In all but the finale of No 1 (where Pollini on EMI beats him by a minute) his timings throughout both works are considerably faster than most of his rivals on disc. Whether they were subsequently ‘doctored’ we don’t know, but the finished product brings us a Perahia miraculously combining exceptional finesse with an equally exceptional urgency. As enthusiastic audience applause (discreetly rationed on the disc) makes plain, these two concertos were recorded live at Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium. Perahia has never made any secret of his liking for the ‘inspirational heat-of-the-moment’ of a live performance as opposed to a studio recording, where ‘sometimes things get tame’. Murray Perahia pf Israel Philharmonic Orchestra / Zubin Mehta 'When Benjamin Grosvenor finally makes his first entrance, it proves well worth the wait, and his playing beguiles from the off as the dynamics sink, his lines are full of poetry but they unfold with utter naturalness.' Rarely in their entire history have the Chopin concertos received performances of a more teasing allure, brilliance and idiosyncrasy.īenjamin Grosvenor pf Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Elim Chan Argerich’s light burns brighter than ever. The recordings are impressively natural and if Dutoit occasionally seems awed if not cowed into anonymity by his soloist (the opening tuttis to the slow movements of both concertos are less memorable than they should be) he sets off Argerich’s charisma to an exceptional degree. Now, everything is accomplished without a care for studios and microphones, and with a degree of involvement that suggests an increase rather than a diminution of her love for these works. Indeed, her earlier performances are infinitely less witty, personal and eruptive, less inclined to explore, albeit with the most spontaneous caprice and insouciance, so many new facets, angles and possibilities. Here she revisits both concertos and offers an act of re-creative daring, of an alternating reverie and passion that flashes fire with a thousand different lights. Martha Argerich’s first commercially released recordings of the Chopin concertos were for DG No 1 in 1968, No 2 in 1978. Martha Argerich pf Montreal Symphony Orchestra / Charles Dutoit If you want to hear Chopin performance at its best, this list is the perfect place to start. All of these lists are, of course, subjective, but every recording here has recieved the approval of Gramophone's critics and are artistic and musical benchmarks. To find out more about subscribing to the Database, visit: .uk/subscribe. We have included, where possible, the complete original Gramophone reviews, which are drawn from Gramophone's Reviews Database of more than 45,000 reviews. Included here are Gramophone Award-winning albums, Recordings of the Month and Editor's Choice discs from Rubinstein, Argerich, Pollini, Perahia, Cortot, Grosvenor, and many more. Our lists of the 50 greatest Mozart, Beethoven and Bach recordings have proved phenomenally successful, and so we are proud to present 50 of the finest recordings of Chopin's music.
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