Garrick Ohlsson Complete Chopin

[richardfinegold]

I have been listening to this set with great pleasure. I have heard Ohlsson in concert many times and I think he is one the best Pianists of the last quarter century. This set was recorded over about a 15 year span, and I never get the feeling that Ohlsson is plowing through unfamiliar music for the sake of completeness, as I did with Azhkenazy, for example. I have heard Ohlsson play many of the lesser known works in recital, and many of them sound revelatory here.
It's available for 44 pounds on Amazon's U.K. site.

[Alison]

How about the recording quality ?

[richardfinegold]

How about the recording quality ?

They were recorded over a 13 time span, so there is some variability. It ranges from excellent to very good.

[Barbirollians]

Interesting . I have only heard him in concert once - one of the dreariest performances of Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 I have ever heard at the 1988 Proms . Put me off for life .

[richardfinegold]

He plays regularly at the Chicago SO summer venue, Ravinia, so I have heard him many times. Some of his Concerto recordings (Brahms 1, Grieg, Gershwin) haven't been well received by critics, and I confess that I haven't heard these particular recordings. I have heard him play primarily Chopin and Beethoven, and I think that at least with these 2 composers he has a natural affinity.

[richardfinegold]

Interesting . I have only heard him in concert once - one of the dreariest performances of Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 I have ever heard at the 1988 Proms . Put me off for life .

Also, perhaps we can allow for some growth on his part in the intervening quarter century? I remember hearing some recordings of Barry Douglas many years ago that i thought were just awful. I heard him recently in a radio concert performance and I was much more favorably impressed. Either Mr. Douglas has greatly matured as an artist or my tastes changed in the last 20 years.