Favorite Performances of Chopin's Works

[rubinsteinmad]

Here are mine:

Preludes Op. 28- Mixed between Belchacz and Sokolov.
Ballade #1- IDK They're all so lovely
Ballde #2- Either Zimerman or some Chopin Comeptition contestant
Ballade #3- IDK
Ballade #4- Zimerman
Fantasy- IDK, but I love Zimerman's
Scherzo 1- IDK, but I like Umi Garret's interpretation. It has that freshness that gets destroyed during musical puberty. Don't get me wrong though- Garret's performance is really mature, especially for her age.
Scherzo 2- IDK, but I prefer Seong-jin Cho's to Yundi Li's.
Other Scherzi- IDK
Fantasie-Impromptu- Valentina Ignoshina (but I haven't listened to that piece for 6 years, so maybe this is outdated



There are many more works by Chopin, but I haven't listened to them enough to get a good idea of who I like best.

[ajlongspiano]

Ballade 1 - Richter, or Josh Wright
Ballade 4 - Alfred Cortot or Josef Hofmann
Scherzo 1 - Rafael Orozco
Scherzo 2 - George Li
Scherzo 4 - Daniil Trifonov

Just listed a few that came to mind.

[rubinsteinmad]

Scherzo 2 - George Li

When he was 12?

[ajlongspiano]

[rubinsteinmad]

Oh Ok you scared me for a minute

[chopinlover01]

I'll list the ones that come to mind.
Ballades:
1- Ivan Moravec
2- Cortot
3- Zimerman
4- Rubinstein/Cortot
Scherzi:
1- Yundi Li
2- Rubinstein/Argerich
3- Daniil Trifonov
(I don't care for the fourth so I don't listen to it enough to have an opinion)
Polonaises; mostly Rubinstein, though I like Kissin's rendition of Op. 53 better.
Preludes; Cortot
Etudes: Cortot or Murray Perahia (who I may get to see in concert!!)
Sonatas: Rubinstein for the 2nd, and Zimerman/Cortot for the third.

AJ, you're not the only worshiper of Cortot around here

[rubinsteinmad]

I'll list the ones that come to mind.
Ballades:
1- Ivan Moravec
2- Cortot
3- Zimerman
4- Rubinstein/Cortot
Scherzi:
1- Yundi Li
2- Rubinstein/Argerich
3- Daniil Trifonov
(I don't care for the fourth so I don't listen to it enough to have an opinion)
Polonaises; mostly Rubinstein, though I like Kissin's rendition of Op. 53 better.
Preludes; Cortot
Etudes: Cortot or Murray Perahia (who I may get to see in concert!!)
Sonatas: Rubinstein for the 2nd, and Zimerman/Cortot for the third.

AJ, you're not the only worshiper of Cortot around here

I assume u r from the older generation? (or maybe not)

The reason I'm asking is because I know that Rubinsteinmad was the Zimmerman of the last generation. However, the reason I wrote "maybe not" is because you wrote Kissin, Trifonov, etc... most of them are very young.

I've no idea who Ivan Moravec is, even though Ive heard him play on YT several times. But I don't know him well enough to match a face or a characteristic with him.

[ajlongspiano]

Cortot is the bees knees man!!!

[chopinlover01]

@RSMAD No, I just listen to a lot of pianists from differing eras. I also love Rachmaninoff's recordings for their ingenuity, but I wouldn't take nearly the liberties he does in say, the third Chopin scherzo.
@AJ I know, right?!

[ajlongspiano]

The Rachmaninoff recordings are all gems. Be sure to check out Ignaz Friedman. Also, listen to Josef Hofmann's 4th ballade recording.

[visitor]

i prefer the old gaurd on most things, ie  Neuhaus

[pencilart3]

Preludes - Rafal Blechacz
Ballades - Krystian Zimerman
Barcarolle - Yuri Rozum
Etudes - Maurizio Pollini
Nocturnes - Idil Biret
Mazurkas - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Sonatas - Maurizio Pollini
Polonaises - Rafal Blechacz
Concerti - Krystian Zimerman
Scherzi - Maurizio Pollini
Nouvelle Etudes - Anatol Ugorski
Waltzes - Vladimir Ashkenazy

[ajlongspiano]

Preludes - Rafal Blechacz
Ballades - Krystian Zimerman
Barcarolle - Yuri Rozum
Etudes - Maurizio Pollini
Nocturnes - Idil Biret
Mazurkas - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Sonatas - Maurizio Pollini
Polonaises - Rafal Blechacz
Concerti - Krystian Zimerman
Scherzi - Maurizio Pollini
Nouvelle Etudes - Anatol Ugorski
Waltzes - Vladimir Ashkenazy

Cmon man! Listen to some of the old school dudes!

[pencilart3]

Cmon man! Listen to some of the old school dudes!

NO THANKS

[rubinsteinmad]

OMG I have a CD of Rach from Russia, but it doesn't have any Chopin.

OMG It's so weird that people in the old days had similar tastes for Chopin, but the way we interperet Liszt has COMPLETELY changed.

Listen to Cortot's version of Rigoletto Paraphrase.
 It's TERRIBLE!

I think these pianists really changed piano playing:
Rachmaninoff
Josef Hoffman (in some cases)
Cortot (for Chopin)
Arrau
Bolet (even though I prefer Arrau BY FAR, I think Bolet was also a groundbreaker.)
Horowitz (I dislike his playing, but he was an innovater.)

[chopinlover01]

Here's the rest of my list:
Miscellaneous works: Rubinstein
Nocturnes: Rubinstein
Concerti: Kissin for the 1st, Rubinstein for the original second, but points to Cortot for his reorchestration of the f minor
Mazurkas: Rubinstein
Waltzes: Cortot

[rubinsteinmad]

Here's the rest of my list:
Concerti: Rubinstein for the original second

YAAAS RUBINSTEIN! No one Ive heard plays the 2nd movement like him!

[schumaniac]

op. 28- Cortot... Sokolov is great though. Beatrice Rana's from 2013 Cliburn is also worth listening to
Ballade no. 1- I really don't remember the last time I listened to this- Zimerman? Horowitz?
Ballade no. 2-4- Zimerman hehe
Fantasy- I REALLY have no idea
Scherzo no. 1- Yundi Li; Garrick Ohlsson also has a solid performance
Scherzo no. 2 and 3- Yundi Li... but then I haven't listened to anyone else's
Scherzo no. 4- Yundi Li's DG recording (not the live one with a million wrong notes)
Barcarolle- seems weird but Kissin
Impromptus- Perahia has great ones
Fantaisie Impromptu- I swear, Yundi's is the best (out of like the 3) recordings there are of this piece
Polonaises- Rubinstein for the "Heroic"
Nocturnes- not Yundi's :p
Concerti- Zimerman
Waltzes- Rubinstein
Mazurkas- Rubinstein, Ashkenazy/Biret if I want to hear something more "strict"

[rubinsteinmad]

Here are mine more:

Nocturnes- Baremboim; Arrau; Yundi
ASGP- Trifonov <333333
Berceuse- Kissin (most other people do it so friggen boring)

[pencilart3]

Has anyone even heard Yuri play this? It was the first recording of this barcarolle I ever heard. I listened to it for 3 years before listening to anybody else, I still haven't heard another that's better. Maybe some are as good, but none better in my opinion.

[rubinsteinmad]

Has anyone even heard Yuri play this? It was the first recording of this barcarolle I ever heard. I listened to it for 3 years before listening to anybody else, I still haven't heard another that's better. Maybe some are as good, but none better in my opinion.

Sorry, I don't listen to that piece. My first encounter was a live performance by a student of that b!tch teacher. I WAS BORED TO DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pencilart3]

Sorry, I don't listen to that piece. My first encounter was a live performance by a student of that b!tch teacher. I WAS BORED TO DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not insult the great barcarolle.

[schumaniac]

Here are mine more:

Nocturnes- Baremboim; Arrau; Yundi
ASGP- Trifonov <333333
Berceuse- Kissin (most other people do it so friggen boring)

Cortot and Yundi for ASGP(B) too...

[rubinsteinmad]

Do not insult the great barcarolle.

OMG I just listened to it played by two young pianists (including Tiffany Poon) and I can FINALLY APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY!

BTW, the 2nd encounter with the Barcarolle was at a lesson with that b!tch teacher when I arrived early, and I heard her giving some student a lesson on it, and basically she was forcing the student to play along with her. I couldn't hear the student, I could only hear that b!tch teacher (she bangs so much). It was *terrible*. No feeling at all! Just some old woman banging out notes on the piano, note-for-note, and thinking she is better than Zimerman!

[ajlongspiano]

Ivett Gyongyosi for every Chopin piece ever

[handz]

Ballades - Krystian Zimerman 


Here I am sure, with the rest I did not yet decided

[rubinsteinmad]

Ivett Gyongyosi for every Chopin piece ever

Ivett Gyongyosi for every Chopin piece ever

</3 </3 </3 </3

[ajlongspiano]

</3 </3 </3 </3

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

[rubinsteinmad]

I found a new love, my heart was fixed <33333333333333333333333333333333333333333

(I love this piece)

[evryali]

Damn I have been gone for a while anyways
ballades: Zimmerman no matter what
The third sonata: Ingulf Wunder
The preludes:blechacz

[pencilart3]

ballades: Zimmerman no matter what
The preludes:blechacz

YES

[evryali]

YES

The Zimmerman Chopin ballades are one of the greatest if not the greatest Chopin recordings ever.

[pencilart3]

The Zimmerman Chopin ballades are one of the greatest if not the greatest Chopin recordings ever.

yeah... the ones from his cd are better than the ones on youtube.

[rubinsteinmad]

yeah... the ones from his cd are better than the ones on youtube.

really??? omg