Search - Frederic Chopin, Pierre Barbizet, Samson Francois :: Chopin: Piano Works, Vol. 3

Fascinating Chopin

Oldnslow | Seattle, Washington USA | 02/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I understand Francois was somewhat of an eccentric, and in a way his playing of these familiar great works are sometimes eccentric, for instance in the tempos of the first movement of the First Concerto and the first movement of the B-flat minor sonata. He is a great magician and poet, however, and these well-recorded readings have given me immense pleasure. Great for a more non-traditional look at Chopin, a composer that allows the performer a lot of leeway to engage in fluctuations of line and tempo without diminishing the works. The Noctures, Ballades, Concerti, Sonatas, Preludes, Polonaises and Etudes are wonderful. The Mazurkas seem pretty cold-hearted and are the low point of the set. However, the highs far outweigh the lows, and I highly recommend this modestly priced set as a very interesting alternative to more traditional approaches. A unique artist."

The One and Only One Chopinist?

BLee | HK | 01/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Samson Francois is more well-known in Europe (or even in Asia) than in US.



Philips, advised by Alfred Brendel among others, presented Samson Francois as one of the greatest pianists of the century. In Philips' list, we do have some extraordinary Chopinists. Fridedman's Mazurkas are said to be unsurpassble, so are Cortot's Preludes & Etudes (or all his Chopin), or Lipatti's Waltzes. Or else, Hofmann's or Rachmaninov's Chopin are just marvelous. But those are historic recordings. While some prefer Moravec or even Arrau's Nocturnes, Rubinstein's Nocturnes, and particularly his Polonaises, like Agerich's Preludes are a sensation. Cziffra's Chopin is superb, so is Freire in general. But we can't leave out Samson as a leading Chopin interpreter.



Samson was perhaps the greatest of Cortot's pupils. From his Chopin Ballades, there are all-embracing colours (by the subtlety of using the pedal among other things) creating rainbow after rainbow. The harmonic suspensions as the nub of the Ballades adds so much to the potency of music. His Nocturnes, darkening the colours in the background creating the right atmostphere together with the poignancy of his narrative power, compare favourably with Arrau's. His Preludes may not be a fiery as Agerich's, but they are more bitter, so bitter that he is a type of his own...



The Nocturnes are recorded in '66. And in any event the earliest recording in the boxset was made in '54 and the re-mastering is so good that unless you make an effort, you won't be able to tell them from modern recordings and yet they are sold at bargain price. Grap it while it is still available."

Excellent, Eccentric Chopin

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 01/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Chopin "Piano Works" featured in this 10 CD set from EMI's "Budget Box Series" are excellent, yet eccentric. Those used to the romance and poetry of Rubinstein, the deliberateness and precision of Horowitz, or the power and grace of Pollini may well be in for a shock when it comes to Samson Francois' Chopin. The Piano Concertos, performed with Louis Fremaux conducting the Monte Carlo National Opera Orchestra from 1965 (and available as a single disc in EMI's "Great Recordings of the Century" series) are strikingly different from accounts I am more familiar with by Argerich, Bachauer and Gilels. To say their defining characteristic is that they are more French sounding is an understatement. The highlight of this set, which by the way is not a "complete" volume of all of Chopin's piano music, has to be the Ballades (though, like much of the material in this set they are in mono) and the Nocturnes (in stereo from 1966). In turn, the low point is most certainly the Mazurkas -- Artur, where are you when we need you? In all, this is certainly an amazing musical document, and at this budget price, a nice alternative to more accepted readings. But my five-star rating comes with the caveat that this Box Set is not for those looking for there one and only Chopin collection."