Search - Frederic Chopin, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli :: Chopin: 10 Mazurkas / Prelude Op. 45 / Scherso Op. 31

Forget the Caricature

John Atherton | CINCINNATI, OHIO United States | 08/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the most sublime Chopin recordings. I won't repeat all that the previous Amazon reviewers have written about its beauty, depth, and nobility, but would only suggest that you forget the caricature of Michelangeli drawn by many critics. For instance, the late Harold Schonberg -- while conceding that Michelangeli played "Gaspard" magnificently -- wrote, "in many pieces of the romantic repertoire he seems unsure of himself emotionally, and his otherwise direct playing is then laden with expressive devices that disturb the musical flow." This from a man who believed the cynically manipulative Josef Hofmann represented "perfection plus." For a resounding refutation of Schonberg I urge you to hear this disc, starting with the Op. 45 Prelude. And, as if it were needed, for further evidence of the refined but rich emotion Michelangeli brought to his art watch the VAI DVD of him performing Beethoven's Sonata Op. 2, No. 3. Returning, however, to Chopin: I suspect that the balance of elegance and deceptive strength we hear in Michelangeli is much closer to Chopin's own playing than that of the romantic players who followed in the wake of Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, D'Albert and Cortot. At the heart of Michelangeli is a still, mysterious melancholy. This might not seem appropriate for the more rollicking mazurkas that Ignaz Friedman played inimitably, but then Michelangeli didn't choose to record them all. For somewhat similar magic listen to Pachmann -- also disparaged by many modern critics. And then come back to this recording."

AWESOME

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 08/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Do you have ears for sheer greatness? Of all the piano records I have ever heard (a great many!) this is in the final top few. The recorded sound is not, I dare say, 'perfect' (whatever that is) but it suits this player very well with its slightly 'soft-focus' effect. And the playing -- well, perfect is hardly adequate as an adjective. No doubt there are music lovers that Michelangeli does not appeal to, and there is no doubt that his manner is individual. I would still suggest that they listen, or listen again as the case may be, to this disc. This is not bijou Chopin, to say the least. Even in the verge-of-audibility pianissimo he uses in the prelude op 45, M's touch is a big touch, and the mazurkas are bigger in their impact than usual. The G minor ballade is rhapsodic and 'romantic' with a lot of natural ebb and flow in the tempo and plenty of natural flexibility in the rhythm throughout, and what sort of music lover can anyone be who is not overawed by that magnificent tone? This is the playing of a giant, and the final section, reputedly the most difficult in all Chopin, gives as good an idea as anything M ever did of the legendary infallibility of so much of his playing. In the B flat minor scherzo his interpretation did not change much over the years. I was fascinated to compare him with Horowitz and Richter here. In the lovely cantabile near the start Horowitz's left hand has an incomparable sparkle. M's left hand is an indistinct murmur with really celestial little highlights in it, the melody has an almost drowsy effect compared with Horowitz's eagerness, and it was a surprise to find that M is actually the faster of the two. Richter is awfully good of course, but, for me, simply less remarkable. There's an interesting touch at the end where M plays a reading I had not heard before from anyone -- the last note is not the familiar high treble effect but an octave B flat in the bass played in quite phenomenally exact time. The other piece is the solitary prelude op 45, and if I had to name a single piece that most sums up for me the unique greatness of this titan of the 20th century piano it would be either this or the account he gave of the B minor scherzo in his 1990 London recital. It is quiet, brooding and smouldering -- I know nothing quite like it. Nor like him."

By far the best!

PuppyTalk | NY United States | 04/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've had this album (vinyl record) for almost 30 years, one of my first records I bought in my adolescence. Since then it's been my treasure. When I first listened to it, it totally blew my mind. I have since listened to so many piano pieces by so many pianists, but no other pianists (not even Horowitz) had such effect on me. To this date, it still possesses the same power, and I get totally captivated by it every time I listen to it. The record is now scratchy and worn, so I need to buy a new one, a CD this time perhaps, so it'll last longer.I have read some negative reviews on this album, written by some experts. That this is the worst recordings of Michelangeli, like he didn't know how to handle Chopin. Well, that proves that you're NOT looking at a conventional, traditional interpretation of Chopin. This is Michelangeli's Chopin, which is so unique and true, and noble.I do notice, though, that his fast passages in Ballade and Scherzo are not as smooth and seamless as some other pianists'. But what he is presenting is so powerful that I rather enjoy the roughness in them.
My favorite in this album are Prelude and Ballade. They are so nobly done; I can't imagine anything better than these.
His intellectual, deep, and introverted sound will take you through a soul-searching journey, as if it's just you and him alone, conversing throughout. He's talking to himself, looking deep inside himself, and you're invited to be with him. It is therefore intimate and personal, and serious.His pianissimo is highly meditative, profound and powerful, and in it his intelligence sparks; it'll take you to a higher plane. By then you're completely his captive--you'll forget where you are, who you are, completely absorbed in his world. But then he starts subtly knocking on your door, and suddenly boom! The door flies open, and he's inside of you. Amazing, amazing experience.Ballade OP.23 is such a popular piano piece, every pianist must have played it at least once in his/her life time. But Michelangeli's Ballade is a totally different one. NO words can explain. You just have to listen to it. I love the way he handles the left hand throughout, the way he brings out the hidden lines and creates totally new music out of them.
His forte is a great release of power that has been building up in his pianissimo with such internal intensity.
I think he's one of the handful pianists who had the capasity to do justice to Chopin whose music is often vulgarized by careless pianists. With him Chopin is on a much higher plane where he truly belongs.Anyway, if you have the time to waste reading my poor review, just click the "add to my cart" button and purchase it. It'll change your understanding of music, and Chopin, forever."