Which Nocturnes by Chopin

[Josquin13]

I don't see Maria-Joao Pires as a "default choice".  She's a fine pianist and plays the Nocturnes beautifully, and she's well recorded too (though not of the highest audiophile sound quality).  I'd say it's one of the best sets of the "digital" era-- along with Halina Czerny-Stefanska and Maria Tipo's, and would make an excellent gift.  (Surprisingly, I wasn't altogether a fan of Nelson Freire's set--as I thought he could be too effeminate in certain Nocturnes.  Although yes, Engerer & Rev are very good too. As for De Maria, I tend to prefer the Nocturnes of his teacher, Maria Tipo.  Anyone heard Nelson Goerner's recent set on Alpha?)  Pires' approach to the Nocturnes was influenced by Rubinstein, though I actually prefer her set.  If you don't mind spending a little extra money, you might consider buying the Shm-CD import release of her Nocturnes (from Japan), which sound better:

https://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Nocturnes-Maria-Joao-Pires/dp/B0053MFJS8/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1510818535&sr=1-6&keywords=maria+joao+pires+chopin+nocturnes

With that said, my favorite Nocturne sets are those by Claudio Arrau, Samson François, and Ivan Moravec, and of the three, I tend to enjoy Arrau's the most.  He's also better recorded than the other two.  Although I should warn you that some listeners find Arrau's Nocturnes ponderous.  Personally, I think they are profound.  Arrau was known to take greater pains in studying scores than most, and his approach reflects his early boyhood training with Liszt's favorite last pupil, Martin Krause. According to pianist Emil von Sauer, Liszt played his own music more slowly and quietly than the big virtuosos of the early 20th century.  And that's exactly how Arrau plays these Nocturnes.  In Arrau's hands, they actually sound like night music.  It's a desert island set in my collection.

If you decide instead to pick François's hauntingly poetic Nocturnes, I'd suggest you buy the latest remasters by French EMI (that is, any of the post-2010 reissues, I guess) that were originally made for the expensive "Complete" (French) EMI box set in 2010, as the older, pre-2010 EMI François releases weren't especially good, sound-wise, and I wouldn't recommend them as a gift.  (His Nocturne recordings were made in 1966.) 

If you choose Moravec, the most recent remasters of his (originally AAD) set were made by Supraphon:

https://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Nocturnes-Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric/dp/B0085U0GYW/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1510818812&sr=1-1&keywords=Moravec+Chopin+nocturnes

I also like Ashkenazy in the Nocturnes, but he's not everyone's cup of tea.  Ashkenazy tends to play the score to the letter, and some listeners find him too literal or not imaginative enough.  A composer friend of mine likes his Chopin for precisely that reason--that Ashkenazy is ultra attentive to the score.  As for myself, I value Ashkenazy's Chopin, and find it a refreshing alternative to the endless liberties taken by some of the older pianists.  At his best I find Ashkenazy to be more poetic and sensitive than Pollini.  (Btw, Ashkenazy's set is a mixture of analogue and digital recordings, as he didn't initially record the music in one session.)

As mentioned, Maria Tipo is also wonderful in the Nocturnes (on EMI), though I'd be a little hesitant to recommend her set as a first choice--as it is very romantic playing, and she can be quite slow (although her approach certainly works for me).  The late Polish pianist, Halina-Czerny Stefanska also recorded a very fine set of Nocturnes in the late 1980s (for RCA Japan), and it's another one of my top favorites, but unfortunately, it's OOP & hard to find these days.

Hope that helps.

P.S. I didn't know that Thierry de Brunhoff had recorded a set of Nocturnes.  Thanks for that info, Florestan. Yes, I expect his set would be wonderful.  Brunhoff was a student of Cortot's and I think he'd be much better known today if he hadn't chosen to become a monk in his early prime (as a pianist).  His father, if memory serves, gave the world "Babar the Elephant".  Interesting family.

A special 'hello' to Mandryka!  I was "MRS" at Amazon, but have changed my name (for reasons that will be obvious to you).

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Go buy any and all Maryla Jonas resissues you can find. Or, if you're cool like me, get the original LPs!  In big, scary, glorious MONO!

[Josquin13]

I totally agree. Maryla Jonas is one of my favorite Chopin pianists, especially in the Mazurkas and the 7 Nocturnes (etc.) that she was able to record before her untimely death.  In case anyone doesn't know, her complete recordings have been superbly remastered and released in a Sony "original jackets" box set.  Grab them while you can:

[asin]B072KY1H9B[/asin]

[George]

I adore the Nocturnes and have been listening to them even more lately, as I need to cull some of my Nocturne sets. I have decided to let go of Abbey Simon's set, who is perfectly fine, but does not add anything that I don't feel I have in my other sets. I've also decided to let go of Pires's set, as I am not fond of the glassy sound and the dramatic, concertized way she plays them. That was a tough decision, as her way with them is certainly unique. I don't plan to get rid of her set right away, I'll keep it in case I change my mind.

Other Sets I have:

Smeterlin
Ciani
Moravec
Weissenberg
Wasowski
Tipo
Ciccolini
Rubinstein (x3)
Francois
Arrau
Ashkenase

[Daverz]

Has anyone heard Kun-Woo Paik? 



It seems to be download/streaming only.

[George]

Has anyone heard Kun-Woo Paik? 



It seems to be download/streaming only.

If it's on Spotify (is it?) I will gladly check it out tomorrow at work.

[Alek Hidell]

Well, of course Todd has heard it: https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,26952.msg1222127.html#msg1222127

[George]

Has anyone heard Kun-Woo Paik? 



It seems to be download/streaming only.

Cool video here with the pianist talking about recording the Nocturnes:

https://www.facebook.com/deutschegrammophon/videos/kun-woo-paik-chopin-the-complete-nocturnes/673179079767816/

[ChopinBroccoli]

Pires is a great choice

As is Rubinstein

[j winter]

If I could have only one set, I'd pick Rubinstein's 60's version, with no regrets.

If I can have three, probably Rubinstein, Arrau, and Moravec, though I reserve the right to change my mind for no good reason....


I've also really enjoyed Pollini recently, though it 's not a top pick for me as yet....

[Mandryka]

Has anyone heard Kun-Woo Paik? 



It seems to be download/streaming only.

It's very very good.

[George]

It's very very good.

Agreed. I listened to some of it today.

Also listening now to Ciccolini's set on Cascavelle. It is even more gorgeous than I had remembered.

[Holden]

Rubinstein (60s)
Moravec
Askenase

[Florestan]

cross-post from the WAYL2N thread



CD1

Several people whose opinions I value have praised this so my expectations were high. Unfortunately, they were not met in the least.

I couldn't disagree more with Todd's enthusiastic review: https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,26952.msg1222127.html#msg1222127

Plodding to, and often beyond, the limit of disintegration. I'm sorry but I can think of no other way to put it. I'm not in principle opposed to slowness (as in Barenboim's way with Schiubert's sonatas, for instance) but Mr. Paik takes it to insane levels. And the problem is compounded by the fact that, for all this exaggerated slowness, the effect, far from being light and ethereal, it's heavy and earthbound. Boredom set in after just the first three Nocturnes (at Paik's tempos this means actually about half an hour --- okay, I'm exaggerating but not too much) and eventually I stopped listening somewhere half-way through the disc. Listening to CD2 is not even an option.

Possibly the worst performance of the Nocturnes I've ever heard.

Sorry, Todd, Mandryka, George.

[Todd]

For complete sets, Huangci, Amoyel, or Yokoyama (Sony) are my top choices.  For incomplete sets, and for something even slower and more distended than the extremely fine Paik, Michel Block is something else.  I suspect it could elicit a love it or hate it response.

[Florestan]

For complete sets, Huangci, Amoyel, or Yokoyama (Sony) are my top choices.  For incomplete sets, and for something even slower and more distended than the extremely fine Paik, Michel Block is something else.  I suspect it could elicit a love it or hate it response.

I wholeheartedly second Huangci.

For incomplete sets I wholeheartedly recommend this



if you can put up with Say's obsessive-compulsive moaning&groaning.

[Todd]

For incomplete sets I wholeheartedly recommend this



if you can put up with Say's obsessive-compulsive moaning&groaning.

Oh my, I forgot that.  I am terribly embarrassed.  A superb disc.  Pity Say didn't record them all.

[Florestan]

A superb disc.  Pity Say didn't record them all.

Agreed.

[George]

I just sampled Say's and Huangci's Nocturnes and was surprised to find I didn't like Say's nearly as much as Huangci's. (Surprised because I generally like Say's recordings.)

Will keep listening to Huangci and decide if I want to buy it. Is her set in one of those slim, 2CD cases?

And as for Paik's set, I gave it a full listen at home and found that, in a way, I agree with Todd/Mandryka and Florestan. At times the slower tempos really work for him, but when they fail him, like in Op. 15/1, they really fail badly. I miss the forward momentum found by many other pianists. But elsewhere his slower tempos add to the dreamy, introspective nature of the music.   

[Todd]

Will keep listening to Huangci and decide if I want to buy it. Is her set in one of those slim, 2CD cases?

I went the discount, high res download route.  Almost no one issues fat box two CD sets anymore.