BaL 30.04.22 - Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 3 in B minor

[edashtav]

An unusual BAL in that I preferred just about every other recording to the winner. Hamelin has amazing technique but his playing unlike Lipatti, Cziffra and Perlmuter just doesn’t connect with me. It’s all a bit too dispassionate for me.

Your comment chimes with my response: Hamelin is fine but too calculating; bring back humanity even a touch of idiosyncrasy into your performances, please.

[Lordgeous]

From memory I’m about 3 - 0 Bflat Min to B min. Of your list I’ve only heard Barenboim, Imogen C and Perlmuter live . I’ve been to quite a few Chopin recitals e.g Perahia , Pollini, Ashkenazy, Pogolerich, But for some reason never heard this piece.
I worked on a Perlmuter recording session once - what a wonderful sound he had.

Indeed! Heard him many times at Dartington in masterclasses and recitals. Something very wonderful about the sound, as you say, and his honesty and unshowiness. Sadly I never liked the acoustic in his Nimbus recordings.

[LeMartinPecheur]

My thoughts exactly. I did like Pogorelich and Cziffra. Can't seem to find any info on any recording of Pogorelich's (of the work in question)

We were told that the Pogorelich recording was very new so maybe it hasn't hit the shops yet? Personally I felt inclined to run a mile from it anyway, but maybe the short, very slow excerpt did it no favours. Maybe.

[visualnickmos]

We were told that the Pogorelich recording was very new so maybe it hasn't hit the shops yet? Personally I felt inclined to run a mile from it anyway, but maybe the short, very slow excerpt did it no favours. Maybe.

Maybe and maybe. I suppose the short extracts in any BaL, cannot really give more than a hint of the flavour.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Indeed! Heard him many times at Dartington in masterclasses and recitals. Something very wonderful about the sound, as you say, and his honesty and unshowiness. Sadly I never liked the acoustic in his Nimbus recordings.

This was a BBC recording in the Concert hall. I think he did the complete Chopin for the Beeb but this wasn’t part of that. He must have really hit it off with one of the Radio 3 producers to have undertaken such a mammoth commitment.

[Barbirollians]

This was a BBC recording in the Concert hall. I think he did the complete Chopin for the Beeb but this wasn’t part of that. He must have really hit it off with one of the Radio 3 producers to have undertaken such a mammoth commitment.

Although Lipatti made a late appearance no sign of Rubinstein. Some of the versions she chose were perverse the winner dull - and this was a BAL with far too much McGregor waffle too - poor.

[Lordgeous]

I think this illustrates yet again what a thankless (and arguably pointless) task BALs are these days with so many recordings available, and so little time allocated for discussion.

[richardfinegold]

We were told that the Pogorelich recording was very new so maybe it hasn't hit the shops yet? Personally I felt inclined to run a mile from it anyway, but maybe the short, very slow excerpt did it no favours. Maybe.

Shops? What are those?
Haven’t heard Hamelin but sounds to me as if the presenter was intentionally going for an out of left field choice. I love the Kissin recording.

He may have been in nappies when he made it, but such an amazing rubato …

[Alison]

We were told that the Pogorelich recording was very new so maybe it hasn't hit the shops yet? Personally I felt inclined to run a mile from it anyway, but maybe the short, very slow excerpt did it no favours. Maybe.

It’s been available for a few weeks and reviewed, with not much enthusiasm, in the March Gramophone.