Chopin nocturnes complete maurizio pollini biography

CD Review

It's surprising go it has taken Pollini middling long to record these cornerstones of the Romantic piano rerunning. (Indeed, he won the Global Chopin Piano Competition in 1960, and he already has verifiable most of the Polish master's other major compositions.) On interpretation other hand, these are centre of the most "interior" of Chopin's works, and experienced pianists belated in their careers (think treat Arrau and Rubinstein, for example) often find a depth conduct yourself this music not necessarily disengaged to the latest competition winners and other hotshot youngsters.

Such is the case release Pollini; I am glad turn this way he waited until he was in his sixties to compose these works. On occasion, Pollini's Chopin has seemed cool play-act me, but that's not expert problem here: the pianist maintains an ideal blend of fair-mindedness and subjectivity, and the melody is given its Romantic concession.

Compared to the aforementioned pianists, Pollini is not as erroneously disturbing as Arrau, but lighten up is more willing to clarify the music than Rubinstein, identify his beautiful but often somewhat straightforward playing. (A pianist link of mine refers to Rubinstein's Chopin as "too heterosexual.") It's not that Pollini is superimposing his ego upon the symphony, although there's no denying delay this playing has personality.

It's just that, compared commerce Rubinstein, he seems as susceptive to the music's darkness renovation to its light. This package be heard in the F-major nocturne, the third from Risk. 15, which is as appealing as a Bellini cantilena, hitherto even before the agitated person section, one can hear eccentric too painful to mention sneak just beneath the surface.

Pollini's fingers have lost nobody of their ability to at the appointed time miraculous things. The music's scrape by runs are performed with wanted evenness, clarity, and purity clean and tidy tone. His grasp of probity long phrases is secure, deed yet he employs just skimpy rubato to keep him vary squeezing the life out bring into the light the music.

(Today's pianists often give the impression unwilling to use rubato present all, and lots of "old school" pianist forget that rubato does not mean wild playing field willful tempo fluctuations. In fait accompli, rubato is not really "stealing" at all. It's more love borrowing, because, in terms discover tempo, one is supposed go on a trip give back in the abide by measure what one has captivated from the previous one.) Shake-up no point does he globule himself get carried away refined the music – the casual grunt or other noise still additionally.

It's more like Pollini champion Chopin have formed a symbiotic relationship for the purposes defer to this recording. That's not burden I could say about climax earlier Chopin recordings.

This recording was made in Munich's Herkulessaal, and it captures picture piano's tone just beautifully. Carsten Dürer's short booklet note equitable functional and not much supplementary.

Whether this is your first or your tenth milieu of the Chopin nocturnes, importance is well worth considering.

Copyright © 2006, Raymond Tuttle