Piano Solo or Concerto Recordings that make you go "wow"

[Kuhlau]

Erato, put aside whatever you think you know about the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto and buy this disc. You'll hear it anew, I promise you.

FK

[Mandryka]

This has just made me go wow -- particularly the bagatelles.

Best late bagatelles I have ever heard -- Even better I think that Gould's Sony studio recording. Sound quality is good (enough)

The more I hear him, the more I think that Beethoven was actually Gould's real major strength. People tend to assume that he didn't really care for Beethoven. And it's true that he didn't like all the sonatas -- most famously the appassionata.

But he played Beethoven all his life, and IMO produced outstanding interpretations, particularly of the late pieces, like those bagatelles.

[George]

YES! THE best ever Corelli Variations 

I need to revisit that CD.

[jlaurson]

M.Pletnev's Scarlatti: 2005 review, 2008 review

A.Lubimov's Messe Noire: Wow, wow, wow! The Pianists' Pianist.

J.M.Pires with 20 fingers: "Résonance de l'Originaire" [Schubert, Four Hands]

Y.Sudbin's Scriabin: Terrific.

[George]

M.Pletnev's Scarlatti: 2005 review, 2008 review

J.M.Pires with 20 fingers: "Résonance de l'Originaire" [Schubert, Four Hands]

Wow, indeed! Haven't heard the other two.

Have you heard Pires's Schubert Impromptus? 

[zamyrabyrd]

Have you heard Pires's Schubert Impromptus? 

I saw MJ Pires' Op. 142 No. 1 on TV. One can practically feel the chill of autumn from her playing and by watching her move though the landscape.

Otherwise, an excellent recent recording is "Goldberg Variations"  with Pierre Hantal.

If I stop to think about "wow" recordings, I'd be sitting here for at least a few hours...

ZB

[orbital]

M.Pletnev's Scarlatti: 2005 review, 2008 review

I agree. I grew to appreciate it more as time passed (not that too much has gone by  ). He manages to make even a sonata everyone in the world has played, -like K.9 for example- his own.

Y.Sudbin's Scriabin: Terrific.

Everyone seems to be in agreement about this CD. His Scarlatti did not really impress me, but I will give this one a try, regardless.

----
Re:topic
I've probably mentioned this earlier in this thread  , but no piano performance has "wow"ed me as much as Weissenberg's Chromatic Fantasie and Fugue. I still can't believe it is possible to play with that much ferocity and balance at the same time.

[Holden]

I agree. I grew to appreciate it more as time passed (not that too much has gone by  ). He manages to make even a sonata everyone in the world has played, -like K.9 for example- his own.
Everyone seems to be in agreement about this CD. His Scarlatti did not really impress me, but I will give this one a try, regardless. 

Not everyone! I've heard the Pletnev Scarlatti disc a few times, trying to find the 'magic' that people talk about but it is not there for me. To my ears this is fussy, mannered playing where Pletnev pushes and pulls (distorts?) the tempi back and forth until the works lose any real sense of either flow or the frisson that can be so exceptional in Scarlatti's keyboard works. I've got a lot of other Scarlatti that I prefer well before this - Babayan, Sudbin, ABM, Gilels, Perahia, Horowitz, Shehori, Meyer, Tomsic, Zacharias, etc. They all come well before Pletnev in my ratings.

[Mandryka]

Not everyone! I've heard the Pletnev Scarlatti disc a few times, trying to find the 'magic' that people talk about but it is not there for me.

Magic IMO at the end of Disc 1. There are three consecutive sonatas (K404 , K213  K214 ) which are to my ears beautifully played and, I think, they fit together really well. You can imagine that they are each movements of a single piece.

I've got a lot of other Scarlatti that I prefer well before this - . . . Gilels, . . .

I can't stand that one!

I think may favourite Scarlatti recording is by Egorov -- on a disc with some supurb Haydn and Beethoven. That would be my candidate for a CD which makes me go WOW!

[bhodges]

Not everyone! I've heard the Pletnev Scarlatti disc a few times, trying to find the 'magic' that people talk about but it is not there for me. To my ears this is fussy, mannered playing where Pletnev pushes and pulls (distorts?) the tempi back and forth until the works lose any real sense of either flow or the frisson that can be so exceptional in Scarlatti's keyboard works. I've got a lot of other Scarlatti that I prefer well before this - Babayan, Sudbin, ABM, Gilels, Perahia, Horowitz, Shehori, Meyer, Tomsic, Zacharias, etc. They all come well before Pletnev in my ratings.

Although I still haven't heard Babayan's Scarlatti disc  , glad to see you like him.  I think he's quite an amazing pianist, and definitely off the radar for many people.  Which reminds me, I don't think this CD of his has been mentioned, and it definitely made me go "wow."  Program is Messiaen, Ligeti, Respighi and Australian composer Carl Vine, whose 1990 Piano Sonata was a real "find" in my book.

--Bruce

[orbital]

Not everyone! I've heard the Pletnev Scarlatti disc a few times, trying to find the 'magic' that people talk about but it is not there for me. To my ears this is fussy, mannered playing where Pletnev pushes and pulls (distorts?) the tempi back and forth until the works lose any real sense of either flow or the frisson that can be so exceptional in Scarlatti's keyboard works. I've got a lot of other Scarlatti that I prefer well before this - Babayan, Sudbin, ABM, Gilels, Perahia, Horowitz, Shehori, Meyer, Tomsic, Zacharias, etc. They all come well before Pletnev in my ratings.

My "Everyone" comment was actually about Sudbin's Scriabin, which I still have not heard.

Pletnev is very good IMO, but not at the very top of the heap. For me, Horowitz is peerless in [piano] Scarlatti. My other top names would be Meyer and Haskil.

[ezodisy]

Re:topic
I've probably mentioned this earlier in this thread  , but no piano performance has "wow"ed me as much as Weissenberg's Chromatic Fantasie and Fugue. I still can't believe it is possible to play with that much ferocity and balance at the same time.

I don't remember what that recording sounds like, but that's pretty much how I feel about Weissenberg's Bach-Liszt Prelude & Fugue in Am which was in his GPOC set. Brilliant

[Bulldog]

BUMP!


What Alicia De Larrocha do we recommend?  specific recordings, por favor!

I love her Granados discs (EMI and Decca); also her Schumann/Decca recordings.  A fantastic Humoreske!

[Holden]

Magic IMO at the end of Disc 1. There are three consecutive sonatas (K404 , K213  K214 ) which are to my ears beautifully played and, I think, they fit together really well. You can imagine that they are each movements of a single piece.

I can't stand that one!

I think may favourite Scarlatti recording is by Egorov -- on a disc with some supurb Haydn and Beethoven. That would be my candidate for a CD which makes me go WOW!

Yes, I have that and while the Scarlatti is very good, the Haydn is exceptional

[Sorin Eushayson]

These two recordings of Grieg's piano concerto made me go, "Wow!":

[dirkronk]

Although I still haven't heard Babayan's Scarlatti disc  , ...

Oh, Bruce. Do listen to Babayan play Scarlatti. One slight warning, though, about the way this CD is arranged: his very first cut is one that is anything BUT virtuosic in the "wowie zowie" sense. "Just very competent," you may be tempted to opine. "Maybe very, very competent." Ah, but keep listening. By the end of selection 3 or 4, you will be a believer. Seriously.

Enjoy,

Dirk

[LouisLee]

Schumann: Piano Concerto in a Minor op.54
Emil von Sauer: Piano
Willem Mengelberg, Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra

This is the best Schumann concerto I've ever heard, even better than Cortot's!!!

[Mandryka]

Yes, I have that and while the Scarlatti is very good, the Haydn is exceptional

And I like the slow and sad Andante Favouri.

It's just one of the Scarlatti sonatas that I thought was outstanding -- the last one of the set. Again, very sad.

Another WOW Scarlatti record is Sirota playing Scarlatti/Tausig.

[George]

These two recordings of Grieg's piano concerto made me go, "Wow!":

I need to get that one.

[orbital]

I don't remember what that recording sounds like, but that's pretty much how I feel about Weissenberg's Bach-Liszt Prelude & Fugue in Am which was in his GPOC set. Brilliant.

Yes, I have that recording somehow. You might have sent it to me, as a matter of fact.