Krystian Zimerman's performances.

[Hamfast]

He is my favourite pianist because i think his performances are perfect. Though he's hardly ever played public concersos(in Carnegie soon) and he's recorded not many CD in comparison with other pianist, all his CDs IS prefect!!!
If he decided record any piece, his performance is always the one of the best in whole world.
The first of all...his sound....Profundity and beuty of his sound...
His interpretation...i haven't any questions. Each note has place in time. Very romantic play. Completed vision of work. Ideal pianist!

Which Zimerman's recording is, your opinion, fairest and why?
 I love most of all Chopin's Four Ballades, Barcarolle and Fantasy;
also concertos:   
              Chopin
          Liszt
      Rachmaninov
   Ravel
Beethoven;
TOTENTANZ, Schubert's IMPROMPTUS, all Chopin's works -
 - in my opinion he is the best performer of Chopin's works in today's times living.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

[ChampY]

I use to play his playing a lot also. But now, I am  a little bit annoyed when he does rubato and take time. It is still not out of propotion. However, I think it's too much.

This is just my oppinion and I don't know if anyone would agree with me, I actaully love NOT PERFECT recording. What I mean by that is things like recording of recitals. I think it sounds fresher and not fake. With the technology theseday we have, you (and I) can just easily delete some wrong notes (if it's not too many) on your own recording. For string people, we can bent the pitch until it's in tune even if they are out of tune. If your playing is not as fast, we can make it faster.(of couse we cannot change from metronome marking from 70 to 180. but from 100 to 120 is still OK. I did that sometimes to fool my friends, hahaha)

[steinwaymodeld]

He is my favourite pianist because i think his performances are perfect. Though he's hardly ever played public concersos(in Carnegie soon) and he's recorded not many CD in comparison with other pianist, all his CDs IS prefect!!!
If he decided record any piece, his performance is always the one of the best in whole world.
The first of all...his sound....Profundity and beuty of his sound...
His interpretation...i haven't any questions. Each note has place in time. Very romantic play. Completed vision of work. Ideal pianist!

Which Zimerman's recording is, your opinion, fairest and why?
 I love most of all Chopin's Four Ballades, Barcarolle and Fantasy;
also concertos:   
              Chopin
          Liszt
      Rachmaninov
   Ravel
Beethoven;
TOTENTANZ, Schubert's IMPROMPTUS, all Chopin's works -
 - in my opinion he is the best performer of Chopin's works in today's times living.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Don't like the idea of 'perfect', being 'perfect' means there is nothing else to be prasied except perfection.

I definately think Zimerman is one of the best pianists nowadays, and he plays a lot of Chopin magnificiently, and yea, i love his Chopins.

But for music that needs more character for eg like Liszt Totentanz, Gyrogy Cziffra is still unbeatable.

I actually would love to hear him record Gaspard de la nuit.

[lenny]

everything ive heard of his playing has impressed me immensely, but as of yet i havent heard as much as i would like to.

[hodi]

he plays the rachmaninov concertos so beautifully it makes me cry! (especially the 2nd concerto, i think it's the best recording)

[lenny]

it aslo has the fastest 3rd mvt entrance ever, amazing technique

[krittyot]

check out his 1975 live recs at Chopin competition

Chopin's etude op.10, no.7-8, op.25, no.4, and couple Scherzi

His Mozart Piano sonatas, Beethoven Piano Sonatas, 14 Chopin's Waltzes...etc (1978)

They are all phenomenal.

You can't expect any better.

[musik_man]

But for music that needs more character for eg like Liszt Totentanz, Gyrogy Cziffra is still unbeatable.

I've listened to the Cziffra live Totentanz and Zimmerman's.  I have to say that I like Zimmerman's alot more.  Cziffra seems unable to play in a steady manner at all.  Dynamics and tempo fluctuate like crazy.  Zimmerman plays with incredible steadiness, which, to me, creates a much more exciting atmosphere.  The steadiness pays off the most in the slow sections, where Zimmerman is just beautiful.  Additionally, I think the orchestra plays much better.  The orchestra is too quiet in the Cziffra.

BTW Zimmerman is 45secs faster   And we all know that that's all that matters

[thracozaag]

I've listened to the Cziffra live Totentanz and Zimmerman's.  I have to say that I like Zimmerman's alot more.  Cziffra seems unable to play in a steady manner at all.  Dynamics and tempo fluctuate like crazy.  Zimmerman plays with incredible steadiness, which, to me, creates a much more exciting atmosphere.  The steadiness pays off the most in the slow sections, where Zimmerman is just beautiful.  Additionally, I think the orchestra plays much better.  The orchestra is too quiet in the Cziffra.

BTW Zimmerman is 45secs faster   And we all know that that's all that matters

  I think you're mistaking Cziffra's unique rhythmic sense as "unsteady". 

koji (STSD)

[lenny]

I've listened to the Cziffra live Totentanz and Zimmerman's.  I have to say that I like Zimmerman's alot more.  Cziffra seems unable to play in a steady manner at all.  Dynamics and tempo fluctuate like crazy.  Zimmerman plays with incredible steadiness, which, to me, creates a much more exciting atmosphere.  The steadiness pays off the most in the slow sections, where Zimmerman is just beautiful.  Additionally, I think the orchestra plays much better.  The orchestra is too quiet in the Cziffra.

BTW Zimmerman is 45secs faster   And we all know that that's all that matters

yes, cziffra is wild and insane, his rhythmic sense is totally unique in the history of recorded piano playing, whereas zimmerman's is highly imitable(not to say he isnt rhythmically gifted or imagintative).

cziffra's style comes naturally to him, nobody else comes close in this style of pianism.

of course i also adore recordings by zimerman, they perfectly compliment eachother.

both performances are undoubltedly great, but id prize cziffra'sd over zimerman's, for the simple fact that zim's style is imitable, cziffra's is INIMITABLE.

about the orchestra being too quiet - turn it up!

i rock out to this performance every day ritually, the volume is permanently at ELEVEN 

[maxy]

I used to like Zimerman.... before I actually saw him in recital.  First I have to say it was a Brahms recital: not exactly the best rep for him.  Therefore, the Chopin encore (3rd mvt of 3rd sonata)was 50x better than the rest of the recital. 

I found that assisting to that particular recital was a disturbing experience.  I have no problem with a cocky attitude on stage: to be a total show-off is fine.  But what I felt the most when he played was: how much he loved himself...  It may sound weird, but that feeling I got was pretty extreme.  Since then, I have a hard time listening to his recordings. 

And by the way, he is not perfect  . 

Poor Cziffra, he remains misunderstood... 

[sidoze]

I found that assisting to that particular recital was a disturbing experience.  I have no problem with a cocky attitude on stage: to be a total show-off is fine.  But what I felt the most when he played was: how much he loved himself...  It may sound weird, but that feeling I got was pretty extreme.  Since then, I have a hard time listening to his recordings. 

I get the same feeling. IMO he's quite horribly overrated. Some of his performances are superb (Totentanz, though I agree with the comments about Cziffra), but his Debussy is some of the worst (Debussy as Liszt), and his Chopin, which might be the composer he's best suited to, really doesn't offer much compared to many great performances of the past (Cortot, Francois, Tiegerman, Czerny-Stefanska, Rubinstein etc.). The Rachmaninoff is superficial and, for me, exudes vainglory.

[krittyot]

his Chopin, which might be the composer he's best suited to, really doesn't offer much compared to many great performances of the past (Cortot, Francois, Tiegerman, Czerny-Stefanska, Rubinstein etc.). The Rachmaninoff is superficial and, for me, exudes vainglory.

another adsurd post. If u can come up with the idea that his Chopin doesn't offer much music, then it makes no sense for me to keep arguing. Then I will assume those pianists u mentioned above could play the 4 Ballades, 2 concerti, and minor works of Chopin way superior to Zimerman.

How ignorant !!!!

[Hamfast]

Oh yeah! I agree, Cortot, Rubinstein, Czerny-Stefanska was great, Cziffra...no questions..., but Zimerman...

he plays the rachmaninov concertos so beautifully it makes me cry! (especially the 2nd concerto, i think it's the best recording)

It IS the best recording!

check out his 1975 live recs at Chopin competition

Chopin's etude op.10, no.7-8, op.25, no.4, and couple Scherzi

His Mozart Piano sonatas, Beethoven Piano Sonatas, 14 Chopin's Waltzes...etc (1978)

They are all phenomenal.

You can't expect any better.

Hat. Hat. Hat. Do you know, jury of Chopin's competitions didn't want to qualify him because of his age, but after he had played Lidia Grychtolowna said he MUST take participation...

[pianojems]

I find his Chopin Ballades to be the best in the world. I have compared them to many other recordings and none came close. His tone is so refined and delicate at times, that I have trouble believing it!

[ujos3]

My teacher thinks he is not able to "hear" all the subtlenesses of Zimmerman playing.
Some pianists have better ear than others.

[iumonito]

another adsurd post. If u can come up with the idea that his Chopin doesn't offer much music, then it makes no sense for me to keep arguing. Then I will assume those pianists u mentioned above could play the 4 Ballades, 2 concerti, and minor works of Chopin way superior to Zimerman.

How ignorant !!!!

Well, well, well: no need to get snippy.  First of all, your assumption is correct: vastly superior.  Not that Zimmerman can't play: he is a very profound artist and I have heard he is a first-rate teacher; but that does not negate the fact that he is neither a poet nor an innovator at the piano, and he sorely lacks charisma in his public performances.  You can't say that of the late Rubinstein, can you?  (Maybe you can, which is alright too.)

Second, and more important, the beauty of art is that we can disagree about the merits of this and that.  You may think Mozart is a chimpanzee and I play nothing but Mozart for thirty years and both of us can be right.  2 + 2 = 5 or 6 or 4.

And btw, I think nobody has mentioned the only Zimmerman recordings I think are worth $16 plus taxes:  Brahms first and second concerti, the five Beethoven ones and a terrific recording of Lutowslawski's concerto.

[krittyot]

You may think Mozart is a chimpanzee and I play nothing but Mozart for thirty years and both of us can be right.  2 + 2 = 5 or 6 or 4.

WHAT??

And btw, I think nobody has mentioned the only Zimmerman recordings I think are worth $16 plus taxes:  Brahms first and second concerti, the five Beethoven ones and a terrific recording of Lutowslawski's concerto.

they all are available in DVDs.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

I own his Grieg and Schumann concerti, and his are my favorite recordings of those yet. I love his musicality/interpretation. Sadly, that is the only recording of his that I own.

[kevink]

But for music that needs more character for eg like Liszt Totentanz, Gyrogy Cziffra is still unbeatable.

Wow!!  I have to disagree with you strongly on that comment.  For me, Cziffra just trashes the Totentanz.  He inflects it with so much of his OWN character that the depth of the piece is totally lost.  It is a barn-burner under his fingers of course, and it is very exciting... but it just isn't serious, and I think one can get a lot more out of the piece if it is treated with more care.  It isn't just a vehicle for virtuosity... 
Also, Cziffra is certainly a creative player, but that doesn't mean his style is "inimitable."  And to be honest, the laws of physics will tell you that it is more difficult to imitate "legit" playing than it is to imitate "affected" playing.  The reason for this is that there are an infinite number of ways to play Liszt badly, but there are comparatively very few ways to play Liszt well.  How's that for inflammatory?  :=)  Just my two cents.  Haven't heard the Zimerman Totentanz.

Speaking of Liszt and Zimerman, I think his recording of the b minor sonata is just awesome.  Easily my favorite... and I, too, am not wild about "perfect" recordings... but his reading just does justice to so much of it, I don't even mind that it was probably the 110th take (or several takes spliced together) that we are listening to...