Search - Frederic Chopin, Krystian Zimerman, Polish Festival Orchestra :: Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

An essential recording

Hans U. Widmaier | Elmhurst, IL USA | 12/08/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is hard not to get cynical about the modern classical music business, where media-hyped stars crank out recording after meaningless recording of a handful of overused war horses that possess the unfortunate quality of commercial appeal. It often seems inconceivable that the pieces (for example, the Chopin and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerti, the Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Sibelius Violin Concerti, the Brahms Symphonies, etc. etc.) could still be rescued from this exploitation. Zimerman and his orchestra utterly refute any such pessimism. They restore two of the most sadly abused pieces to an almost shocking level of authenticity, freshness, and immediacy. It's not enough to say they have a deep understanding of this music. No: they have it in their blood, it is completely natural to them, the speak Chopin's idiom as if it were their mother tongue. The result is one of the most atmospheric, intimate, moving, beautiful, interesting recordings I have ever heard. You have to go deep into the history of recorded music to find comparable achievements. I am thinking of the Cortot-Thibaud-Casals collaborations, Furtwaengler's Beethoven Symphonies, Oistrach's and Barshai's Sinfonia Concertante, and a few others. Without a question, this is the most important (and the most enjoyable) classical recording in years. Buy it! It will blow you away."

A Once in a Lifetime Revelation from a Genius

11/07/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the start I must mention that I find it difficult to write an objective paragraph about a recording that has so completely changed me. I will now find it impossible to listen to the "old" or more conventional interpretations of these two concerti. This was in fact the promise of Krystian Zimerman, that he would bring us these works "in a style we have never heard before." This reflects many discoveries that Zimerman has made and also his deep understanding of the music. (Compare the recordings he made with Giulini and the L.A.P.O. twenty years ago; they sound lifeless in comparison.) These recordings were rush-released by DG to coincide with Zimerman's worldwide tour of this program in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death. I heard Zimerman live with this program Nov.4 in Worcester, MA and can easily say that this was the most moving concert I have ever attended in my life. The audience around me was equally stunned, and there were some gasps in the slow movements of each concerto. I did not know that music could go this far into a world of fantasy and intimate communication. What went on between Zimerman and his orchestra was something I have never seen before; something reserved for those who have a deep understanding for each other, and who have painstakingly worked through each phrase. There is a stunning emphasis on the orchestration, (note the newly composed bars of music) such that the effect is that of chamber music. Not only did I feel as if I were hearing these works anew, but for the very first time. Zimerman plays with seemingly unbelievable ease, yet with poetic and dynamic fire together with an orchestra of very distinct sound. These recordings capture the moment in fantastically balanced sound; one senses the music is being invented on the spot. This is what I always imagined music-making to be about. Bravo to Zimerman and his personally selected, trained, and conducted orchestra. One only dreams of what will be next from Zimerman's all-embracing talent."

A Once-in-a-lifetime Musical Experience

Len L (storylen@aol.com) | Worcester, MA, USA | 11/05/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This performance is the realization of a 20-year dream by conductor/soloist Zimerman, himself the 1975 Grand Prize winner of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. His dream was to tour and perform the two concerti for the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death in 1849, with a hand-picked Polish-only orchestra. Nearly 400 audition tapes were submitted, out of which he picked the very best 57 young performers. I have heard them perform this program live at Mechanics Hall in Worcester MA, as well as on CD, and both are incredible musical experiences. This recording shows, far more than any other I've heard, Chopin's ardor for the beautiful but unattainable young soprano Constancia Gladkowska.The playing is other-worldly. For example, in the second movement of the F minor, the strings enter with a sound that appears to have no beginning, as though it were there since the beginning of time. The result is transporting. Whatever your age, you are 19 again (as Chopin was,) and passionately, hopelessly in love with someone you cannot have.Buy this CD but before listening, make sure the shades are drawn, and that all cares are set aside. This is a trip (don't we all wish it were a one-way trip!) into the world of perfect, imagined love."