I definitely prefer the pre-1970’s ABM
ok when he was very old you can hear him slipping a bit, but i think some of the stuff in the 80s is really quite superb.
Much like Arrau, his post '70’s performances, by and large, don’t grab me nearly as much as the earlier things.
Lol. I love late Arrau but can’t stand late Michelangeli.
Michelangeli was boring a lot of the time, even when his technique was immaculate. His perfect control is certainly an asset in Debussy, Ravel, and Rach 4. I also love his demonic-sounding recordings i.e., his (early) Liszt 1, (earlier) Bach-Busoni Ciaconne. Weirdly (people will probably flame me for this) I relistened to his celebrated Brahms-Paganini Variations, and find them overpracticed and pedantic. I think almost all of Michelangeli’s Chopin is terrible, including some of the worst Mazurkas I’ve ever heard.
Overall, I think Arrau is the better musician. He had a technique comparable to Michelangeli in his youth (witness: Chopin 10/4, Preludes, Spanish Rhapsody etc) and a wonderful burnished tone in his older age. Arrau’s art definitely improved over time.
AGREED! I have his all Chopin recital from 1962, I simply cannot listen to it. It is like Chinese water-torture. And those videos on youtube of him playing Chopin are equally terrible.
you guys are out of your fucking minds… his 1st ballade is hard to beat, and the 2nd sonata is really quite amazing. it’s always chopin as filtered through mickey’s personality with all its introversion and eccentricity, but isn’t that what any artist does?
I guess I WAS a bit too harsh, I don’t listen to classical piano music that much anyway, maybe I will grow to like Michelangeli in the near future. Who am I to judge great artists?
No. That G minor Ballade on Youtube is heinous. His soul had clearly gone to lunch during that performance.
Well, the Andante Spianato is even worse. Michelangeli recomposes it - now its the “Chopin-Michelageli: Larghissimo Spianato & Grande Polonaise Offuscare”.
Agreed.
You need a real personality (i.e, Hofmann and Horowitz) to bring off that piece.
Yes, I’ve heard both on youtube. I prefer Hofmann’s Andante (its is really Andante, as marked) and Horowitz’s Grande Polonaise.
Well, I’m not really a Michelangeli fan either - though I love a lot of his work.
But he did play some fine Chopin from time to time. I’ll post the 1960s Prague Chopin Sonata 2. It’s ridiculously good.
that one is pretty amazing. i guess this is just another case of “different strokes” that baffles me haha
Michelangeli - Chopin Live in Prague, 1960s
http://www.lesdjinns.com/elite/Michelangeli%20-%20Chopin%20Sonata%202-Prague.rar
Going to youtube to hear your Michelangeli playing isn’t exactly the best way to get most of the nuance he was capable of in his prime.
Going to youtube to listen to audio isn’t exactly the best way to listen to audio. People who post audio-only stuff on youtube should be banned for life.
A-fuckin-men.
and a great big halleluiah
May Satan torture their souls for eternity! (Or is that taking it too far?)
No, that’ll do nicely 