Search - Sergey Prokofiev, Samuel Barber, Dmitry Kabalevsky :: Prokofiev: Sonata No.7/Toccata, Op.11/Barber: Sonata, Op.26/Kabalevsky: Sonata No.3/Fauré: Nocturne No.13/Poulenc: Pr

The Mad Barber

Jeffrey Jones | Northern California, USA | 12/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I last listened to this CD years ago, and now that I'm working on the Barber sonata myself, I checked it out of the library again after spending some time alone with the piece. Now that I'm listening to it with new ears, I was shocked at how different it was from how I remembered it! It's a great performance which can be a little bit too hard-edged at times.



The pianistic exactitude displayed in the first movement is absolutely authoritative. The tempo is correct and rock-solid (without being mechanical), the dynamic contrasts are all beautifully executed, and there is no romanticizing of this very modern score. I went back and listened to Olga Kern's Cliburn CD again, and I was surprised to hear all kinds of misreadings I missed when I heard her play in San Jose - so many rhythms which are scrambled, so many dynamics steamrolled over, so many wrong articulations. But Horowitz is extremely precise, especially for his time - I had never appreciated how astute he was.



That goes for all the rest of the movements, too. The scherzo is not as colorful as some other readings I've heard, but it suits the starker overall conception. Horowitz's staccato is phenomonal, too. The slow movement is a bit bumpy, but it is certainly expressive, without being indulgent or overdone. I've heard it played so affectionately that it inflated the entire sonata like a balloon - that's not what Barber was going for.



Finally, the fugue. It's tremendous, and it's earthshaking - a performance meant to ring every ear in La Scala - and Horowitz's legendary finger independence is on full display here. The tempo is fairly moderate, but it feels fast - that is the Horowitz magic at work. A slip right at the end, in the 5 against 2 section, is the only tiny error in the entire diabolical movement. What I would have liked a little more of is a jazzy feeling - more like Browning, in other words. This is American music, and it has a certain swing to it which can be tremendously effective. Horowitz is deadly serious and granitic - no room for rhythmic or agogic liberties. But that's a minor complaint. This remains, pound for pound, the best recording I've heard - though not quite ideal.



There's a lot to learn, and a lot to enjoy in this performance."

Get this CD. Be amazed. Tell a friend.

Jeffrey Jones | 03/28/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a desert island disc if ever there was one. Let's get skip ahead and talk about the Toccata. This piece can only be described in roller-coaster terms. For 4'00" you will experience every conceivable twist and turn, the music will only slow down to gather momentum (like when you are slowly hoisted up on a bungee cord just to get ready for a free fall). Exhilerating!Don't think for a minute that we would skip over Prokofiev's 7th Sonata. The first movement has enough material to last for hours. Only someone like Prokofiev, with his limitless supply of fresh material, could rapidly shift between themes without milking them for all they are worth. The 2nd movement could be described as haunting, lyrical, mysterious, and chilling. The 3rd movement is a pure show of brute force. This is the kind of music that annoys the neighbors, unless they have exceptional musical taste. The Barber Sonata bursts on to the scene with a brash into. Nothing on this CD is ordinary, especially not when played by the king of the piano."

What can I say?

Al Magliano | 06/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just want to support the rewiever from Marsch 27th 1999. I personally have three copies: one at home, one in a safetybox at the bank and one at my girlfriends house (just to be sure if anything should go wrong) and I ceep them all in vacum and in steel boxes (the temperature always beetween 19,2°C-19,5°C).This should tell you what I think of this recording. I tried to rate it six stars but the computer didn't except that. Well..."