Felix Delbruck writes:

>Steve Schwartz's posting on Hindemith's piano sonatas caught my
>imagination.  ...  Is the Ludus Tonalis worth looking at or does it
>just have pedagogical value? And what are some particularly insightful
>recordings by which to get to know his major works? Steve warned that
>
>>Most Hindemith interpreters play stiffly, drily, and without emotion,
>>as if Hindemith really were some pedant interested in proving a theorem,
>>rather than a poet with an astonishing mastery of craft
>
>and I don't want them to turn me off the composer at first hearing.

Well if You want a staggering Ludus Tonalis, You most certanly must try
Olli Mustonen's on Decca [444 803-2] he shows that they are more than mere
exercise, cd is filled up with with an eaqually stunning rendition of
Prokofiev's Visions Fugitives (op. 22).

As a mere filler to Steve's exelent sonata post, I can with equal entusiam
recomend Glenn Gould's further venture in to Hindemithiana, namely as
accomanist to the five brass sonatas (trumpet, horn, tuba, alto horn and
trombone repectivly) all performed by splendid performers.  [Sony SM2K 52
671]

If You want to venture in to more orchestral Hindemithiana I suggest
that you look at the EMI issue Hindemith conducts Hindemith that features
Noblissima vissione, the Horn concerto, Konzertmusik op 50 and his symphony
in b-flat [CDH 7 63373 2, dont know if its still availible?] His seven
chamber concertos are as essential, personally I perfer and recomend the
2CD on RCA with Ensemble Modern [09026 61730 2], but You will find that
there are advocates of Chaillys recording on Decca (dont have the number),
both are fine - I think that Chailly is a tuch to polished liking the
coarser EM...

Cheers

peter lundin, gothenburg.se -  Counting the days: DSCH 100 (1906-2006)