My point is that a pianist’s interpretation is his own work as well, and was created and is assessed in much the same way as a painting. I mean, the painter didn’t invent the forest, the sea, the people in his paintings either - it was all there before him. What he did was to choose how to depict it. I agree of course the painter has greater freedom with his subject, but once Matisse had decided to paint a French village in dusk the artistic process isn’t any different from when Moiseiwitsch had decided to play Brahms’ Händel Variations. They have their subject, and whether we remember the resulting painting or performance 100 years later depends on their skill as artists.
Can’t agree with that viewpoint either X - these painters create a personal, new and unique view of the landscape, thus making a new piece of art (more or less successful) according to their own style. The musicians have a piece of music that was already conceived and written down - by a genius. You’ll at least have to follow the score as a blueprint or guideline - normally all the efforts are focused on doing as much as possible justice to it.
Perhaps a closer analogy to music is the art of acting. Everyone who plays Hamlet is reciting the same lines, but each performer constructs an internal logic to their idea of Hamlet that dictates their inflection of the words. You might object that literary notation is less precise than music, that actors can freely add silences, change rhythms, etc., where musicians are more bound to the score. But that is not entirely true: as you know, some of the great 19th century pianists believed it was the prerogative of the pianist to change some dynamics, tempo and rhythm according to their tastes. Taken too far this of course leads to subjective chaos; but interpreting a score too literally also has negative effects.
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Yeah, exactly - that’s a closer analogy. But I mean both work for the purpose of the discussion. You can’t just pick any bloke to play Hamlet either and say it’s only subjective whether he’s worse than Ian McKellen or not.
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Also, some rhythms like da mazurka n polonaise overdotting wuz common practice n pozz related to speech n zheeyat?
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I’ve enjoyed this underplayed piece for a while but never been very satisfied with recs of it until I discovered this one.
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Zhukov’s amazing, most of his recordings are special.
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Just skimming through and don’t think anyone mentioned -
Horowitz 8/12
Grosvenor Scherzo 1
Pletnev Waldstein
Sokolov 25/12
Cziffra Gnomenreigen
Hofmann Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise
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I really like the early Sofro rec of diz polozlut too
Not so familiar with the others, but 100% agreed on the first two (altho tie wiff tm on da 8/12)
It’s hard to say, but these are my favourite performances:
Anda - Bartok - Piano Concertos
Argerich - Bach Toccata BWV 911
Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No.3 Op.26
Arrau - Beethoven - 15 Variations and Fugue Op.35
Weber - Konzertstück Op.79
Barere - Blumenfeld - Etude for the Left Hand Op.36
Chopin - Etude Op.10 n°5
Benedetti Michelangeli - Beethoven Piano Sonata No.3 Op.2 n°3
Scarlatti - Sonata K.49
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.5 Op.73 (with Rossi, or with Previn)
Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major
Berman - Liszt - 12 Transcendental Etudes,
Hungarian Rhapsody No.9
Chopin - Etude Op.10 n°2, Etude Op.25 n°8
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.3 Op.30 (w/Bernstein)
Cziffra - Liszt - Grand Galop Chromatique,
Hungarian Rhapsodies
Mephisto valse No.1
Auber/Liszt - Tarentelle from “La Muette”
Wagner/Liszt - Tannhäuser Ouverture
Liszt - Totentanz
Fischer E. - Brahms Piano Concerto No.2 Op.83
Friedman - Chopin Etude Op.10 n°7
Gelber - Bach/Saint Saens - Ouverture from Cantata BWV 29
Gieseking - Grieg - Lyric Pieces
Gilels - Schubert - Moments Musicaux Op.94
Liszt - Spanish Rhapsody
Bach/Siloti - Prelude in B minor
Beethoven - Variations WoO80
Schumann - Toccata Op.7
Beethoven - Piano Concertos (integrale, with Kurt Sanderling, live in Prague)
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.2 Op.44
Gould - Bach - Goldberg Variations BWV 988
Bach - Harpsichord Concerto BWV 1052
Gulda - Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.4 Op.58
Hamelin - Chopin/Godowsky - Etudes
Telemann/Reger - Variations in B flat major
Hofmann - Schubert - Die Erlkönig
Schubert/Tausig - Marche Militaire
Mosczkowsky - Spanish Caprice Op.37
Horowitz - Chopin - Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante Op.22
Czerny - La Ricordanza vatiations Op.33
Scriabin - Etude Op.8 n°12
Moszkowsky - Enticelles
Hough - Sauer - Piano Concerto No.1
Kapell - Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No.11
Kempff - Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.29 Op.106
Larrocha - Albeniz - Iberia
Leschetizky - Leschetizky - Ballade Venetienne (Barcarola) from Souvenir d’Italie Op.30
Lhevinne - Czerny - Etude Op.740 n°33
Paganini/Liszt - Etude No.3 ‘La Campanella’
Strauss/Schulz Evler - Arabesques on Blue Danube
Perahia - Mozart - Piano Concertos
Pogorelich - Scarlatti - Sonata K.13
Rachmaninov - Chopin - Valses, Piano Sonata No.2 Op.35
Henselt - Etude Op.2 n°6 ‘Si oiseau j’etais’
Schumann - Carnaval Op.9
Richter - Chopin - Ballade No.2 Op.38, Etude Op.10 n°4
Liszt - Gnomenreigen
Mussorgsky - Picture at an Exhibition
Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No.6 op.82
Liszt - Piano Concerto No.1
Dvorak - Piano Concerto Op.33
Rosenthal - Chopin - Etude Op.25 n°6
Serkin - Schubert - Rondo Capriccioso Op.14
Schiff - Mozart - Piano Sonatas, Bach - English Suite BWV 808
Sofronitzky - Chopin - Mazurkas
Sokolov - Couperin - Tic-Toc
Rameau - La Poule
Tomsic - Beethoven - Piano Sonata No.21 Op.53
Watts - Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1 Op.23
Wild - Rossini/Herz - Variation on “Cenerentola”
Meyerbeer/Liszt - Reminiscences from “Robert le Diable”
Backhaus/Wild - Serenade from “Don Juan”
Donizetti/Thalberg - Fantasy on “Don Pasquale”
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2 Op.18
Yudina - Bach/Liszt - Fantasy and Fugue in A minor BWV 543
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hhahahaha rezpec but whut about tha LEGENDARY JUDD rec from tha tchaik comp?
unzurprzingly my fav rec of thiz iz tha WEIZZMEIZTAH 
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I think the point of this thread has been lost.
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Well, there are not that many #1 recs to begin with… unless it is an obscure song
Rob, I totally agree with you: Judd version was absolutely superb, but his tragic death stoppes us to know his musical evolution. I have 25 different versions of this concerto played by Argerich, from her youth till now and I can say that she is one of the best interpreter of this masterpiece.
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With the number of times she has played this piece (and the Ravel) to the exclusion of almost all else I should think she’d be one of the best at it by now!
Her Schumann concerto still can’t touch Fiorentino, however.
I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to Fiorentino actually (I rarely listen to the work at all). I remember Argerich did a good performance of it at the CC a couple of years ago.
Randomly, but I did some work on Richter last week and noticed the Schumann was in fact his first studio recording. Somehow it felt very fitting.
You should. In fact, it’s probably one of the CDs that were originally meant for you (marked by EL wih your name). Even Richter can’t touch him, at least for my taste. The funny thing is, I love how he played the cadenza especially, but EL told me Fiorentino hated how it came out. Apparently when they recorded the movement he had automatically played the cadenza, but was later told it was to be recorded separately, and he thought it came out a mess in comparison. I know a lot of people hate on the Schumann concerto, but I love it. Although it’s true that I only really need to listen to Fiorentino, and no living pianist can induce me to hear it live.
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I like the Schumann as well, it’s just that… ¯_(ツ)_/¯ When you’ve heard it a couple of times it feels like you’re done with it.
Richter is too closed and overpowering in it for me, but yet it has just his type of imagination somehow.
I’m going to take you up on your suggestion and listen to Fiorentino however - right now.
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