Favorite pianist for chopin?

[lilyly]

Who is/are your favorite pianist for chopin?

Let's share.

Mine is rubinstein, li yundi, maria pires.

[rachmforever]

Eugeny Kissin, Yulianna Avdeeva 

[chopinlover01]

Depends on the pieces;
Ballades: Rubinstein for the 1st and 4th, Cortot for the Second, Rachmaninoff/Cortot for the Third
Scherzi: Rubinstein for them all
Concerti: Kissin for the first, Rubinstein for the second
Sonatas: Zimmerman for the B minor, Rubinstein for the B flat minor (I hate the C minor XD)
Etudes: Cziffra
Waltzes: Rubinstein
Nocturnes: Rubinstein
Preludes: Cziffra
Impromptus: Rubinstein

[stevensk]

I never have any "favorites". I love to be surprised

[lilyly]

Thanks chopin lover for the detailed reply!! i will listen to those pianists u mentioned for those specific pieces u recommended.. But what about polonaise? Any recommendations?

[chopinlover01]

With the polonaises, it's generally a good bet to go with Rubinstein all the way, though Horowitz's rendition of Op 44 beats any other one that I've heard.

[alistaircrane4]

Thanks chopin lover for the detailed reply!! i will listen to those pianists u mentioned for those specific pieces u recommended.. But what about polonaise? Any recommendations?

Rafal Blechacz released a cd with nearly all the Polonaises published during Chopin's lifetime save for the Op.22. He in my opinion is best for the Polonaises. Not the slightest bit heavy or sluggish like most others.

[28843253]

I have listened to much Chopin, but Rachmaninoff's rendition of the E-flat nocturne remains always present in my mind. The music here seems to 'reach beyond' in a manner I find quite inexplicable but highly compelling.

[8_octaves]

Hi all,

i like S. Askenase's playing very much. I was lucky to have seen him, when I as younger, when he was still alive, but already very old, on TV, ( but he didn't play the Krakowiak then, but movement I from the moonlight sonata. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk7gNdATLw4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdhno6bv6Ds

Greetings, 8_octaves 

[visitor]

No fav pianist for a composer but i tend  to like certain pianists for certain pieces. Occasionally I tend to think one pianist has a better general approach to a particular style so their versions of x composer will tend I sound better than most.

I lean towards the old guard more for romantic music. Generally if they were alive during that "golden age" of piano. I will like their Chopin .
Leonard Pennario
Clara Haskil
Van Cliburn
Heinrich Neuhaus 
Alfred Cortot 

 

[8_octaves]

No fav pianist for a composer but i tend  to like certain pianists for certain pieces. Occasionally I tend to think one pianist has a better general approach to a particular style so their versions of x composer will tend I sound better than most.

I lean towards the old guard more for romantic music. Generally if they were alive during that "golden age" of piano. I will like their Chopin .
Leonard Pennario
Clara Haskil
Van Cliburn
Heinrich Neighaus
Alfred Cartot

Some funny names still  what about Heinrich Nauheus and Alfred Cortat? 

hmm, back to earnest: Clara Haskil was super, and there is some Chopin of her, which you can check at
https://www.arkivmusic.com , where we can search for recordings of performers. ( Which is in my opinion a very interesting option. )

Greetings, 8_octaves

[visitor]

Some funny names still   what about Heinrich Nauheus and Alfred Cortat?  

hmm, back to earnest: Clara Haskil was super, and there is some Chopin of her, which you can check at
https://www.arkivmusic.com , where we can search for recordings of performers. ( Which is in my opinion a very interesting option. )

Greetings, 8_octaves

Lel those too!  Funny thing about autocorrect on a mobile device. It likes to mess up things i mean but leave what I don't mean alone.
Thanks for correcting!!
I will dig up some recordings sources. Much of above tends to be avail on old lp Vinyl records. I have not ripped much to digitize yet. But I think some are archived .  Will put links later!
Thanks!

[alistaircrane4]

Also forgot to mention that Sofronitsky played such amazing Chopin. He is in my top five pianists whose Chopin interpretations I love the most.

[8_octaves]

I've forgotten one, too, he is very important, and could lead us into former times, when the real giants lived:

Prof. Aleksander Michalowski.

Here, in this old recording, he plays his version of the minute-waltz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwfEkxGzjVM

Surely you all know about him. In case some won't, here some infos:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksander_Micha%C5%82owski

And here a score of the waltz, but it slightly differs, which is in my opinion caused by the performance- and writing- behaviour of former times: Written pieces might have looked different, compared to the actually played ones. Nevertheless:

https://imslp.org/wiki/Paraphrase_on_Chopin%27s_%27Minute_Waltz%27_%28Micha%C5%82owski,_Aleksander%29

Have fun!  

Greetings, 8_octaves!

[jockey]

     
    Daniil Trifonov is very definitely my favourite Chopin pianist at present. I particularly enjoyed
 
    Chopin Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise in E flat major, Op 22, which is available to
 
     view on YouTube as well as many other piano composers works, but I am very impressed with

     his performances of Bach, Rachmaninov, Beethoven and Liszt also.
     
     

[joaosousa]

With the polonaises, it's generally a good bet to go with Rubinstein all the way, though Horowitz's rendition of Op 44 beats any other one that I've heard.

I totally agree Horowitz's interpretation of op. 44 it's the best.

[chopinlover01]

I have discovered a gem in Chopin; Ivan Moravec. Highly surprising considering he's usually thought of as a Mozart player. His first Ballade recording literally brought me to tears, and I'm not at all ashamed to admit it. Admittedly Ballade 2 is rather lackluster but oh well (though it does have a moment in the coda where he does something nobody does!)

[j_menz]

Admittedly Ballade 2 is rather lackluster

Indeed. And 3 is just plain annoying. 

On topic (or as on topic as I'm venturing), there seems to be quite a high correlation between being good at Chopin and being dead. Perhaps the scores should come with a health warning.

[chopinlover01]

Indeed. Or, "you can never play this as well as you wish".

[monelle]

So disappointed that no one mentioned William Kapell ... how soon we forget   Also, Brailowsky's Etudes are magnificent.

[mjames]

So disappointed that no one mentioned William Kapell ... how soon we forget  Also, Brailowsky's Etudes are magnificent.

...Soon? He died over 50 years ago!

I totally agree Horowitz's interpretation of op. 44 it's the best.

For you at least. I absolutely hate his polonaise op. 44.

[chopinlover01]

I honestly usually care very little for horowitz' playing, but his op 44 appeals to me somehow...