Chopin: Etudes (Complete)

Yukio Yokoyama (Artist), Chopin (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Chopin
• Audio CD (July 23, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029R9
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,238 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 1 in C major

2. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 2 in A minor

3. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 3 in E major

4. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 4 in C sharp minor

5. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 5 in G flat major

6. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 6 in E flat minor

7. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 7 in C major

8. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 8 in F major

9. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 9 in F minor

10. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 10 in A flat major

11. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 11 in E flat major

12. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 10, CT. 14-25: No. 12 in C minor

13. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 1 in A flat major

14. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 2 in F minor

15. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 3 in F major

16. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 4 in A minor

17. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 5 in E minor

18. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 6 in G sharp minor

19. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 7 in C sharp minor

20. Etudes (12) for piano, Op. 25, CT. 26-37: No. 8 in D flat major

See all 27 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful rendition of Chopin's Etudes., June 19, 2000

By 

Adam M. (San Francisco Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chopin: Etudes (Complete) (Audio CD)

Yukio Yokoyama brings a modern touch to Chopin's Etudes, which are often played with a tight, excercise-like rigidity. Yokoyama wonderfully highlights each and every piece. He displays both technical mastery and enviable artistry throughout the entire album. He plays these pieces as they should be played, as masterpieces of the art that is the Piano.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very underrated!, July 21, 2010

By 

J. S. Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chopin: Etudes (Complete) (Audio CD)

The list of piano players I consistently enjoy listening to is very short. Although many today can claim technical ability, few are skilled to my satisfaction in applying technique. Take rubato, for instance. When used tastefully in small amounts, I believe it can add a lot to a performance. I find perfect, 'clinical' music as disagreeable as 'traffic jam' music with so much rubato that the actual rhythm of the music gets lost in the shuffle.

Yukio Yokoyama's use of techniques in this set is impeccable. He gives each individual etude its own voice, rather than playing everything the same, and applies personal touches =here and there= to bring out the best in them =when appropriate=. You won't find him suddenly zooming through a piece's finer moments or turning slow music into nursing home music. You can tell that he put a great deal of thought into these performances and it gives them a well-deserved air of sophistication and intelligence.

Take Op. 10, No. 1, for instance. Mr. Yokoyama isn't sitting at the piano with a stopwatch trying to see how fast he can race through it. Instead, he gradually pulls it back just enough to give it more tonal variety instead of being a monotonous mad dash. In the 'black keys' etude, another one of my favorites, he applies rubato in small amounts to give the notes some breathing room.

When I heard that Sony sat on these performances for years after they were recorded before finally releasing them, it boggled my mind. When I saw that he barely had any CDs on the market, it astounded me. I had the same reaction as I did after hearing the Yale Quartet's take on Beethoven's Late String Quartets - "Huh? You mean there isn't any more?"

This set has apparently been out of circulation for some time, so I doubt you'll be able to purchase this without paying a small fortune. Don't worry, though - there are still clips available on video sites like Youtube.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical, passionate Chopin., November 26, 2000

By 

R. Meadows-Rogers "www.epiklesis.com" (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chopin: Etudes (Complete) (Audio CD)

Yukio Yokoyama exemplifies the technical mastery and cerebral control paradoxically necessary to elicit the full range of Chopin's passion and lyricism in the Études. At the same time, he never descends to the meretricious or sentimental. The recorded sound clarifies each sparkling note. I highly recommend this disk!