Amazing Solo Piano Recordings

I'd like to second (or third) the recommendations of Nojima Plays Liszt and Nojima Plays Ravel on Reference Recordings, and add one more: Claudio Arrau playing the Liszt Transcendental Etudes on Philips. These are analog recordings (made 1974-76), very close up, exceptionally vivid and immediate. You feel like your head is about three feet away from the piano's sounding board. The first item, Prelude, only 1:05 long, is quite spectacular and wide-ranging and will tell you right away whether or not you like this kind of very close up piano sound. I do.

I've got 3 or 4 worthy classical candidates for most amazing solo piano recording:

1. Chopin, Etudes, Murray Perahia. Sony CD. Recorded in 2001; engineered by Andreas Neubronner. Dazzling. The best playing I've ever heard from Perahia (and I've heard a lot of him, both live and recorded), the best version of the Chopin Etudes, and the best piano sound ever heard from Sony. (The sound is exceptionally vivid, close-up, and full-range; if you don't like close-up piano sound, you won't like this one.)

2. Piano Transcriptions, various composers, Arcadi Volodos. Sony CD. Recorded in 1996; engineered by Richard King. Simply astonishing playing, and first-rate piano sound. If you like virtuoso piano transcriptions, you'll love this one. Great fun.

3. Nojima Plays Liszt. Reference Recordings CD. Recorded in 1986; engineered by "Profesor" Keith Johnson. This one is already well known to many audiophiles and piano buffs, but it won't hurt to recommend it again. Breathtaking pianism and superb sound. The companion volume, Nojima Plays Ravel, also on RR, is also excellent. (I have reviews of both on Amazon.com.)