Maurizio Pollini: Two recitals, one choise

[liszt-essence]

I'm in need of a bit of advice here.

Maurizio Pollini is giving two recitals in february 2007.

At the first one he plays Chopin, the second one he plays Liszt and some modern piano music.

I don't know which one I should pick here. I am no expert on Pollini's repetoire. What would you recommend. What are generally his best interpetrations?

[nicco]

Why not both?

[kempff1234]

Go for his Liszt one. I am not a great fan of his Chopin.

[liszt-essence]

Why not both?

Too expensive

[pianistimo]

i was thinking liszt, too.  la campanella - that's what i'd like to hear.  of course, if you have to demur to the chopin - i don't think  you'll be terribly sorry either.  he strikes me as a thinking man - and the over-sentiment of chopin will be chopped in half.  excepting, of course, the chopin etudes - where you'll be blown out of your seat.

whereas, liszt was sentimental AND a man of the world.  liszt sort of kept pushing chopin out - but chopin liked to retract from the world every so often. 

[kempff1234]

i was thinking liszt, too.  la campanella - that's what i'd like to hear.  of course, if you have to demur to the chopin - i don't think  you'll be terribly sorry either.  he strikes me as a thinking man - and the over-sentiment of chopin will be chopped in half.  excepting, of course, the chopin etudes - where you'll be blown out of your seat.

whereas, liszt was sentimental AND a man of the world.  liszt sort of kept pushing chopin out - but chopin liked to retract from the world every so often. 

I actually haven't neard much of Pollini's Liszt, but I've enjoyed the ones I've heard. His chopin on the other hand. never gives me that feeling...never gives goosebumps to me. But then no other pianist can invoke this feeling in me after I've heard Cortot and Rubinstein's chopin.

As for the modern piece, what it is? Boulez second sonata?

[mephisto]

i was thinking liszt, too.  la campanella - that's what i'd like to hear.

The probability of Pollini to play La Campanella is the same as if you wold become an atheist.

[lazlo]

although he got famous after winning the warsaw competition (chopin)... No really familiar with his chopin though.

[iumonito]

You will probably enjoy the Liszt one better.  He plays moderns stuff great.  His Chopin has matured greatly over the past 30 years, although he has always been on the austere side.  Either one is fine, but if you are counting cents, don't go to either and buy some videos.  Go for the more recent stuff.

[cloches_de_geneve]

If this is the first time you are hearing Pollini, I would go for the Chopin: That's how he became world-famous, after all. However, if you have heard him before, especially with Chopin, then go for the Liszt - I am sure his choices of Liszt pieces combined with modern ones will be a real thrill.

[gonzalo]

"CHOICE" please.

[liszt-essence]

"CHOICE" please.

I knew there was something off about the way I spelled it.
Well since english is not my native tongue I may afford such errors now and then.

Anyway.. this is the first time I'm hearing Pollini  My mother invited me to go to one of his recitals that's why I can only go to one. If I had to pay myself, I would never have went because I'm just a poor student and the prices for recitals are ridicously high. (For my standard that is)

Thanks for all the replies, keep em coming so I have even more to concider.

[iumonito]

Does your mom have a repertoire preference?  Boulez and Sciarrino are not everyone's cup of tea.

[pianistimo]

dear mephisto,

do you think that pollini, still, after all these years - so closely identifies with chopin?  perhaps you are right.  and perhaps his chopin is still better than his liszt.  and perhaps he would never choose 'la campanella'  (but why?).  why would he not choose it?  you never really gave me a reason.  i think he has a very fast and light technique and the fastest chopin etudes i ever heard.  why couldn't he use this to his advantage in 'la campanella?'   

[mephisto]

dear mephisto,

do you think that pollini, still, after all these years - so closely identifies with chopin?  perhaps you are right.  and perhaps his chopin is still better than his liszt.  and perhaps he would never choose 'la campanella'  (but why?).  why would he not choose it?  you never really gave me a reason.  i think he has a very fast and light technique and the fastest chopin etudes i ever heard.  why couldn't he use this to his advantage in 'la campanella?'   

I am sorry. It is not because his technic is bad or because he doesn't like Liszt. But lets look at Pollini's list of repertoire in Liszt: The Sonata, many late pieces and TE10(nad most liklely many other pieces). All are very serious., so there is no HR2 or Don Juan. He is also a Schumann fan but no Toccata, he is seams just to be interested in "serious" music. I do pesonally like both serious and fun much.

[cloches_de_geneve]

dear mephisto,
do you think that pollini, still, after all these years - so closely identifies with chopin?  perhaps you are right.  and perhaps his chopin is still better than his liszt.  and perhaps he would never choose 'la campanella'  (but why?).  why would he not choose it?  you never really gave me a reason.  i think he has a very fast and light technique and the fastest chopin etudes i ever heard.  why couldn't he use this to his advantage in 'la campanella?'   

I think that, after having followed Pollini's career for about 25 years, I can safely say that he has a preference for highly complex, highly serious, and highly difficult music. This distinct pattern of preferences leaves indeed little room for playing pieces such as Galopp Chromatique, the HR, Opera-Paraphrases, Campanella, and even a Mephisto-Waltz would probably be borderline for him. Such is this great man of the piano, and this is also why we love him so much.

[kempff1234]

I agree with both of you here. He seems to saty in "serious' domain in all his career. However that is not to say that his performances don't have humour in them. I personally very much enjoy his Beethoven hammerklavier Scherzo.

[nsvppp]

Last year I have heard Pollini play Beethoven in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam
* Sonate nr. 1 in f kl.t., op. 2 nr. 1
* Sonate nr. 3 in C gr.t., op. 2 nr. 3
* Sonate nr. 29 in Bes gr.t., op. 106 "Hammerklavier"

Between the sonates one person in the audience booed Mr. Pollini. That was a shock of course and it shouldn't have happened. But also to me his play sounded so harsh and rigid. It was technically perfect but he didn't put his heart into it.  Actually I dread going to his two performances in February, but as he is as famous as he is, he surely must have had better performances in the past.

[tompilk]

he'll probably play liszt TE 10 among other things and stockhausen 10 perhaps? He is known to be that mad...
In chopin he'll play a bunch of chopin noctournes, but you might as well listen to his recordings...
go to the liszt... it'll impress you more, if you want to me impressed.
Tom

[liszt-essence]

Thank you all for your comments.

I have chosen for Chopin's. As the rest of the family attends that one as well, we thought it would be more fun so we went for his Chopin's.

I might even save up for his Liszt's if I really like his Chopin one.

Thanks again.

[opus10no2]

  i think he has a very fast and light technique and the fastest chopin etudes i ever heard. 

[sevencircles]

Actually I dread going to his two performances in February, but as he is as famous as he is, he surely must have had better performances in the past.

Without any doubt.

He was propably the greatest technical pianist in the world 25 years ago.

He has always been a bit dry but sometimes he shows some emotions.

Serial music is propably what he does best actually.