The Chopin Album

“[Op. 25] No. 1 establishes the pianist's beautifully modulated sonority along with the kind of affettuoso gestures his critics love to hate...It's ironic how Lang Lang's most interesting playing occurs when he attempts to 'interpret' the least. Sony's resplendent, seductively resonant engineering deserves the highest praise.” --Gramophone Magazine, November 2012

“For the most part the playing is warm and communicative, beautifully shaped, luminously projected and boldly coloured - probably too bold and luminous for those who prefer more aristocratic refinement and reserve in their Chopin but without the exaggerated, showy style so many have found off-putting.” --BBC Music Magazine, February 2013 ****

 “Overall, there is more maturity and emotional investment than I expected from the performer. Lang Lang’s rubato speaks of a serious artistic imagination, and it produces very distinctive playing. For many a listener the effect may wear thin after a few listens, but for others this will be intoxicating.” --MusicWeb International, April 2013

“his Grande Valse Brilliante is brilliant indeed; so are the cascading double sixths in the eighth étude in D-flat major...Lang Lang’s grin and enthusiasm are genuine: he simply loves playing his piano, communicating the joy of music. Bang Bang and glitter aside, that’s not something anyone should knock” --The Times, 26th October 2012 ***

“This album reflects his lifelong love for Chopin, and shows how fresh and individual his take can be...he delivers an exhilarating blend of poetry and power. The accompanying DVD is surprisingly amateurish, but reminds us of the god-given talent he was born with.” --The Independent, 28th October 2012

Live in Japan: Chopin, Franck, Debussy

What a recital this must have been! Individually, both Maisky and Argerich are among the best living players of their instruments: Maisky is a big-toned, full-blooded cellist and Argerich is a recklessly impulsive pianist blessed with a flawless technique. Together, Maisky and Argerich challenge each other to even higher heights, with Maisky singing like an operatic baritone and Argerich taking ever dangerous risks. 

And in this concert, Maisky and Argerich are at the top of their form, delivering performances that are, with one exception, among the most compelling ever recorded. Their Chopin sonata is far more passionate than any ever recorded: Maisky's playing makes the venerable Rostropovich performance seem restrained and Argerich's playing makes the piano part sound like the dazzling music it is, rather than a demure accompaniment to the cellist.

Their Franck sonata has more ardent sensuality than the Act I Love duet from La bohème, with Maisky making a most convincing case for the work as a cello sonata. Their encore, Chopin's youthful Polonaise brilliante, succeeds in making the piece sound like more than a virtuoso trifle. Only Maisky's overly Romantic interpretation of Debussy's cello sonata is less convincing and, even there, the brilliance of Argerich's performance cannot be denied. This is as exciting a cello/piano recital as has ever been recorded. --allmusic.com

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2

“Both the veteran Wit and the 36-year-old pianist Eldar Nebolsin approach it with a mixture of seriousness and poise, showing a complete identification with Chopin’s language... Nebolsin [is] comfortably among the finest interpreters of his generation.” --BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ****/*****

“The Warsaw Philharmonic and their conductor Antoni Wit must have accompanied the Second Piano Concerto many dozens of times, but you wouldn't think so from their fresh, anti-routine way with the concerto's orchestral introduction.” --Classic FM Magazine, January 2011 ***

Eldar Nebolsin (piano)

Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Antoni Wit

Using the new Polish National Chopin Edition, acclaimed pianist Eldar Nebolsin and Poland’s national orchestra conducted by the renowned Polish conductor Antoni Wit, here present fresh interpretations of Chopin’s great works for piano and orchestra.

The Second Piano Concerto was written before the first and completed in 1830, the year in which the composer set out for Vienna and then Paris. Chopin’s Variations on Là ci darem la mano, bear witness to his admiration for Mozart, instilled by his earliest teacher, the Bohemian Wojciech Žywny.

The Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat, Op. 22, was written in Vienna, and later augmented with the introductory Andante spianato.

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1

“Nebolsin [is] comfortably among the finest interpreters of his generation. The Concerto No. 1 can hold its head up alongside almost any performance.” --BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 *****

“[Nebolsin] proves himself a scintillating and persuasive Chopinist, alive to every detail and, indeed, subtly highlighting a few that are generally ignored...[The Rondo is] the highlight of the disc, nonchalantly fleet-fingered, beautifully phrased and conveying a real joy of shared music-making.” --Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2010

“...the assertiveness Nebolsin brings to the second subject of the Concerto's allegro immediately establishes an extrovert approach that persists through the disc. His virtuosity often creates a sense of high drama...In keeping with the scale of it all, conductor Antoni Wit favours big forces and grand-manner orchestral playing.” --The Guardian, 12th August 2010 ****

Schumann & Chopin: Piano Concertos

“A very rewarding listen, with beautiful touch from Louis Lortie. Neeme Järvi controls a halo of whisper-soft strings in the Chopin.” --BBC Music Magazine, October 2010 - Performance **** Recording *****

"...Louis lortie captures the full measure of the Schumann Piano Concerto..." "All in all, this is a fine Schumann Concerto performance..." "The Chopin 2nd... also draws a fine performance from Lortie and Jarvi." "The sound in both concertos is excellent. Recommended." --classical.net - July 2010

Louis Lortie (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Neeme Järvi

The popular coupling of Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, featuring Louis Lortie as the soloist, is here re-issued on Chandos Classics.

On the original release, CD Review wrote of the performance of Schumann’s Concerto: ‘…his playing is thrillingly imaginative and I cannot recall ever having heard the Finale sound so physically exciting as it does here.’ About the performance of Chopin’s F minor Concerto, the reviewer noted: ‘Lortie produces a scintillating reading which resounds in the mind long after the music has ceased.’

Chopin: Cello Music

“Brantelid's performance with the vivacious violinist Vilde Frang is entrancing. They draw us in to an engaging narrative and enjoy the play in the finale...an impressive cellist and definitely one to watch.” --BBC Music Magazine, April 2010 ****

“The Danish cellist Andreas Brantelid is only 23, but, with his Armenian pianist, he reveals astonishing maturity, bringing youthful freshness and vigour to a work championed on disc by Rostropovich and du Pré” nday Times, 7th March 2010 ****

“[Brantelid’s] interpretations...reveal a stylistic insight, elegance and emotional power to match his striking technical aplomb. This is an imaginative and fruitful combination of young talents on a disc that will be relished long after the bicentenary year is over.” --The Telegraph, 26th January 2010 *****

“Brantelid’s ability to reach the emotional core of a work is as evident here as on his previous disc, particularly in the Sonata...The overall sound is warm, technically perfect, and imbued with a youthful enthusiasm that is underpinned by interpretational maturity.” --Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 15th January 2010

Chopin: The Piano Concertos

A long-awaited recording: Lang Lang performs Chopin’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, two of the most beloved pieces in the repertoire. Lang Lang has performed these concertos for many years with many different orchestras before deciding to bring his interpretations into the recording studio. Here he is partnered by the supreme musicianship of the Wiener Philharmoniker and Zubin Mehta, who ensure that the orchestral part is far more than mere accompaniment. 

Both concertos were recorded in the world-renown acoustic conditions of the Vienna Musikverein’s Golden Hall, concerto No. 1 in a live-performance and concerto No. 2 in studio conditions.

Lang Lang has frequently received highest praise for his readings of Chopin’s Piano Concertos; their mixture of virtuosic expressiveness and lyrical tone bringing forth some of his most acclaimed performances.

Sonatas & Etudes

“…22-year-old Yuja Wang is a wondrously gifted pianist whose debut album… suggests a combination of blazing technique and a rare instinct for poetry. In Scriabin's Second Sonata she is beautifully sensitive to the moods, whether tranquil and starlit or tempestuous, reflecting the composer's love of the Baltic Sea. She is fiery but never reckless in Chopin's Second Sonata... As a crowning touch her Ligeti Etudes are both musicianly and dazzlingly incisive. In the words of the publicist, "a star is born".” --Gramophone Magazine, August 2009

“The opening movement of Chopin’s Second Sonata certainly identifies qualities of youthful impetuosity, power and dexterity.” --The Telegraph, 25th June 2009 ***

“The Scriabin (sonata no 2) flows nicely; in the Liszt B minor sonata she’s no empty virtuoso. A talent worth watching.” --The Times, 23rd May 2009 ****

“…Yuja Wang… has all the equipment to be one of the most exciting pianists of her generation. As well as a stunning technique she has a fabulous range of sonority and colour… the two Ligeti Etudes, especially 'Fanfares', suit her dazzling fingerwork perfectly. Pianistically, parts of her Liszt Sonata are extraordinary, with blistering octaves, razor-sharp articulation and a wonderful tonal richness.” --BBC Music Magazine, July 2009 ****

Live at the Royal Albert Hall

“there's an admirable lightness of touch and appreciation of rhythmic flow to her "Für Elise", and her negotiation of Liszt's "Un Sospiro" is captivating.” --The Independent, July 2012 ****

“genuine gifts for lyricism and dazzling display...those musical gifts quickly hit the ears on this closely recorded CD.... Track three is Liszt’s La campanella, intelligently shaped, its bell sounds glittering as rarely before...Lisitsa tends to play with the lights fully on, with not enough shading in the wide expanse between loud and quiet. This gets rather tiring...But at the moment there is only one Valentina Lisitsa.” --The Times, July 2012

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Valentina began playing the piano at the age of three and performed her first solo recital just one year later. She has won prestigious awards for her playing internationally, including the Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition (together with her husband Alexei Kuznetsoff).

Valentina Lisitsa has already performed at major international venues including Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York and the Vienna Musikverein, and in countries as far apart as the Netherlands and Brazil. She has played with renowned orchestras including Chicago Symphony, Seattle Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony, collaborating with conductors Manfred Honeck, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste, among others. Upcoming performances are confirmed with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Philharmonie im Gasteig, Munich with Münchner Symphoniker and recitals at the Victoria Hall in Geneva and Philharmonie in Berlin.

With more than 43 million views and over 52,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, the young pianist is not only one of the fastest-rising stars of the international concert scene but probably the single most-watched classical musician, having rapidly overtaken long-established giants of the piano world in terms of global online viewing figures.

Chopin: Cello sonata & Transcriptions for Cello & Piano

“What is most impressive about this performance is the exquisite pianissimo both achieve, while maintaining a perfect tonal balance. The old complaint that the dense piano part dominates simply does not apply here: Stott's touch is so gossamer-light, the engineers had no need to throw the cello forward unnaturally.” --BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 ****

“It would be hard to imagine a more powerful account of the Sonata than this one” --Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

Truls Mørk (cello) & Kathy Stott (piano)

“Chopin's compositional output did not include a great deal of chamber music, but what he did write included a number of pieces for cello. From this one could assume he had a special affinity for the instrument. In this recording, we have taken this a step further by choosing transcriptions of music originally written for solo piano - pieces with a strong melodic line which seem to transport themselves to the cello so beautifully.” Truls Mørk

Chopin: Mon Journal Intime

“He clearly has qualms about the emotional involvement he brings to Chopin's miniatures, executing an evocative transformation from languid self-absorption to high drama in the 'Ballade no. 1 op. 23', and navigating the turbulent, oceanic depths of the 'Fantaisie op. 49'.” --The Independent ****

“memorably refined and stylish performances...Here, as so often with Tharaud, there is an aristocratic balance of sense and sensibility, though his brilliant fury in the Second Ballade's Presto storm is breathtaking” --Gramophone Magazine

“He plays the music with palpable affection and sensitivity, gilded with a panache and passion in the more tempestuous moments...Tharaud’s feel for tonal colouring and his eloquence of expression are a perfect match for this inspiring, kaleidoscopic music.” -- The Daily Telegraph *****

“this sequence of carefully chosen pieces makes for a satisfying listen. Tharaud lifts the music across the bar-lines with deft rubato, his sound clear, shining and sensuous; altogether breathtakingly beautiful.” -- The Observer

Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE
SUNDAY TIMES CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
JUNO AWARD WINNER

'Though Hamelin has made many fabulous discs, particularly in repertoire of superhuman virtuosity, this is one of his very finest achievements to date' --Gramophone

[Third Sonata] 'Hamelin's impeccable pianism allows him to make light work of the most demanding passages. The first movement is as imposing as you would expect of a player renowned for his staggering virtuosity, but a solid framework also underpins moments of wonderful delicacy. Hamelin builds the Second Sonata just as unerringly, producing a poetic and passionate performance that is finally carried off on a spectral wind … Hyperion's new release adds up to a hugely satisfying Chopin recital' --BBC Music Magazine

'This is Chopin playing of a superior kind in which a musician of penetrating intellect is able to observe every detail of these miraculous scores … This is a fine example of supreme technical skill at the service of musical poetry' --Classic FM Magazine

Chopin, Faure, Poulenc: Cello Sonatas

The compositions on this CD encompass an entire century; all of them are French. Of course, they do not represent the entire range of a century of French cello music, bout on the other hand they are all completely un-German! I thought that it would be a good idea to offer the listener of the late 1990s a sort of double upbeat for the masterly Chopin Sonata, in this way arriving at the 1840s by means of two successive steps.

The Poulenc Sonata, although dating from 1948, is more a reflection of the Paris of the 1920s anti-aesthetic decadence and coolly presented cabaret-style sentiment. The work is remarkable for its refined surrealism, tinged with an intriguing hint of Catholic irony and seduction in the slow movement, and the moments in the last movement where the energy, for the first time, acquires a sarcastic tint, succeeded by an even more macabre quality which evokes Prokofiev.....

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

“…if few pianists have shown a more effortless glitter and command… many lesser pianists but more resourceful artists have excelled him in poetic engagement.” --Gramophone Magazine, April 2008

“…Berezovsky's super-refined and silvery passagework is a joy in itself. …the third movement of the E minor Concerto, for example… fizzes with Berezovsky's stunning articulation and sense of playful caprice.” --BBC Music Magazine, April 2008 ****

MP3 320 · 144 MB

Chopin & Rachmaninov: Piano Sonatas

Blessed with an almost frightening talent, Hélène Grimaud is a woman of strong ideals, immense energy and exceptional tenacity. As a pianist she often divides her audience, for hers Is no usual approach to the piano repertoire. Grimaud plays from the gut, with scant regard for convention, rules or reverence. Listening to her can often make one question one’s preconceptions about a work, since she has a unique way of approaching even the most familiar pieces from an unexpected, personal perspective. Whether or not the critics approve, the process is constantly creative and the results are always compelling at a deep, psychological level, attracting a cult following worldwide.


 

MP3 320 · 134 MB

Chopin: Nocturnes, Ballades, Berceuse, Barcarolle

“throughout his recital you will hear playing of the most patrician poise, fluidity and tonal finesse...In the Op. 9 E flat Nocturne, his rubato has all the delicacy and fragrance of a born Chopin pianist, a subtle give and take and musical breathing. His way with the Berceuse in particular is a marvel of iridescence, unruffled technique and musicianship.” --Gramophone Magazine, May 2012

This is Volume 2 in our series of solo piano works by Chopin, played by the French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie.

Recording exclusively for Chandos, Lortie is recognised as one of the finest interpreters of Chopin today. He first recorded Chopin’s Études for Chandos more than twenty years ago; the disc was named as one of the ‘50 great performances by superlative pianists’ by BBC Music. Volume 1 of his current Chopin series also has received excellent reviews: the magazine Pianist wrote: ‘He is a pianist of our time when it comes to speed, energy and an unfussy approach to Chopin. His way of playing is like a sharply cut steel sculpture, super elegant and with not one single smudge.’ And in the words of International Piano: ‘These are full-blooded and eloquent performances, an auspicious start to what looks likely to become one of the finest of Chopin surveys.’

The ballade was associated with French poetry up until the mid-nineteenth century, when Chopin was among the first to transform the genre into a purely musical form for solo piano. His four ballades, recorded here, are among his most extraordinary and powerful works, full of dramatic contrasts, with moments of lyrical tenderness followed by passages of rambunctious energy.

The Irish composer John Field invented the piano nocturne as a lyrical and dreamy short piece, a charming and languorous creation that was later transformed and extended by Chopin into something with a much wider emotional range, and a general sense of wistfulness. This ‘Chopin’ style of nocturne soon came to replace the Fieldian style as the preferred model of the genre. The simplicity and directness of expression found in the nocturnes have made them the most popular of all Chopin’s works.

Composed towards the end of his life, the Barcarolle (originally a Venetian gondolier’s song) for solo piano is a melancholy, but sweepingly romantic work that conjures up strong images of Venetian boats, water, and oars. Also on this disc is the Berceuse (inspired by the traditional mood of the lullaby), based around a single four-bar theme which Chopin ornaments in increasingly elaborate ways as the piece develops.

MP3 320 · 165 MB

Chopin: Nocturnes, Scherzos, Sonata No. 1

“richly coloured and deftly articulated...Along the way there are some lovely individual touches like the way Lortie varies the dynamic in the exposition repeat of the First Scherzo...This is Chopin playing of a superior order.” --Gramophone Magazine, July 2010

“Lortie's musicianship is imaginative but never eccentric, with a technique that is always at the service of the music.” --BBC Music Magazine, July 2010 ****

“Lortie’s recital-like organisation of the repertoire is particularly appealing...Nothing is overstated dramatically here, which is not to say that the individual character of the pieces is not identified and communicated with taste and a clear expressive intent.” --The Telegraph, 1st June 2010 ***

“It's all tremendously fluent, the technical hurdles easily cleared...Lortie gets the final peroration of the B flat minor Scherzo exactly right – a tremendous performance – and is pretty persuasive throughout the sonata, too” --The Guardian, 1st July 2010 ***

MP3 320 · 175 MB

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 · Dvorák: Piano Quintet No. 2

Although I anticipated some fine performances on this new set, I never dreamt that I would be so impressed with Luisada’s Chopin playing. To begin with, Luisada possesses pinpoint articulation; no matter how softly he plays, each note rings out with conviction. Second, each of his Chopin performances exhibits a strong sense of improvisation, as he gives me the impression that he’s thinking out his strategy as he plays. Third, Luisada is a rich-sounding pianist with gorgeous sonority.

...Naturally, Chopin’s Concerto can’t possibly have the same degree of power in its chamber version, but offsetting benefits of intimacy and insight into the human condition are abundant as are the work’s rapture, urgency, and tension. This is an outstanding performance that surpasses the fine recording of the work by the Yggdrasil Quartet on BIS with Fumiko Shiraga on piano. --Don Satz, MusicWeb International

MP3 320 · 169 MB

Chopin & Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1

Gramophone Editor's Choice - May 2008

“The Liszt especially is scintillating. From the opening octaves Li seems to throw caution to the wind, which is really the only way to play this concerto, fusing electrifying spontaneity with meticulous control.” --BBC Music Magazine ****

“Mr. Li is a poetic player with a sensitive touch (but also ample power when he needs it), as well as an ear for textural clarity and an impeccable sense of line. Those qualities, notable on his handful of recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, served the Chopin perfectly.” --New York Times

MP3 320 · 124 MB

Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2, 24 Preludes

"Here, beautifully and responsibly partnered by Previn and the Royal Philharmonic . . . and recorded with the greatest warmth and clarity, [Pires] at last gets the treament she deserves. What gloriously imposing breadth as well as knife-edged clarity Pires brings to each phrase and note . . . . [T]he intricacy and stylishness of her rubato remind us that the inspiration behind the F minor Concerto was . . . Chopin's first love.

Listen to Pires's fioritura in the heavenly Larghetto or her way of edging into the finale's scintillating coda and you will gasp at such pianism and originality. . . . Pires's 24 Preludes, too, remind us that she is the possessor of one of the most crystalline of all techniques. 

More importantly, her way with the more interior numbers among Chopin's teeming and disparate moods is of exceptional drama and intensity. . . . In short, you rarely hear Chopin playing of greater mastery or calibre. In her own scrupulously modern way Maria-Joao Pires surely embodies the spirit of the great pianists of the past . . . ." --Bryce Morrison, Gramophone

MP3 320 · 163 MB