favorite recording of chopin etudes

[dj]

hey i can't seem to find any decent recordings of chopins etudes at the library so im gonna end up buying these....can anyone suggest good recordings? i've heard robert browning mentioned.....does rubinstein have a complete set? who else is good? thanx

[allchopin]

Browning is an excellent choice, with great technical capacity.  But I wouldn't recommend him for a completely original set with new ideas- he's like my home base for the etudes.  Cortot's are somewhat good, but with some errors.  Louis Lortie has an excellent and techncally perfect set which is up to par with Browning's.  Last but not least are Mei-Ting's complete recordings on his website which are free to download.

[presto agitato]

Two words: Maurizio Pollini

[donjuan]

Get Gyorgy Cziffras set from the Great Pianists of the 20th century.  He plays all of them.

Not everyone likes Cziffra's interpretation of the Chopin etudes, but if you do, no other recordings will suffice as you become hypnotised by Cziffra.
donjuan

[sharon_f]

I second Pollini.

[bernhard]

Alfred Cortot
Claudio Arrau
Earl Wilde
Nelson Freire (unfortunately he has recorded only op. 25)

[Spatula]

Raises my hand sheepishly.

I'm content with murray periah, even though some people on this forum won't agree, but that's okay.   

[allchopin]

I wasn't aware that Arrau recorded all the etudes... I must get my hands on that.

[brewtality]

Definitely get Cortot's chopets, this is my favourite set. Cziffra's is also good but sometimes his rhythmic distortion is annoying

[thracozaag]

  Here's a good trivia question for you piano geeks: Who was the first person to commercially record all of the etudes (the answer will surprise you)....

koji (STSD)

[sharon_f]

Backhaus

[thracozaag]

 Bingo.

koji (STSD)

[chromatickler]

Surprisingly, da Backhoe's timing of da 10/2 stood unchallenged until you know what.

In any case, get RUDY's set as soon as itz released. it comes wit a bonus e minor concerto on da same disc. 

[m]

Surprisingly, da Backhoe's timing of da 10/2 stood unchallenged until you know what.

In any case, get RUDY's set as soon as itz released. it comes wit a bonus e minor concerto on da same disc. 

Yep, no doubt his 2nd is absolutely superb. I just wish he was as good of a musician.
Speaking of selected etudes I still think that there is nothing more beautiful and accomplished in term of musicality and unhuman velocity than Ignaz Friedman's op.10 no.7 etude. His op.10 no.12 is breathtaking, as well. Anybody heard M. Argerich op.10 no.4 from Chopin competition?
One of my favorite sets is Grigory Ginsburg (unfortunately only op. 25). By modern competition standards he plays them slower , but very beatiful. He got into studio, played them all, and left even without listening back, as everything he was recording.
In Ashkenazi's first recording (he was 18 then, I think) some etudes are pretty fast and kinda stupid.
I heard live G. Sokolov with Op.25 set (it was released from the same concert). In the hall it was absolutely stunning--even more impressive than in the recording. Mind you, in the first half he played Hammerklavier.
Also, ones I heard him playing No.23 as an encore. The only thing I can remember, was the first E, then all my body got as deep into seat as it could, as if somebody put on my shoulders many ton weight, and the next, when it was all over, found myself (as all the audience) jumping from the seat, yelling like crazy and stamping with feet. 

Oh yeah, probably reason for flames, but I could not stop laughing listening to Sziffra's set.

[chromatickler]

Try to get da Ziff's live improv vid where he randomly unleashes a large chunk of da 10/1 at record speed. 

[brewtality]

fo real, dat vid is unbelievable. Listening to cziffra's improv is addictive, you just wanna hear more and more of it.

[kempff]

Did Richter record the complete set? If he did, then that would be my favourite

But for now, I like Cziffra and Ashkenazy.

[brewtality]

As far as i know Ritcher didn't record the complete set because he didn't like all them.

[kempff]

As far as i know Ritcher didn't record the complete set because he didn't like all them.

aHHHH>>>>>>>>>>>-<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I also like Gavrilov etudes

[erik-]

Pollini
Cortot
Francois Renee Duchable

[chromatickler]

Francois Renee Duchable

Hahaha dis true pregnant cat had da record fo Mazeppa before da Whale unleashed his la roque DVD. 

[BoliverAllmon]

Raises my hand sheepishly.

I'm content with murray periah, even though some people on this forum won't agree, but that's okay.   

hey don't feel bad I dig his etudes also. Really good in my opinion.

boliver

[rachlisztchopin]

AHHH!!!!!! all the pianists!!! too many recordings to buy!

[dj]

well i keep hearing cortot mentioned....does he have 2 recordings? cuz i got one of them at the library and its like super dirty and crappy recording quality and just sounded not very professional at all....im just lookin for a clean recording with a pianist that stays within the boundaries of chopin's style.

[brewtality]

ouch. i personally love Cortot's etudes, i really enjoy the fact that he offers his own insight into them. As far as recording quality is concerned, some of the greatest pianists recorded during the industry's infancy and so you'll  miss out on hearing some of the most wonderful music available if you limit yourself to good quality recordings.  As for your last statement i'm not sure i understand what you mean, who would you say plays in chopin's style?

[kempff]

perhaps Cziffra......

[thracozaag]

well i keep hearing cortot mentioned....does he have 2 recordings? cuz i got one of them at the library and its like super dirty and crappy recording quality and just sounded not very professional at all....im just lookin for a clean recording with a pianist that stays within the boundaries of chopin's style.

  *sigh*

koji (STSD)

[dj]

lol ok i don't really mind the recording quality 2 much cuz there are a lot of old recordings that are quite good....but doesn't anyone else find cortot's recordings sloppy???

[kempff]

lol ok i don't really mind the recording quality 2 much cuz there are a lot of old recordings that are quite good....but doesn't anyone else find cortot's recordings sloppy???

I don't find them sloppy, but i heard or read somewhere, that he cheated alot in them... don't know if it's true...

[thracozaag]

  I'd rather hear Cortot's wrong notes than most other pianist's right ones.

koji (STSD)

[joell12068]

Has anyone heard Juana Zayas recording of the etudes?  I haven't heard it but I've read that they are quite good.

[chromatickler]

Check out this set by Giorgia Tomassi: https://www.emimusic.de/emi_at/xml/6/550162/5727792.html

She managed to fit the brahms paganini variations on the same disc. 

[julie391]

and this is supposed to be impressive?

that she managed to play them fast enough i suppose?

well i must say, when one begins to approach music as some sort or RACE, they loose all integrity in my eyes, and ears!

[maxy]

Cortot= simply amazing.

Who should care about the bunch of wrong notes?  What he offers in interpretation is just so much above what we hear in other recordings. 

Since it was not yet mentionned: Berezovsky has a nice set.  op 25#12 is quite spectacular.

[julie391]

gavrilov and cziffra are my favourites, i like it hard and fast 

[donjuan]

i like it hard and fast 

haha I could say something bad right now, but I choose not to. 

yay! go Cziffra!! Although there is so much more to him than just "hard and fast".  His interpretations of the slower etudes are very well done and so sincere..
donjuan

[chromatickler]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Julie u is a true comedic genius!

 

[chromatickler]

in fact this leadz to da natural conclusion: da chair aint fooling noone

Ok, maybe i is fooled fo awhile. 

[julie391]

i like it hard and fast 

haha I could say something bad right now, but I choose not to. 

yay! go Cziffra!! Although there is so much more to him than just "hard and fast".  His interpretations of the slower etudes are very well done and so sincere..
donjuan

well yes, cziffra is extremely underestimated for his subtlety in quiet and slow music.
but still - i love him most for his extreme aggression and rhythmic flair.

[julie391]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Julie u is a true comedic genius!

 

if i am reading this correctly - thank you

but next time - try english 

[chromatickler]

 

[brewtality]

in fact this leadz to da natural conclusion: da chair aint fooling noone

Ok, maybe i is fooled fo awhile. 

i concur with dis zepp.  Mah suspicions haff also been aroused 

[julie391]

please... 

[flash]

I agree with Sharon F,
Backhaus.

[steinwaymodeld]

Check out this set by Giorgia Tomassi: https://www.emimusic.de/emi_at/xml/6/550162/5727792.html

She managed to fit the brahms paganini variations on the same disc. 

Fast one can play the Brahms/paganini is around 20 mins I will say, so that left her 54 minutes on the Chopin etudes,  on a 74 minute CD.

I think it's quite impressive to squeeze all 24 etudes in a little bit less than an hour.

[julie391]

unless she speeds up the slow ones...

[steinwaymodeld]

unless she speeds up the slow ones...

I think there are only several pieces in Chopin etudes are actually 'slow'.

[tibidi]

Fast one can play the Brahms/paganini is around 20 mins I will say, so that left her 54 minutes on the Chopin etudes,  on a 74 minute CD.

I think it's quite impressive to squeeze all 24 etudes in a little bit less than an hour.

Pollini's total time for the 24 Etudes is 55'14". His op. 25-11 is the best technically among 15 other pianists that I have heard. Yundi's second recording of the same piece is comparable to Pollini's technically, but Yundi is not so clinical like Pollini.

Pollini's Beethoven sonata no. 29 Hammerklavier is also very stunning technically but I don't normally enjoy his playing because of his lack of warmth in his playing. I think the only piece I am able to appreciate from Pollini is this  Etude 25-11.

[chromatickler]

Sokolov's live 25/11 easily equals pollini's studio account technically. There is also the legendary Gavrilov, who is MUCH faster. 

[m]

Sokolov's live 25/11 easily equals pollini's studio account technically. There is also the legendary Gavrilov, who is MUCH faster. 

Every concert, as an encore Sokolov used to play whether Petrushka--Russian Dance, or 25/11.  I heard each of them probably at least 5 times live. Sometimes he would play 25/11 incredible, sometimes it would be absolutely stunning, and once, I remember it was beyond of anything possible on the piano. On that scale I'd consider this recording from the set... very good. Actually, considering that it's live, and it is right after 25/10 (actually, after 8, 9, and 10, which I'd consider even worse than 10/2 after 10/1 live) when you play it like this..... hmmm.... no, it is absolutely incredible! And who else can play such a 25/12 right after that?

Once Gavrilov played very well. Unfortunately, he stopped practicing long ago, and his pianism has completely detereorated. I was told, after his recital in London, a few years ago, he had to go on hide--the recital was THAT embarassing. It is quite sad.