Chopin Recordings

[Mandryka]

I've been enjoying Stanislav Bunin's Chopin, of which I've collected four disks. The albums above contain fantastic Chopin. His fingers seem to play the music through an abstracted lens, kaleidoscopic with angles and strong turns and nuanced phrasing. His playing captures my imagination. Aces!

I'm inclined to agree with you about Bunin. I've decided to try to hear everything he's ever recorded (which isn't much.)

[George]

I'm inclined to agree with you about Bunin. I've decided to try to hear everything he's ever recorded (which isn't much.)

His Chopin Etudes on EMI didn't make me want to hear more. Maybe the DG stuff is earlier or later (and better?)

[Mandryka]

His Chopin Etudes on EMI didn't make me want to hear more. Maybe the DG stuff is earlier or later (and better?)

No, I don't think so. I've known you for a while now, George, and I can see that Bunin is not your type. Not sweet and warm enough. He's not romantic at all.

I'm not sure he's my type either, it's just that I can sense a distinctive vision and a personlity there which i want to get to know.

[Mandryka]

Stanislav Bunin does the Chopin walztes. Nice silvery tone, sweet-acid more like pineapple and tarte au citron than mango and chocolate cake.  Marked rubato and tempo variations, which are a bit disorienting and unexpected, but not in a bad way necessarily. Witty, happy, playful, wide awake, extrovert  at first but in ops  69 ans 70 it  becomes less glib, he finds more nuanced psychological states - melancholy, nostalgia, you know the sort of thing.

I wouldn't say it's nervy playing, because that has too many negative connotations which aren't merited (nervy=neurotic etc.) The word for his type of playing, I think, is wired. He's slightly wired up.

[Leo K.]

Stanislav Bunin does the Chopin walztes. Nice silvery tone, sweet-acid more like pineapple and tarte au citron than mango and chocolate cake.  Marked rubato and tempo variations, which are a bit disorienting and unexpected, but not in a bad way necessarily. Witty, happy, playful, wide awake, extrovert  at first but in ops  69 ans 70 it  becomes less glib, he finds more nuanced psychological states - melancholy, nostalgia, you know the sort of thing.

I wouldn't say it's nervy playing, because that has too many negative connotations which aren't merited (nervy=neurotic etc.) The word for his type of playing, I think, is wired. He's slightly wired up.

Thank you for your thoughts on this disk (I just got a copy). Your description of Bunin's style is on point, I totally agree.

[Mandryka]

Just listen to this extraordinary 3rd sonata from Horszowski, I only discovered it this morning, I love the way the first movement magically turns from death to life. And the largo - it feels as if he's creating the music, and has an attractive nocturnal quality. It's from a BBC Legends CD, very well recorded on the CD (I haven't heard the youtube)

https://youtube.com/v/Q_KeyWkF158

Another 3rd sonata I've been enjoying this week is Samson François, the studio recording, which is very badly engineered, horrible hard piano tone,  but is totally passionate and somehow psychedelic, trippy.

[terje]

I wouldn't say it's nervy playing, because that has too many negative connotations which aren't merited (nervy=neurotic etc.) The word for his type of playing, I think, is wired. He's slightly wired up.

Bunin exhibits this type of wired, edgy and sometimes aggressive manner throughout his Chopin discography. There's a live Chopin third sonata on YT which captures this well. At the same time it's very impressive and can be rather demanding on the listener. He's not the sort to lull you into reveries.

[Mandryka]

Bunin exhibits this type of wired, edgy and sometimes aggressive manner throughout his Chopin discography. There's a live Chopin third sonata on YT which captures this well. At the same time it's very impressive and can be rather demanding on the listener. He's not the sort to lull you into reveries.

Which is a good thing, IMO, though I haven't heard the Chopin sonata. His CD of solo Mozart arrived last week. i have an outstanding life K 595 by him - again not daydreaming allowed. I also picked up an outstanding Kreislana from him.

[Pat B]

I just listened to Pollini playing the Second Sonata at the 1960 Chopin Competition. It's pretty great, and does not evoke the usual Pollini cliches like "cold." The sound is much better than I expected of an Eastern bloc live recording of that era. I'm not a huge fan of his DG recordings that I've heard, but I'm starting to think that may be some combination of engineering and Studio Perfection Syndrome.

[Holden]

Pollini played a number of the etudes at the competition (it's possible that he played a complete set) and shortly after he won he was engaged to record both Opp 10 and 25 for EMI. These were never released, at Pollini's request, because he didn't think them good enough. When you compare the EMI  to the recording he made for DG over 10 years later, which many describe as cold, you hear a very musical performance and I prefer this take from the later one. This is now available on Testament. If you are a fan of the Etudes this is a must have.

[Mandryka]

Pollini played a number of the etudes at the competition (it's possible that he played a complete set) and shortly after he won he was engaged to record both Opp 10 and 25 for EMI. These were never released, at Pollini's request, because he didn't think them good enough. When you compare the EMI  to the recording he made for DG over 10 years later, which many describe as cold, you hear a very musical performance and I prefer this take from the later one. This is now available on Testament. If you are a fan of the Etudes this is a must have.

I have a recording of (allegedly)  his Warsaw competition performance, it appeared on Hunt (HuntCD 506.) He played op 35 and a handful of preludes, etudes and mazurkas. It's good, very good, some of the best Chopin playing I have ever heard, despite a perversely life affirming funeral march sonata!  You can see why he caused such a kerfuffle.Let me know if you want it.

I think he became increasingly steely, you can here it in the passage from Hunt to Testament  to DG.  This impression is compounded by the sound DG saddled him with, indeed it may be due to the DG sound. When you listen to his live recordings, or indeed here him live, he makes a more complicated sound come out of the piano.

Tracks 1-4: Sonata #2 op.35
5: Mazurka op. 50 #3
6: Mazurka op. 33 #3
7: Mazurka op. 59 #3
8: Prelude op. 28 #2
9: Prelude op. 28 #8
10: Prelude op. 28 #24
11: Etude op. 25 #10
12: Etude op. 25 #11
13: Etude op. 10 #1
14: Etude op. 10 #10
15: Nocturne op. 48 #1
16: Polanaise op. 44

[Todd]

When you listen to his live recordings, or indeed here him live, he makes a more complicated sound come out of the piano.

He often/usually uses Fabbrini Steinways in recital and concert, so he clearly concerns himself with sound.  Some of the 70s era recordings sound somewhat artificial, but some of the recordings from the last couple decades are more varied.

[Holden]

I have a recording of (allegedly)  his Warsaw competition performance, it appeared on Hunt (HuntCD 506.) He played op 35 and a handful of preludes, etudes and mazurkas. It's good, very good, some of the best Chopin playing I have ever heard, despite a perversely life affirming funeral march sonata!  You can see why he caused such a kerfuffle.Let me know if you want it.

I think he became increasingly steely, you can here it in the passage from Hunt to Testament  to DG.  This impression is compounded by the sound DG saddled him with, indeed it may be due to the DG sound. When you listen to his live recordings, or indeed here him live, he makes a more complicated sound come out of the piano.

Tracks 1-4: Sonata #2 op.35
5: Mazurka op. 50 #3
6: Mazurka op. 33 #3
7: Mazurka op. 59 #3
8: Prelude op. 28 #2
9: Prelude op. 28 #8
10: Prelude op. 28 #24
11: Etude op. 25 #10
12: Etude op. 25 #11
13: Etude op. 10 #1
14: Etude op. 10 #10
15: Nocturne op. 48 #1
16: Polanaise op. 44

Yes please and thank you.

[Drasko]

Has Zimerman's DG recording of 14 waltzes ever made it to CD, I don't think so, but maybe some obscurer Universal branch, Japan, Italy?

I've found mint-ish quality LP but the asking price is bit high so I'm still mulling it over.

Has anyone heard them? Or by any chance has LP rip they're willing to share?

[Todd]

Has Zimerman's DG recording of 14 waltzes ever made it to CD, I don't think so, but maybe some obscurer Universal branch, Japan, Italy?

I've been unable to find his two early solo Chopin recordings (Waltzes; Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise, et al), or his solo Mozart recordings, on CD anywhere.  I have his Mozart on LP, and it is extremely fine, and his early Chopin PC recordings leads me to think his early solo Chopin efforts are extremely fine as well, though I'm not sure I'd pay a significant premium for them.

[Jo498]

There was a DG Chopin edition in the 90s that had a disc dedicated to Zimerman. It contained a mix of earlyish and (then) more recent recording, not the complete waltzes but maybe a few of them and the grande polonaise in question. I have heard/read that Zimerman has vetoed re-issues of some of his earlier recordings (e.g. the Brahms sonatas); that might be why there are none.

[asin]B00000E4QP[/asin]

[GioCar]

Maybe it's somewhere here in this thread, but I couldn't locate a mention to this set, by a not-so-well known Italian pianist, Pietro de Maria

Did anyone listen to it? Any opinions? I have it and imo it's one of the finest. Very good reviews on Amazon as well.

[Mandryka]

Maybe it's somewhere here in this thread, but I couldn't locate a mention to this set, by a not-so-well known Italian pianist, Pietro de Maria

Did anyone listen to it? Any opinions? I have it and imo it's one of the finest. Very good reviews on Amazon as well.

I think the mazurkas are probably worth checking out. He made me think of pianists like Liberace and Horowitz and Katsaris because there's this twinkle in his eye as he plays, like he's having a bit of a laugh! He's a real entertainer! I bet the audience swoon with delight.

[SonicMan46]

 

Maybe it's somewhere here in this thread, but I couldn't locate a mention to this set, by a not-so-well known Italian pianist, Pietro de Maria

Did anyone listen to it? Any opinions? I have it and imo it's one of the finest. Very good reviews on Amazon as well.

Earlier this year (February), I bought the Pietro De Maria Chopin box and listened through twice, and decided to 'cull out' my only other complete box w/ Garrick Ohlsson (own plenty of single & double CD sets of various works) - enjoyed Maria's performances more and the sound is better (recordings made in 2006-2009); now I did leave a number of posts but likely in other threads (if interested, go to the general search box and enter Chopin & my user name).

Now, his Well-Tempered Clavier recordings have received some excellent reviews - would be interesting to hear some comments on these Bach works - do I yet need another piano version of the WTC?  Not sure, but could always cull -   Dave

 

[Holden]

Both are on Spotify