The first time i played this [this is my second hearing], i felt that Zarankin was too slow, too gentle, and too staccato, these weren't slight reservations [especially the slowness], Zarankin seems to have a noticeable flaw, on my second hearing, yes i feel that my first thoughts were justified, however i'm not so bothered by them this time, though i must admit that the famous Op10/3 'Tristesse' really is over indulgent on the slow side, completely spoiling it, elsewhere he just comes across as thoughtful, rack up the sound a bit and the gentleness falls away somewhat, Chopin's music is so riveting, that even someone that edges slightly towards tameness, still sounds full of ideas and interest, maybe Zarankin is better than i originally thought, i loved listening to this disc today.
Boris Zarankin is Russian, but grew up in the Ukraine, he recorded this disc in 1990, i bought this disc because i love Chopin's Etudes, and i'm always on the lookout for a new enterprising set, plus this has a very nice front cover portrait [by Jim Dawson], and that's one reason why i got it, it spotlights Zarankin's face and musical score, but all around is darkened, except a bright spot on the far wall, a nice sense of pouring over the music, the lettering is nicely placed.
The three Etudes that stood above the others were, 4, 16 & 24, and here's a short synopsis of each,
Etude 4 [Op10/4] - Marked Presto, and in C Sharp Minor, this must be a very difficult piece to learn, this alternates between the right hand and the left hand playing legato melody, while the other hand plays staccato accompaniment, they keep deliciously swapping, i love the lead back in the left hand to the opening [1:08-1:13], it's so loaded with anticipation!, plus i love the dribbling run down the keyboard [1:44-1:55], which must include both hands, it's a real tour de force.
Etude 16 [Op25/4] - Out of these three, this was the quirky one where i appreciated Zarankin's individuality, i actually remembered that i bought the sheet music in book form for these 24 Etudes, so i followed along, you can learn a lot from the original score, it's marked Agitato, and it seems to be a study on alternating staccato and legato, nice and jumpy, like morse code, the left hand is so nicely caught off beat by Zarankin, and the piano is superbly recorded, a thrilling Etude.
Etude 24 [Op25/12] - And onto the last Etude, a fitting climax!, in fact Chopin decided to end both books of Etudes in C Minor, even Beethoven used it for his Fifth Symphony, seems a very 'revolutionary' key, although i must admit that Zarankin plays it too slow, he certainly gets the darkness out of it from the bass, and the rings from the darts up into the treble, the piece shows the wonderful range that the recording has, it's a dark and slow rollercoaster, those flashes high in the treble are infectious [0:26-0:35], and the same again near the end [2:12+], it really gets under the skin.
All the links are to Valentina Lisitsa on YouTube.
Etude 4 [Op10/4] - Marked Presto, and in C Sharp Minor, this must be a very difficult piece to learn, this alternates between the right hand and the left hand playing legato melody, while the other hand plays staccato accompaniment, they keep deliciously swapping, i love the lead back in the left hand to the opening [1:08-1:13], it's so loaded with anticipation!, plus i love the dribbling run down the keyboard [1:44-1:55], which must include both hands, it's a real tour de force.
Etude 16 [Op25/4] - Out of these three, this was the quirky one where i appreciated Zarankin's individuality, i actually remembered that i bought the sheet music in book form for these 24 Etudes, so i followed along, you can learn a lot from the original score, it's marked Agitato, and it seems to be a study on alternating staccato and legato, nice and jumpy, like morse code, the left hand is so nicely caught off beat by Zarankin, and the piano is superbly recorded, a thrilling Etude.
Etude 24 [Op25/12] - And onto the last Etude, a fitting climax!, in fact Chopin decided to end both books of Etudes in C Minor, even Beethoven used it for his Fifth Symphony, seems a very 'revolutionary' key, although i must admit that Zarankin plays it too slow, he certainly gets the darkness out of it from the bass, and the rings from the darts up into the treble, the piece shows the wonderful range that the recording has, it's a dark and slow rollercoaster, those flashes high in the treble are infectious [0:26-0:35], and the same again near the end [2:12+], it really gets under the skin.
All the links are to Valentina Lisitsa on YouTube.
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