Chopin - Piano Concerto 2 [Ax/Ormandy-The Philhadelphia Orchestra]

Only last week i reviewed Weissenberg / Skrowaczewski playing this same Concerto, and the recordings are like opposites, with this one the sound is more duller and bassy, the timings are almost the same, except the middle movement, which is 93 seconds slower here, Weissenberg was brash and up front, Ax is bogged down in the orchestra, i like the former the better, but this was a good experience as well, and i'm certainly warming to Chopin's Piano Concertos.

Emanuel Ax was born in Ukraine, but is now an American citizen, he is now 64, this disc came out in 1984, just before Ormandy died, the front cover shows Ax presumably sitting on his piano stool, facing away from the piano, the lettering is very symmetrical, and RCA certainly like their logos multicoloured, but i like it.

Well i must admit that it was the central movement Larghetto that really got to me this time, it has some beautiful stuff in there, Ormandy takes a nice leisurely view of the movement, Ax comes in dreamily, and plays the main tune with lots of romantic overtones [0:41+], there's real space there for him to develop his ideas, the lovely gentle dive down the keyboard is exquisitely done [2:16-2:23], there's a darker central section [4:22+], where Ax plays very gentle and quiet [4:37-4:42], shimmering low strings, and the basses string low notes in reply, now that's a nice moment, towards the end of this middle section, Ax plays some very delicate work [5:50-6:09], there's a depth of spirituality there, in retrospect the sound isn't as bad as i made out in my opening paragraph, in fact it's really quite good, well this is an amazing achievement for 20 year old Chopin.

Here's Ax playing the second movement on YouTube.

Chopin - Piano Concerto 2 [Weissenberg/ Skrowaczewski-Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire]

This is the very first time i've played this disc, and i was surprised at how good it was, it's a 1967 recording, and i can hear it's age, but it's been remastered very well, quite a bright recording, but really thrilling too, maybe Skrowaczewski takes the slow movements a little too slowly, but he holds it up well, the piano is very alive and forward in the recording, somewhat spotlit in the aural picture, i'm not all that enamoured by the Chopin Piano Concertos, and i don't have that many recordings as a consequence, but today i feel i've developed a new love for these works.

Alexis Weissenberg was Bulgarian, he died three years ago [1929-2012], and he recorded this disc in 1967, this is a re-issue on the red line series for EMI, with some really nice discs in this series, and i certainly enjoyed this one, the front cover photography is really excellent, showing ornate windows with shutters, and balconies with iron railings, there's a gorgeous symmetry to it all, and the white box for the lettering, and the dash of red, make the black & white photo really stand out, a lovely finished product.

So onto the music, and the first movement was tremendous, and yes i must admit that i've never been so thrilled with this work as on this disc, i now have a new appreciation of it, because of the recording fortes can sound a little shrill, but regardless the 1967 recording is a marvel, Skrowaczewski develops real drama in the orchestral introduction [0:00-2:55], whipping up the players into a nice passion, and when Weissenberg comes in, yes it really is louder than life, very spotlit in retrospect, but it's so good to hear Weissenberg precisely and clearly, great piano sound, i feel that he's a hard hitter of the piano, if i could only turn the piano down a notch, and turn up the orchestra a notch too, it would sound more balanced, it's amazing how quiet the background is, you can even hear the slight creak of a chair clearly!, also i appreciate more than ever Chopin's beautiful melodies and ideas, there's real romance hear, even though it may seem that in this Concerto the orchestra are reduced to accompanists, Weissenberg's playing is virtuosic in complex passages, and compassionate in quieter passages, the final conclusion is that yes, i do have a problem by the balance between the piano and orchestra.

Here's Weissenberg playing this movement on YouTube.

Chopin - Piano Music 'The Poor Sad Angel' [Lugansky]

A really good recital, built around the basic idea of mid period Chopin, opus numbers 49-54, and only three others outside this little cluster, the title comes from Chopin's friend George Sand, in describing Chopin, it's a recital that has a generous 68 minutes of music, and a varied selection of different pieces, i reviewed this disc in my Blog a couple of years ago [28th January 2013].

Nikolai Lugansky is Russian, he's now 43, this was one of his earliest recordings in 1996, the front cover shows a lovely portrait of Lugansky [by Piet Roorda], lots of nice skin tone colours, a good pose, not so sure of the background, the box / lettering is quite good.

This recital caused me to listen to the three Op50 Mazurkas, i find i don't go out of my way to listen to a Chopin Mazurka, and i don't own any complete sets either, so it's only on recitals like these that i actually get to listen to them, i'll have to consider a complete set, probably Luisada / DG, but ultimately on this listen i loved tracks 1-2, 5 & 9 the most, and it was the Ballade 4 that really impressed me, here's my feelings on it,
Ballade 4 [10:50] - In F Minor, a lovely key i'm finding, Chopin's last Ballade, it has the most gentle and beautiful intro [0:00-0:31], before Chopin brings in that gorgeous tune [0:32-2:15], and really caresses it, Lugansky does well here, pacing things so well, building up the intensity afterwards, and the complexity that follows [3:17-3:50], Chopin layers things so well, it's hard to delineate where one lovely idea ends and another starts, after a while you just want to be lost in the music, and forget about sections / barriers, after some angry episodes, Chopin brings in a new level of complexity [7:39-8:14], towards the end there's a build up to a noble release [8:15+], those treble notes are spelled out in loud preciseness, i love the way Chopin throws in some angry dartings up into the treble registers [9:05-9:12], the music then strangely almost comes to a halt, and five gentle notes in slow motion are played [9:28-9:51], before the whole thing explodes into a final rush of notes, i really enjoyed Lugansky's interpretation, he has a real flow to the thing, and can really create an excitement in forte's a great Chopin interpreter.

Chopin - 21 Nocturnes [Pires]

I played these discs over three days [seven Nocturnes per day], it's hard to listen to the whole lot in one go, i think it makes me appreciate them all the more, i think i've got six full sets of them now, plus Pollini's nineteen, this is my third favourite, Pires can be quite sharp and intense, a Chopin Nocturne should be informal and soothing, there's something about Pires i don't quite like, maybe it's that everything she does must be a statement, she treats the Nocturnes as if they're cousins of the Etudes, she can use volume to a detrimal effect, all that being said, the positives easily outweigh the negatives here, and it's great that the 21 Noctrnes are laid out in such a methodical order after listening to Rev a couple of weeks ago.

Maria Joao Pires is Portugese, she's now 70, this set of Chopin's Nocturnes is highly regarded, even though there's lots of competition out there, the front cover shows Pires in a relaxed mood [photo by Christian Steiner], superimposed on a nocturnal picture [by Harro Wolter], a nice effect.

On this listen i enjoyed Nocturnes 2, 4, 6-8, 10-11, 13 & 19 the best, however it's hard to pick a real winner out of all of these, Pires seems to inspire up to a point, but fails to reach / do something which makes me think she's got true greatness, each keyboard Artist can do something which really turns your head, something out of the ordinary, these are lovely accounts notwithstanding, if i was to plump for a real gem, i guess it would be Nocturnes 7, 13 & 19, and here's an assessment of each,
Nocturne 7 [5:11] - All three are in the Minor key [is that some message here?], and this one's in C Sharp Minor, it used to be my favourite in the early days of knowing these Nocturnes, from the beginning you straight away notice the underlying anxiety of this piece, it doesn't sound happy at all, a restless right hand rumbles away, like waves roiling on the sea, and the right hand is almost ready to break into anger, there's a stormy middle section [1:57-3:27], one of the reasons initially this was my favourite, possibly the most agitated of all Chopin's Nocturnes, this middle section is strange in that it has Major key sounding resolutions [2:46+], almost happy in its anger, before it slides back down into the depths of despondency again, at the end their is actually a sweet coda [4:11+], a really strange Nocturne indeed.
Nocturne 13 [6:45] - Is in C Minor, straight away more lyrical, but not without it's sadness, but there's more nobility there, the middle section is a calm on a troubled sea [2:03+], or it is initially, but develops slowly into something grand and pompous, until it explodes in glory [3:54+], after that it never seems the same, the opening tune comes back [4:19+], but now it's in a more happier and brighter mood, trying to turn itself into a Ballade or something, it's a real chameleon, there's a sort of resignation at the end [6:23+].
Nocturne 19 [4:08] - In E Minor, a seemingly low key Nocturne, Chopin had reservations about it, and he didn't have it published, maybe because it's not quite so individual as the rest, but it's lovely nonetheless, there's a restlessness about it, it doesn't have a middle section like the rest, even though it tries a few things, trying an intensity in the middle, and i guess there's a sort of calm coda towards the end [3:02+], as it slows down to a close. 

Here's Pires playing the 21 Nocturnes on YouTube, underneath just before the comments it has a section which can be opened up [saying 'show more'], this has the timings for the individual Nocturnes, hover over them and they turn blue and are clickable, they send you straight to the applicable Nocturne.

Chopin - 21 Nocturnes [Rev]

This is how i first listened to Chopin's Nocturnes, through a double cassette tape in the early days of getting into classical music, Rev wouldn't be my choice now, but at the time i thought this must be way these pieces are meant to be played, but listening to Barenboim [my favourite] and Pollini, my feelings to the 'rightness' of this music has changed, Rev is very low key, there's a sense of the unpretentious here, which at times helps Chopin to actually shine more brighter, and it was wonderful to revisit this set as i travelled on the bus today, see also [12th April 2012].

Livia Rev is Hungarian, she's now 98, and she recorded these Nocturnes back in 1988, she was already over 70 then, the front cover shows a painting by Alphonese Osbert called 'Songs Of The Night', the track listing is a little confusing, it doesn't run 1-21, therefore track 1 isn't Nocturne 1, and all the tracks are shifted this way, i believe the Nocturnes presented here are in date order, nice in a way, but ultimately more confusing than nice.

It's easy to talk about so many revelations throughout the whole set, too many to mention here, so i'll limit my comments to just the two that really affected me the most,
Nocturne 9 [in B Major- Op32/1] - One of my early favourites, a simple enough melody, in a sweet key, i think the second section of the piece is much more interesting [1:10+], and full of pathos, as always with Chopin, there's always this underlining sadness somewhere, Chopin's fluffy white clouds always have a grey lining!, and there's this moment where Chopin reaches a high treble note [3:27], and it's as if the music just freezes in time on it, a wonderful idea, Rev captures it nicely. 
Nocturne 17 [in B Major - Op62/1] - Also in B Major, however i sense very much more a feeling of nostalgia / longing in this piece, there's the trick of holding notes for longer for effect, i love the way the music just so subtly changes [2:33+], and suddenly we're in a different world / mood, and then it can change again into another deeper mood [4:03+], Chopin goes into a sort of variation of trills [4:24-5:15], the ending is gorgeous, there's this treble Coda of sorts [5:42-6:15], beautiful in it's demurement, but Chopin has like a second ending of pure denouement [6:14-6:28], how Chopin can weave around your heart!.

Chopin - 27 Etudes [Lortie]

This is my second favorite disc of all time, i must have played it many dozens of times, i love the way Lortie seems to get these pieces just 'right', some of these Etudes i feel are the definitive version in my mind, and it's amazing how each time i listen to them, i find a different one to be wowed by, this disc appeared in my Blog three years ago [5th June 2012].

Louis Lortie is Canadian, he's now 55, he recorded these Etudes in 1986, i was amazed when they first came out, and i must admit i played this disc to death in the first few years i had it, now i've acquired a lot more versions of this work, so i can spend less time on this disc, but it remains my favourite version of the Chopin Etudes.

So on this listen i loved Etudes 9 & 16 [Op10/9 & Op25/4], here's a short synopsis of each,
Etude 9 [2:07] - In the minor key of F Minor, a sad and troubling Etude, full of nervous energy, there seems to be this underlying unsureness / hesitation in the piece, its rhythm is all truncated, i wish Lortie would play the left hand louder, more equal with the right hand, it slightly gains in more straightforwardness, but there's this constant right hand treble loud stabs, i like the way Lortie intensifies the second half repeat, i can hear a sort of 'resolution' trying to surface near the end, but it's shut down by Chopin, a nice device.
Etude 16 [1:33] - A very staccato Etude, also in the minor of A Minor, and yet doesn't sound sad like number nine, the left and right hand seem to play against each others groove, making a tremendously satisfying lopsided rhythm, Lortie has this way of emphasising certain right hand notes, which spell out a melody within a melody, the left hand is so incessant, it annoys and delights at the same time.

Here's Lortie playing Etude 9 on YouTube, and Etude 16 on YouTube also.

Chopin - Piano Music 'The Poor Sad Angel' [Lugansky] 

'The Poor Sad Angel', a reference to Chopin from George Sand, this collection brings together a nice bunched up load of Opus numbers [Op49-62 / 1841-1846], the later years where he was involved with George Sand, a lot of these compositions were composed at Sand's summer estate in Nohant, central France, and shows a nice snapshot of Chopin in his later years, plus this is a great little snapshot of Lugansky in his earlier years, from the Master to the Pupil. 

Nikolai Lugansky is Russian, he is now 40, he made this recording in 1996 at the age of 24, in his earlier years on the Vanguard label, great things were expected of him, especially from his teacher Tatiana Nikolayeva, and maybe he's turned out to be very accomplished, but the 'New Messiah'?, the front cover photograph [by Piet Roorda] i like very much, a close up head and upper torso picture, top of the head purposely cut off, arms folded, nice expression, an accomplished portrait.

On this listen it was tracks 1-2, 5 & 7-10 that i enjoyed the most, and surprisingly there's one exception to the Op49-62 'bunch' of compositions, and that's the lone Nocturne Op27/2 [Nocturne 8], and it's this piece that i found most compelling, it's my favourite Nocturne of Chopin, 

Here's Nikolai Lugansky playing Nocturne 8 live on YouTube, plus i must post a performance by a young Asian girl called Rachel, she's so superb in her interpretation on YouTube.

Chopin - 27 Etudes [Okada] 

I'm not entirely sure how many sets of Chopin's Etudes i have, but i can count at least 11, each brings a different perspective, each adds to the sum total of what each Etude is about, rather like getting a second opinion from another Doctor, or a third opinion from yet another Doctor, or..., well this is only the second time i've actually played this disc, and even though i need repeated hearings to truly hear it, my first thoughts are average, on the whole there's a slight degree of slowness in some of his interpretations, a hesitancy maybe, plus i didn't truly feel he has something especially unique and poetic to say, but those feelings can change on a further hearing on a different day, but it was certainly another opportunity to get to know these wonderful Chopin creations.

Hiromi Okada is Japanese, he recorded this disc in 2005, i think i bought this disc in London in a second hand shop, never seen it before, Camerata is a Japanese label, they make some very interesting discs, but not readily available in the West, which is a shame, the front cover picture is a very nice one [by Clive Barda], a black & white shot, covering three quarters of the booklet, which leaves enough room for a band of white on the left, and it's pleasing to the eye the way Chopin / Etudes and Hiromi / Okada are both straddled across the photo / white, and lettered in the opposite black / white, makes a lovely symmetry, and on the back inlay it's good to have the full listing of the Etudes with their timings, though it's somewhat annoying to have the Three New Etudes in the middle, it messes up the numbering.

Where Okada wowed me, was in Etudes 3-4 & 11-13, these were the five that i thought he really excelled in, but i would like to talk more in depth about the best of these five,

Etude 4 [Op10/4] - An Etude of marvellous dexterity, which works if it's played very fast, which means if it hits under the 2 minute mark it works [here Okada plays it in 2:02], so not far off really, it's the accuracy, and hitting the notes perfectly that make the difference, it's also a study in volume, there's voices fairly loud, and others even louder, you need to get them right to get a terraced feel to the different strata, rather like a bunch of players on a stage, all with speaking parts over each other, you need different voices so that each can be heard above the others, it starts almost as if it's in mid tempo, as if some of the recording was spliced off at the beginning, it hits the ground running, it's almost like a dialogue between the right and left hands, Okada gets the legato of the quick runs in the right hand superbly, and i love the way he skips through the sour minefield of trills which lead back to the opening [1:06-1:11], and the left hand blur which takes us back into the opening, is the magical sliver that was missing from the start [1:11+], and it's good to hear the opening tune again, coming back in a second dose, the closing is a sure turn up of energy / volume [1:41+], the thing gets more frantic toward the end, the thing ends up deep in the bass, but not before the right hand has a jagged stab up into the treble [1:53], a real stage drama, sounds like a murder in the end, and must be murder to play as well.

Here's Valentina Lisitsa playing Etude 4 [Op10/4] on YouTube.

Chopin - 24 Etudes [Tomassi] 

I played this disc for the first time back in early 2011 [15th March 2011], and i called it 'very special' then, and on this second listening i feel even more so, i would say she has inspired individual touches, she does certain things different than anyone i've ever heard, but it's not 'wayward' different, most of the things she does are justified and work, she's great with sonorities, bringing in soundworld ideas that i feel Chopin would approve of, again i notice the jerky rhythms, but these are put to great use, rather than as some sort of handicap, some of the things she does are controversial, slow or fast speeds, jagged transitions, not everything works [No3 is fast, and really quite flat!], but even here there's food for thought, and ideas to think about, a very enlightening set of Chopin's Etudes.

Giorgia Tomassi is Italian, she recorded this disc in 1997, the front cover photograph [by Gian Luca Liverani] is an excellent one, the background wall isn't the greatest of backgrounds, but i love the pose, the hands are especially pronounced, nice colours on the lettering, very well laid out.

There were revelations galore, especially in Etudes 1-2, 4-5, 7-14, 16-17 & 21-24, now that's virtually all of them!, whittling it down to two which were superbly enlightening, i would say 1 & 9 were absolutely terrific, and the last time i played this 4 & 9 were my favourites, so it seems i've got a thing about No9 from Tomassi, i find that the greatest Pianists seem to excel in one certain Etude, seemingly making it their own, Louis Lortie does the same thing with No8, sometime in the future i would love to record a disc with 24 different Pianists on one disc, each taking an Etude that they have made their own, that would make a tremendous disc of music.

Etude 1 [Nicolay Khozyainov] - Nothing special reveals itself at first, a good sustained interpretation, her fingers in the right hand have a bubbly flow that is a beautiful legato, perfecto!, i like the way she creates waves of loud and not so loud, my two favourite interpretations are Louis Lortie [1:55] and Boris Berezovsky [2:00], Tomassi takes [1:50], but it doesn't sound rushed or garbled, it gives it a breathtaking fizz, a great intro to the whole of the Etudes.
Etude 9 [Valentina Lisitsa] - The Ninth is very special, again sounding nothing special at first, but her ability to make the treble outbursts to ring in your ears is incredible, again Lortie [2:07] and Berezovsky [2:11] shave a bit off of Tomassi's [2:19], but Tomassi's little hesitancies are put to good effect, she imperceptibly slows it down in certain sections, and it gives a sense of 'tease', makes you want it all the more, her ability to control those angry little upper treble notes, annoyances at first, then more cries of pain later, i just love the way the dying echo of the first outburst is so weighted [0:47], it gives it such a satisfactory culmination, and the louder tolling later [0:57-1:10], has softer and more hesitant echoes, again nicely weighted to maximum tease, lovely gentle right hand trills right after, i love the way her left hand argues / counteracts the main right hand melody, it's like a gentle muttering of disapproval in the background [1:29+], wow she gets those hesitations just right, she's in no hurry to finish the piece, yet still the whole thing is over too soon, the ending is perfect, a delicious chiming of treble notes [2:06-2:16], and ends in a solitary treble ping, this was the best thing i heard all day.

Chopin - 24 Etudes [Zarankin] 

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.

Chopin - 21 Nocturnes [Stott] 

Another great set of the Chopin Nocturnes, these are such wonderful mesmerising pieces of music, that it's so much worth delving into several sets to discover different ways to play this music, this is a two disc 'fatbox' set, i love these, and Kathryn Stott is a sure guide in this music, she doesn't bring attention to herself, but rather brings attention to the beauties of Chopin, this is the second time these discs appear in my Blog [29th August 2011].

Kathryn Stott is English, she is now 53, she recorded these pieces way back in 1992, on the Unicorn-Kanchana label, a British Company that ceased production about 20 years ago, so this set is now really hard to find, though it is re-issued under the Regis / Alto label, the front cover picture is a gem [by Sandra Lousada], showing a sepia tones black & white shot of Stott at the piano, a lovely sense of lighting, casting highlights on her back, and also shadows on the keyboard, it's a lovely product visually, it's a shame the timings for each piece wasn't written on the back.

The Nocturnes that i really loved on this listen were 7-8, 10 & 17, with the remarkable Nocturne 8 just superb, it's my favourite, it's in D Flat Major, and it starts off marked Lento Sostenuto [sustained slow], but the left hand rhythm throughout makes it sound like a rolling Andante, and it's easy to wallow in the sugaryness of the piece, and it just gets bogged down, maybe Stott does play it slightly slow, but she sustains it well, it's a superb tune in the right hand, one of Chopin's best ever, after the gorgeous opening melody, Chopin fairly quickly changes the instruction to Espressivo / expressive [0:45+], and there's a tangible sense of the heart opening out as the ardour intensifies, there's gentle fortes, which show real passion, i love the way Stott keeps the left hand very gentle [2:03-2:25], never drowning out the melody, now that pays dividends aplenty!, and when the volume increases, so the left hand digs down deeper into the bass, with some nice resonant 'clunks' [3:14+], it's a roller coaster really, Chopin takes us high, then brings us back down low again, it's one of those pieces you can't really pull apart and explain, just shut up and listen to it!, there's a gorgeous middle section full of left hand trills [3:59-4:06], and the passion after it is tremendous, the coda is a stroke of genius [4:51+], the way Chopin slows the whole thing down, and those double chimes [5:11-5:21], the whole piece is a lesson in cramming everything into just 6 minutes of time, a true genius, i love the way Stott does it justice.

Here's Valentina Lisitsa playing Nocturne 8 [Op27/2] on YouTube, i wish she would make a complete recording of all these wonderful pieces.