Fast piano recordings comparsion

[cuberdrift]

Hello, all,

I've just thought of this.

Here are some really fast examples of recordings by famous pianists. I'd like to know your opinion on which pianist plays the piece better:

I. Chopin Prelude Op. 28 no. 16: Argerich vs. Arrau

Player 1: Martha Argerich

Player 2: Claudio Arrau

II. Moskowski Etude op. 72 no. 11: Pompa-Baldi vs. Horowitz

Player 1: Antonio Pompa-Baldi

III. Korsakov-Cziffra Flight of the Bumblebee: Cziffra vs. Volodos

Player 1: Gyorgy Cziffra

Player 2: Arcadi Volodos

IV. Liszt Gnomenreigen: Barere vs. Cziffra

Player 1: Simon Barere

Player 2: Gyorgy Cziffra

V. Chopin Etude Op. 10 no. 4: Argerich vs. Richter

Player 1: Martha Argerich

Regards,
cuberdrift

(P.S. WAIT...the list is incomplete...there are some missing videos in this post. Why? Is there a youtube video limit?)

[pencilart3]

I'd like to know your opinion on which pianist plays the piece better:

I. Chopin Prelude Op. 28 no. 16:

Rafal Blechacz plays it INFINITELY better. That's who. PLEASE don't listen to either of these recordings! If nothing else listen to Sergio Tiempo or Evgeny Kissin. Listen to Blechacz play it and see if you can tell me that it's worse!

< It's at 24:35

I'm sorry I'm not really answering your question, but those two that you listed are my 2 least favorite recordings. They are rushed and non-musical. Not to mention the cacophony at 0:28 in Arrau's. That's probably the reason this is one of the lesser-liked preludes. It's my favorite. I would say that if there is a contest, it would be between Blechacz and Tiempo.

[rubinsteinmad]

Cziffra is playing his own transcription I think, and Volodos is playing Rachmaninoff's transcription.
So you cant really compare, sorry.

[outin]

I'm sorry I'm not really answering your question, but those two that you listed are my 2 least favorite recordings. They are rushed and non-musical.

I agree and I like this prelude too. To me me those 2 videos are not "presto con fuoco" but  rather "presto con race" (I don't speak italian...).

[pencilart3]

To me me those 2 videos are not "presto con fuoco" but  rather "presto con race" (I don't speak italian...).

Ha ha, I don't either, but I agree. Argerich must have been sitting on a tack or something.

[rubinsteinmad]

Ha ha, I don't either, but I agree. Argerich must have been sitting on a tack or something.

That would hurt

[zpianist]

Cziffra is playing his own transcription I think, and Volodos is playing Rachmaninoff's transcription.
So you cant really compare, sorry.

you could potentially compare Cziffra w/ Wang

[pencilart3]

Wait did anybody else hear the train wreck at 0:28 in Arrau's prelude 16?

[zpianist]

X

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Volodos IS playing the Cziffra Bumblebee. And Cziffra is clearly better, despite the dodgy sound quality of the recording. You can hear it in his pedalling and shaping of the octaves: there is much more definition of dynamics and momentum given by his shaping.

[abel2]

For speed in Gnomenreigen, no one beats Ogdon.