Customer Reviews

Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes And Impromptus

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This is an inspired release by the Philips label; hopefully, it will generate new interest in Arrau's Chopin and give him the kind of credit he deserves. Arrau is so underrated as to almost pass unnoticed when the truly great exponents of Chopin are spoken of, yet I believe he belongs in the company of Horowitz, Rubinstein, Agerich, Pollini and Zimermann. Best known for his awesome Beethoven cycle, Arrau has an almost transcendent grasp of Chopin's many moods--he makes every Chopin piece he plays tell a compelling, unforgettable narrative. His chosen tempi really wring the emotion out of every note, but his treatment of a piece like the opus 15 #1 shows he has the kind of muscularity in his playing necessary to avoid being a mere Chopin sentimentalist. Arrau recorded most of his Chopin in the '70's, and his Ballades and Preludes are staggeringly good (I have yet to hear a better version than his of the fourth ballade). I am waiting for Philips to re-release these treasures on CD, and hopefully they'll do it as they did here with the Nocturnes and Impromptus--a remastered, 2CD for the price of one bargain. I started with the Nocturnes like many people do--by buying Rubinstein's set. They're fantastic, but Arrau just takes these pieces farther than I ever imagined they could go, and you can't ask for more than that.

ps. Check out Arrau under the "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" series that's available here on Amazon if you want to further sample his enormous repertoire.

If anyone wanted an introduction to the late Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau, and why I think he's one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, I'd point them to this set. This is some of the most distinctive Chopin playing I've ever heard, beautifully-recorded. I've been comparing this to Rubinstein's set all week and Arrau comes out on top almost every time.

Some people may find his push-pull rubato a little too much, but I like it here. Listen to how he never repeats a phrase exactly. Each time he plays it he caresses a different note, a different part of the phrase, accents a different beat ever so slightly. There's no such thing as "passage work" with Arrau. He has said that every note in a piece is equally important, and he plays these works that way, rather than as just light dreamy moonlight pieces, and thus brings out demons in them I've never heard before. For just one of many examples, listen to the pedal just before the coda in the Second Nocturne, Op. 9. No one does moments like that like Arrau--he makes a very special statement effortlessly, without flash or drama. His recordings reward careful, repeated listening, and bore those searching for surface flair.

It's interesting to note that he considered the Nocturnes to be the peak of Chopin's output, an extraordinary view. Most other pianists--Rubinstein is a fine example--handle the Nocturnes as small parlor pieces, but Arrau gives them a big-scale treatment. You could argue they lose some of their intimate charm, their old fashioned quality, this way, like listening to Mozart chamber music through a bullhorn, but I think Arrau's view has a lot going for it. He brings out a certain agitation in No. 2 in Op. 37 in G-major, that other pianists miss. He finds moonlight and mystery in the constantly changing figurations of No. 1 in B-flat minor--again, no such thing as passagework. And just wait till you hear the volcanic fury pent up in the C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 1. I find these larger-than-life readings to be very satisfying, and despite Arrau's approach he manages to find plenty of small-scale charm in, say, Op. 15, No. 2. But what makes this set special to me is the extra material he mines from works like Op. 15, No. 1, here played more disturbingly than ones normally hears it. And, if you're in the mood for the drawing room approach, you should also have your Rubinstein set handy. (While I am a great admirier of Pires, I find her set, beautifully-played, to be a little intellectually lightweight compared to these.)

Don't listen to those who say either 1) Chopin played his works without a lot of rubato, or 2) there is heavy breathing here that makes these unlistenable. No one knows what Chopin played these works like--there was no recording then, obviously, and a verbal description is not reliable since everything is relative--what was considered "not a lot of rubato" in 1840 could be a lot today, just as meat that was "not very salty" in 1840 would probably assault our tastebuds today. Chopin's direct descendants were recorded, however, or many of them were, and they played his works with great freedom, rhythmic and otherwise. This fact, coupled with the knowledge that slavish workship of the printed note did not take effect until the second half of the 20th century, makes me suspect anyone who says Chopin did not want his works played this way or that way. As for Arrau's "breathing," I don't find it particularly bothersome. Anyone saying this makes the discs "unlistenable" must be a child of the electronic music age, and probably could not keep his concentration in a concert hall surrounded by people who are all, we hope, breathing.

This is a marvelously conceived and executed version of the nocturnes. The word that comes most to mind is "poetic." Arrau is a master of incredible sensitivity to phrasing and dynamics. The remastered recording, while not so pristine as an all digital one, is still a major improvement over the original version. If you love Chopin, if you love the piano, or if you simply love human excellence and genuis in any endeavor, you will adore this recording.

This is an absolutely beautiful performance of Chopin's Nocturnes. I listened to several other samples of the other pianists who have released this same collection. Most of them seemed to be flat and sterile compared to this recording by Arrau. In my ears, they seemed to be missing something that this artist had captured in the pieces.

Still, I was hesitant to buy it due to the reviews I had read about the heavy breathing being too distracting to enjoy the music. I decided to take a chance that the reviewers were just being over critical and purchased the cd.

After I got it, I listened to it immediately on my home stereo. Absolutely beautiful and I didn't hear any of the breathing they were talking about. I was relieved and felt great about my decision to purchase the cd. However, the next day I decided to take it with me in my car. There was the breathing loud as could be! Sometimes it was louder than the music! Very distracting and not just on 1 or 2 tracks. The entire cd is riddled with pockets of constant panting as if Claudio were working out on a stairmaster while playing.

Some would say that this is just the mark of a man passionate about the pieces and we should be thankful that so much energy went into his performance. I whole-heartedly agree! My issue isn't with Claudio Arrua's magnificent interpretation but with the poor microphone placement technique and engineering quality of this recording. Even though this a recording from 1978, there is just no excuse for it.

That all being said, I'm still glad I chose to purchase this recording. Even with the breathing I still would rather have this one than the other less soulful recordings we have to chose from. I listen to it often and every time I notice the breathing less and less as this truly beautiful performance of this truly beautiful music unfolds.

Arrau's playing is unique, a throwback to the age of the romantic virtuoso of a century long gone. This set is rightfully famous, and is, with the 60's collection by Rubinstien and the 90's set by Pires, the three I have always most loved and recommended, though each is very different in its approach. Of the three, Rubinstein's is the most faithful to the "letter" of Chopin's score, but even then, Rubinstein's indomitable personality shines through. Pires takes some liberties with speed and dynamics-- so she rests nominally in the middle.

Then there is Claudio Arrau, and I agree with another reviewer that the pianist indeed treats each note as if matters. Does he dwell too much, slide into notes, take different dynamic turns, play with a rubato just this side of Paderewski or Busoni, and bathe the music in pedal at times?--yes, all of that. But let's face it, there is no "right" Chopin, and no recorded collection that is the be-all--because if so, it would sell Chopin's genius far short of its due. I and others choose to listen to all the above sets on their own terms and love all of them-- likewise the Cortot, and available selections of Horowitz, Godowsky, Friedman, Hofmann, etc. (Not to mention more recent, sublime interpretations in the concert hall by Tzimon Barto.) In any event, this 70's Arrau set holds its own,in its own way, with any and all of the above.

For years, this was the set I listened to on LP, both at home and transferred to cassette to play in the car. Rubinstein's later became a favorite for me, finally Pires's. For purposes of sound, either of the latter two are preferable, but sound is definitely a secondary issue. Regarding that, I must say that the CD remastering of the Arrau has heightened not only the breathing issues, but also the too-close miking of the keyboard, so that, especially in one channel of the stereo mix, the sound the piano mechanism itself is often heard. That's close miking, too close really, but so what. I can live with it and with Arrau's exchange of breath for the individual quality of his music.

In summary, this set should be in every collection, but so should the others, and perhaps three or four more that could be mentioned-- Cortot, perhaps Ashkenazy and Zimmerman too. Why so many? These pieces are part of the bedrock of romantic pianism, and far deeper in intellectual and spiritual intent than they are often credited with. On that, I agree with Arrau, that Chopin starts here, and should, after a wide foray, also finish here.

I agree with our friend that considers Arrau an underrated interpreter of Chopin. And this CD is for everyone a strong argument. Just listen the first Nocturne and enjoy the profound and self accomplished spirit that it discovers. The inner logic and the beauty of playing has no match on any other recorded version. Chopin was no composer for the bal halls yet an agile explorer of the soul and moods. And that's why Ashkenazy would never be but a medium size interpreter of Chopin. The great musical insight of Arrau manages to walk on the roads that led to the creation of these Nocturnes and this is the best reason I can give you for buying and above all listening to these recordings. Every Nocturne is a masterpiece in itsself and the chlean master reveals all of their power.

Most other reviewers here are, thankfully, much better qualified to review Mr Arrau's talents and interpretative strategies than I. However, what no one has mentioned up here (to my knowledge anyway) is the abysmal static issue on both discs. Almost every ten seconds a static wave obtrudes itself onto the sound--you can anticipate it and you will cringe every time you hear it (at least I did). It makes Chopin's beautiful numbers unbearable at parts, for Chopin relies so much on a pure and clear atmosphere of pensive motion--and this cannot be maintained on discs encumbered with such noxious static. Stand warned.

In this 2-CD collection, Arau presents a deeply moving interpretation of Chopin's Nocturnes & Impromtus. His pensive, introspective style is reminiscent of the Irish composer, Charles Fields, who pioneered the nocturne genre. Indeed, Chopin himself was deeply influenced by Fields in his early compositions. The well-loved Nocturne No. 2 in E-flat (Opus 9, No. 2) is presented on track 2 of CD 1, and Arau's phrasing and meter add to its bittersweet splendor. This collection also presents Chopin's lesser known Nocturnes, many of which were truly magnificent. In particular, I was struck by those of Opus 37; for in them, the melody is presented in the bass cleff--an element not seen frequently in Chopin's works. Inside the cover, the booklet has a fascinating history of Chopin's nocturnes, and life events which coincided with their writing. In summation, I thoroughly enjoyed this collections and would encourage any classical music enthusiast with an interest in Chopin to add it their collection.

I hesitated to publish this comment for a couple of reasons. First of all, several reviewers have very accurately described the greatness of Arrau's performances and, second, my review couldn't ignore some contentions made here about the masters technique, even though they are so preposterous that I don't know why should anybody dignify it with an answer. This is not a forum and the purpose is not to create any polemic but some people come here for advice and many of them are not too familiar with the concept of interpretation, and they deserve something better than what they read in one of the reviews.

Someone that presents himself as a practicing pianist claims to have "been playing the Fantasy-Impromptu" (Where? When?) "for ten years already" (that long, huh?) and based on that monumental achievement he feels qualified to pass judgment on the technical competence of one of the greatest Liszt interpreters in history. Hey, why not? Everybody has the right to have an opinion. The problem is that someone might believe him. Fortunately he leaves no doubt about his conception of pianism and music interpretation in this and other of his reviews. Just to mention that another pianist is able to play a piece "four times faster" or to compare the technique of a musician with the one of an athlete training for the Olympics speaks for itself. Music is something different. It is about intellect, emotion and knowledge. Even though Claudio Arrau has a phenomenal technique he doesn't use it to show off but only in the service of the composer's intent. This is a fundamental part of his musical philosophy and anyone who has some familiarity with interpretation and history should understand it.

Someone who has been playing a relatively minor peace as the Fantasy-Impromptu for ten years can't be older than 25 and probably he hasn't had someone to teach him the basics of what music is about yet. That would leave some room for hope but only if he would be able to understand that music is not a succession of physical exorcises but too much more than that, and that the goal of music analysis should be to forget the superficialities and to try to understand what the piece is really about. And, most important of all, before that elementary burden is laid aside, not to talk nonsense.

I often come back to him for his Chopin. For an alternative of the Nocturnes, Samson Francois's (a French pianist with a strong personality) is a good choice. Moravec's are very impressing too. For a more recent version, viewers might perhaps check out Dang Thai Son (first Asian Chopin International Competition gold medalist), Ashkenazy's regular partner.

I also like Cortot, but you have to withstand the archive sound and some wrong notes. Rachmaninov's Chopin is great too. But the recordings are even more primitive and it is incomplete, so is the case of Sauer. Furthermore, like Friedman, Rachmaninov would alter the score a bit here and there...

So the Chopin that I refer to most are Arrau's other than Cortot. You can go over to him again and again without getting tired: beautiful tone, perfect phrasings beautifully recorded that goes right into the heart of music, and some say he is "deep and searching"...