Help me decide what to buy

[amanfang]

I have a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.  I'm debating between a book and a recording.  The book is Fink's book on Piano Technique, and the recording is the Bortkiewicz re-release of Stephen Coomb's performances of the piano works (vol. 1).  I'm leaning towards the recording, because I might like to explore some of Bortkiewicz's music this summer, although I have wanted the Fink book for a while, and I would have the time to read it this summer.  Unfortunately, I cannot get both, unless someone wants to donate through paypal.   

Anyway want to chime in with an opinion on which I should get?

[quantum]

Try to see if you can "preview" the recording online or through a library or a friend.

I'm leaning towards the book.

[Essyne]

omg - lol - I too have a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Best of luck  .

Book as well, but then again, I'm a nerd  .

[rachfan]

Hi amanfang,

I own both the Coombs recording and Fink's book.  Get the CD!  You'll enjoy it.  While it only covers a small portion of Bortkiewicz's piano ouvre, it is well played and you can get an excellent sampling of his works.  I personally found that Fink's book was one of more abstruse pedagogy books (I own a lot of them) that I had ever encountered.  It might serve well as a textbook for a college piano course taught by Fink.  But as a standalone book to be read at home, I found it somewhat lacking.