Beethoven's 9th for PIANO, Soloists & Chorus

[Lance]

Beethoven: Symphony #9 in D minor, Op. 125
Transcribed by Friedrich Kalkbrenner (1785-1849)
Mirare 534, 67 minutes
Etsuko Hirose, piano
Ekaterinbourg Philharmonic Chorus
Cecile Achille, soprano; Cornellia Oncioiu, alto;
Samy Camps, tenor; Timothée Varon, bass

In his day, Friedrich Kalkbrenner was not only a pianist, but also a composer, transcriber, teacher, and piano manufacturer. He composed over 200 piano works, wrote piano concertos and operas. To take on Beethoven's mammoth Symphony No. 9 and use a piano only as the accompaniment to the soloists and chorus would seem a marathon job for anyone with the exception of, perhaps, Franz Liszt who did transcribe the 9th but without soloists and chorus.

Using only a glorious, full-bodied, almost orchestral-like instrument, we have an opportunity to dig deeper into the work wherein the piano alone defines many qualities of the music we might miss altogether in hearing the work with full orchestra. Indeed, Miss Etsuko Hirose makes the whole thing possible given her enormous technique and exquisite ability to colour the music accordingly.

Making transcriptions seemed to be regular fare for composers of that period in time but transcription writing went on long before the Romantic period and still exists right up to the present time.

This will make for a memorable listening experience in a beautifully captured sound recording. ♫

[maestrob]

Thanks for the alert, Lance. Haven't heard Kalkbrenner's version, so I'll be sure to check out this new recording.

[Rach3]

Thanks , will look for it !

As an aside, I believe it was Harold Schoenberg , in his 1963 book "The Great Pianists", who remarked that Kalkbrenner had offered to teach the young Chopin, but that Chopin fortunately decided to go elsewhere.

[Rach3]

Here is the Hirose recording. The final mov.,at least, of the Hirose recording was recorded live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrrl-ucWr1A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGCkAkTfG9A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_PeIrmpZww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoE5uIi3St4

The Kalkbrenner, while respectful and faithful, seems a bit less literal, more floridly Romantic, than Liszt’s, in my recollection . I prefer the more spartan, more dramatic Liszt, mine Scherbakov’s Naxos cd. As to the final mov., Liszt, relying only on a solo piano, no vocals, gave himself the greater challenge.One must pity the pianist not only in Liszt's final mov. , but throughout.

These parts of the Liszt to compare seem to confirm my recollection :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1KmDqb ... 60&index=3 (2nd mov.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP4WKAn ... 60&index=7 (Final mov.)

[maestrob]

Thanks , will look for it !

As an aside, I believe it was Harold Schoenberg , in his 1963 book "The Great Pianists", who remarked that Kalkbrenner had offered to teach the young Chopin, but that Chopin fortunately decided to go elsewhere.

The vocals sung in French really put me off, unfortunately. Up to that point, the pianists were quite effective. I couldn't continue to listen once the rather light baritone entered.