Ah, I forgot to say anything about Arrau. As several testimonials here indicate, he has a cult following for sure. And, yes, his "interpretations" are very personal, for a classical pianist, and often compelling. But too often, they're just willful and, well, wrong. For example, take the Arietta movement of the Op. 111 sonata. Or the slow movement of Op. 106. Ritardandos galore where they are not written, and frequently bloated tempi that Beethoven would surely have angrily rejected (again, we know this because of Beethoven's use of metronome markings).
Great classical pianists
Alexandra Dovgan is the pianist of her generation.
In the last century there was Richter. Today Trifonov. Now a new phenom. What is it in the Russian water that produces such giants of the keyboard?
We enjoy all great pianists. Rubinstein, Pollini, Argerich, Backhaus, Kempf, Michelangeli, Schnabel, Pogorelic, Gilels. Please add your favorite to this embarrassment of pianistic riches. But there is primus inter pares.
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I cannot disagree with you that many of today’s classical pianists "are too tightly bound by a rigid performance controlled by the original score". However, most of Claudio Arrau’s recordings will demonstrate quite the opposite: he is very interpretative, which is why some individuals, who are classically trained, may not like him as much, as he plays what is written on the score, as well as what is not written, "between the notes," shall we say. However, not all of Arrau’s recordings are magnificent, as he has some mediocre recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos, and Gilels might have the best recording of those concertos that I’ve heard. As mentioned above, all listed here are excellent, but many are simply master technicians at playing the right keys right on time (Ashkenazy, Lang, Horowitz, et al), without the feeling or emotion behind the music. |
Thank you for this video. Ms. Dovgan plays "The Tempest" beautifully, if just a bit slowly in the first movement. She’s beautiful, too, and so young. And so poised. Too bad she wipes her nose at the beginning (1:10). My favorite young pianist no one so far has mentioned: Igor Levit. But it must be the Russian blood, not the air, that gets into the fingers; Levit was born in Gorky, but has lived in Germany for years. His recording of the late Beethoven sonatas is superb; I’m eager to hear what Ms. Dovgan does with them. He also has several really interesting "recital" albums, my favorite being three variations pieces from very different eras: Bach’s "Goldberg Variations," Beethoven’s "Diabelli Variations," and Rzewsi’s "The People United Will Never Be Defeated," which is the stunning highlight of the set (3 CDs). My favorite complete set of the Beethoven sonatas, however, is the one by Richard Goode. Not showy at all, but perfectly judged, always intelligent, revealing lines of counterpoint you don’t usually hear in other pianists. Well recorded, too, although again not in a showy way: like you’re in the third row center, not inside the piano. Grimaud has been mentioned; also a fave. Her recording of the Beethoven Fifth Concerto is my favorite in a crowded field, largely because it is so well recorded. And there’s a DGG SACD of the Beethoven Choral Fantasy, a great and somewhat overlooked piece, that is my primary reference recording: solo piano, full orchestra, solo voices and full chorus. On the same CD, she plays "The Tempest," but Ms. Dovgan’s performance tops hers. The CD is titled "Credo" and contains the astonishing piece by that name by Arvo Pärt. Not a piano showpiece by any means, but a frightening musical composition, superbly well performed and recorded. Pollini, of course. Schnabel, just because (thrilling to hear those "authentic" tempi—although Beethoven’s use of the metronome is problematic for late works). Never liked Kempf, even when he was the only pianist I knew well (in college). He was a Nazi, too. As for Horowitz...what can anyone say? No one had such a perfect technique (although Pogorelic comes close occasionally; too bad he burned out so early). My problem with Horowitz is that he shines with "pianistic" pieces—Chopin, Scriabin—and much less so with more interesting music. As far as I know, he never even recorded the Everest the the piano repertoire, Beethoven’s Op. 106. He did record Op. 111, another great and hugely important sonata (see Thomas Mann’s discussion of it in his novel Doktor Faustus), but his interpretation leaves me cold. |
Excellent quality pianists are a dime a dozen today. Now I am more attuned to the Jazz world, but most of them (Jazz pianists) started out playing classical in their formative years. It is just that Jazz opens the door to much more diversity in style and sound. But even then there are those who do a classical style, that tare amazing and still have a secondary following like a new discovery for me, 'Sofiane Pamart', who also is an adequate composer. You would never guess from listening to his performance at 'Piano Day d' Arte Concert 2021' that he is known in Europe as the Go To backup musician for RAP Artists. I will start with the Well know Diane Krall ( the queen of finesse), then The extraordinary Hiromi Uehara (she just enjoys music TOOOO much), then Gerry Bryant, Sarah McKenzie, Marian Albero, Maja Alvanović, Mayo Nakano (marvelous), Michel Petrucciani, Monty Alexander, Yoko Miwa, All magnificent in their own way, and that barely scratches the surface. |
A brief list of players that I would have liked to see but didn’t : 1) Annie Fisher 2) Wilhelm Kempff 3) De La Rocha 4) Leon Fleisher 5) Rudolf Serkin I actually did see one of his last concerts-he regrettably should have hung it up by then
I did see one of Artur Rubinstein last concerts and it was memorable, particularly his Schumann.
My current favorite is Vikingur Olaffson
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As indicated by others, there are so very many. I saw Lang Lang play at The Barbican, London, a few months ago, and thought him impressively mechanical yet unmusical and without soul. You might enjoy the wonderful Spanish player, Alicia de Larrocha, who passed in 2009, and recorded much on usually well turned out Decca records. If you web search for: Hélène Grimaud, and look for "videos" the first film that comes up is: Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58 (Orchestre de Paris ... a most spellbindingly touching performance on the evening after 9/11, of Grimaud and the Philharmonie de Paris under Eschenbach. There is a Guardian review of the concert explaining the circumstances of the day's events and the resulting music making. Grimaud is a highly intelligent and sensitive player. Aldo Ciccolini playing Satie (EMI records) and more. Yevgeny Sudbin is a super music maker based in the UK, whose Scarlatti Piano Sonatas are stellar. I heard him play at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, he has great feeling and judgement, as have so many of his and even younger generations of students who must conjure with the greats noted above. Finally, I mention Anna Szałucka, a Polish player based in London also of great interpretive intelligence and energy. I disclose she taught my daughter all the way through to a distinction at grade 8. The BBC has broadcast her live, she has won piano competitions at Tallinn, and much more. Electric. Enjoy.
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Mrs. See. Later Mr. Horwath. Don’t want to waste bandwidth by starting a flamewar but ... Saw Horowitz once. He always set aside a number of seats for students at discounted price. And they were good seats like center third row. Not nosebleed section. Phenomenal tone. No matter how loud he played and he did play loud the tone never never ever broke up or even a hint of breaking up. That said his technical perfection left me cold emotionally. Or maybe I don’t connect with Scriabin. But his recording of pictures is great. The end is terrifying. Saw Arrau twice. Sorry trolls but yawn. Ashkenazy. xlnt. Heard him at a matinee then drove across town to see Jarrett who was in his imperious phase. No coughing. No shuffling. No nuttin’. He’s mellowed. Argerich and Pollini a step above. Pollini would play it completely differently in performance than practice. It was the inspiration of the moment. You don’t think it can get better then comes Trifonov. He caresses each individual note as if it’s his personal friend. Usually a long gap in time before the next best of their generation by definition. Surprise! Along comes Dovgan. Other posters mentioned Sokolov. Yes! And he said of Dovgan, she is not a child prodigy. Meaning Pallas Athena sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus. Zimerman skates up to the edge, but he never goes over. Excited to explore the many names posted that are new to me.
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Not much finesse by your favorite Alexandra, but perhaps that’s because everyone sounds like an amateur compared to Claudio Arrau. . . I think you would do yourself a great favor by comparing this same piece performed by your favorite, then Arrau, and then anyone else: Ashkenazy, etc. . . I’m rather certain that you will agree that they all sound like beginners by comparision: Perhaps Alfred Brendel is closest to Arrau, but a far second. Then Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter in the top five (possibly higher, but all his recordings were done so poorly by RCA during the brief time he was freed by the Soviets to perform outside of the USSR, since he was a de facto political prisoner in the USSR.) Glenn Gould is excellent with only one composer: Bach. Gould is the best pianist performing Bach’s works, but he is awful with any other composer: Beethoven, etc. |
