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Vladimir Ashkenazy Plays Chopin Audio CD – Super Audio CD - DSD, January 1, 2003
- LanguageFrench
- PublisherDecca
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2003
Product details
- ASIN : B000079BGA
- Publisher : Decca (January 1, 2003)
- Language : French
- Item Weight : 4 ounces
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,809,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27,449 in Books on CD
- #109,357 in Music (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Unlike his previous Chopin recordings, Ashkenazy takes his time and his new rendition of the Ballade No.4 unfolds in a long line of nuances which are yet logical and never overdetailed. He sets ups to tell a story and does so brilliantly.
The Berceuse here is another treasure - played as if every note had its significance and not merely as ornaments. With an ending fading away as the true bed-song it portrays. Without a doubt, it is the best rendition i have ever heard of this work.
The polonaise-fantasie is an odd approach - almost played as another ballade he holds the piece together bringing new voices and recalling themes all about - extremely detailed. The final chordal and octave explosions and polonaise rhythms are barely recognizable as part of the story told before. It is a very personal statement - and coming from a talent such as his it is worth hearing.
A selection of nocturnes, waltzes, and mazurkas follows. Here we get vintage Ashkenazy - clarity, articulation, and some coldness. His final nocturnes simply do not fly as a Horowitz or a Lhevinne. Still, this is great playing.
A passionate Barcarolle closes the program. Ashkenazy pulls the work toward the final chords and the conclusion for once seems integrated into the preceeding framework. Another example of a great pianist in total control of his art.
Ashkenazy must have thought very thoroughly before recording these works again - he must have known that comparisons with his earlier renditions would be made. I am sure he must have felt that he had something new to say about these works before settling into the studio.
And how right he has been in doing so. Regardless of his previous recordings, i can not imagine a better Chopin recital from any pianist today. It is obvious he had something to say about these overly played works - his message to this reviewer has come clear and welcome. Bravo!
With so little personality on display, I'd defy anyone to hear this recital blind and say, "Oh yes, that's unmistakably Ashkenazy" as one would say with Cortot, Rachmaninov, Moisewitsch, Rubinstein, Argerich, and Horowitz. At times Ashkenazy is simply impersonal, as in the Berceuse, and just as often he's generic. The great Polonaise-Fantasie gets off to a strong declamatory start, but the line soon wanders off into nothing very specific. After all these decades, does this music mean much to him? I like the rhythmic snap he gives to the three waltzes of Op. 64, but nothing is dazzling or exuberant enough. The three Mazurkas of Op. 59 are solidly grounded in their basic 2/3 time, which compares well to other pianists who cut the rhythm entirely loose and wind up maundering along.
The Barcarolle that ends this program offers pianism I can't object to or get excited about, either. Which more or less sums up the entire CD. I don't consider conventionality an enormous virtue, I'm afraid.
Top reviews from other countries
ワルツ、マズルカ、ノクターンなどいろんな曲が選ばれていますが、どれも内側に
情熱が暗く燃えるような曲ばかりで統一されています。
ショパンとアシュケナージの素晴らしさを再発見しました。
SACDも録音が最高です。