español | français Claudio Monteverdi Paolo Pandolfo 10 CDs for a desert island : Pierre Hantai The song of Sibyl   53 - 52 - 51 - 50 - 49 - 48 - 47 - 46 - 45 - 44 - 43 - 42 - 41 - 40 - 39 - 38 - 37 - 36 - 35 - 34 - 33 - 32 - 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 09 - 08 - 07 - 06 - 05 - 04 - 03 - 02 - 01 - 10 CDS FOR A DESERT ISLAND: PIERRE HANTAI A difficult exercise, this... First off, one must decide what actually constitutes a good record. Is it the work in itself, or the genius of a performer that makes it indispensable? Can a work which isn’t exactly a “masterpiece” find a place on our Desert Island? Sometimes only a few moments of a record captivate me, and I listen to them endlessly. So... It would go against my instinct not to take Richter, all of Richter: this is the way I love music to sound. But if I had to select a few things, I would choose an old record that brings together some of Richter's most inspired playing: Schumann's Symphonic Etudes and Chopin's Four Scherzos (Melodia-Eurodisc GD69082). Another marvel, in my opinion, and the best Mozart I know, the most vocal!: the first of two records in a Philips boxed set, including the Sonatas K 280, 333 and 283. Next, a mix of Chopin and Schumann, issued by Olympia (OLD287), for a few of the Chopin Preludes, the Novelettes Opus 21 by Schumann, and also an absolutely irresistible Traumes-Wirren. These would be my first choices—but how could I ignore Richter's shattering rendition of Beethoven's 27th Sonata, the second movement of the Pathetique Sonata (my version was issued by Melodia-Eurodisc, but there are numerous other versions on other labels), or one of the many recorded versions of Chopin's Polo-naise-fantaisie Opus 61, one of Richter's favorite pieces (perhaps Philips 438 622-2 should be at the top of the list?) And how could I leave behind Schubert's Sonata D960 (Melodia-Eurodisc or Olympia) or his Wanderer Fantasy (EMI), or those few magical moments of Schumann's Des Abends (DG 435 759-2)? It's quite impossible to choose! Horowitz is easier: probably Schumann's Kreisleriana (Sony S2K 53468) and Chopin's second Sonata with its fabulous Funeral March (CBS MK 42412). I'd also take Lipatti's performance of Chopin's first Sonata (EMI). For rarity, a sublime Shepherd on the Rock by Elly Ameling, Jörg Demus and Hans Deinzen (BMG GD77085), which is rather difficult to find... A bit of harpsichord? Perhaps my first choice would be the transcriptions of Bach's three Partitas for solo violin, recorded by Leonhardt in the 70s, and reissued more recently (BMG) with other (inferior?) transcriptions. What about Bach's keyboard concertos? If so, then only those in E Major, A Major and F minor: no one has ever played them better (Teldec). More Bach, with the Saint Matthew Passion, particularly for Max Von Egmont's resolutely human Christ, in the version conducted by Leonhardt (BMG 77848). Purcell: Deller's last recital (Harmonia Mundi HMC 90249) and the Fantasias for viols, some of the greatest music there is, with Savall (Astrée E 8536). Nor would I leave without a recording of Lamento Ach, dass Ich Wassers genug hätte, by 'Uncle' Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703). But which one? There is Jacobs' version with the Kuijkens (Accent 779120), or another, lesser-known and very beautiful, with Jean-Loup Charvet and friends (Astrée E 8634). The other interpretations I've heard have lacked poignancy. And there, at the top of my valise, would be the things I'm listening to right now, like Debussy played by the Kuijken family (Arcana A 303); the organ in the Augustins Museum in Toulouse played by Wilhem Jansen (an exceptional though somewhat forgotten recording (HM 905198)—you'll have trouble finding it); or the transcriptions of Bach's solo cello suites played by Pascal Monteilhet on the theorbo (Virgin Classics), which show this instrument's dazzling superiority to the harpsichord. And there I stop. Biography Discography Goldberg Articles ABOUT US | CONTRIBUTE   web map - home page - cover Legal warning Copyright 2003, Goldberg. info@goldberg-magazine.com