A complete musician!
Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 08/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The process of assimilating new repertory demands getting under the skin and soul of the composer. All the cultural aspects that surrounded that period must be scrutinized; literature, visual art in order to reflect and express a quiet landscape and simultaneously give each work an individual profile.
Andras Schiff -despite his boyish aspect- seems to be a keyboard giant of the past but not in the sense of lusty or finger-proud virtuosos like Horowitz. His interpretations reminds me to Edwin Fisher and Mieczyslaw Horszowski in what concerns to the purity of expression and the search of the lyric nucleus of the performed work.
In particular this Trout performance dated December 1983 with the members of the Hagen Quartet owns sensuality and harmony. It is a warm and imaginative reading with an incredibly ingenuity's sense and spontaneity; an accuracy balance of light and shadow.
Sandor Vegh said that Mr. Schiff's playing: "He has a wonderful way of communicating the musical past in the present". And concludes with this fabulous statement: "He has everything that I saw in my life from great musicians like Casals, Fürtwangler, Kempff and Serkin."
In my personal catalogue of definitive performances I would just remark five top performances: Mieczyslaw Horszowski and Budapest Quartet; Curzon with members of Vienna of the Vienna Philharmonic; Serkin Busch, Badura Skoda with Vienna Konzerthaus in 1950 and this one.
So don't miss it.!"