Re: GG and the Brandenburgs?

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

Juozas wrote:

>Okay, I see it's not worthy to try to get GG's piano Brandenburgs but
>I'll probably continue looking for other piano versions of the BWV1050. I
>like exotic things :P.

One especially worth seeking out is the set conducted and played by Alfred
Cortot, 1931-33.  Very spirited and committed.

Another one is the Casals set (stereo) with Rudolf Serkin playing the
piano.  Or the 1950 recording of #5 conducted by Casals, with Eugene
Istomin.  I'm less fond of these since Casals (like GG) does the odd
interpretation of the rhythms in the third movement: but at his tempos it
flows much better than GG's performances do.  [But that 1950 Casals disc
includes the phenomenal Stern/Tabuteau performance of BWV 1060.]

Serkin had a nice clean-lined and straightforward way of playing the solo
part; I hear he played it similarly in the Busch recording, which I
haven't heard.


Bradley Lehman, Dayton VA
home: http://i.am/bpl  or  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl
CD's: http://listen.to/bpl or http://www.mp3.com/bpl

"Music must cause fire to flare up from the spirit - and not only sparks
from the clavier...." - Alfred Cortot