The greatest recordings of piano sound

[gradus]

So often piano sound is ill-served by recording engineers and the instrument fails to sound as we might like it to. Occasionally though piano recordings can sound magnificent and almost give the impression of the instrument being in the room with you. Of course there is no necessary connection between great piano sound and a great performance but occasionally they coincide although disappointingly, they often don't.
This train of thought was occasioned by listening to a magnificent piano recording by Helene Grimaud of the Brahms third sonata streamed over Spotify, a recording that dates from 1992 but isto my ears utterly extraordinary for the immediacy, power and natural sound of the piano - a fine performance too.
Any other nominations for fine recorded piano sound?

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[Nick Armstrong]

Alicia De Larrocha's later recording of Albeniz'a Iberia (Decca Digital)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It very much depends on the kind of piano sound you want. In my youth, I liked the EMI sound of Barenboim, etc., but came to appreciate the Decca sound of Ashkenazy.

Over close miking is as much a problem with piano recordings as with solo voices.

[ahinton]

Altarus, anyone (Powell, Stevenson, Hamelin, Solomon, Amato et al)?...

[Madame Suggia]

I've not got brilliant equipment but those Brendel farewell concerts sound wonderful to me.

[Bryn]

For me, Sebastian Lexer worked wonders with the piano sound in his recordings of John Tilbury playing Feldman ('live') for the Atopos and Matchless labels. Having attended the performances on which the Atopos releases were based, I can attest to the realism evoked.

[Beef Oven!]

I think the Naxos recordings of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes are amazing. But I don't actually have anything else to compare them with!

[EdgeleyRob]

Debussy,Etudes.

Mitsuko Uchida.

The best recorded piano sound ever?,got to be up there.

[Bryn]

I think the Naxos recordings of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes are amazing. But I don't actually have anything else to compare them with!

A fine disc, but I think you would find the recorded piano sound even better on the MDG recording of Schleiermacher (Vol. 1 of their Cage piano music survey:



There are "Used - Very Good" copies available via the amazon.co.uk markerplace for around £8.75 including p&p for the 3 disc set.

[Why so cheap? Probably because the whole survey eventually got released as an 18 disc set which can be found for around £40.]

[Beef Oven!]

A fine disc, but I think you would find the recorded piano sound even better on the MDG recording of Schleiermacher (Vol. 1 of their Cage piano music survey:



There are "Used - Very Good" copies available via the amazon.co.uk markerplace for around £8.75 including p&p for the 3 disc set.

[Why so cheap? Probably because the whole survey eventually got released as an 18 disc set which can be found for around £40.]

Thanks Bryn - very tempting, but I really have to stop buying CDs.

[Pianoman]

Debussy,Etudes.

Mitsuko Uchida.

The best recorded piano sound ever?,got to be up there.

You beat me to it....absolutely demo quality, as are other Philips Uchida discs (her Schubert sonatas, for instance).

[Black Swan]

Debussy,Etudes.

Mitsuko Uchida.

The best recorded piano sound ever?,got to be up there.

Edgeley R,
I agree and was thinking of posting Uchida Debussy Etudes, too.

[cloughie]

It very much depends on the kind of piano sound you want. In my youth, I liked the EMI sound of Barenboim, etc., but came to appreciate the Decca sound of Ashkenazy.

Over close miking is as much a problem with piano recordings as with solo voices.

I particularly remember his Brahms 2 with LSO/Mehta on LP as being a very good sound!

[gurnemanz]

Loius Lortie's Chandos "Années de Pèlerinage" on a Fazioli sounds terrific.

[Stanfordian]

On my bog standard system the CD that sounds best of all from my collection is: Chopin: Ballades & Scherzos by Arthur Rubinstein recorded in 1959 on RCA Red Seal Living Stereo; its an SACD. As the performance from Rubinstein is remarkable as well as the sound it is probably my favourite of all my discs.