performers who vary their repititions?

[many_notes]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know of any pianists who vary repeated passages in scores?  (By "vary" I mean "ornament", "improvise upon", etc.)   I know Glenn Gould sometimes did that, but I'd like to hear someone who does it regularly, since (according to some) it was the norm in baroque and classical playing.  Sorry if this is an especially ignorant question -- I'm a composer not a pianist.

Thanks very much!

[stevensk]

This could be an interesting discussion. -What do you mean more exactly by vary their repetition (what did Glenn Gould more exactly here)?

[mjames]

Both Cortot and Bolet mess around with Chopin's op. 55 no. 1. 19th century relics were quite fond of playing with slight quirks. Don't know of any modern pianist that does though.

This is an amazing recording. He rolls the chords where you're not 'supposed' to, and he even adds in his counter melodies. I've tried copying him but I realized it doesn't feel the same if it's planned, whereas I feel like Cortot actually improvised those bits on the spot.

Edit: Forgot about the badass trill in the bass!!!

[quantum]

Ton Koopman is well known for his ornamentation in baroque music.  Some critics have even suggested he goes too far at times.

Also have a listen to the WTC.

[jeffok]

Where Bach is concerned you might want to check some of the recordings by Sergey Schepkin (on the Ongaku label). Last time I checked, his recordings of all 6 partitas were up on YouTube. He adds lots of ornamentation and often little "lead-ins" (eingange?) between sections. Unfortunately in binary form pieces, he only repeats the 1st half. Some interesting choices though.

Although not on the piano, some might also want to check out the Bach Cello Suites recorded by Frederick Zlotkin (brother of Leonard Slatkin). He is very generous with added ornamentation and more. I don't know if any of them can be found on YouTube, but I think they're on iTunes.

best wishes,
jeff ok

[many_notes]

Thanks for the suggestions, especially for Zlotkin -- he was just what I had in mind.  For anyone interested, I also just remembered that Robert Levin is also well-known for improvising on Mozart.