Just to give my personal opinion on the one track I have heard in all that
set- the g minor sonata, op. 22- however good Tozer may be in the concerti
and shorter pieces (and I am told he is quite good in them), in the g minor
sonata at least he is horrid.  I much prefer other performances I have
heard (Fellegi of all people; Gilels; hoping to hear Hamelin on Hyperion
soon, and others as time and opportunity permit.) The performance is slow
without being deep, generates no exhiliration in fast sections where I for
one am convinced exhiliration should be, and is an improvement on versions
I know well only in one place near the end.  (A pity, since Tozer's
Respighi recordings, for instance, are rather good...) If you end up
enjoying the set, well and good, and I do not mean to dissuade you from
so doing- if you do not, I wish rather that you do not blame this on the
composer, for the works are anything but the unmelodic, abstract and
unlovable things they are often painted as, and can be believed to be if
heard only in poor performances.

But it .is. my earnest hope that you disagree with me, that you enjoy -
nay, are thrilled by - the entire set, and that after hearing Tozer play
the 13 Medtner piano solo sonatas you wonder if, in fact, I am tonedeaf for
so criticizing his performance of the g minor... *g*

(Another work by Medtner I have heard given wildly varying interpretations-
so wildly varying that I could imagine someone coming to one simply not
understanding the strong reaction to the work evinced by someone who came
to the other- is the sonata reminiscenza op. 38/1; of this I have heard
Fellegi, Gilels and a midi of my own making.  Curiously I have liked my
own MIDI and Fellegi more than I have liked Gilels...  perhaps this speaks
ill of me, though I did my best to make my MIDI diverse in tempo and means
of attack.  Gilels' approach to the piece - from an MK CD coupled with
wonderful performances of Vainberg, Prokofiev, and Scriabin - simply
conveyed little or nothing to me but pointless changes where the composer
seemed to want to convey his emotional point within a context of regularity
of tempo...  it was not a pleasant experience:)

Sorry 'bout the ramble!

Eric Schissel
[log in to unmask]
http://www.lightlink.com/schissel ICQ#7279016