Search - Frederic Chopin, Istvan Szekely :: Chopin: 4 Ballades; 4 Scherzi

Wow! A Revelation! And the Price!

losprados | Florida | 11/24/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Superb, crisp sound and intelligent piano playing, equally crisp and equally fine. I would be happy with this as my only Chopin recording. At the super-low price, I plan on making it a holiday stocking stuffer. A recording you can't lose on and, better yet, will enjoy immensely."

An Exceedingly Straightforward Super Bargain

C. Pontus T. | SE/Asia | 12/27/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"INTRODUCTION: In his four Ballades, Chopin created a perfect condensate of his epoch-making and infinitely gorgeous piano writing. Bringing out their accumulated greatness is indeed elusive--even to the most accomplished pianists. Even if clearly a great deal more outwardly virtuosic, the four Scherzos make up the ideal coupling, being the other quartet of large-scale one-movement creations in the Chopin oeuvre.



REFERENCES: Ballades--Demidenko (Chopin: Ballades; Third Sonata); Scherzos--Pogorelich (Chopin: Four Scherzi)



Istvan Szekely belongs to the group of Naxos pianists who first introduced me to the music of Chopin in the early 1990s, whilst still being a pre-teen. Included in my very first classical cassette (Chopin: Famous Piano Music) were not only Szekely's Berceuse and Op 64/1 Waltz but also the Third Ballade and Second Scherzo from this disc. What I immediately liked about his pianism was his exceedingly straightforward, no-nonsense approach. There is nothing of Biret's quirkiness, Pollini's arctic coolness, or sometimes misplaced exaggerations of Katsaris and Freddy Kempf (see my earlier reviews of their Ballades outings, respectively). At the end of the day, Szekely's Ballades sound surprisingly similar to Perahia's widely celebrated 1994 versions (Chopin: 4 Ballades / Perahia)--especially so in the UK with a Penguin Guide Rosette, a Gramophone Award, and even an inclusion in Gramophone Magazine's 100 Greatest Recordings.



All the same, my reservations are very similar in both cases. What we get is basically some nice, lean and smooth playing that is perfectly agreeable and unproblematic to the ear. I believe the timings are rather telling when it comes to the Ballades, which is why they have been listed at the bottom of the reviews, respectively. Together with Kempf and Pollini, Szekely and Perahia belong in the speedy category--all clocking in at around the 32 minute mark. I don't say there is always a relation between profoundness and measuredness; however, I do assert that in Chopin's Ballades, some aspects of the accumulated utility are not allowed enough room if paced too fast. On the other hand, Szekely's straightforwardness pays good dividends in the Scherzos--especially in the Second that is not far from Argerich in terms of virtuosic brilliance.



At less than $3, what is there really to hesitate about? Considering the price tag as an important parameter, Szekely's Ballades, generously coupled with the Scherzos, can indeed be recommended over the vastly more celebrated full-price accounts by Pollini and Perahia. The recorded sound at the Italian Institute in Budapest is serviceable but at best average in terms of naturalness and truthfulness--if greatly superior to that of the Toonstudio van Geest in Heidelberg (Naxos's second chief piano recording location in the late 1980s and early 1990s).



TIMINGS: Ballades--8:09, 6:52, 6:28, 9:32; Scherzos--9:38, 9:18, 7:59, 10:10"

Intense and superbly played

HB | Fort Mill, SC | 09/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These eight masterpieces by Chopin have incredible intensity and drama. If you only think of Chopin as a great composer of salon music, think again. All eight of these pieces reach incredible climaxes worthy of Beethoven or Tchaikovsky, etc. The soloist here is not a household name but his playing is absolutely superb and the piano sound is close to perfection. At less than 3 dollars, this CD is one of the great bargains in the entire catalog. If you love the piano and romantic music, this CD is an absolute must."