What are some of the best classical piano recordings?
Posted by: kentonious on 19 February 2002
Hi Ken,
Somehow we seem to agree about Gould's Bach and still feel different about him. I was saying it's a bad idea to listen to Gould: it's not easy to appreciate Bach the way it should be played after getting used to his radical interpretations. Nonetheless, if you like him, good for you.
I had not noticed the "particularly" in you inquiry. so were not just talking about Bach, Mozart and Chopin, but about the enitre literature?
Well, I had wanted to refer you to the Schumann thread a little further down the line. If you're interested in Chopin you should listen to Schumann's early piano works too.
And in Chopin I forgot the Ballades, another major work (the sonatas and the concertos somehow are not major). Rubinstein (sixties recording) and Perahia are outstanding.
And, you know, Haydn's mature sonatass are better than Mozart's sonatas under K 300. Alfred Brendel has a great four disc set on Philips, and Andras Schiff, more calm and collected, has a two disc collection on Teldec.
Brahms: Radu Lupu recorded two decca discs of Brahms solo works. Whatever Lupu does is bound to be good (i.e. his Schubert).
In all recommendations I'm figuring you prefer clean digital recordings.
Ross has covered some of the 20th Century. Still I'd say:
Ravell: Pascal Roge (cheap Decca)
Prokofiev: 7 & 8 Pletnev on DG; concertos Toradze / Gergiev on Philips
A disc I cannot keep myself from recommending if were talking about near-contemporary stuff is Peter Serkin playing Webern, Messiaen, Takemitsu, Wuorinen en Knussen on a Koch International disc titled The Ocean that has no East and no West. All music included is romantic in inspiration and wonderfully executed by a very interesting musician.
And meanwhile I'm wondering where Todd is. Did the CDX eat him? 
Bye now
Herman