Classical Music for Aficionados
I have listened to all of Gulda's recordings, but never seen him until this: Friedrich Gulda plays Mozart - Fantasia K397, Piano Sonatas K 333 & K576 (1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tXj_OsI-Z0 |
Recently went to a recital of the up-and-coming Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko. Blazing technique, but lacking a little bit of heart, I thought. His way with a Mozart Fantasia was quite analytical, pulling it apart. Most at home and best in the Godowsky/Chopin Studies/Etudes, with displays of quite extraordinary pianism. His left hand sounds like a minimum of other people's two (or three!). I will admit that at one juncture I turned on the inner audiophile and listened to the sound qua sound. I was sitting quite close. The nouns that occurred to me were body, immediacy, and clarity, not necessarily in that order. His bass fortissimos were resounding. The treble was interesting. The notes could cut through the overall sound envelope, but yet they were never astringent, just striking. I think that this is a tightrope act that not all audio systems (or recordings?) pull off. |
