Of the Few Greatest Etude Recordings of All Time
J. Langston | Washington, DC | 09/30/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Who says "caveat emptor" and then writes a review on how Lortie's playing is dull? First of all, drop the pseudo-sophistication, it's not worth the effort. Second, Chopin's etudes are some of the most technically demanding pieces ever written. To call any complete recorded performance of them "dull" is rather pretentious, don't you think?
Then you go on to quote a musicologist! Are you kidding me? Is your own mind so vapid that you are driven to cling to the thoughts of a supposedly educated "musicologist"?? Please. Go do song reviews for MTV.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest, we can move on. Lortie's interpretation and performance of the Etudes is unbelievable. He completely dominates the technicalities with such smooth phrasing that he makes it sound easy. He is beyond demonstrating his virtuosity; his interpretation is simultaneously fluid and dynamic. He loses his supernatural edge on just a few in Opus 25, but is still far above the rest.
I have heard the recordings of Cortot, Browning, Szekely, Horowitz, Perahia, Pollini, Chiu, Zayas, Arrau, Ohlsson, Wild, Ashkenazy and Lugansky. There are others out there, but this tells you what I have heard and what I am basing my judgement on. Ashkenazy and Lugansky also play the etudes on that supernatural level, but I cannot say that for the rest. To call any recording dull? Impossible. Every one is an amazing feat of pianistic skill. Some just rise above the rest..
To overlook this recording would be a great loss. I hope Amazon gets more in stock!"
Phenomenal!
Lee Hartsfeld | Central Ohio, United States | 01/08/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Chopin's "Etudes" are the greatest works written for the piano, and Louis Lortie performs them with extraordinary skill and power. He is the ultimate interpreter of Chopin, a pianist of unmatched technique and sensitivity. His monumental reading of the eleventh and twelfth etudes in Op. 12 are worth the price of the CD many times over. Unblurred pedaling, rapid but flawlessly clean octave runs, and pure legato playing of impossible-to-connect arpeggios are only a few of the many aural joys awaiting the listener. Virtually a fiber-optic connection to the musical mind of Chopin. Buy this one!"
Masterful exponent of Chopin
A. E. Polonsky | Cambridge MA USA | 01/07/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I heard Louis Lortie play the Chopin Etudes at the Kennedy Centre in Washington last year, and was impressed by his absolute command of the techniques necessary to do justice to the music. His performance was confident and sensitive, the best I had ever heard. I bought the CD for my husband at his request, and he is supremely happy with it. He says it recaptures the live performance very well. Most highly recommended."