Best Piano Recordings of Recent Years?

[Ataraxia]

Thanks.

[Todd]

A few that come to mind. 

 


 


 

[Brian]

Agree very strongly with Todd on Schuch, Bavouzet, and Guy (haven't heard the others). Adding to those this collection (interpreting your question as 2005-):

[Todd]

I wavered on this only because it is fortepiano, but if Dave is up for HIP, I concur.

[Ataraxia]

Very generous. Thanks.

I have a couple of these and several of the others are on Spotify so I have some fine listening ahead of me.

Keep 'em coming.

[Brian]

I wavered on this only because it is fortepiano, but if Dave is up for HIP, I concur.

Oh! That reminds me of this:



I think Don/Bulldog/Sammy cited it as his favorite G flat impromptu? Listening to Lubimov's voicing in the 60-second sample, I can understand why.

EDIT: Non-HIP alternative for these exact same works:

[Ataraxia]

Oh! That reminds me of this:



I think Don/Bulldog/Sammy cited it as his favorite G flat impromptu? Listening to Lubimov's voicing in the 60-second sample, I can understand why.

That's on Spotify too.

[Todd]

Seeing the Impromptus reminded me of Lucchesini's disc above, which in turn reminded me of Lucchesini's disc below, for those who enjoy modern music.

[EDIT]: I see Brian edited his post to also include Lucchesini.

[DavidW]

The Tharaud Bach recording that Brian posted dropped my jaw to the floor.  It is some of the most sensuous playing of Bach I have ever heard.  It has to be heard to be believed!

[Wanderer]

I second all recommendations made so far (except Bavouzet's Debussy which I'm not very fond of), especially Schuch, Sudbin and Andsnes (whose recent Pictures at an Exhibition is also very good). Crawford's Beethoven is also quite special.

Some more suggestions that come to mind:

[asin]B00585QLX2[/asin][asin]B0027YUK8Y[/asin][asin]B000VOEI6W[/asin][asin]B003UW6WD4[/asin][asin]B001AI1Q6I[/asin][asin]B00454U1NI[/asin]

and most certainly:
[asin]B000MGBTBQ[/asin]

[Ataraxia]

The Tharaud Bach recording that Brian posted dropped my jaw to the floor.  It is some of the most sensuous playing of Bach I have ever heard.  It has to be heard to be believed!

Yeah, I've been enjoying that one for some time now.

[Ataraxia]

I second all recommendations made so far (except Bavouzet's Debussy which I'm not very fond of), especially Schuch, Sudbin and Andsnes (whose recent Pictures at an Exhibition is also very good). Crawford's Beethoven is also quite special.

Some more suggestions that come to mind:

Great!!

[Holden]

I second the Hamelin Etudes - great recording.

also

[asin]B0007XT3LM[/asin]

[asin]B004FUZLYG[/asin]

[asin]B0054O8PYA[/asin]

[Ataraxia]

Thanks, Holden!

[Mandryka]

The two glaringly obvious ones are Evgeni Bozhanov's  recording with the Chopin B minor sonata, and the live one with the waltzes. And Rubsam's Bach.

Nothing comes to mind for Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn -- maybe Osborne's record of bagatelles but I've only known it  for a month or so. Maybe Lubimov's sonatas CD too. The Staier/Schornsheim CD that Wanderer mentioned is I think very good in some things, less so in others. Van Oort's is outstanding in Mozart and Haydn - but I'm not sure that it's very recent.

For Ravel, Muraro's CDs are a real revelation (as is his Albeniz and Messaien),   but maybe these aren't really recent.  I've not kept up with Debussy recordings I'm afraid.

For Schubert, then I would pick Osborne and Lewis's CD of duets. I can't think of any sonata recordings which I think are really special. And yes, I liked Lubimov's impromptus.

For Liszt there's an outstanding CD from Mykola Suk. And Schliessmann recorded an excellent sonata.

For Schumann, there's lots. Virssaladze's record of the sonatas and Waldszenen, and her DVD of Kreisleriana, for example.  Amd the very first record from Le Sage, the one with the Fantasiestuke, which he recorded for RCA. And Andersiewsky's CD too. And Schliessmann too - he's grown on me in the Fantasie and the Kreisleriana,

For Prokofiev, there's  Virssaladze's two sonatas

And  for Brahms, well, I'd have  to check dates to see how recent things are. There's Bruno-Leonardo Gelber's Denon record of the Handel Variations, that's quite recent I think. 

Part of the problem with making this list is that some of the best pianists around don't record much commercially -- Ranki and Sokolov. And some, like Gekic, seem to  have major distribution problems. And some, like Pletnev and Kocsis and Pogorelich, seem to have given up solo piano.

[PaulSC]

Several recordings I know and admire have already been mentioned, alongside others that I'm now keen to explore. Here's a few more that stand out for me. I'm not rechecking dates, so some of these may go back five years or more...

Lovchinsky's debut recording on Ivory Classics. Some marvelous Chopin and Scriabin together with a romp through the Wild/Gershwin études.

Anya Alexyev's program entitled Parallels, on Marquis — an inventive and beautifully played pairing of Scriabin and Roslavets.

Nelson Freire's recent Debussy disc is very fine I think, as is most of Pascal Roge's recent (second) Debussy cycle — especially the Preludes.

[Todd]

The mention of Freire prompted me to remember this rather fine Liszt disc:

[Brian]

Lovchinsky's debut recording on Ivory Classics. Some marvelous Chopin and Scriabin together with a romp through the Wild/Gershwin études.

Ooooh! Interest = piqued.

[PaulSC]

The Lovchinsky is on Naxos Music Library if that's any use.

[asin]B00111DGEE[/asin]

[North Star]

The Lovchinsky is on Naxos Music Library if that's any use.

[asin]B00111DGEE[/asin]

Wonderful work from Amazon  It's IGOR!
It's on Spotify, too.