Hi fnork,
First, thanks for breaking your recordings out separately. When they were first consolidated, for some weird reason, despite several attempts, I could not get past the Szymanowski--it would just keep repeating itself. And I really wanted to hear the others, especially the Bartok and Debussy. I should add that I've been listening to your recordings for years here and have always enjoyed your renditions.
The Bartok Etude was wonderful! I had not heard it previously. It's obviously a virtuoso piece. While it offers the Bartok dissonance, his figuration almost makes the piece sound impressionistic. The combination is gorgeous. I'm going to listen to it again, as I really enjoyed your rendition.
To be honest, although I love Debussy's music and have recorded some of his works here, I've never quite warmed up to his etudes. Your performance here has changed my view for the better. My last teacher's teacher, Anthony di Bonaventura, loved these etudes and recorded the entire set. This "Etude for Chords" spacially covers the entire keyboard. I imagine that this is one that you almost need to be able to play with your eyes closed. As I listened to the lyrical section, there were some subtle moments reminding me a little of "D'un cahier d'esquisses" You played the piece masterfully.
David