DarkAngel
DarkAngel's a man, baby!
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2001
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The Chopin CDs are now coming in..........
I can say this much right now, if you want to hear the very best Chopin available IMO you must have room in your collection for historical performances and learn to live with some surface noise of 78rpm record recordings. The style of Chopin playing 70 years ago is different than modern performers and for me usually much better.
Rubinstein, Cortot, Lipatti and many others had a more virtuostic style with more individual flair........very easily heard for instance when you compare 1930s Rubinstein to the 1960s versions of the same works. Modern versions tend to be slower, softer, smoother almost schmaltzy compared to these older versions
No way am I selling the Cortot/EMI Chopin set now mentioned before, but the Naxos versions can have better sound if you can find them, many not sold in USA for copyright reasons. Perfect example is the Cortot/Naxos waltz CD which has about 50% less surface noise while seeming to keep all the detail of the EMI set......a win/win situation, this is one of the very best waltz performances along with Lipatti, have not heard a modern set that I would rank in the same catagory.........(but I am still searching of course)
I can say this much right now, if you want to hear the very best Chopin available IMO you must have room in your collection for historical performances and learn to live with some surface noise of 78rpm record recordings. The style of Chopin playing 70 years ago is different than modern performers and for me usually much better.
Rubinstein, Cortot, Lipatti and many others had a more virtuostic style with more individual flair........very easily heard for instance when you compare 1930s Rubinstein to the 1960s versions of the same works. Modern versions tend to be slower, softer, smoother almost schmaltzy compared to these older versions
No way am I selling the Cortot/EMI Chopin set now mentioned before, but the Naxos versions can have better sound if you can find them, many not sold in USA for copyright reasons. Perfect example is the Cortot/Naxos waltz CD which has about 50% less surface noise while seeming to keep all the detail of the EMI set......a win/win situation, this is one of the very best waltz performances along with Lipatti, have not heard a modern set that I would rank in the same catagory.........(but I am still searching of course)