Chopin Etudes Recordings

[nearenough]

Jaypiano: Not well-known, but stellar recording dating from the 60s by Augustin Anievas.  Absolutely stunning technique, musicianship, sound.

N: Agreed. He's the only one who plays Op 10 #10 with the proper rhythmic accents as marked on the score.

And a comment about Cortot. His upward sweeps in the left hand in the middle section of Op 10 #4 are thrilling.

[edwardweiss]

 There are two excellent performances from the never-to-be-revisited days of vinyl-Op.10 and 25 played by [a] Alexander Uninsky and Sergio Fiorentino.

[ahkow]

Ohlsson anyone?

How about samson francois? I'm thinking of buying his CD but i'm not sure how good he is.

[ahkow]

i saw on amazon that ohlsson has 2 different editions of the complete chopin, one by APR and another by Hyperion (in one big box). Does anyone here know if they are the same recordings? From the reviews it seems that both are played on a bosendorfer

[perfect_pitch]

Pollini +1000


(Wait... I've been watching too many idiotic Japanese Cartoon Monster cartoons... Damn pokemon)

[point of grace]

perahia and lisitsa

[claude_debussy]

Lortie - !

Lisitza worth a listen even though the DVD goes in and out of sync, but some of these are beautifully played - 

The Rudolf Serkin recording of op. 25 included with the published biography - selected w/ other pieces by Peter Serkin for the accompanying CD - also well worth a listen ...

Lhevinee's op. 25 #6 is famous but beats up the music - far more beautiful on the same disk is the 2-piano version of Debussy's "Fetes" (transcription of 2nd movement from the orchestral Nocturnes) with wife Rosinna Lhevinne - that's the most fabulous 2 piano playing I've ever heard, a total knockout, as are the solo Strauss transcriptions on the Lhevinne recording.  Btw he was the first pianist hired for the Juilliard faculty the year the school started ...

peace, & don't forget to play those gorgeous Debussy etudes ...

CD



 

[nearenough]

C.D.: Lhevinee's op. 25 #6 is famous but beats up the music - far more beautiful on the same disk is the 2-piano version of Debussy's "Fetes" (transcription of 2nd movement from the orchestral Nocturnes) with wife Rosinna Lhevinne - that's the most fabulous 2 piano playing I've ever heard, a total knockout, as are the solo Strauss transcriptions on the Lhevinne recording.

N: Don't forget his light and fast Prelude Op 28 #16. Superb!

[nearenough]

With regard to the "young Ashkenazy" I still have the first set of 2 LPs of the Etudes issued by "MK" (MK 203 B)(possibly a forerunner of the Soviet Melodiya) which includes Nocturne Op 9 #3; Ballade #2; Liszt Mephisto Waltz, the latter demonstrating general excitement and unbelievably fast and 100% accurate leaps toward the end of the piece.

Also I attended a concert approximately 40 years ago where A. played the entire set of Etudes in numerical order, rendering #1 and #2 in succession without any discernible slowing or fatigue. Amazing. Some people just "have" it.

[richard black]

2 LPs of the Etudes issued by "MK" (MK 203 B)(possibly a forerunner of the Soviet Melodiya)

The same thing as Melodiya, in fact. Sometimes used one appellation, sometimes the other - can't remember why.

[communist]

From what I have heard by Richter, probably him.

Ignaz Friedman's and Mikhail Plenev's are both very good.

Perahia's are also very good but he plays them to much like serious musical pieces 

[nearenough]

Not to belabor this (but I will anyway) it was said that Horowitz played a stupendous account of Op 25 #10 ("Octave") in his younger years. Incredibly, and absurdly, there is a silent film of his playing this part of this etude along with some other material, from the 1920s or 30s. I find this very weird. A silent film of possibly the greatest pianist of the 20th century! Probably  this was just a happenstance. But wouldn't a reasonable person think to capture moments of genius with an appropriate medium, like sound?

I also heard (rumors) that he played this Etude for the "Last Recording" by Sony, but it remains unissued. Maybe it will show up in the Carnegie Hall Private files releases.

Also there is a pirate recording of his playing the "Octave" etude in Japan in around 1983.