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John Boyer   01/4/2004	Subject: Michael Ponti Message: There have been a few questions about Michael Ponti. As far as I know, Ponti is still active as a concert artist. He will turn 67 this year. I wrote to Mr. Ponti many years ago (1987) to thank him for his pioneering efforts to resurrect forgotten romantic repertory. He was living in Germany, and as far as I know he continues to reside there. Curiously, I heard from another person that in concert Ponti performed only the standard repertory. Isn't that curious? We should be thankful that he recorded the concerto and the Ode to Spring. Pity he never got around to the wonderful Suite for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 200. Mark said it was a better work than the concerto, which I found hard to imagine, but now that I've heard it, I'm a believer.
Steve Benson   02/4/2004	RE: Michael Ponti IP: Logged Message: John, sorry, didnt mean to upstage you by starting ANOTHER Ponti thread; but didnt look on the forum list of topics first. Anyway, what we each wrote complements each other. Hope you like the(slightly incomplete ) discography: can you or anyone else add to it?. Steve
peter conole   03/4/2004	RE: Michael Ponti IP: Logged Message: John, you mentioned the Suite for Piano and Orchestra, op 200. Is there a recording I do not know about? I think Mark told me the Tudor label may offer a rendition. Or did you here a radio or concert performance? regards Peter
Mark   03/4/2004	Suite for Piano & Orchestra op.200 IP: Logged Message: I'm sure that John won't mind if I answer Peter's question. No, There's no commercial recording of op.200. The recording from which I took the excerpts which appear elsewhere on this site is from a Swiss Radio broadcast sometime in the 90s. Several attempts have been made to interest labels in recording the piece and it was nearly performed at the Bad Urach Festival a couple of years ago, but somehow it seems jinxed. I know of no plan by Tudor to record it. Hyperion have expressed some vague interest in adding a Raff disk to their well known series, but again, I have nothing concrete to report. It is not a profound piece, indeed Raff seldom "does" profound. It is not as serious of intent as the Piano Concerto, for instance, but it is just about the most delightful (in the literal sense) of his large-scale works. It is a sunny, open-hearted work which is echte-Raff. The essence is melody. As with many of Dvorák's works, in the Suite one marvels at Raff's profligacy in using yet another glorious tune just as a brief counter melody. None of the five movements outstays its welcome and... well, I could go on and on about this lovely confection. ...and I have done. If you haven't found it already, you'll find its page at www.raff.org/op200.htm.
peter conole   04/4/2004	RE: Michael Ponti IP: Logged Message: My mouth is watering,Mark. Will be in contact soon. Cannot understand why Tudor is not planning to give the work Grand Ducal treatment. regards Peter
Jamie   05/4/2004	RE: Michael Ponti IP: Logged Message: Mark, as a Brit, perhaps you know someone at Hyperion. Why don't you suggest that they record the Raff concerto coupled with the opus 200 Suite? They should be played of course by Stephen Hough accompanied by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lawrence Foster (the same team that collaborated in the Scharwenka 4th concerto, #11 in Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series which was Gramophone's recording of the year 1996). After hearing their blazing performance of the Scharwenka, can you imagine how wonderful the Raff would sound played by a top-flight pianist and a world-class orchestra? The very thought brings tears to my ears! It's surprising to me that Raff has been overlooked in Hyperion's traversal of the 19th century piano concerto repertory.
Mark   05/4/2004	RE: Michael Ponti IP: Logged Message: Well, Jamie, I'm afraid that I haven't any connections at Hyperion, but I do know that they have indeed had the suggestion made to them fairly recently and that they have expressed interest. Whether that will be translated into a recording of op.200 remains to be seen, but I do now that they were more interested in that work than the concerto itself. Why, I know not. Sorry to be so vague...