Search - Leopold Godowsky, Frederic Chopin, Marc-Andre Hamelin :: Godowsky: The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes

If I could, I'd give this SIX stars! It's that good!

Mark S. Carpenter | Austin, TX USA | 03/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ten years ago, following a severe accident where I broke my right upper forearm and my shoulder, I undertook paraphrasing eight of the Chopin etudes to be played with the left hand alone. I was really proud of that accomplishment: I stayed faithful (mostly) to the original compositions, and I thought my paraphrases were wickedly difficult to play!



After listening to Hamelin's performance of the Godowsky Paraphrases on the Chopin Etudes, I have concluded:



1) Godowsky's paraphrases leave mine in the dust, both technically and musically.

2) Hamelin's performance of Godowski's paraphrases is nothing short of amazing.



These paraphrases are FIENDISHLY difficult to play -- but Hamelin makes them sound almost *easy*. It would be one thing merely to be able to PLAY these paraphrases -- and some of us have the technique to pull it off; but Hamelin's technique is so completely secure that one hears the tonal coloring, the inner voices, the occasional canons and the utter musicality of the compositions which Godowsky obviously wants us to hear.



In particular, listen to the performances of the Etudes arranged for the left hand alone. A good left hand transcription (or composition) should give the effect of two hands playing the instrument -- Godowsky (and Hamelin) often give the impression of *three* hands playing.



Note: if you are a Chopin "purist", you're probably not going to like these paraphrases. Godowsky is strongly influenced by the post-Romantic musical idiom in the time he wrote, and you'll hear very strong elements of the pianistic and harmonic language used by Scriabin and (particularly) Rachmaninov infused throughout each paraphrase. (Actually, I think Godowsky's musical language is very effective for what he does with these pieces!)



On the other hand, if you approach these paraphrases with an open mind just to see what can be done with the material Godowsky used -- and you want to hear it exquisitely performed -- you're in for a REAL treat!"

Incredible! BUY THESE DISCS!

John N. Taylor | Palm Desert, CA, USA | 09/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought these discs expecting pure pianism - which is there in plenty, for sure! What I did not expect was to be bowled over by the pure musicality. I expected embellishment of the wonderful etudes but here we get added insights!



I copied the disc to my computer and interspersed it with the original etudes. The result was a constant joy of discovering new aspects to these well loved pieces.



As for the pianism - it is flawless! I only wish it were a three disc set with the originals included played by Hamelin.



If you have any interest in romantic piano music - or any pianism for that matter - BUY THESE DISCS! You won't regret it. I am sure Chopin would have approved!"

The real deal

Mauro Guzzo Decca | São Paulo, Brazil. | 03/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wrote elsewhere that Hamelin is probably one of the greatest pianists ever. Aside from the obvious technical prowess, which is always employed thoughtfully and without any hint of histrionics, what strikes me the most about his playing is the seriousness with which he approaches every single piece he decides to study and perform. While he was still a little child, his father, himself a very talented non-professional pianist, got him interested in Godowsky and piano music in general; they'd both sit together on the couch and gape in awe at the seemingly unfathomable pages of the Godowsky's Études, which had long been out of print. This little kid would eventually grow up to become one of the very finest musicians in the whole world and the greatest champion and interpreter of Godowsky's music. His amazing cd with the complete Godowsky's Études features some of the most compelling piano recordings you're ever likely to hear in your life. This music will haunt you forever and you'll soon realise that there's no way you can possibly get rid of it - most of the piano repertoire will look rather tame, poor and thin when compared to such a thunderous re-criation of the Chopin's Études."