Badura Skoda

This collection of the twenty Sonatas for period piano recorded by Paul Badura- Skoda on the instruments in his own collection has every chance of being considered by posterity as one of the most creative and most significant achievements.

Sonata For Arpeggione & Piano D821- String Quintet D956
Nicholas Deletaille · Paul Badura-Skoda · Quatuor Rosamonde
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 362 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Fuga Libera # FUG529 | Country/Year: Europe 2007
Genre: Classical | Style: Early Romantic Period

…An exceptionally interesting chamber music record that allows a dynamic and original young musician to produce himself in very elegant company indeed!

On this 2009 CD, the scholar-pianist Paul Badura-Skoda (b. 1927) offers an inspired performance of Haydn's keyboard music. Badura-Skoda plays his own rare fortepiano dating from around 1790 built by a maker, Johann Schantz, whom Haydn praised highly. The instrument has a lighter, clearer tone than the contemporary piano. It is bell-like and somewhat dry with a detached sound. In these performances, Badura-Skoda plays with a light, quick touch with sparing use of the pedal and less emphasis on legato playing than would be offered in more contemporary readings. He also plays with a great deal of musicality and passion.

If you're a lover of chamber music then you can't do any better than this amazing 59 CD set. The overall price is steep but it averages out to be less than $5 per CD. Couple that with the truly legendary performances offered here and you have an incredible bargain that will not be around for long. The Westminster record label (1949-1965) was justly famous for it's "Natural Balance" recorded sound which was primarily the combined effort of producer Dr. Kurt List and engineer Karl Wohlleitner. Centered in Vienna, they had access to some of the finest chamber musicians in the world through the city's various orchestras.