Search - Frederic Chopin, Malcolm Frager :: Malcolm Frager Plays Chopin

Great performance with awesome piano sound!

T. Consing | Manila, Philippines | 11/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've ever wanted a benchmark recording of Chopin, get this one! This recording made waves more than a decade ago when it was one of the first to take advantage of Telarc's state-of-the-art digital recording process. On an LP, it challenged many styli to stay on-track during the lowest keys of the Tarantelle. (Telarc used this recording as a test track for audiophile equipment.) On CD, it still ranks among the best recordings in a now technically stringent industry.But that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. This CD's success lies in its two main stars: Malcolm Frager and the Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Piano. Frager gives a truly remarkable performance of Chopin. His selected pieces provide a rich sampling of what the composer has done for the piano. I particularly loved his rendition of Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise-a work not often included in many repertoires. And the Bösendorfer (considered the "Rolls Royce" of pianos) sounds astounding-crisp, sweet treble and clear, resonant bass. This piano should really be featured in more recordings."

Caution: may break your heart

Edwin J. Firmage | SLC, UT USA | 01/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This gorgeous recording, sadly one of the few made by Frager, illustrates why a musician friend of mine says that it's impossible to make a bad sound on the Boesendorfer. Each of Frager's interpretations is definitive, and the quality of the sound will take your breath away. When I first heard the deep bass of the Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise the floor was fairly shaking. What a difference an extra octave of bass keys makes! The first time I heard Frager's rendition of the Sonata Op. 58 I was reduced to tears."

Great music, great artist, great piano = great enjoyment!

Craig Matteson | Ann Arbor, MI | 01/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Malcolm Frager is one of my favorite pianists and he died far too young. Born in 1935, he began studies at the age of six and by ten he had premiered with the St. Louis Symphony. He was awarded the Leventritt in 1959. This is a special recognition because the Leventritt was not a contest. The judges were unannounced and they examined young artists in their regular performances. They did not make awards every year and it has since been disbanded. It was an award of special merit and they got it right with Frager. He had great facility, but also tremendous artistic sensibility and a special intelligence. In addition to his great performance artistry, he was also a renowned scholar and made important discoveries of the original manuscript of the Schumann piano concerto and a collection of manuscripts of 18th and 19th century artists that were presumed lost in World War II. We miss him very much. Sadly, he died of cancer in 1991.



The first six tracks of this wonderful disk were previously released. With them is a very fine recording of the monumental Sonata in B-minor Opus 58. Every track is a delight and you will want to hear them. His playing is free and clear. There are no tricks or mannerisms in order to appeal to the popular audience. This is gloriously pure playing of Chopin that goes at both the heart and the mind.



His piano is the co-star of this album. It was recorded in 1978 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Bösendorfer piano. This is considered one of the elite pianos and has its fans. Some call it their imperial grand the Rolls Royce of pianos. They are still hand made in Vienna in small quantities. Yes, they are very expensive. But if you need to ask ...



The disk opens with the ever popular and wonderful Heroic Polonaise in A-flat major Opus 53. The Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise, and the opus 12 Variations Brillantes follow. He then plays the Mazuraks Opus 6, a Contredanse, the Opus 43 Tarantelle, and then the previously mentioned B-minor Sonata. All wonderful stuff.



This is a disk you will enjoy listening too many times."