Search - Frederic Chopin, Vladimir Ashkenazy :: Chopin: Etudes

Ashkenazys only real competition is himself.

Neil Miller | 05/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a bit of a nut with certain aspects of the piano repertoire. For example, I have 6 different complete sets of Opp. 10 and 25. Two by Cortot, two by Ashkenazy, Pollini, and Perahia.For sheer pianistic perfection, I tend to gravitate to this recording made in 1975. For a more heart-on-your-sleeve interpretation, I go for Ashkenazys youthful (but sadly out of print) recording of 1960 on the Meloydia label.With either, you just can't go wrong. The famous etude in thirds is just one of many highlights in this recording. After all, he learned it at the age of 10! It has a sense of ease and fluffiness in tone which is just amazing. What a genuis Chopin was!!! To be able to create such fantastic and beautiful music out of such mundane pianistic mechanics is truly a gift from God. This is a masterful recording done by a master pianist."

Possibly The Greatest Piano Recording Ever

Neil Miller | USA | 05/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was astonished to read the other reviews of this recording, which gave it less than 5 stars. I am a performing pianist and piano teacher. Ashkenazy taught the world how to play the Chopin Etudes when this recording was issued. Forget about technique. Of course Ashkenazy has technique to the outer limits ... so do hundreds of other pianists. What this recording projects is the incredible depth of emotions and interpretations that make us realize what this music (and it is music, not exercises) is all about. Definitive, to say the least. Listen to any other traversals and they leave you wanting more, knowing there is more. Not with Ashkenazy. The only recording that also does it is Lortie's. And why? Because he copied Ashkenazy's performances. That's the effect this monumental recording has had. Buy this CD and you'll realize you never have really heard piano playing before. Like George Shearing (one of the world's greatest jazz pianists) says in the liner notes, "Ashkenazy makes us all realize what chumps we are.""

Chopin Studies - Ashkenazy

Gilby | London, England | 10/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Louis Keantner said the Chopin studies represent a fine marriage of the aesthetic and athletic. With certain works by Brahms, Liszt and Rachmaninov, these are the musical apogee of the pianistic study. Ashkenazy plays well for the most part, although some of the studies are slightly disappointing. His "Double Thirds" is not a match for that of Lhevine, whilst the "Revolutionary" Study could be a more forceful elucidation of Chopin's feelings about Russian repression. Perahia has recorded the set too - often with more verve, like the fourth study in C sharp minor - but his interpretation is not as sound as one would expect (in comparison to, say, his Schubert), although his reading of line is illuminating. However, Ashkenazy did a sound job of recording these very difficult pieces, and on the whole it is a good buy."