Search - Maurizio Pollini :: Chopin

AN IMPORTANT REMINDER

rater25 | 04/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I listened to this CD before reading the accompanying text. I assumed they were new recordings made for the Chopin bicentennial. As someone who has found Pollini's recordings in recent years quite dull (particularly his Beethoven), I was astounded by his "return to form" here. The etudes in particular are breathtaking - not only perfectly executed, but highly passionate. Alas, these are mostly recordings from over 30 years ago. I had not heard them since that time. It is good to be reminded that Pollini's reputation as a great pianist and musician has a solid base. And unfortunately, I am not the passionate young man of thirty years ago either."

MAURIZIO POLLINI: MASTERFUL CHOPIN INTERPRETATIONS

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 04/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five BIG Stars!! Chopin by Pollini is masterful! In the 2010 "Year of Frederick Chopin", acknowledging the 200th anniversary of the birth of this heralded genius composer, the recording companies have been pulling out all of the stops, opening their vaults to release the best Chopin performances by the brightest Chopin interpreters. And now once again as with Argerich Plays Chopin compilation, Deutsche Grammophon, with this CD compilation, is releasing a piano work compilation by one of the very best: double Grammy-winning pianist and conductor Maurizio Pollini, the winner of the International Chopin Competition in 1960 and 2006 Grammy-winner for Chopin: Nocturnes; one of the most admired, true giants of piano. With Pollini there is sometimes the "technician" versus "the emotional" performers argument. With me, there is no argument, Pollini has always been a supreme Chopin interpreter: flawless time, the ability to play phrases not notes, incredible technique which can generate the awesome two-handed pianistic fireworks that Chopin demands, and, yes, at times overpowering emotionalism. Even in recent live 2010 performances at age 68, Pollini is still a consummate, spectacular Chopin master, getting it done technically and dynamically, while pushing the velocity envelope at breathtaking cadences.



These are all "top-drawer" presentations, showing both Pollini and Chopin at their finest with 3 Opus 25 etudes, 3 Opus 34 waltzes, 3 polonaises, a scherzo, and a ballade, all clocking in at over an hour and 13 minutes of impressive, excellent Chopin performances. The polonaises and the etudes themselves are worth the price of admission here. In the awesome "12 Etudes, Op.25 - No. 11 in A minor" (aka "Winter Wind"), Pollini's descending cascade of notes make the listener almost see ice crystals shattering under the gale force winds, crashing to the ground in sequence: a performance as nuanced as one may want to hear. In the "Ocean" "Etude, No 12 in C minor", Pollini has the right and left hand keys ringing like church bells, while the melody is essentially carried by the right thumb. The "Waltz No.2 in A flat, Op. 34 No.1" is indeed a "Valse brillante" under Pollini's touch and interpretation. In Pollini's performance of "Ballade No.4 in F minor, Op.52" and the "Heroic" "Polonaise No. 6 in A flat, Op. 53". I was blown away by these bravura, dynamic performances. In the 10 minute "Polonaise No.5 in F sharp minor, Op.44" one can only imagine how much reserved power Pollini had to have to pull this off, not to mention the emotionalism required in the tranquil moments. And there is so much more powerful, beautiful, technically-demanding music on this CD. Kudos to the genius of Chopin and excellence of Maurizio Pollini. My Highest Recommendation. Five HUGE Stars! (This review is based an Amazon.com download) (Another excellent Chopin compilation is Argerich Plays Chopin."

A long-term affair between a fabulous pianist and a genius c

P. Adrian | Arad, Romania | 06/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 2010 - as the musical world celebrates 200 years since Chopin's birth - Maurizio Pollini offers a compilation from some of his previous recordings devoted to the great Polish composer. Encompassing a recording period of almost four decades (1972 - 2008), the selection consists of sparkling pieces such as the stormy last three Etudes op.25 (Nos. 10 - 12), some mighty Polonaises and three Waltzes op.34 (Nos. 1 - 3), the bold Ballad No.4 in F minor and finger-bending Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor, all of them played with that romantic nervousness and brilliant virtuosity so proper when speaking of Pollini's renditions. His magisterial command of the keyboard, that has enchanted generations of music lovers and firmly established Pollini in the Olympus of the greatest pianists ever, serves here in accomplishing a kind of Chopinesque synthesis in the Italian maestro's recorded legacy.



Yet, this CD deserves - in my opinion - four stars and a half. The missing half-star means that I would have been much more pleased if Pollini were intensively recording now (in his late sixties), when his stunning technical prowess and intellectual musicianship gained their full artistic maturity so that his interpretations reflect a lifelong intimacy with works he performs. Because getting older, Pollini has lost none of his legendary skills, but has constantly enriched his ability to convey musical truths of the most demanding repertory, by polishing his manner - the most objective one, rather clinical for some - of treating the composers he feels close to.



All in all, this compilation-synthesis is worthwhile in its own right for it witnesses the evolution of Maurizio Pollini's art from the flamboyant and youthful fervour (in Etudes and Polonaises) to his magisterial accounts of maturity (in Ballade, Scherzo and Waltzes). It is, in fact, the evolution of a long-term affair between a fabulous pianist and the music of a genius composer. Remember that when they first met in a great challenge, the stars aligned to announce a victory: Pollini won the Chopin competition in Warsaw!



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