With Fauré in my mind, for those of you who might not know it, just wanted to post the first page of the Second Nocturne - if you have even moderate keyboard skills, do print it out and take it to a piano! This is some of the most gorgeous music I know from any time, feel extremely emotional whenever I listen to or play it. Note the way on the fourth system he briefly allows a modulation into the submediant, as if a window onto another world, before pulling it back, in a way that to me sounds both tragic and exquisite (both those qualities often go hand-in-hand in Fauré).

Just been doing comparative listening to my recordings of the 2nd Impromptu and 2nd Nocturne - Francois, Stott and Thyssens-Valentin. My preference (by a narrow margin) is for T-V - the Nocturne is beautifully phrased, and that first page really feels like a muiscal paragraph. There are a couple of pianistic blips here and there but not really too significant (at least, they didn't detract too much from my pleasure). Stott is polished and refined but a bit too highly perfumed for me; she plays these pieces like a pianist (a criticism I often make of pianists!) with some mistrustful gustiness. I like Francois's simplicity, just find it a bit notey in places - the roulades in the Impromptu and the transition at the end of the central section of the Nocturne - but I think the spirit is just right: no self-consciousness here.

Many thanks for reminding me of this wonderful music!

Re octave higher/lower signs in Ravel; there's one missing in the Durand 2-piano score of the G major Concerto 1st mt (top system, rh p 22 - surely this should be 8ve lower, as on the previous and next systems?)

I see you belong to the 'don't shoot the pianist' school of criticism.

Indeed I'd love to be able to blame someone else because it's despite everything a really wonderful Gibet. But I don't see any way to blame Durand for him misreading the ostinato from one end of it to the other. Jut conceivably one could blame someone at Decca for the missing half a bar since the bar in question has the same four chords played twice.

I have indeed heard a recording by someone who must have thought exactly that!

Where's that in terms of rehearsal figures? I only have the orchestral score.

Speaking of the score: there's a wonderful moment in the bar before figure 10 where there's a minim written for the woodblock. And in a context where you wouldn't write a minim unless you really wanted it to sustain - it's a crotchet rest then the minim then another crotchet rest. I've seen percussionists make a great show of doing a vibrato over the woodblock - but surely it's meant to be one of the other percussion instruments? (Triangle or cymbal perhaps... but which?)

Oo, that's a funny one isn't it? Can't remember how I've heard it done.

There's no octave sign in the orchestral score either.

Can't say I share your enthusiasm for the musical improvisations of Hugh M ! But am glad you had a good time.

I'm v glad Hugh started the Klinker south of the river (going to Hackney is a bit of an effort these days), so I've been going there about once a month. Love it - the concerts have some 'awful' bands (in the spirit in which the night is organized, I suppose), or a Tibetan singer (on thur he had a singer doing both english and Iranian folk songs on piano), the odd improv group, then poetry readings and THEN you get his own groups - he seems to work with lots of people. Its an incredible mix, actually, chaotic and fascinating, going from great to terrible within 10 mins then back again, etc.

As an improvisor I think he's really good, but the sense of humour can be off-putting to some, and it would v hard to record ANY of it and get the flavour of what he does (though that can be the situation w/so much free improv) - there are a couple of cuts of an LP w/Bob Cobbing (the 'Birdyak' group that I sadly never got to see) that gets near it (kind of).

But yeah - Veryan Weston - I didn't think that lil' ol' pub piano would quite take his input, his playing had all these mutated ragtime tunes that he would take in and out as events unfolded - he has quite a voice. The only record of his I have is a duet w/Lol Coxhill ('Digswell Duets' on Emanem). I know of 'Tessellations', oughta get round to it.

Have I missed from where you sourced that purchase at such a price?

yes i can - they are great.
but even better is the Schornscheim haydn box on the same page.
fan. tas. tic.