Who are some of the best performers for Chopin’s piano solo?
Just wanna find their CDs to listen too. Thanks!
Ok. I have lots of things to say. First of all, do all of you really think that Rubinstein is the best Chopin performer ever? Really? Ok, then how about this: if you just listen to his recordings without knowing that they are his, then honestly, would you really think that he plays the best?? If you didn’t know that he is the most famous Chopin pianist (which in my opinion is a misinterpretation), would you really think him the best Chopin interpreter? I would be definitely be surprised if you did.And if you just think that he’s the best Chopin interpreter because everybody says so, than that’s just sad. But don’t worry, I am not just saying this because « I don’t want to sound old-fashioned ». If I wouldn’t have wanted to sound « old-fashioned », I wouldn’t be a classical music pianist or answering any of these questions. Also, I am NOT being rude, either. It’s just that I think that people are always praising all the old pianists (I don’t reffer to age when I say old, cause most of them have passed away) and they never criticize and analyze their playing honestly- they just say what most people say: that they are great, the best, and that nobody would ever be able to play that way anymore. I totally disagree.
First, I would like to say that this is happening all over the U.S. People are impressed with pianists that are not that good. Many, many pianists, like Lang Lang and Jon Nakamatsu are not that good. If any serious and advanced musician listens to them, s/he will pull their hair out. They wouldn’t honestly enjoy the performance, because all those pianists are just show-offs. All they care about is to play the most difficult piece in the whole world, to play everything loud and very spectacular. And this is because most people at concerts are simple people who don’t have a musician’s experience. This happens because this kind of playing appeals to everyone. Does anyone understand how annoying it is to watch a pianist that comes on stage with such an arrogant behavior? For example, Nakamatsu doesn’t even wait one second before he starts playing. At the same second when he sits at the piano, he starts playing. Now that proves that he has nothing to concentrate about, that he doesn’t give a crap about what he’s going to play next. And these are just the basic things- these are just the requirements that any pianist that has respect for the audience and the composers should do. But the biggest issue is different. One question: WHERE IS THE PASSION, THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL???? It seems like less and less pianists care about the actual music. They do not even respect what the composer wrote (like they add notes or they don’t play notes, they ignore legato signs, accents, and dynamics.) They just do their own thing. NOBODY has an excuse to do that. NO, not even Rubinstein. This is what bugs me about his playing. Many people would make the excuse « he’s experienced and old enough have his own interpretation. » Yes, of course- everyone has the right to interpret a piece as their taste allows. BUT AS LONG AS IT DOESN’T MESS WITH WHAT THE COMPOSER WROTE. (Sorry I’m shouting, I’m just trying to make a point.) But he does some things that are unacceptable to respectable pianists and any kind of musicians. Another thing that annoys me is that Rubinstein NEVER cared about making mistakes. I am not saying that any pianist should only care about the mistakes that s/he makes. It’s actually the opposite. But you don’t make millions of mistakes without caring about them. That’s another thing that questions the pianist’s respect for the composer and the piece that s/he plays. And this all goes back to impressing the audience. If a part is very difficult to play, what many pianists do is ignore everything (except most of the notes) that the composer wrote and play everything extremely loud, so it would sound impressive and most of the mistakes would be covered up. But still, people with perfect pitch, like me, ALWAYS hear the difference. And the thing that I never hear in Rubinstein’s playing is subtlety (and this is the most important thing that a pianist needs to play good Chopin.) Also, I never hear tenderness, passion, vulnerability, delicacy, and openness of heart in most Chopin interpretations. (and I am NOT just talking about Rubinstein- don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he plays horrible or the worst ever. No way. I’m just saying he is NOT the best. And please people, try to understand my reasons and agree with me as much as you can, because I have no intention of thrashing Rubinstein- he is a great inspiration to so many people and he played so many of Chopin’s pieces. He was a great pianist. I just don’t agree with many things he did.)
Anyways, enough about me saying what I disagree with. I believe the question was « What are some of the best Chopin performers? », not « What Chopin performers do you think are not the best? ». Ok. I don’t think that any of you (except perhaps his students) know my teacher, Hans Boepple. Well, he’s probably the best piano teacher in California. I consider him the greatest Chopin performer EVER. I am not exaggerating, and I have no proof for you guys, because he doesn’t have any videos on YouTube, but this is just my opinion. Maybe one day I’ll be able to post some of his playing (and ask him first, of course.) And I am NOT just saying that because he’s my teacher. I HONESTLY think that he plays Chopin the best. If any of you want to hear him, you could always get that chance ever year (you’ll be sure to hear him play Chopin, because he never has a recital without Chopin in it.) He is also a great concert pianist, and he has won many famous competitions, like the Chopin competition (not the one in Poland, though) and has played with many important orchestras, like the L.A. one. So if you just want to hear him, his next recital would be this autumn (it’s always in autumn). I think it’s October. Not sure though. But one thing I know is that it is always at Santa Clara University in the Recital Hall, (near San Jose, in California, of course.) You could always look online or just go to Santa Clara if you live close by to check when the recital dates are. But that again, is not the point. Now I have told you who my favorite Chopin performer is. But I haven’t yet talked about my second favorite Chopin performer (and I’m not done- sorry I’m writing so much, but I just have to tell you guys everything I think!) So, my second favorite Chopin performer is RAFAL BLECHACZ! Many of you will know him, and many will not. He has won the most important competition ever in my opinion (which I also want to win- it is my biggest goal): the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. He has won it the last time it was held, in 2005 (it is held every five years). He has won the first prize, of course, but second prize was not even awarded, because the jury thought that Rafal was not even comparable to the other two pianists in the finals. He has also won all the awards possible in this competition (because there are also individual awards.) He has won ALL OF IT: the award for best performance of a Concerto, Polonaise, Mazurka, and Sonata. That NEVER happened before at this competition. It is kind of like a new record. He is also the first Pole to win this competition since Krystian Zimmerman, his inspiration and one of my favorite Chopin interpreters also (but in my opinion, Rafal is actually better than « his inspiration », Zimmerman! That is so ironic!) He is very young, and may I say that his maturity is better even than many 50-year old great pianists??? I hope you wouldn’t think I am exaggerating. He has everything that I want to hear in a good Chopin interpretation- sensitivity, passion, attention to detail, subtlety, sophistication, and of course, Polish spirit (since Chopin was Polish, too and there are LOTS of those Polish themes in his music. ) He also has great technique, for those of you who are interested in that matter. Also, his respect for the audience and the music is perfect. He never did anything arrogant or against the actual music that the composer wrote, like many other pianists did. And plus, his interpretation is just like mine. And may I just say that I’ve been playing piano for eight years, and I’ve only known Rafal for about four months. So there was no way I could have copied him. When I found out about him, I was ready to critique him (and not necessarily in nice ways…) and I was just awed. I couldn’t believe it! His interpretation was just like mine! It was just so unlikely for that to happen. He cared about every little note, about everything that the composer wrote, his playing was so deep and passionate! I was so strongly impressed that he was immediately my second favorite Chopin performer. (Also, many of you might wonder where I know all those details about him, right? Well, the first time I listened to him was on YouTube, of course. But then I fell in love with his playing and I got tickets for BOTH of his concerts in the area that I live, even though it was the same concert. But I didn’t regret him! I got to see him two times and enjoy his playing A LOT!)
So what is the difference between my favorite Chopin performer (my teacher, Hans Boepple) and my second favorite Chopin performer (Rafal Blechacz), you might ask yourselves? I would definitely say experience and maturity, even though Rafal is still extremely mature.
Other pianists that I like are Zimmerman, like I said before, and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The only thing that bothers me about Ashkenazy’s playing is that is somtimes kind of brutal and not as sensitive and deep as it should be. But overall, I really like his playing.
Also, I would like
Chopin – Piano Concerto No.2 in f minor – 2-Larghetto – Kuschnerova
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CHOPIN » Œuvres pour piano » (CD) 1989 €11.21 |
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CHOPIN – 9 Meisterwerke / Piano Klavier Noten+CD €16.50 |
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SHEFFIELD LAB LINCOLN MAYORGA PIANO CHOPIN BRAHMS & PROKOFIEV AUDIOPHILE CD TAS €31.21 |
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Nikita Magaloff Chopin:Comp Piano Works CD NEW €50.57 |
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Nikita Magaloff Chopin:Comp Piano Works CD NEUF €47.06 |
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Chopin / Walzer, Valses, Waltzes / Peter Schmalfuss, Piano / CD €6.99 |
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2CD – LEIF OVE ANDSNES – chopin, piano sonatas, Virgin €29.90 |
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RUBINSTEIN – CHOPIN – LE MONDE DU PIANO – 2 CD + LIVRET NEUFS SOUS BLISTER €2.00 |
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Pollini, Maurizio – Chopin:Piano Concerto No 1 (NEW CD) €9.35 |
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FELICJA BLUMENTAL- Chopin – Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor; (4) Scherzos CD €4.55 |
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Chopin – Polonaises Vol.2 CD (Idil Biret Piano) 1992 Naxos MINT €4.68 |
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KATHRYN STOTT- A Chopin Collection CD (Piano Pieces) 1989 EX Conifer €3.91 |
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CHOPIN / Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 – Piano Concerto No. 1 / CD €6.99 |
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CHOPIN – PIANO CONCERTOS NO. 1: GARY GRAFFMAN / NEWTON 2-CD 2011 OVP!! €7.19 |
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Chopin Chopin:Piano Works Vol 2 CD NEUF €15.53 |
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Chopin Chopin:Piano Trio Op.8 CD NEUF €7.57 |
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4 CD Yu Kosuge Chopin Liszt Mozart Piano Concerte 2000 €30.00 |
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OEUVRES POUR PIANO – CHOPIN FREDERIC (4CD) €23.90 |
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Georges Cziffra – Chopin Piano CD NEW €22.18 |
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Ingrid Fliter – Chopin: Piano Works CD NEW €14.62 |
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Martha Argerich – Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 CD NEW €8.79 |
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CD:KLASSIK Compilation,Piano Works (Liszt,Chopin,Mozart…, Classic Digital) €4.48 |
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PIANO WORKS – Schumann Mozart Chopin – Nguyet Minh CD €3.95 |
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CD 66- Intégrale pour piano de Frédéric Chopin €4.00 |
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CD Paul BAUMGARTNER – Piano Recital – Beethoven Brahms Debussy Chopin €3.00 |
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Paolo Giacometti – Chopin – Piano Concertos CD NEW €6.24 |
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Martijn Van Den Hoek – Chopin – Piano Works CD NEW €6.24 |
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Mu Ye Wu – Chopin & Liszt – Piano Sonatas CD NEW €17.78 |
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Evgeni Bozhanov – Chopin: Works For Piano CD NEW €17.28 |
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Goldstone & Clemmow – Chopin For Piano Duo CD NEW €16.04 |
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Artur Pizarro – Chopin Piano Sonatas CD NEW €17.28 |
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Mu Ye Wu Chopin & Liszt – Piano Sonatas CD NEUF €15.84 |
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Sviatoslav Richter Shostakovich & Chopin Piano Wo CD NEUF €12.07 |
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Jan Simon; Prague Philharmonia Chopin – Piano Concertos CD NEUF €12.90 |
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Evgeni Bozhanov Chopin: Works For Piano CD NEUF €15.84 |
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Artur Pizarro Chopin Piano Sonatas CD NEUF €16.26 |
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Martijn Van Den Hoek Chopin – Piano Works CD NEUF €6.21 |
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Paolo Giacometti Chopin – Piano Concertos CD NEUF €6.21 |
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CHOPIN AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS PIANO WORKS BOOK & CD NEW €14.92 |
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Chopin – Concerto For Piano & Orchestra, Impromptu, Polonaise, Prelude (CD) €2.49 |
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Chopin : 19 Nocturnes – The Rubinstein Collection, vol.49 €6.98 CHOPIN : 19 NOCTURNES – THE RUBINSTEIN COLLECTION, VOL.49… |
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Chopin : Polonaises €4.82 CHOPIN : POLONAISES… |
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Mozart : Les Plus belles symphonies N°25, 26, 28, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40 & 41 (Coffret 4 CD) €16.92 … |
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Concerto Pour Piano N°1 [Blu-ray] €9.07 … |
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Concerto Pour Piano N°2 [Blu-ray] €9.07 … |
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In Memoriam Chopin : Live Au Carnegie Hall De New York €16.51 … |
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50 Easy Classical Themes: Representing More than 30 Composers Including Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart And Tchaikovsky €7.86 … |
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Chopin: Complete Works for Solo Piano €15.29 … |
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Chill With Chopin: Including Naxos Cd €6.43 Chill out with two collections of beautiful tranquil music. First listen to the best-selling CD from Naxos containing some of Chopin’s most beautiful music, then play your favourite pieces for solo piano…. |
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Chopin au XXIe siecle : les voyages de l’ âme + 1 CD – piano €23.90 R.COHENCe recueil propose la découverte de Fréderic CHOPIN sous l’angle de l’expression des sentiments en musique. Les 24 pièces présentées sont des textes originaux, doigtés et de tous niveaux. On retrouvera dans cet opus l’habituelle progression chronologique des pièces entrecoupées d’épisodes biographiques, d’anectotes, de citations, de reproductions, de manuscrits du compositeur, de p… |