein's natural affinity with Chopin is legendary. He seemed always able to capture precisely the right degree of rubato at exactly the right moment in these pieces. And he had a unique ability in his countryman's music to balance the lyrical with the impassioned, what seems completely spontaneous with what is clearly deeply considered. The Nocturnes here are, I think, the best you'll hear anywhere on disc. In the greatest of them - the Opp.37 & 48 sets, for example - Rubinstein gets the contrast between the dreamy nocturnal outer sections with the darker, more impassioned central sections just right. These are not salon miniatures in his hands but big works, if not in length then in content. And no-one can match Rubinstein in the elusive diversity of this complete set of Mazurkas. The two Concerti both have Barbirolli as the sympathetic conductor, following Rubinstein's lead in the ebb and flow of phrases and whole sections of these gorgeous and often maligned works. Interestingly the recording of Concerto No.2 (actually the first composed) dates from before the pianist's famous withdrawal from public performance to reconstruct his technique and his approach, that of Concerto No.1 from after. Perhaps one can detect a touch more maturity and refinement in his approach to the latter, but they are both ravishing performances.
   
   Many of the performances on these 5 discs are the greatest Chopin you're likely to hear. And the ear soon adjusts to the somewhat old-fashioned recorded piano sound. This is a highly desirable set for any lover of Chopin and/or great piano playing.



2. The interpretation is stunning. Mono - but no matter for solo piano - and a wee bit hissy but still quite superb.



3. This album was recorded from records as you can hear the scratches and skips. Don't recommend it!



4. This is my favorite album. I think that not even Rubinstein's later recordings attain this quality of musical involvment.
   
   There is a fair amount of background noise, but the music helps to forget it rather quickly overall.



5. Otherwise, I would have given 5 stars. The fact that these have a hiss (and you can practically hear him close the piano on several numbers) should be mentioned. I guess we are spoiled to audio quality, but this is an expensive collection and this fact was glaringly omitted. That said, I have enjoyed the recordings, in spite of the very audible hiss.

4 comments about Smetana: Piano Music (Complete Czech Dances, Polkas, Dreams).

1. Smetana is generally known for Ma Vlast (specifically The Moldau), but here are some of his piano pieces, things that are so different and special they're surprising. I never knew Smetana wrote for the piano and these pieces opened my eyes to a whole different branch of Czech music.
   
   What surprised me most about these dances is that they are complex and that they're not too "lovely" and fluttery. Some are very bouncy and pleasant. All are nice to listen to. Some of the dances actually make me want to jump up and dance. They're bouncy and fun.
   
   They're not all bouncy dances, though. Some are more serious and elegant. I especially like some of the first pieces on the second disc, as they are very beautiful.
   
   Smetana surprised me with these great pieces. Brilliant Classics surprised me this fabulous deal. Two CDs at a price that's considered cheap for one CD? You can't ask for anything better. Highly recommended.



2. I've owned both of these CDs in their original versions -- the Kubalek on the now (alas) defunct Dorian label -- and am happy to have them both together on the superbudget Brilliant label. Brilliant seems to be doing what Naxos did early on, certainly with their amazing prices. They tend to buy up rights to well-regarded but now out-of-the-catalog recordings and reissue them at rock-bottom prices and I say hallelujah for that!
   
   The music contained herein is not well-known to non-Czechs, even by pianists. More's the pity because there is some lovely stuff here. Smetana was himself a virtuoso pianist and he wrote ever so much better for the instrument than his younger Czech colleague, Dvorák. I own several versions of the Czech Dances and the blind pianist Antonin Kubalek's is, for me, the best one largely because of its subtlety, particularly with those tricky Czech rhythms. It is not necessarily the version that grabs you immediately by the ear by way of its virtuosity, but Kubalek knows how the pieces should go better than even his countryman Firkusny, whose version is a runner-up in this literature. Although recorded in the fabled Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, the recorded sound is just a bit boxy, but not enough to interfere with Kubalek's patrician style.
   
   Peter Schmalfuss, a student of Gieseking and Kempff, recorded the other Smetana bits and pieces in 1980. These works are not otherwise easily available. The pieces are generally more virtuosic but less immediately interesting for me. But I really like 'Am Segerstade' ('On the Strand'), a flurry of watery arpeggios decorating a lovely melodic line and 'Sehnsucht' ('Longing') is notable for its aching melody. Some of Smetana's more Lisztian efforts -- some of the 'Rêves', for instance -- leave me unmoved but I can easily imagine someone else lapping them up. Schmalfuss is a very good pianist and is given better sound than Kubalek, but he doesn't quite have the feel for Czech gestures that Kubalek does.
   
   Nonetheless, I strongly recommend this two-CD set at least partly because Brilliant has done a marvelous thing to reissue these two excellent discs at such a wonderful price, even if, I notice, you will need to buy it from one of Amazon's 'marketplace sellers'. [Just a word about that: I have had excellent luck using vendors via this Amazon website.]
   
   Scott Morrison



3. I have 6 complete recordings of Czech Dances (2 versions with Kubalek and others with Firkusny, Novotny, Jirikovsky, Leichner) and know many others records of selected parts. And I have also my own experience, because I perform this pieces (not only dances, but Dreams and Etudes, too).
   
   So I must say, that Kubalek's performance is the best, there is no doubt for me. Schmalfuss is only minor pianist, but Kubalek is world class and he really understand this music. The dances are much poetic and expressive in his hands... But in Czech republic, there are still two diferrent streams on Smetana's playing. In fact, I think, that the both are right. Smetana was virtuoso and great dancer. He admired Liszt and Liszt appreciated him. But he was also musical poet and dreamer. He eas nationalist, indeed... but he was great musician, and this si the feeling, which Kubalek has drawn and shown to the audience. He is even giving masterclasses about this music.
   
   I am Czech pianist, so I think, I speak as an expert. This is high recommendation. Listen to Kubalek's readings of Czech music and then you will understand it.



4. It needs a bit of goodwill to award this set a fourth star, but the goodwill is there so far as I'm concerned because it has opened for me a chapter of 19th century piano music that had been closed, indeed its very existence unsuspected. Smetana's output was not large, but a surprisingly high proportion of it was for piano. He was himself a pianist, unlike Dvorak, and he must have been an accomplished one to judge from the difficulty of some of the 30 pieces here. The two discs consist of recitals by two different artists, recorded 8 years apart in time. Such problems as the set gives me are largely concerned with the recording, and oddly the earlier disc (1980 at some undisclosed location) strikes me as being a considerably better piece of engineering than the later.
   
   Antonin Kubalek's recital comprises the full 14 Czech Dances - 4 polkas, 1 furiant and the balance bearing picturesque titles of various kinds. Peter Schmalfuss gives 5 more polkas plus 11 'Reves', not of a predominantly dreamy kind and with a strong dance-element in many of them. Taking the performances for themselves, so far as I can do that without discussing the recorded quality, Schmalfuss comes across much more successfully. For me Kubalek doesn't in general succeed in making the music really dance. I would have liked a bit more definition and firmness in his rhythm generally. His technical command is well up to the task and he turns in some good professional virtuosity in the Bear Dance and the Stamping Dance, but I feel a certain lack of personality about him. He is not helped by the recording he has been given, which is too favourable towards the bass, very much so in the 4 polkas. He may also be overdoing the pedal rather, but I sense that this is likely to be the fault of the recording again - the bass is actually pretty clear, so a certain over-resonance is probably down to the recording technicians.
   
   Matters improve greatly with the second disc. Again, the recording leaves something to be desired, but it is certainly a lot better, wherever it was done. The sound of Schmalfuss's piano is really quite satisfactory with sufficient body and good balance between treble and bass: the only problem is a bit of metallic 'bloom' on the top notes, which is something I can discount without much problem. There is a great deal more zest and heartiness to this recital by and large. Some of the pieces, such as the 'Macbeth and the Witches' number or the Concert Study, are of near-Lisztian difficulty and showiness (as well as being a lot more musical in my own opinion). Schmalfuss goes about these with aplomb, but what appeals to me most of all is the true sense of dancing in the music.
   
   The real thrill for me has been in discovering the music, and I shall be returning to this set often - both discs, whatever my griping about Kubalek. Dvorak is no doubt a 'greater' composer than Smetana, but there is a self-consciousness about his worn-on-the-sleeve Czechery that gets me down a bit. I love the freshness and spontaneity of Smetana, the nationalist elements displayed naturally and with pride but without descending to mannerisms. There are two interesting short liner notes, one of them by Kubalek himself. For me, this music has been a major and really delightful discovery, and such criticisms as I must in honesty offer matter to me very little in comparison with that.