Re: GG: La Valse (again)

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

On Wed, 8 Jan 1997, Tim Conway wrote:

> I bought and listened (several times) to GG's rendition of La Valse on CD 
> a couple of months ago. Just before Christmas I switched on ABC Classic 
> FM in the middle of a piano transcription of La Valse, but clearly not 
> GG's. I couldn't tell who was playing but he or she certainly wasn't 
> having as much effect as GG, even though the recording was more recent 
> and live. At the end of the piece there was clapping and the radio 
> announcer said that the piece had been played by two people, not one. I 
> was so astonished that I didn't hear whether it was a four-hand or 
> two-piano version, nor can I remember the players' names.

According to the notes in the Argerich/Rabinovitch recording (two pianos),
Ravel published four versions: two pianos (the original), piano solo,
piano duet, orchestra.  Some of the inspiration for the composition was a
proposed ballet by Diaghilev, which then didn't come through.  

GG's transcription is a hybrid of the piano versions. 

By the way, sliding off to a related topic, does anyone happen to know if
Gyorgy Sandor's Sony box set of Bartok's piano music includes the piano
solo (ballet) transcription of the Concerto for Orchestra?  I like
Sandor's single disc of it that was issued earlier.  The "complete" box
doesn't say on the outside whether the CfO is included or not. 

> 
> Is the sound that GG obtained wholly because of his transcription and his 
> remarkable ability? Did he double-track in some way? Is the sound a 
> product of bad recording technique? I'd be very grateful if anyone can 
> throw some light.

That La Valse is not a multi-track (as GG's Wagner album and small parts
of the Beethoven-Liszt 5th were).  It's a full-take performance from a
mono television programme (available) where the miking wasn't very clear. 

I listened again last weekend to Leonard Pennario's latest recording
(EMI/Angel...my copy is an album "Romantic Piano Music"), and again
marveled at how graceful, clear, and powerfully atmospheric the piece is
the way he plays it. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bradley Lehman, bpl@umich.edu       http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/