Alfred Cortot Plays Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Schumann - Great Pianists of the 20th Century

Alfred Cortot (Artist), Chopin (Artist), Liszt (Artist), Verdi (Artist), Ravel (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B00000I93Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,969 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Etudes, Op.10: No.1 In C

2. Etudes, Op.10: No.2 In A Minor 'Chromatique'

3. Etudes, Op.10: No.3 In E 'Tristesse'

4. Etudes, Op.10: No.4 In C Sharp Minor

5. Etudes, Op.10: No.5 In G Flat 'Black Keys'

6. Etudes, Op.10: No.6 In E Flat Minor

7. Etudes, Op.10: No.7 In C

8. Etudes, Op.10: No.8 In F

9. Etudes, Op.10: No.9 In F Minor

10. Etudes, Op.10: No.10 In A Flat

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

2. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

3. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

4. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

5. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

6. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

7. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

8. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

9. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

10. Symphonische Etuden, Op. 13

See all 48 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Artist of the 20th Century!!, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alfred Cortot Plays Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Schumann - Great Pianists of the 20th Century (Audio CD)

Cortot is, in my opinion, the greatest interpreter of piano music that this century has witnessed. True, he missed a lot of notes, but what energy! what passion! what freedom his interpretations convey. He represents the lost "Golden Age" of pianism- the age of artistic integrity and excessive rubato! Pay special attention to Schumann's Kreisleriana. Cortot's version has never been equaled, not even by Horowitz himself. His J'eaux D'eau is not only unabashedly sensuous but also one of the fastest versions ever recorded. His Chopin E'tudes, though quite a few notes are missing, are the most energetic ever recorded. Their tempestuousness shows Cortot at his best. What he lacks in accuracy, he more than makes up for with sheer force of energy and tonal beauty. Cortot, with perhaps the exception of Kempff, plays more beautifully than any other artist. His music-making is pure poetry. He was never afraid to make music his own, and this integrity makes his recordings the most rewarding that I've had the pleasure to hear. The spontaneity will delight those listeners tired of the overperfection and timidity of todays interpretations. One more recommendation. Though not on this album, Cortot's 1933 recording of Chopin's masterpiece, the 4th Ballade, is in my opinion the best recording of Chopin period. He does more with the musical structure of the piece than any other artist, and I've heard numerous other interpretations- Hoffman's, Horowitz's, Richter's, Ashkenazy's, Moisewitch's, etc.I would recommend also the 3-cd set of Cortot, Casals, and Thibaud playing various chamber pieces in trio ensemble. This set also gives one a taste of Cortot's conducting. In his lifetime, he was a noted conductor and premiered Wagner's Parsifal in Paris. Well, enough said. Bye it or miss out.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cortot - not perfect but always fascinating, May 7, 2008

By 

Hank Drake (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Alfred Cortot Plays Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Schumann - Great Pianists of the 20th Century (Audio CD)

Cortot treats Chopin's Etudes as music first, and technical matters second. Indeed, the technical baubles (along with the textual changes) would get Cortot banned from any piano competition today. But seldom if ever have the Etudes been played with such conviction, such narrative sweep.

Cortot was undoubtedly one of the great Schumann interpreters. In the Symphonic Etudes, Cortot plays the five posthumous Etudes, interspersing them with the standard Etudes in an effective way. There are numerous remarkable details of phrasing, tempo, and the use of inner voices throughout the performance, along with some scrambling in the more demanding sections. Each of the little scenes in Carnaval is characterized in a unique way, including the Sphinxes section, which is generally not played. Cortot digs deep into the mystery of Schumann's Kreisleriana. As with Chopin, the printed note was hardly sacrosanct to Cortot, and there are numerous textual emendations that would be frowned on today, including left hand bass extensions.

The remastered recordings sound satisfactory. However, Michael Steinberg's liner notes are irritating. Filled with uncritical praise of Cortot, knocking Arthur Rubinstein's early Chopin recordings as "prosaic," and glossing over Cortot's involvement as High Commissioner of Fine Arts for the Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regime, they do a disservice to music, historical perspective, and the listener.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Chopin Etudes Ever! Wrong notes and all, October 16, 2004

By 

Charles R. Hall Jr. - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alfred Cortot Plays Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Schumann - Great Pianists of the 20th Century (Audio CD)

This set would be a great introduction to Alfred Cortot. His Etudes are the finest on disc, though new listeners will need to get used to the performing methods of the 30's. Cortot himself is an aquired taste, he often hits wrong notes and overuses rubato, something all pianists of the era did. If you are curious about historical pianists and need a place to start. there is no better disc than this, and give it a chance, if for some reason you prefer today's etudes to Cortot's know this, his teacher was Chopin's favourite pupil, and you will never be closer to hearing them the way they were meant to sound,