Frederic Chopin Maurizio Pollini - Chopin Piano Sonatas Nos 2 3 (8 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

The Chopin sonatas have never been played like this before!

Chip Hartranft | Arlington, MA | 01/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Maurizio Pollini is one of the most important pianists of this century, and this is one of his finest recordings. His approach to these familiar pieces is characteristically revelatory. As always, Pollini's supernatural control is fully at the service of a commanding musical sensibility to which sentimentality and neurosis are utterly foreign. He can play with a devastating power and intensity, of course - have movements 1 & 2 of the Bb minor sonata ever been rendered with such cosmic savagery? - but he is just as capable of heartbreaking lyricism, as in the hypnotic middle section of the Funeral March or the Largo of the B minor.Oddly enough, Pollini is often criticized for being 'cold'. His remarkable memory, control, and architectural sense of a piece can strike the casual listener as premeditated, it seems. In fact, his control permits him an astonishing degree of freedom, and his live performances are spontaneous and deeply felt. There is more to Maurizio Pollini than his celebrated technique, and these recordings show that he is one of the tenderest, most deeply committed pianists on record. A must-buy!"

Wow!

Christopher Smith | Atlanta, Georgia | 12/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pollini's is easily the best interpretation of these sonatas I've ever heard. The standard take on these works is that they don't really have a coherent structure or traditional sense of development, and that Chopin just threw a bunch of brilliant but nevertheless disparate pieces together. In Pollini's hands the sustained unity of both is never in doubt. The "Funeral March" Sonata is miraculous. The first two movements have a wild, almost insane abandon about them, which make the hushed atmosphere of the slow movement even more menacing and intense. It's what I'd somewhat melodramatically call a dance of death in four movements. To be both manic and superbly controlled with one's playing seems a contradiction in terms, but believe me, Pollini does it. The third sonata is virtually unknown, but it is a lot like Chopin's other late work (the Bacarolle, the fourth Ballade) with its introspective, serene and meditative qualities. Although it's completely different in mood and tone from the other sonata, Pollini again is equal to the task. Pollini's Chopin is unique, and his rendition of the more intellectual works like the Etudes and the Preludes is second to none. Now he's shown what he can do with another dimension of Chopin, and to truly appreciate these sonatas, it's essential to listen to what he achieves here."

Modernist approaches Romantic essentials and stuns you!

dv_forever | Michigan, USA | 06/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Maurizio Pollini is a pianist with a very wide open view of the repertory. A lot of pianists who are known for their modernist chops, stay away from the great Romantics like Chopin, Liszt and Schumann. Pollini, unlike Glenn Gould for instance, has embraced all the great Romantic composers.

The imagination of the Romantics is a far cry from the rhetoric of the modernists and Pollini is unafraid to showcase his immense technique in Chopin, just as he unafraid to explore Schoenberg, Boulez or Luigi Nono.

I have to admit that Pollini's take on these two sonatas and especially the funeral march sonata is much more intense and penetrating than most pianists who specialize in Romantic piano literature. Pollini has a mastery of structure that escapes most others.

This is one of the finest performances of these pieces you'll ever find. The ultra-famous funeral march movement is particularly full of dramatic contrast. The stunning final movement of that sonata is not articulated as cleanly as I would have liked but that's a fault more on DG's recording than Pollini's playing. The sound is of mostly good quality which has some digital harshness here and there but nothing serious to detract from the monumental playing that you're getting.

These recordings have also been re-released in a 2CD set of Chopin sonatas and variations, so if you can't find a used copy of this CD, try that set instead."

Excellent Performance of two towering masterpieces

Jake Wagner | California, USA | 08/19/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the recording I own of the two great Chopin sonatas. The performance is technically flawless, but at times I wish for a little more passion. Perhaps Argerich or Rubinstein does better in this regard?

Critics hold the Sonata in B flat minor up as one of the greatest works in Chopin's oeuvre, although from the start it has been argued that it consists of four disparate pieces rather than a sonata in the traditional sense. Indeed, I enjoy the first two movements immensely, but find the last two to be somewhat disappointing. The funeral march is justly famous, but it does not connect in my mind with the previous movements. And the last movement seems downright repugnant to me.

In disagreement with the experts, I prefer the Sonata in B minor. It just fits together better as an overall program. I am drawn to it like few masterpieces in the piano literature.

The first movement has much beautiful romantic writing, particularly from the second subject to the end of the exposition. Critics seem to dislike the development section, but I have come to expect less in this regard from Chopin than from say Beethoven. The essence of Chopin's music is the magical writing for the piano, which is filled with surprised that can brings tears to your eyes.

The scherzo second movement has a very lightly played arabesque figure. It is challenging to get this to sound right. The trio is pervaded by an intense feeling of calm.

The Largo is the emotional center of the B minor and the outer section is unbelievably touching. The middle section is masterfully written, but seems to drag in Pollini's performance.

This sets the stage for a short bravura finale which must be kept at an even tempo to build inexorably to its magnificent climax.

I like the B minor sonata better than any of the other romantic sonatas, such as those of Liszt or Brahms. It is in the same league as the best Beethoven sonatas and holds up well under repeated listening."

Authentic, yet highly individual.

A. F. S. Mui | HK | 06/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There MAY well be many 'technical Pollinis' these days.

However, to come to the level of interpretation of Pollini in these two Chopin Sonatas, far less than a couple.

The first 'living' pianist that might come to such a mature reading of Chopin's two sonatas is Fou T'song.

Pollini recently reissued the No. 2 Sonata (2008). Even so, this earlier reading is already a piece of well-nigh perfect performance.

He doesn't have the 'romanticist' approach to Chopin, and one really wonders, upon listening to Pollini's Chopin, whether the 'romantic' free-rythm, tinkling Chopin IS Chopin afterall, or at the very least, is that representative of Chopin.

Nor do I consider Pollini's approach to Chopin 'modernist'. He may well be an exponent of modern composers' works, but that clearly has nothing to do with his interpretations of classical-romantic works. He can be as lyrical as any 'romantic' pianist, and as 'classical' as the most strictly adherent classical interpretor.

And yet, despite all these, there is NEVER any thing that is 'straight-jacketed' about Pollini's approaches to the music he makes.

His readings always stem from the inner conviction and emotional committment.

IF one thinks that there ARE many Pollinis these days, he could NOT have been more wrong.

"

Search - Frederic Chopin, Maurizio Pollini :: Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3

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