![]() ![]() ![]() It’s hard to think of many works in the piano repertory where the competition on disc is more intense than in the two sonatas, and though Perianes’s performances are fluent enough and always thoughtful, they don’t come close to challenging the finest already available. There’s a second Chopin release this month from Harmonia Mundi, a much more conventional recital programme from the Spanish pianist Javier Perianes, which is dominated by the second and third piano sonatas and framed by the three mazurkas Op 63. There’s a reined-in stiffness about his playing that is most effective in the more straightforward nocturnes in those that are more harmonically adventurous or melodically more elaborate, one longs for something more imaginative, less prosaic. There is always something special about hearing Chopin’s music on the kind of piano for which it was conceived, but there’s the sense in these performances that Planès could have used a wider range of tone colour and expression than he allows himself. Those with a sharp eye will spot quotes from Wilde decorating the space too. It’s certainly a superb-sounding instrument, with a wonderful balance between the registers, without any hint of hollowness in the treble, and no overpowering snarl from the bass. There are roaring fireplaces, over-the-top marble statues, a piano. It’s by no means the first time that his works have been recorded on instruments of that time – 30 years ago, Cyril Huvé made a revelatory recording of the scherzos and ballades on two historical pianos, an 1828 Pleyel and an Érard from 1838 that Chopin almost certainly played, while Planès himself has previously recorded a Chopin recital disc, including a couple of the nocturnes, on the Pleyel that he uses here. Together with the mazurkas, the other miniature form that he made his own, the nocturnes provide a musical chronology of that development.įor his survey of the complete nocturnes, the French pianist Alain Planès has chosen to use a piano that dates back to the mid point of that development, an instrument made in Paris in 1836 by Chopin’s favourite piano maker, the Pleyel company. as “the noisiest country that ever existed,” he likely would have welcomed a quiet seat by the fire at this boozy enclave.In some significant respects, Chopin’s development as a composer, and the steady refinement of his musical language, are inseparable from the increasing expressive power that the steady advancement in piano technology offered him through his career. Considering Wilde once described the U.S. Open daily from 11 a.m through 2 a.m., Oscar Wilde can be found at 45 West 27th Street-a perhaps welcome respite from the hubbub of the Flatiron district. (Crispy Cauliflower Buffalo ‘Wings’ tossed in Sriracha butter, a ‘Wilde Burger,’ and cured smoked salmon are among the offerings.) ![]() Of course, there will be plenty of bar snacks and larger dishes to soak up the absinthe, too. With this in mind, the cocktail menu embodies the spirit of both the Victorian and Prohibition eras: Choose from drinks like the "50 Shades of Dorian Gray," which blends Plymouth gin and cherry liqueur with Chinese five-spice and citrus, or "Oscar Wilde’s Potent Elixir," made with cognac, gin, Guinness, cassis, lavender, Champagne, and orange zest alternatively, stick to a more familiar gin sling or the bee’s knees. I have nothing to declare except my genius. We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. To live is the rarest thing in the world. I can resist everything except temptation. Incidentally, while the owners set about renovating the space-a process which has clocked in at around $4 million-they stumbled across a little piece of New York history: The building had once been home to the city’s Prohibition Enforcement Headquarters during the 1920s. Be yourself everyone else is already taken. ![]() One of the two bronze statues depicting him can be found propped up-pint of Guinness in hand-against the 118.5 foot marble and mahogany bar, and even the grandfather clock is set to 1:50 pm, the time of Wilde’s passing in 1900. According to the New York Times, the pair thought it “only natural” to dedicate their new bar to the Picture of Dorian Gray author. It’s the latest venture from Frank McCole and Tommy Burke, the Irish duo behind the almost equally ostentatious Lillie’s Victorian Establishment, dedicated to Lillie Langtry, a Victorian actress and onetime friend of Wilde’s. Those with a sharp eye will spot quotes from Wilde decorating the space, too. There are roaring fireplaces, over-the-top marble statues, a piano dating back to the 1890s, pieces of imported Murano glass, gilt framed mirrors, and eccentric antiques scattered in various corners. The interior of the bar, which has simply been dubbed Oscar Wilde, is as opulent as you might expect for a place dedicated to a man whose preferred alcohols were Champagne and absinthe. ![]()
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