Rubinstein (again) from Centaur

[Peter1953]

Could this be an addition to the other available performances like the Banowetz?

[mbhaub]

Could what?

[kansasbrandt]

Rubi's PC's numbers 3 and 4. 

Grigorios Zamparas (Piano), Philharmonia Bulgarica (not a first-rate ensemble by any stretch of the imagination) and Jon Ceander Mitchell (Conductor). 

The latter is most definately NOT a big-name conductor; he is mainly credited with a reconstruction of a very early Beethoven PC.  Zamparas is a professor of piano at the University of Tampa of all places.  All in all, I think I'd save my money and skip this one.

[JimL]

I might go for it.  My poor Marshev on Danacord has been defective from the get-go.

[mbhaub]

Rubi's PC's numbers 3 and 4. 

Grigorios Zamparas (Piano), Philharmonia Bulgarica (not a first-rate ensemble by any stretch of the imagination) and Jon Ceander Mitchell (Conductor). 

The latter is most definately NOT a big-name conductor; he is mainly credited with a reconstruction of a very early Beethoven PC.  Zamparas is a professor of piano at the University of Tampa of all places.  All in all, I think I'd save my money and skip this one.

Now, now. Just because performers aren't big names doesn't mean they can't deliver the goods. On this board, of all places, we should be accepting and grateful for anyone, however little known, taking on forgotten music. If it hadn't been for an obscure pianist Adrian Ruiz and more obscure conductor Zsolt Deaky, I might never have gotten to know the Rubinstein 5th on long-gone label Genesis.

There are plenty of really fine musicians who work at universities for many reasons. Some just don't want the pressure of the life of a performer, and some just want to make music rather than chase fame and fortune. Maestro Mitchell has fine credentials, and the pianists probably does too. Remember, Earl Wild taught at OU, and Jon Kimura Parker teachers in Houston. No lightweights there.

So I'm glad to know about this new recording, and I will order it. If nothing else, maybe in some small way my purchasing it will let Centaur know that there are people who are interested in this music and that they should keep producing it.

[JimL]

Don't forget that when he recorded the world premieres of the Raff PC and Dreyschock Konzertstuck for Genesis, Frank Cooper was professor of piano at Butler University.  I believe he's currently at Florida State.

[kansasbrandt]

OK! OK!  Put the pitchforks and torches away here....

I guess that having watched "Keeping Up Appearances" for so many years, it seems that I've turned into a snob like Hyacinth Bucket --- I mean BouQUET. 

In the past, Bulgarian orchestras weren't known for their great playing and then too, I somewhat jumped to a snap judgement of Maestro Mitchell when I looked at his CV.  But, you're right....a person has to start somewhere.  After all, Wagner didn't START with "The Ring".

I really shouldn't have weighed in on this topic anyhow in that I already have the Banowetz version so it's all "academic" really.

I'll be interested to hear what buyers of this version think.

[Alan Howe]

I think I'd have to be convinced about a performance with an unknown Bulgarian orchestra before buying too. Having said which, I'd still be open to being convinced...

[chill319]

To extend a parenthesis: Regarding unknown eastern European orchestras, IMO the reason why the Tirino/Kazandjiev performance of the MacDowell PC2 surpasses other recorded performances is precisely because the orchestra and conductor play as though the composition and composer are both new and on the cutting edge of musical profundity, a la Parsifal. (Thoughts of center and periphery -- a significant topic in German musicology a couple of decades back.)

[JimL]

Unfortunately that performance (which I used to own) has some of the most atrocious engineering I've ever encountered.  Towards the end of the finale of MacDowell's PC 2 there is some kind of acoustic "break" that I can't identify.  It sounds like a channel completely drops out or something.  Also, in their performance of PC 1 they totally destroy the deliberate effect of the final chord of the piece by having the orchestra (with obligatory drum roll) play along with the piano, an effect that I think MacDowell was consciously trying to avoid by having the orchestra play a sharp chord leaving the piano to die away by itself.