Chopin - 27 Etudes [Lortie]
This is my second favourite disc of all time, i've played this dozens and dozens of times, revelling the way Lortie can bring out the very best in Chopin, his way with certain Etudes, makes me feel that that's the way they should be played, and everyone else is doing them wrong, only Berezovsky comes close, i especially like his unique way with the Eighth Etude [Op10/8], and the A Flat Major Etude of the Trois Nouvelles Etudes, i've never heard them bettered, Pianists like Gavrilov in comparison seems to make a garbled hash of things, but such is the power and magnetism of this music, even he sounds inspirational at times, so many times i've sat in stunned silence listening to two genius's at work, but the greater one just has to be Chopin over Lortie.
Louis Lortie is French Canadian, he's now 53 years old, but he recorded these when he was 27, he has actually re-recorded them recently, roughly 3 years ago, i so dearly want to get a copy of that performance, but i believe it's only available as a download, the photograph shows Lortie outside, in one of those sweaters with oversized sleeves.
Well what can i say?, Etude after Etude i was thrilled and mesmerized, Lortie is very much a 'legatoist', blending ideas into one smooth whole, i was impressed with almost everything he does, but especially i must mention Etudes / tracks 4-5, 8, 10, 12 & 16, they were the highlights, and the two that stand out of those half dozen are Etudes 8 & 10 from the first set, here's Lortie playing each on YouTube, with my thoughts / feelings,
Etude 8 [Op10/8], starts 7:15 - Not my favourite Etude, but my favourite from Lortie, this is by far my favourite interpretation of this piece, he just gets the right hand ringing just right, lovely treble in the recording, and straight from the start, that beautiful bubbliness, it just zings into existence, and backed up by the stuttering chug in the bass, it's in the middle of the piece that a very special magic happens, the transition back to the opening is a stroke of genius [1:05-1:24], the treble complexity is breathtaking, but it's that scampering flick at the end of the transition [1:24] that i so love, no one does it better than Lortie, it's worth listing to the whole things just for this.
Etude 12 [Op10/12], starts 4:22 - Lortie plays this hard and fast, there's a dark seriousness in the C Minor, he can play the treble notes fast and accurate, loud with a delicious legato, it takes my breath away [0:07-0:15], there's a clunky thudness when the bass almost falls off the end of the piano [0:24-0:29], and the way Lortie gives the troublesome rumbling bass prominence when it dares to venture up the keyboard [0:29-0:33 for instance], the treble gets frantic and loud [1:07+], wow there's so much to enjoy, so many little insights, i'll be here forever explaining each one, safe to say Lortie has the measure of this piece, delighting in small details that make the whole a big thrill, it's of course my favourite Etude by Chopin, what a tour de force, i love it!.
Etude 8 [Op10/8], starts 7:15 - Not my favourite Etude, but my favourite from Lortie, this is by far my favourite interpretation of this piece, he just gets the right hand ringing just right, lovely treble in the recording, and straight from the start, that beautiful bubbliness, it just zings into existence, and backed up by the stuttering chug in the bass, it's in the middle of the piece that a very special magic happens, the transition back to the opening is a stroke of genius [1:05-1:24], the treble complexity is breathtaking, but it's that scampering flick at the end of the transition [1:24] that i so love, no one does it better than Lortie, it's worth listing to the whole things just for this.
Etude 12 [Op10/12], starts 4:22 - Lortie plays this hard and fast, there's a dark seriousness in the C Minor, he can play the treble notes fast and accurate, loud with a delicious legato, it takes my breath away [0:07-0:15], there's a clunky thudness when the bass almost falls off the end of the piano [0:24-0:29], and the way Lortie gives the troublesome rumbling bass prominence when it dares to venture up the keyboard [0:29-0:33 for instance], the treble gets frantic and loud [1:07+], wow there's so much to enjoy, so many little insights, i'll be here forever explaining each one, safe to say Lortie has the measure of this piece, delighting in small details that make the whole a big thrill, it's of course my favourite Etude by Chopin, what a tour de force, i love it!.
