Stephen Bishop Kovacevich - Valses Nobles Et Sentimentales
Release Date.: 09-15-2006
Street Date..: 04-18-2006
Label........: EMI Classics
Genre........: Classical
Playtime.....: 64:47 min
Grabber......: Audiograbber
Encoder......: Lame 3.90.3
Quality......: VBR APS
Rippers Notes:
It's not as if EMI hasn't released other recordings
of Chopin's Waltzes since Dinu Lipatti recorded the
works way back in 1950. It's that, until now, they've
never released one that came anywhere near as close
to perfection as Lipatti's did. Not that Stephen
Kovacevich achieves perfection -- only Lipatti can
claim that miraculous goal -- but he does come very,
very close. The beauty and color of his tone, the
elegance and expressivity of his technique, the
delicacy and grace of his right-hand ornaments, the
power and sensitivity of his left hand
accompaniments, and, best of all, the indescribable
rightness of his tempos does bring him very, very
close to perfection. Indeed, the only real flaw one
can point to is Kovacevich's occasional tendency
toward ever-so-slightly too weighty -- one hesitates
to say "Germanic" -- interpretations. Sometimes, the
textures seem just a tad too thick and the rhythms
seem a shade too stolid. But in the face of such
obvious excellence, to complain seems curmudgeonly.
Plus, with the coupling of Kovacevich's ironically
ethereal and deeply affectionate if also
ever-so-slightly too weighty performance of Ravel's
Valses nobles et sentimentales, this disc is richly
filled with waltzes. If you can only have one
recording of Chopin's Waltzes, let it be the Lipatti.
If you can, however, have two, by all means try
Kovacevich's. Not only is it very, very close to
perfection, but it has far better sound then
Lipatti's, which is, after all, more than 50 years
older.
Tracklist:
01 - No. 13 in D Flat Minor Op.79 No.3 [03:10]
Moderato
02 - No. 10 in B Minor Op.60 No. 2 Moderato [04:10]
03 - No. 14 in E Minor Op. Posteh. Vivace [02:55]
04 - No. 1 in E Flat Op.18 Vivo [05:06]
05 - No. 3 in A Minor Op.34 No. 2 Lento [05:28]
06 - No. 11 in G Flat Op.70 No. 1 Molto [02:02]
Vivace
07 - No. 9 in A Flat Op.69 No. 1 Lento [03:07]
08 - No. 2 in A Flat Op.34 No. 1 Vivace [04:52]
09 - No. 4 in F Op.34 No. 3 Vivace [02:02]
10 - No. 5 in A Flat Op.42 [03:50]
11 - No. 12 in F Minor Op.70 No. 2 Tempo [03:15]
Giusto
12 - No. 7 in C Sharp Minor Op.64 No. 2 [03:39]
Tempo Giusto
13 - No. 6 in D Flat Op. 64 No. 1 Molto [01:40]
Vivace
14 - No. 8 in A Flat Op.64 No. 3 Moderato [03:22]
15 - I Modere - Tres Franc [01:25]
16 - II Assez Lent - Avec Une Expression [02:32]
Intense
17 - III Modere [01:31]
18 - IV Assez Anime [01:08]
19 - V Presque Lent - Dans Un Sentiment [01:34]
Intime
20 - VI Vif [00:37]
21 - VII Moins Vif [02:42]
22 - Viii Epilogue Lent [04:40]
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[64:47]
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