The Vladimir Ashkenazy interview (Part 2 of 2) [Listen 25:25 min]- Going back to Kingsway Hall with Vladimir Ashkenazy S03 Ep06
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S03 Ep06 (Part2 of 2)- Going back to Kingsway Hall with Vladimir Ashkenazy
Special Guest: Vladimir Ashkenazy is a classical music icon. He started his professional career by winning second prize in the 1955 International Chopin Piano Completion in Warsaw, 1st prize in the 1956 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium, and 1st prize in 1962 in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has gone on to establish himself as one of the greatest pianists of our time. In addition to his wonderful and large repertoire on piano, he was able to accomplish the rare and difficult tasks of establishing himself as a world renowned conductor, and for working with the world’s top orchestras.
In this episode, Vladimir Ashkenazy and I talk about his memory of the late great cellist, Jacqueline du Pre, recording for the great classical record label Decca, the best sounding hall he has ever played in, his love for Rachmaninoff, his famous record collection, his experience with transitioning from piano to conducting, and what it was like to going back to Russia after 26 years away.
Collecting Classical Music On Vinyl - The Russian Edition
Many of us have watched shows such as the Antique Road Show and Storage Wars. They are entertaining and “informative” and give one the impression that buying and flipping collectable objects is the easiest thing in the world to do. On these shows every attic, rented storage space, and box tucked away has at least something valuable and prized in today’s market. Although the truth of the matter is not as it seems on tv, valuable items do appear in places you least expect, and a keen eye will reward you. Antique collecting and record collecting share many of the same characteristics and many of the same principles. For this article, I thought I might combine a list of some of the top Russian composers and performers with some tips things to look for when starting your own classical record collection.
The goal of this is to start you off collecting the best 20th Century Russian classical music on vinyl the world has to offer. If you keep your eyes open and stay hungry, you will find at least some of these masterpieces of vinyl glory hidden within the stacks of records. Vinyl of this quality are not your run of the mill records, but are in fact objects that more closely can be understood as “Art Pieces” -the best quality sounding documents of exceptional playing; in some cases they have extreme value.
We will start off with some of the Russian composers, classical record labels and performers that you should know and keep your eyes open for. I picked out some common records and some less than common to start off. If you have any interest in this type of music, this may serve immeasurably to broaden your horizon. I hope you enjoy my picks.
The Great Russian Composers
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
Possibly the most important composer of the 20th Century - he was responsible for developing neoclassical music during the 1920’s; a style that is still felt today. Though he studied under Rimsky-Korsakov within Russia, most of his most famous and influential pieces were written outside the Russia just before WWI.
Famous compositions include: The Rite of Spring, The Firebird and Petrushka
Recordings to look for: Luckily for us, Stravinsky was current enough to have been recorded conducting his own music. In my opinion, that is the place to start.
Record Collecting tip: being “old” and in good condition doesn't mean anything except that they are old and seem to have escaped injury.
Documentary:
Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915)
Partly due to the fact that he died so young, Scriabin’s work is not quite as well know as some of his other Russian counterparts. Don’t let that dissuade you from picking up his music; he had a short but very interesting life and equally interesting music based on a system that incorporates synesthesia, mysticism, and atonal tendencies.
Famous compositions include: The Poem of Ecstasy and his Piano Sonatas
Recordings to look for: The London Records ones are excellent, especially Poem of Fire with The London Symphony Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy at the Piano. Pure bliss.
Record Collecting tip: Most record stores don't know or care about classical records to price them accordingly. That said going to a good Classical record store that knows what is good and know how to price records properly (i.e. have done all the hard work for you) is the best place to go for Classical records.
Documentary:
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 -1943)
He was considered one of the greatest pianists of his time and his compositions and facility with the piano reflect that greatness. His compositions are notably difficult to play but are equally considered some of the most beautiful pieces from the late-Romanticism era. Rachmaninoff left Russia with his wife, their two daughters, and only a few items after the 1917 Russian Revolution broke out. Never to return.
Famous compositions include: Symphonic Dances and his three Symphonies
Recordings to look for: London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Previn and The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Ormandy are excellent.
Record Collecting tip: certain labels are famous for very specific sub-genres like this record - the Melodiya label (a Russian label) are famous for Russian music and performers.
Documentary:
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
The ultimate Russian composer of the 20th Century – he was a composer of epic proportions and a man who walk a fine line between the atonal rage that was exploding around the world (which would have gotten him arrested) and the romantic music of the past that might have left him irrelevant but very much alive. On a side note, the stories behind some of his compositions provide some fascinating reading as well; partly because he chose to stay in Russia.
Famous compositions include: His 15 String Quartets are fantastic and his 15 Symphonies are all excellent too. His 7th Symphony is his most famous.
Recordings to look for: For his Symphonic work all the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein of Columbia are held in high regard and are an excellent place to start.
Record Collecting tip: classical records aren’t necessarily more valuable than other records (in truth the opposite is more likely the case). Since classical records have been made since the advent of the record player and the artist doesn't receive royalties, there are a lot of classical records out in the market. That said, most of the valuable records on the market are classical.
Documentary:
Famous Russian Players
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (1927 –2007)
Possibly the greatest cellist of all time; he changed the instrument and the way we see it more than anyone else in history. He inspired many composers and performed over 100 premieres of Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Henri Dutilleux, Witold Lutoslawski, Olivier Messiaen, Norbert Moret, Alfred Schnittke, Andreas Makris, and especially Benjamin Britten. He was exiled from Russia while visiting London in 1968 after Russia invaded Czechoslovakia.
Record Collecting tip: like other antiques there are certain marks on a records that indicate whether it is an original pressing as well as the country of manufacturing affect the value of a record.
Documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60t0l5oi8iw
Sviatoslav Richter
Once again, easily one of the top pianists of the 20th Century - Sviatoslav Richter was famous of his extremely large repertoire and for nailing down many of the ultimate recordings within that repertoire - a virtuoso pianist that preferred the live recording to the studio and someone who took the composers intentions very seriously.
Record Collecting tip: some smaller (unknown) labels can be as good as, if not better than, some of the big name record labels.
Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (1916 – 1985)
Another giant within the piano world and an artist known for his amazing tone and technique, Giles was admired and praised so much in Russia that he became one of the first Soviet soloists that was allowed to travel to the west to compete. His 1955 Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 with Eugine Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the International Tchaikovsky Competition during the height of the Soviet occupation is historically significant. Other recordings with this configuration are some of the best committed to vinyl and worth searching for.
Record Collecting tip: the performer and performance is more important than the composition itself. To clarify, just because you have a Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor does not mean that you have the highly respected and well performed Emil Giles version of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor. A distinction that many new people to classical music fail to pay attention to.
David and Igor Oistrakh
David Oistrakh is a violin virtuoso giant who was very active during WWII. He became good friends with Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev and was a major influence on both composers. He taught many other great violinists like his son Igor Oistrakh, Oleg Kagan, and Gidon Kremer as well.
Record Collecting tip: expensive classical records aren't necessarily better than the inexpensive ones (in sound, performance, or quality.)
Parting Thoughts:
Here is a press release from Clash/Public Image Ltd. founding member, Keith Levene. We're pleased to have him as a guest
The Vladimir Ashkenazy interview (Part1 of 2) [Listen 24:27 min]- playing Bartok Piano Concerto No2 in G major S03 Ep06
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
S03 Ep06 (Part1 of 2)- playing Bartok Piano Concerto No2 in G major
Special Guest: Vladimir Ashkenazy is a classical music icon. He started his professional career by winning second prize in the 1955 International Chopin Piano Completion in Warsaw, and first prize in 1956 in The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Belgium and 1st prize in 1962 in Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has gone on to establish himself as one of the greatest pianists of our time. In addition to his wonderful and large repertoire on piano, he was able to accomplish the rare and difficult task of establishing himself as a world renowned conductor, and working for the world’s top orchestras.
In this episode, Mr. Ashkenazy and I talk about his childhood schooling in Russia, his thoughts on Russia itself, and the talent that came from the nation during the Stalin era. He also describes the impact of hearing the Boston Symphony Orchestra for the first time, how he met the piano virtuoso, Sviatoslav Richer, and what it's like to play with Itzhak Perlman.
The Cultural Bread Basket
There are certain cultural moments in history where the collection of a few talented people within a specific geographic area shape and transform the entire world. We rely on these `happenings` to grow in our development, help us to better understand the world, and ultimately, to grow as a species. No one really knows where, when, or why these concentrated splashes of genius happen, or what conditions are needed for these moments to take place. But the fact of the matter is that they do happen, whether that be in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance, or ancient Greece during the golden age, and they will continue to happen as long as free thinking human beings walk the earth. Without question, Russia could have had one of the biggest (if not the biggest) cultural movements during the late 19th to early 20th century had history been kinder. The talent that came from that place in the arts, literature, and science became the who’s who in their respective fields and leaves the mind spinning with what could have been had their talent been unfettered.
Sadly, instead of these extraordinary groups of people acting as a magnet to bring together other talented and like-minded people from around the world, revolutions, revolts, World War I, and severe oppression by Joseph Stalin made these people run for the border or simply get overshadowed by the events of their time. In the classical music world of this era, the amount of musical genius raised within Russian borders was untouched and cannot be overstated. Regrettably, most of these artists ended up leaving their cultural fingerprint on the countries they fled to instead. Put another way, history books could have been written about these times as "the Russian Period of enlightenment," but instead I can only speculate about what could have been.
To bolster my point (speaking of the great musicians of the era), I thought I would list some of these exceptional individuals. Starting off at the end of the 19th Century there was composers like: Mikhail Glinka (1804–1857), “The Mighty Five” consisting of -Balakirev (1837–1910) , Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908), Mussorgsky (1839–81), Borodin (1833–87) and César Cui (1835–1918) and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–93).
This carried on through the beginning of the 20th Century with other giants of composition like Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971), Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 -1943), Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915), Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) and Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) as well as world famous performers like Vladimir Ashkenazy (1937-Present), Sviatoslav Richter (1915 – 1997), David Oistrakh (1908 – 1974), Igor Oistrakh (1931 - Present), Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (1916 – 1985), Vladimir Horowitz (1903 –1989) and Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (1927 –2007).
As a westerner growing up in North America, it’s hard for me to comment about people like Shostakovich, Rostropovich or Rachmaninoff with regard to their feelings on their native country. If I had to guess, I would say that their thoughts on these subjects would be complex, confusing, and probably contradictory at times.
I do see some common themes that run through all these great men and women's work, regardless of whether they left the country or not. The first would be that they always seemed to gather a large reaction be it with Shostakovich’s famous Symphony No.7 “Leningrad” written within the Soviet's walls dealing with Nazi oppression at the height of World War II. This piece is so powerful and filled with emotion that people during those days were said to have wept openly upon hearing it; or Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” written in Switzerland. It caused such a reaction on its premiere in Paris that a riot broke out. The other traits that all these musicians had would be their passion, intensity, skill, and deep love for their mother Russia.
-Jason Hoffer
