Search - Frederic Chopin, Leo Sirota :: A Chopin Recital, 1952-1963

Inspired Chopin

Stephen D. Haufe | Clinton, Iowa | 06/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Remarkable playing.Too bad he did not record more of the standard repetoire to ease comparison of his art with his contemporaries.Exemplifies all the characteristcs of the Golden Age,golden tone,infinite nuance without losing line or tempi,wide dynamic range,effortless virtuosity,commanding prescence, emotional communication with audience,and an intellectual approach that treats even the smallest nic-nac as a masterpiece worthy of repsect.



Do I also detect a concentration of effort/thought/emotion and econonmy of means/expression informed by his years in the Far East, not just the teaching of Busoni?



While there are moments I might have wished for a bit more tempo or spontaneity,they are few. I was emotionally exhausted after the cd fininshed.The Nocturnes seem from another world,the Scherzo with dimensions both Rubinstein in his lp's and Horowitz when I heard him do it live in 1977 both miss,the opening of the Andante a wonderful duet between the hands not emphasized enough by any I've heard,and the Op.49 Fantasy may be one of the greatest recorded Chopin performances ever,along with the Scherzo! A Rosenthal-like roar at the end of the Fanatsy;the turbulent scales and arpeggios of the Scherzo revealing much detail and motifs the other 2 simply gloss over.The Op.66 Fantasy is presented as an integral work with the slow,middle section playing part in the drama,not the too slow,saccarhine interlude we usually hear.



I am talking it up where can.

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