Which Nocturnes by Chopin

[Holden]

Listened to the Paik to hear what had polarised opinion. At first the slower tempos seemed to work but after four nocturnes and the disaster of Op 15/1 the sameness of the approach just got boring. Chopin's music has a natural ebb and flow to it that was sadly missing here. This was just syrupy and cloying.

[staxomega]

I'm going to give Nelson Goerner a try next time I'm in the mood to hear the Nocturnes. Has anyone heard it? Nice work by the graphic artist matching the color of the background to his eyes 



(As for my favorites- Arrau, Maria Tipo, Andrzej Wasowski)

[staxomega]

I listened to Goerner- his playing isn't crystal clear in that he uses a decent amount of pedal to create more of a painted dreamscape. This leads to an overall rich sonority with not the most distinct tonal colors. Any rubato he uses feels unforced and quite natural. He also plays with great dynamic range, but it's restrained and only brought out when called for. Natural is the word I keep coming back to thinking of this as a whole. A highly interesting set, and an easy purchase quickly ordered from Amazon. It has that X factor where after it's finished I'm thinking about playing it again.

Based off what I've heard on this I'm lead to believe his Debussy should be worth checking out.

(removed thoughts Kun Woo Paik, I just need to listen to this more before judging it)

[San Antone]

I don't think this one has been mentioned:



Roger Woodward.

Very good playing and excellent sound.

[staxomega]

Exceptional performances from Pascal Amoyel, I believe these will be entering my top tier list. Some pedal noise is noticeable, which is really my only complaint.

[George]

Arrau remains my favorite set
Other favorites include Moravec (Nonesuch mastering), Wasowski and Ciccolini
I like Smeterlin (Eloquence mastering) and Weissenberg
I kinda like Freire and Tipo
I have heard these, but I don't like them - Simon, Wild, Askenase, Amoyel, Rubinstein (stereo), Francois, Ciani

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Arrau remains my favorite set
Other favorites include Moravec (Nonesuch mastering), Wasowski and Ciccolini
I like Smeterlin (Eloquence mastering) and Weissenberg
I kinda like Freire and Tipo
I have heard these, but I don't like them - Simon, Wild, Askenase, Amoyel, Rubinstein (stereo), Francois, Ciani

Don't know Arrau's but ++++ for the Morvac! 

PD

[George]

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.)

After listening to Ashkenazy's Nocturnes a few times over the last few weeks, I wanted to open up a discussion about them and how other folks find them.

I know that Josquin reports that he stays close to the score, but his dynamics are more extreme than most. I have to wonder, are that many people reinterpreting the dynamics? Many of Ashkenazy's Nocturne recorings have to be turned up quite loud to get a full piano tone in the beginning, when the music is quiet and by the time we get to some of the climaxes, the volume is loud and bangy. I also found something similar in his Beethoven.

At any rate, I am curious to hear what others think on this. In Ashkenazy's hands, the Noctunres sound more like Ballades. And one other point, his rubato often doesn't make sense, its hard to follow. Almost like he doesn't know the works well enough. 

[George]

What do folks think of this guy's Nocturnes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPmZorRo2vQ

[Mandryka]

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 came across Amoyel just recently because I'm interested in music by Olivier Greif. I searched here for mentions and came across this. His nocturnes are interesting! Thanks for prompting me to listen to them.

[Daverz]

Jed Distler picks 6 cycles "on account of their diversity in playing style their diversity of interpretive conceptions and also that they represent several generations of pianists":

Smeterlin (Freire's Decca cycle mentioned in passing)
Lympany
Moravec
Arrau 1978
Hough
Goerner

"I'm going to save Arthur Rubinstein's three Chopin Nocturne cycles for a separate episode..."

[Holden]

No musical examples? It would have been so easy. I stopped listening after he talked about Moravec.