Top Ten Best Etude Op. 10, No. 4, in C# Minor, by Chopin Recordings

[vertigoone]

I just spent a few hours today listening to as many professional recordings of Chopin's famous "Torrent" etude as possible.  Some performances were intimate and refined while others were barbaric and fiery.  I decided to keep track of my findings in a list.  These are the ten recordings that I thought were the best on YouTube, listed in order of their greatness (#1 being the best).  I would like to hear some comments from the music community.

Number One:

Number Two:

(The Final Piece)

Number Three:

Number Four:

Number Five:

(The Fourth Piece)

Number Six:

Number Seven:

Number Eight:

Number Nine:

Number Ten:

(The Fourth Piece)
[ Invalid YouTube link ]


I must say that I was shocked at the sophistication of Berezosvky's performance.  Normally I would have disregarded his playing with the bulk of other modern pianists whose playing normally lacks ideas.  But this was another animal altogether.

[awesom_o]

I must admit I quite like my own recording.

Of those you have posted, I quite like Slencynska, Horowitz gone mad, and Berezovsky the most!

[ale_ius]

Can't even begin to imagine listening to this etude for hours....blehgh. Boring. Nothing against the performances listed and posted (including awesome o). They are fine renderings. Just the music itself is rather uninspiring.

[vertigoone]

I must admit I quite like my own recording.

Wow!  Is that you playing?

[lelle]

Cortot is probably my favourite pianist and he always brings his wonderful musicality and poetry to whatever he plays, but I find his mistakes to be more intrusive in the etudes than in for example his 1933 ballades and preludes, because technical perfection has such a big role in the musical effect of the etudes.

[awesom_o]

Wow!  Is that you playing?

I'm afraid it is! 

[liszt1022]

I've collected all the studio recordings of the left-hand-only arrangement of 10/4 by Godowsky. Most aren't on Youtube, but if you're interested, here's my ranking, from top-down.

1- Berezovsky - He's got a live one on Youtube. The studio version is very clear and clean.
2- Sosa - The only pianist on the list who actually has a disabled right hand! This one's got the most fire and energy (and the only to play a certain ossia)
3- Hamelin - Technically proficient but not as interesting as the first two.
4- Grante - Sometimes I prefer this one to Hamelin. Not today though.
5- Ilic - Too slow for my taste.
6- Madge - Madge.