Chopin: 4 Ballades, Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op.60; Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49 [Import]

Frederic Chopin (Composer), Krystian Zimerman (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Krystian Zimerman
• Composer: Frederic Chopin
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001G8Q
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,368 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #54 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Ballads

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: CHOPIN,F.
Title: BALLADES 1-4/BARCAROLLE/ETC
Street Release Date: 10/11/1988
Domestic
Genre: CLASSICAL COMPOSERS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strength, Profundity, Grace., February 17, 2000

By 

Christopher Smith (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chopin: 4 Ballades, Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op.60; Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49 (Audio CD)

There are some works for solo piano so rich with suggestion that they require having more than one interpretation close by: Schubert's Impromptus, Beethoven's late sonatas, and Chopin's Ballades. I love Arrau's 1960's recording of the Ballades on Philips (sadly unavailable on CD right now), and Pollini and Gavrilov are pretty hot too. It is a credit to Zimerman's unique artistry and mindblowing technique that he brings something so vital and new to pieces that are for me the apotheosis of Chopin's expressive genius. As the Amazon reviewer says, Zimerman's performance here is Chopin writ large, and for that reason I think the first, second and third are brilliant successes. I'd pick Zimerman over any other here, and I guarantee the power with which Zimerman projects the youthful passion of the first will blow you away. I think his reading of the fourth (perhaps the greatest of these masterpieces) isn't as searchingly meditative as Arrau, but it's still outstanding. If this weren't enough though, the Bacarolle is gorgeously done--a wonderful bonus. In it you can hear Chopin anticipating the shimmering tones of Debussy, and it's no surprise that Zimerman is a superb interpreter of both Debussy and Ravel (listen to his recordings of Debussy's Preludes and Ravel's piano concertos--they're incredible). So with Arrau currently unavailable on CD (c'mon Philips--give it up), you should make Zimerman your first choice, and don't forget the Chopin piano concertos he recorded with Giulini.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coherent and Serene, February 23, 2000

By 

Stan VanSandt (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopin: 4 Ballades, Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op.60; Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49 (Audio CD)

I have to take issue with the editorial review. Gerber characterizes this performance as "big," "20th-century," and having "little shading." This describes many recordings from the mid-20th century: powerful virtuousity without warmth, beauty of tone, or nuance. This is not true of Zimerman. My first impression of Zimerman's ballades was of quiet beauty, the drama almost understated. With repeated listenings I realized that the climaxes are indeed quite powerful, but that they grow out of the calm serenity of the context so organically that they do not jar. Zimerman never plays an ugly note: his tone never becomes brittle or clangy. Comparing these performances to others, I found that Zimerman invariably uses slower overall tempos. In the 4th Ballade he takes almost 12 minutes, Moiseiwitch and Perahia about 10, and Solomon 9 and a half. At the very beginning Zimerman seems to lack forward momentum in comparison, but his approach soon weaves a spell that is totally absorbing. Zimerman is a storyteller rather than an actor: the passions are not missing, they are simply put into context. I do not find Zimerman's playing lacking in shading. He uses a variety of pedal techniques and touches, and his rubato is very natural. If he lacks anything that Rubinstein has, it might be characterized as a sense of humor. These are very sober readings. But very beautiful -- I expect I will go back to them more often than most others. The sound of this disk is indeed close. On headphones it is fascinating to listen to the voices so spacially separated: the countrapuntal effects become so much more apparent. In my living room it sounds as if there is a gorgeous piano in the room with me -- I actually prefer this to a more reverberant acoustic that tries to con me into thinking I am in a concert hall (Perahia on Sony).

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chopin with unmatched accuracy and thought, February 17, 2000

By 

Thomas B Dawkins - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopin: 4 Ballades, Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op.60; Fantasy in F Minor, Op. 49 (Audio CD)

I am a pianist myself and know the hazards that Chopin can present to the player: overexcitement, relying too much on momentum, not to mention the thousands of technical pitfalls. Zimermann goes above and beyond these and gives the ballades a superb performance that is meticulous in every way. I can only imagine the intense thought process that went into the preparation of this performance. The accuracy of the passagio, especially in the treacherous g minor ballade, is unmatched. However, the same thought, accuracy and self-control that makes this a stellar performance also takes away from it. The music lacks some breathing room in places, momentum in others, and in general feels drier and less driven by passion than the classic recordings of the more romantic Rubinstein or Horowitz. Even taking this into account, these recordings are among the absolute best, and I recommend them thoroughly.