Classical Music for Aficionados

Jim, When you went to hear Brendel play Scubert, you got Schubert, with many you got/get them . The "heavenly lengths" bit came from Schumann in reference to the Great C major Symphony .
Few musicians were/are as learned as Brendel .I’ll look for the Arau.I had it once .

I saw a clip with Rubinstein saying the adagio to Schubert’s Quintet in C,d.956 , is the most beautiful music ever written .Lot of folks like Schubert because he wrote so many melodic " little pieces" . True enough, but according to Brahms anyway, everyone was a masterpiece .At 2 am this morning our local BBC 3 played both sides of a new Hyperion  CD with Steven Isserlis on Cello,Denes Varjon on pf .One side was the Chopin Cello Sonata Op.65, the other Schubert's Arpeggione SonataD.821 .

I doubt anyone could walk away from this great recording with any opinion other than both pieces are masterworks .

.

jim et al
I am in full agreement with your comments about Liszt, also Rachmaninoff.
I have too many recordings of both to list here.
For Schubert, I love Rada Lupu. The Complete Decca Solo Recordings(2010) is 10 cds, about half is Schubert.
I read a story about Rachmaninoff, as composer and pianist.
His piano teach Nikolai Zverev told Rachmaninoff that he should concentrate on becoming a concert pianist because he had so much talent;
and that he should not waste his time studying composition or composing.
Eventually Rachmaninoff won a gold medal  at his conservatory for his composition of a one act opera, "Aleko", and Zverev was on the examination committee.  Zverev gave Rachmaninoff his gold watch. 
Tchaikovsky attended and praised Rachmaninoff.

Re: Rachmaninoff 

Did any musician in history combine performance and composition to such a high degree?
And remember, he stopped composing in his early forties for decades, he said because his music was considered too old fashioned. Only then did he turn to concertizing seriously and become arguably the greatest pianist of his age.
Towards the end of his life, he returned to composition to write some of his greatest music: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphonic Dances, Third Symphony.
As late as the 1950’s the Groves Dictionary referred to his music as “warmed over Tchaikovsky!”  Only lately has his time come to be recognized as one of the greats.

LenI agree wholeheartedly re, Arpegionne Sonata and with your thoughts regarding Schubert as a whole. When Arrau was interviewed once he was asked who was the most difficult composer to play and he instantly said Schubert and the interviewer said that Schubert had written only one piece that was remotely virtuosic The Wanderer Fantasy. Arrau then countered that his music was too easy to turn into schmaltz and also too easy to counter the schmaltz and play very coldly.I agree with that remark in that many years ago I purchased a CD of Polinni doing late Schubert piano sonatas and played it just a couple of times as I found it wonderfully played but cold as ice. That's the problem with Schubert there ar too many people that play him cold. I also agree with your comments about Brendel, also look out for his book Musical thoughts and afterthoughts, a very good read.
jcazadorI must look out for the Radu Lupu recordings that you recomended, I love Lupu's Brahms but have never heard his Scubert, in fact I think I'll fire up Qobuz tonight and have a listen. Yes I read that story about Rachmaninov also , he certainly was a towering force of nature and we shall never see his like again.
to all,We have been talking about Rachmaninov and his compositions but who today has lifted up his mantle , my thoughts ? none. I get really depressed when I think of our new composers because the more I hear from them the less I like. The piano music they write is awfull and they can't or won't write a tune into there works , try asking one of them to write a fugue. No when Rachmaninov died piano composition died also , I'll even go further and say that when Shostakovitch died western classical music died also.Agree or disagree as you like but those are my thoughts.

Rachmaninov: Études-tableaux

S‎TEVEN OSBORNE piano

That is a new record the Hyperion label have just released and I was at a concert given by Osborne last year and he played more or less all the music on this CD and it was most enjoyable.

Have a great weekend guy's.

Jim.