HutchFan

Thanks for the heads-up on this, GA Russell. It's a record that I'll be getting, for sure. I'm still bummed out about Larry Willis' passing.

Pim - Have you tried CDJapan? http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/ I realize that their selection is probably nowhere near as large as amazon.co.jp -- and I'm not sure whether they carry any vinyl -- but I've never had any issues ordering through them. They're my "go to" store for Japan-only CDs. One down-side: No resellers. New stuff only.

and Still on my Prokofiev kick.

Disc 2 - Symphony in F "Urbs Roma" and Symphony No. 3 in C minor "Organ"

Disc 3: Solo piano compositions, including Sonata No. 2, performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

I've never heard Richter's version. Sounds intriguing.

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (arr. for solo piano) / Dickran Atamian (RCA) Fascinating.

I've been spinning two of my desert-island LPs ... Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 14 & 15 / Taneyev Quartet (Columbia-Melodiya) and Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 / Kondrashin, Moscow PO (MHS-Melodiya)

Wow. 30 sets is a lot! I'm jealous.

Another version of Prokofiev's Sixth Symphony:

Prokofiev's Sixth Symphony, as heard on this set:

Interesting!

Some stressful things are happening at work. To keep myself distracted, today I decided to conduct an impromptu listening experiment. I just finished listening to to ten different recordings of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110. The recordings I chose: Arrau (Philips) Barenboim (DG) Brendel (Philips I) Buchbinder (Teldec) Hungerford Kempff (DG II) Kovacevich (Warner Classics) Pollini Serkin (1960) Solomon I enjoyed listening to all of these recordings, but -- for this listener, today -- three stood out. They are (in no particular order): KOVACEVICH - for his dark and brooding weightiness; it's a "heavy" reading--in the best sense of the word. Think Otto Klemperer. SERKIN - for his sense of pathos and subsequent joyousness; there's also a singing quality in Serkin's playing that brings the "Choral" Symphony to mind. HUNGERFORD - for creating such a profound sense of drama; if you want a visual image of Hungerford's way with this music, think of Zeus, his arm raised above his head, casting his lightning bolt. It's fun to do these sorts of listening comparisons, occasionally. It's a bit like comparing ten different jazz versions of "Body and Soul." Some might be more important than others (historically speaking), but I'm resistant to the idea of finding a "definitive" one. So, do you have a favorite recording of LvB's Op.110 sonata?

Symphony No. 4 and Piano Sonatas Nos. 30, 31, 32

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Bruno-Leonardo Gelber (p), Franz-Paul Decker (cond), Münchner Philharmoniker (Connoisseur Society) I wonder why Gelber isn't more well known. He's an astounding pianist.

Back to Schumann:

Disc 2 - Piano Concerto No. 2 and Fantasies, op.116 Not hard to understand why these recordings are considered classics.

Some SCHUMANN favorites tonight ... Rubinstein -- Carnaval, Op. 9 Arrau -- Kinderszenen, Op. 15; Waldszenen, Op. 82 Anda -- Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6; Kreisleriana, Op. 16

Enjoying hearing this in MUCH improved audio fidelity.