Hey, Guy.

The pre-Baltic countries are a nice place to be – quite interesting people in there, although thier women behave like they just were taken out of a freezer. :-) They kind of facially less-reactive and less-responsive than the girls-southerners. Also, screw the Melodiya records! I really disgust to hear how the cockroaches’ legs, sticking out of Melodiya records, scratch my needles…

Regarding the Liszt Piano Sonata. It is a magnificent peace but it really wasn’t an epicenter of my attention. I have a few versions by Emil Gilels, Martha Argerich and a great Leon Fleisher; I love them but I kind of never look deeper in this work. From what I feel they should be the  “conventional” players for the Liszt work. If you want to go for another extreme then look for Horowitz or Cziffra, although I do not remember of they recorded the Sonata during thier best years. Also, I know that the Piano Sonata was orchestrated. I never head it but it might be fun it you dig it out. BTW, Scherchen was a magnificent interpreter of Liszt’s orchestral music and if he did the orchestrated sonata then I would certainly search it.

As far as Bach-Busoni Chaconne - I’m big fan of Arturo Michelangeli and it was enough for me. Also, and to my great- great surprise, I did hear some absolutely amassing performances of Bach-Busoni by Horowitz in his late years. However, I do not remember that Chaconne was one of his peaces that I liked.

Rgs,
Romy the Cat

Interesting that Estonians, the very much as Latvians and Latvanians, although they are located geographically right among the Slaves have absolutely none-Slav music.  I mean listening thier music, even juts a few accords, instantly sends a message that this is a very different animal then whole Slav music. The Estonian sound for instance has as much common with for instance Russian sound as Scandinavian blues has common with Delta Mississippi blues. Evan thier organs have some idiosyncratic twist and sound very much different form any other organs….

The contemporary Estonians have an interesting composers - Arvo Pärt, who actually not Estonian anymore, but wherever his lives his music is very much Estonian. Some of his works are very good and he was pressed in 60s, 70s and 80s on those damn Melodia LPs, perhaps you might look for them while you there.

Interesting that Pärt’s choral music, as any other choral music, is extremely difficult to reproduce via audio means.

Rgs,
The Cat