What Are You Listening To?

[stlukesguild]

I need to look into Hewitt’s Debussy. My “go tos” are usually Walter Gieseking and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. Admittedly, I need to give her Mozart a listen as well. I just have too many recordings of these already including Uchida… who is also a marvelous performer of Debussy. Two other recordings by Hewitt I quite admire are the keyboard works by Scarlatti and Rameau:

 

[stlukesguild]

Currently listening to Angela Gheorghiu again… in this instance a recital of songs/lieder for voice & piano from around the globe.

 

[Hermes2020]

To me, listening to music is like wearing shoes. Not all shoes suit my body; likewise, not all performers dovetail comfortably with my DNA. I have a benchmark that is a useful screening test. When I encounter a new pianist, I check whether they have recorded Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit. From that work, I listen to their interpretation of Scarbo, which reveals a great deal about their personalities and styles of playing. Here are some examples of pianists I revere, showing their individual styles in Scarbo.

Angela Hewitt

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. This is from Bavouzet's early 2000s recording. He re-recorded it in 2025, which is also breathtaking.

My last example Louis Lortie, who was unknown to me until recently. I like his interesting take on Scarbo, so I have acquired his complete Ravel piano works.

 

[JennieJo]

Somehow Frank Zappa, and multiple versions of White Rabbit keep popping up in all sorts of unexpected places. Shopping, friends, my CD compilations and way more.

 

[brianvds]

Bit of local light classical / contemporary instrumental, recommended by YouTube...

 

[stlukesguild]

There are definitely certain performers who resonate more with me than others. I likely have every recording by Glenn Gould performing Bach. I have a good majority of Karajan’s work. Definitely Callas, Schwarzkopf, Anne Sophie Mutter, John Eliott Gardiner… and Rubinstein. Here paired with the equally brilliant Piatigorsky performing Brahms’ Cello Sonatas. Brian knows that my admiration for Brahms has been hit or miss… but I have always loved his chamber works… especially the Cello Sonatas.

 

[stlukesguild]

I just came upon this performance of White Rabbit by the Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock. Not only was this from a time before auto-tune… but the band admitted they had been slipped LSD before going on stage

 

[stlukesguild]

This is a delicious collection of short pieces for unaccompanied violin by Spanish and Latin American composers. Pine is an incredible violinist having recorded violin works by Bach, Mozart, Bruch, Dvorak, etc… Her career… and life… almost ended in 1995 was severely injured in a train accident in a Chicago suburb. As she was exiting a commuter train with her violin over her shoulder, the doors closed on the strap to her case, pinning her left shoulder to the train. The doors, which were controlled remotely and had no safety sensors, failed to reopen, and she was dragged 366 feet (112 meters) by the train before being pulled underneath and run over, one leg severed and the other mangled. She was saved by the prompt application of tourniquets by several passengers.

Pine sued Metra and the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company for compensation for her injuries and legal and medical expenses. The jury ruled in Pine's favor. The transportation company ultimately made changes to the trains and safety procedures following the incident. Pine took 2 years to recover before returning to her career as a violinist.

 

[Hermes2020]

I did not know about Rachel Pine's horrific accident. It's amazing that she was able to recover well enough to resume playing at such a high standard after her ordeal.