Chopin Recordings

Started by George, April 06, 2007, 06:00:36 AM

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George

Quote from: MichaelRabin on April 20, 2010, 02:09:43 PM
Are Moravec's Chopin Nocturnes so superior that literally all the people on Amazon (40 pax) put 5 stars on the Amazon site? How does Arrau & Rubinstein fare vis-a-vis Moravec please? Thanks.

For me, Arrau wins out against both. I find him more expressive, not to mention better recorded.

SonicMan46

Quote from: George on April 20, 2010, 02:16:16 PM
For me, Arrau wins out against both. I find him more expressive, not to mention better recorded.

George - well, I'm not sure, Moarvec was culled to my favorite version of these works - I picked up the Earl Wild recordings and enjoyed - BTW, I've you hard his interpretations? I guess that my 'bottom line' is that Moravec is pretty damn good - for us 'mortals' not into the most finite differences, would not Moravec please in these performances for much of us?  Just a thought - you don't need the perfect interpretation (if possible), but one of the tops will likely satisfy most of us, I would suspect - Dave  :)

George

Quote from: SonicMan on April 20, 2010, 03:45:14 PM
George - well, I'm not sure, Moarvec was culled to my favorite version of these works - I picked up the Earl Wild recordings and enjoyed - BTW, I've you hard his interpretations?

Yes, I sampled Wild's Nocturnes over the weekend, in fact. I didn't really like them, as they seemed to subdued for me.

QuoteI guess that my 'bottom line' is that Moravec is pretty damn good - for us 'mortals' not into the most finite differences, would not Moravec please in these performances for much of us?  Just a thought - you don't need the perfect interpretation (if possible), but one of the tops will likely satisfy most of us, I would suspect - Dave  :)

LOL! I expect to die just like the rest of us, Dave. I hope so, as I don't wanna live forever. ;D 

To me, the difference between Arrau's interpretation and the others is not subtle. I expect that most Classical buffs could pick his out in a crowded field. In fact a lot of folks don't like his way with this music, finding it mannered or even ponderous. I find his caressing care to every phrase to be thoroughly enjoyable. I don't really like much else of his Chopin, strange enough, but here he is sublime.

They key in choosing an interpretation (and I am certain that you must know this) is understanding that there's not one perfect choice for everyone. However, there just might be one perfect one for you. And really only you can make that call. That said, Moravec is an excellent set. I really like Wasowski, Ciccolini and Tipo in these works too. They are all OOP but worth seeking out in the used bins. The two early Rubinstein sets are very enjoyable and interesting as well. We are blessed by the fact that these lovely works have been served very well over the years by many different pianists IMO.

dirkronk

Quote from: MichaelRabin on April 20, 2010, 02:09:43 PM
Are Moravec's Chopin Nocturnes so superior that literally all the people on Amazon (40 pax) put 5 stars on the Amazon site? How does Arrau & Rubinstein fare vis-a-vis Moravec please? Thanks.

Not an easy call. The more I listen over the years, the more my tastes move around. For me, Arrau's attractions still exist, but my one-time placement of his Nocturnes above Rubinstein & Moravec has been on the wane for a while. Rubinstein, whom I'd cooled on several years back, is most definitely on the rise again for me (talking here of his last, stereo set). Moravec occupies a more stable middle ground. But these three HAVE made up the range of interps that makes me happy, so for now and the foreseeable future, all three are necessary. See what I mean? Don't mean to be wishy-washy, but no one pianist makes it all happen for me all the time.

BTW, I've noted George's evaluation of Arrau's as "better recorded"--but would suggest that a showdown of the analog originals on a superior turntable might prove otherwise. Fact is, I wouldn't put money that the Philips would beat the Connoisseur Society original recordings by E. Alan Silver, who was arguably one of the best recordists of piano of the pre-digital era. Sound on CD may be more problematic, and obviously dependent on the quality of the transfers.
;D

Dirk

abidoful

Quote from: Mandryka on April 19, 2010, 08:53:03 AM
Do you even like Progorelich in the slow preludes?
Well, I have heard only that B-flat prelude (the only slow one) and yeahm I did like it  :) Though he's sound is little "straight forward" & kind of narrow...but everything else- the phrasing, the tempo- I like. It is from LP I once heard containing the 2nd Ballade, the E flat Nocturne (op.55) these few preludes and something else that I forgot. great recording. And he's 2nd sonata is in my opinnion the ideal performance; the SCENT OF DEATH

Holden

Quote from: George on April 20, 2010, 02:16:16 PM
For me, Arrau wins out against both. I find him more expressive, not to mention better recorded.

For me it's Rubinstein and Moravec for the complete set. However, as you ably pointed out, it's all down to your 'way' with Chopin. While I find the Arrau very mannered others hear this as him getting down the essence of the Nocturnes.

Arrau was more than just a pianist. He was an exceptional musician so I can understand why people really like his nocturne interpretations. I have his Liszt TE's and for many they don't have the bravura approach that we expect of this fine set of Etudes. The likes of Gekic, Cziffra and Ovchinikov have produced outstanding recordings of this ouevre with all the flash and crash required. But when I listen to Arrau's 'Harmonies du Soir' I know that he plumbed the musical depths that little bit further than any of them. Maybe this is what others hear in his Chopin Nocturne set.
Cheers

Holden

George

Quote from: Holden on April 21, 2010, 12:52:25 AM
Arrau was more than just a pianist. He was an exceptional musician so I can understand why people really like his nocturne interpretations. I have his Liszt TE's and for many they don't have the bravura approach that we expect of this fine set of Etudes. The likes of Gekic, Cziffra and Ovchinikov have produced outstanding recordings of this ouevre with all the flash and crash required. But when I listen to Arrau's 'Harmonies du Soir' I know that he plumbed the musical depths that little bit further than any of them. Maybe this is what others hear in his Chopin Nocturne set.

Absolutely! I know that he thought very highly of the Nocturnes and his playing coveys this fact.

Herman

So, to conclude, in the Preludes you like Argerich, whoxe recording you haven't heard, and Pogorelich, of whom you have heard only some excerpts, and Cortot  -  but not all of them.

Why don't you try to get hold of some really good recordings and listen to Op 28 in its entirety? You could even start with Argerich (whom I don't like), or Cortot (who's great), or Arrau.

MichaelRabin

Well, Europadisc has the Arrau at GBP4.21 for 2 CDs - which is very cheap. I thought of taking the plunge here. 

abidoful

Quote from: Herman on April 21, 2010, 04:05:52 AM
So, to conclude, in the Preludes you like Argerich, whoxe recording you haven't heard, and Pogorelich, of whom you have heard only some excerpts, and Cortot  -  but not all of them.

Why don't you try to get hold of some really good recordings and listen to Op 28 in its entirety? You could even start with Argerich (whom I don't like), or Cortot (who's great), or Arrau.
(Thank's for your sympathetic comments.......)

james66


There's a 6-cd set from EMI of Chopin's piano works (performers like Ohlssohn, Gavrilov, Arrau etc) that's going pretty cheap. Is it worth getting? I know little of Chopin's output and am trying to remedy that situation. Thanks in advance.

George

Quote from: james66 on April 21, 2010, 09:50:39 PM
There's a 6-cd set from EMI of Chopin's piano works (performers like Ohlssohn, Gavrilov, Arrau etc) that's going pretty cheap. Is it worth getting? I know little of Chopin's output and am trying to remedy that situation. Thanks in advance.

Do you have a link to that set?

kishnevi

Quote from: james66 on April 21, 2010, 09:50:39 PM
There's a 6-cd set from EMI of Chopin's piano works (performers like Ohlssohn, Gavrilov, Arrau etc) that's going pretty cheap. Is it worth getting? I know little of Chopin's output and am trying to remedy that situation. Thanks in advance.

Is this the one you mean?  Obviously more than 6CDs
http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=12621

I have the Ohlsson concertos and Smith mazurkas, and agree with that part of the review, at least.

George

#853
Quote from: james66 on April 21, 2010, 09:50:39 PM
There's a 6-cd set from EMI of Chopin's piano works (performers like Ohlssohn, Gavrilov, Arrau etc) that's going pretty cheap. Is it worth getting? I know little of Chopin's output and am trying to remedy that situation. Thanks in advance.

Any reason you are going the box set route? I don't think it's the best way to collect Chopin.

That said, if you must get a box, I suggest getting the Askenazy one on Decca.

If you decide to go for individual CDs, I may have one or two duplicates that I could sell you for cheap. Just send me a PM. 

Mandryka

#854
Quote from: james66 on April 21, 2010, 09:50:39 PM
There's a 6-cd set from EMI of Chopin's piano works (performers like Ohlssohn, Gavrilov, Arrau etc) that's going pretty cheap. Is it worth getting? I know little of Chopin's output and am trying to remedy that situation. Thanks in advance.

If you don't know much Chopin get your self a really outstanding recording.

There's an Italian Radio DVD from Michelangeli on Opus Arte which I always recommend to people who want to get to know Chopin's music better.

Or if you don't mind old records, the two boxes of transfers on the Andante label are very good.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

james66


Thanks for the replies, guys. Yep, that's most probably the set in the classicstoday link. Interesting review. I don't always agree with Jed Distler. If by workaday (Ohlssohn), he means non-romantic and straightforward, I may like it. I might get the set, if only as a starter on Chopin. I do have the full nocturnes by Bart Van Oort on period pianos, which I really enjoy (I bought if more for the instruments used). Thanks again, guys.


Mandryka

Quote from: abidoful on April 19, 2010, 01:28:13 AM
POLONAISE-FANTAISIE- don't know a completely satisfactory one: (

Prompted by your remark I listened to a few today. Richter ("Authorised") and Rubinstein (50s mono)  were both pretty good.. But the performance I enjoyed the most was from Alexis Weissenberg (EMI)

This piece is full of contrasts – there are melting soft passages and more rhythmically incisive bits. I thought that sometimes Weissenberg played with the most touching humanity and with beautiful colours. And at other times he was harder toned, more monochromatic. Despite this variety, he bites the whole piece off at once. It's a unified, integrated performance

And he moves the music forward really well – it never flounders.

Anyway, FWIW I like AW in this. More than Richter and Rubinstein this time round.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen


Clever Hans

Quote from: George on April 24, 2010, 12:41:11 PM
Yes, I didn't much like it.

Seems pretty straight, but not boring. I like Moravec and Arrau more than Rubinstein, that's for sure.