Alicia de Larrocha plays Franck - Symphonic Variations

CESAR FRANCK
Symphonic Variations
(for piano and orchestra)
Poco Allegro (0:00) - L'istesso tempo (1:37) - Poco piu lento (2:05) - Allegro (3:09) - Allegretto (4:30) - Molto piu lento (8:55) - Allegro non troppo (12:28) - Un pochettino ritenuto (14:19) - Tempo I (15:00)
Alicia de Larrocha (piano)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Recorded: 1972, London, England
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ALICIA DE LARROCHA
Official website: www.aliciadelar...
Facebook official page: www.facebook.c...
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[@PeterLunowPL]

just what you expect from this lady : a stellar performance

[@user-en8ub7vw7v]

Thank you for such a wonderful performance! Franck's "Symphonic Vriations" is a very difficult music, especially how to express heaviness,dynamism and contrast between light and shadow . Larrocha's recording realizes this recquirement in a very high dimension!

[@maryhutchings2261]

Love this music. We don't hear Cesar Franck enough.

[@esojbar]

Bruno, please, would you give me the name of some junks Cesar Frank composed? Just curious.

[@pghagen]

Excellent rendition by Alicia de Larrocha, like always! Love her basses.

[@marcelbelanger4491]

Bravo et merci Mme de Larrocha pour cette touchante interprétation !!!

[@johnmitchell4838]

Quite the best performance I've heard including others on this site. The other ones sound brutal. This one is perfection in all respects.

[@gruizmiranda]

Una gran interpretación como todo lo de Alicia. Grande

[@belkismartin7019]

Muy bonita, Grande.!!! Buenas noches, feliz descanso.🌿

[@benstock8427]

To die for.

[@philippesimon566]

Une merveille : merci.

[@1909624Rm]

El rendimiento excelente, pero yo, personal prefiero Mozart, después de todo,

[@sdwulfdawg]

I would have expected a bit. more fire and a. touch of bravado in this very careful and timid performance...

[@brkahn]

I find it more well-thought than timid; it is their conception, there are many others and this one is beautiful. Moreover, 1972 was the twilight of Franco's régime and maybe they were not in the mood for anything flamboyant then.

[@arthurhogan2133]

And you are exactly correct. She plays this piece with too much Schmaltz for my taste. I've heard her play it before but didn't pay too much attention to her performance until hearing it the other day. ' most comments here are probably not due to realizing the score as to how Frank would have wanted it interpreted. It's a power piece, though sweet and lovely in passages. For me, it's Robert Casadesus's pressing, with Maestro Ormandy conducting. This cat, Casadesus plays with what one classical critic called, playing in gears,( kind of harsh, if you will) my paraphrasing here. She, Claudia Cassidy of the Chicago Tribune used this description in reference to Sviatoslav Richters' playing of Brahm's 2nd concerto in B flat. Casadesus does just that in this recording. His touch is hard, like that of another pianist now long gone from us, William Kapell. Casadesus plays in beautiful pianissimo, mezzoforte, forte and loud, then, very loud at the end. A man of great strength. ' we hear the Steinway as it should be heard, as a truly percussive instrument. I think, after visiting his recording, some commenters might change their mind about Delarochia's playing here.

[@jorgeaguirre7260]

It´s not a piece about fire. It´s about containment, darkness and introspection that develops into light and freedom. Don´t get what is the general idea of linking post romanticism to brilliance and constant fire.

[@hellbooks3024]

Well why don’t you work on it and show us how it’s supposed to be. Thanks in advance!

[@hellbooks3024]

What a pompous ass. I bet you’re a lot of fun to live with.