Pollini, the great romantic.

[iumonito]

I just did something very instructive with some friends.  We watched Pollini's video of Brahms' second in 1977, followed by Pollini's video of a Carnegie Hall performance of the same concerto not so long ago.  25 years made a big difference.

The later recording is intense, romantic, full and free; like what I would expect from a romantic pianist in the tradition of Bolet, Arrau or Kempff.  The motives, architecture and pathos are all much clearer in the second version, and the sound so much fatter and more colorful.  What rubato!  Bravo, Maurizio.

If you are one of those who writes Pollini out for being cold, I think you owe it to yourself to seek to hear him now.

Anyone know where I can find his concert schedule for the next season?  Any recent recordings worth discussing in this string? 

He should play Fazioli.

[Motrax]

I was curious about Pollini last year so I went and saw him live. It was one of the worst concerts I've ever seen. He played two Beethoven Sonatas (Appasionata, and the sonata before it), a bunch of Chopin (2nd Sonata, an Impromptu, and two other pieces), and some other pieces that I can't remember.

His Beethoven was terribly bland. His crescendos and diminuendos were non-existant, and his dynamic changes were few and far between. His phrasing was thoughtless, and his articulation consisted of legato, non-legato, and staccato, with nothing in between. He used very little pedalling, and he missed notes and messed up quite a few runs.

In the Chopin, it sounded as though he had difficulty keeping the beat (now I remember he played a nocturne... don't remember which). I'm quite fine with loose rubato, but whatever ill sense of it he had did nothing for the music.

And of course, with the Washington DC audience, he got four encores, the first of which was Chopin's first ballade, played equally drily, and the last of which was Chopin's Op. 10 No. 4 etude - possibly the only piece I enjoyed during the concert since he didn't miss any notes, and it tends to be exciting by itself as long as all the notes are hit.

Moving along to his recordings... Pollini's Brahms concerti are atrocious. His recording of Schumann's 1st Sonata brings nothing but boredom - with Schumann's repetetive writing, a pianist MUST do something in order to keep interest, but Pollini simply barrels on with percussive fortes and hollow pianissimos, much like he's practicing scales rather than playing a sonata. His Liszt Sonata, although some might call it "exciting," sounds dry, academic, and lackluster to me. His recording of Beethoven's 26th sonata is also a study in tedium.  I'm not sure when he made any of these recordings, I don't own the CDs, but I'm sure he didn't record all of these in the past ten years.

To his credit, I haven't heard his recorded Chopin, which I hear from others is very good, and his recording of Schubert's Bb posthumous sonata sounds quite fine to me. However, I don't believe there are any pianists I am less willing to listen to than Pollini.

That's my opinion on the subject.

[zheer]

I have a video of pollini playing the piano when he was very young, purhaps 19 or 20. Anyway it is so amazing, he plays 3 CHopin prelude one in f sharp minor and one in d minor and one in b minor. Few wrong notes in the d minor prelude, but its playd with such mastery, that it is not worth mentioning. As for beethoven i have him only on CD, and he is one of the very best,such power.
    Well Mortax i gess he had a bad day, or he is fedup with it all, have you seen haw much music he has on record, i think you can by his collection and is worth well over £100, possibly £200.

[maxy]

Overall I am no fan of his recs.  I will agree with a previous harsh post: his rec of 2nd Brahms concerto is not hot.  But, recently, I did see some vid of Pollini playing Brahms 2 in 2000 and this time, it was simply fantastic.  A wonderful pianist without a doubt. He certainly delivers on stage.

[arensky]

If you are one of those who writes Pollini out for being cold, I think you owe it to yourself to seek to hear him now.


He should play Fazioli.

Heard him 3 times, solo recital including an amplified Luigi Nono piece, that same week Schoenberg Piano Concerto, these were in the 80's. Saw him again about 10 years ago, playing Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin. Sloppy technique, no focus, no involvement no nuthin' . A waste of 2 hours. I think he is only effective in "contemporary" music. I enjoyed his whacked out Nono piece and the Schoenberg Concerto, music like that is what he is about. In anything written before 1919 he has to counterfeit an emotion he does not feel, therefore the playing is counterfeit, his extraordinary control and technique notwithstanding. Therefore he should confine himself to 20th Century music IMO, he is the 20th Century man.

Why do you like Fazioli? I don't think they're anything special, kind of tinny in fact. Don't you have two new Blunthers?? They are far superior instruments!

[sevencircles]

I remember being told that Schnabel was the best Beethoven performer so I listened to his hammerklavier and was really dissapointed by all the mistakes. Then I heard Pollini play it and though he did a much better job

Anyway, Pollini is far from the pianist he was. In the seventies he was the most accurate virtuoso as far as I know.

Anybody know where I can find a video of him playing Boulez 2 ?

I don´t know if you checked out the score but I heard that Pollini had it all memorized and technically perfected.

[iumonito]

Heard him 3 times, solo recital including an amplified Luigi Nono piece, that same week Schoenberg Piano Concerto, these were in the 80's. Saw him again about 10 years ago, playing Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin. Sloppy technique, no focus, no involvement no nuthin' . A waste of 2 hours. I think he is only effective in "contemporary" music. I enjoyed his whacked out Nono piece and the Schoenberg Concerto, music like that is what he is about. In anything written before 1919 he has to counterfeit an emotion he does not feel, therefore the playing is counterfeit, his extraordinary control and technique notwithstanding. Therefore he should confine himself to 20th Century music IMO, he is the 20th Century man.

Why do you like Fazioli? I don't think they're anything special, kind of tinny in fact. Don't you have two new Blunthers?? They are far superior instruments!

  Sadly I can't afford a Bluthner, let alone two.  I have an Irmler, which I love, remember?

I like Fazioli because it is, in my mind, the marriage of Mason & Hamlin's power and Bosendorfer's sweetness (given the choice, I am more of  a Mason person).  Pollini is Italian, I think it would be a big boost if Fazioli could boast that Pollini favors them.

BTW, I think the point is being missed about the string that Pollini has grown to be a much more expressive and romantic player now than 25 years ago, when so many wrote him off as cold.

[e60m5]

Would you be able to point us to where we might find this video of Pollini's recent Brahms 2nd?

[Kassaa]

eMule, full dvd, 2.7GB, 2 complete sources.

[sevencircles]

How does Pollini execute the superhard arpeggios?

[zheer]

How does Pollini execute the superhard arpeggios?

 A lot like Franz Liszt, i have pollini on video and i have nothing but respect for him.
Hay try and find a book on Liszt's piano playing style, i think his way of playing arpeggios is so beatifull in every way.

[sevencircles]

A lot like Franz Liszt, i have pollini on video and i have nothing but respect for him.
Hay try and find a book on Liszt's piano playing style, i think his way of playing arpeggios is so beatifull in every way.

You heard Franz Liszt play it?

Congratulations you must be the oldest human being ever.

Most people seem to fake the arpeggios unless the tempo is slow.

Did Pollini play all the notes clean or did he fake a bit?