Clementi: Piano Music

Muzio Clementi (Composer), Balazs Szokolay (Performer), Balázs Szokolay (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Balazs Szokolay, Balázs Szokolay
• Composer: Muzio Clementi
• Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000013RV
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,257 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast, brilliant, exciting - one of my favorites, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Clementi: Piano Music (Audio CD)

I bought the CD because my daughter was learning one of the selections in her piano class. I had no idea what to expect but the style of the composer and the technical skill of the performer have made this one of my favorite CDs (my collection exceeds 400 CDs). Clementi's use of thirds in the left hand lends his sonatinas a unique sound and the speed of the trills and runs makes this an exciting selection of pieces. Considering the pittance this CD costs I would think buying it is a no-brainer.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Playing With a Lot of Energy", October 26, 2005

By 

BLee "bpslee" (HK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clementi: Piano Music (Audio CD)

Clementi is such an important piano music composer that virtually no pianists can neglect his works. Yet, regrettably there is so little recorded Clementi available either in Amazon or elsewhere.

The pianist we have here is Balazs. He is Hungarian, a former pupil of Kocsis (a formost pianist/composer). For whatever it is worth, Balazs took 4th place in Leeds International Piano Competition in 1990. His father was a professor in Liszt Academy who also composed. The British press commended his playing for it's energy and imagination.

As pointed out by some other review(s), he is fast, as fast (and as even) as a machine gun. Technically, he is "brilliant" if not equally vibrant. There is indeed a lot of "energy" in his playing; his touch is nice too, all prerequisites of a virtuoso. But there isn't much in this record to show us the full spectrum of his imagination, let alone poetry, and the influence of the above mentioned two composers on him is yet to be discovered. Some slow movements in the sonatas are, however, rather charming.

On the whole, this is a very worthwhile reference especially at a budget price. And for those who have more time, they may as well check out Maria Tipo who has recorded quite a number of Clementi's sonatas for an Italian reading.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall, Well Done, December 7, 2001

By 

Ryan Richards "reb77" (Midland, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Clementi: Piano Music (Audio CD)

The playing on this CD is not only technically brilliant, it's on the quicker side of the expected tempo range. Szokolay's comprehension of the music is such that he can deliver dynamic, rapid performances while still retaining the clarity of each individual note. My only complaint is that, as others have noted, these performances are somewhat lacking in feeling. Granted, there's a difference between the emotional content of a Clementi sonatina and a Beethoven sonata, but these pieces are all extremely well-crafted works by a minor master, and they do indeed have their passionate moments. It would have been nice to have more emphasis placed on these emotional spots. That's a small flaw, however, in an otherwise brilliantly-played collection of well-written music. I still admire Clementi's tuneful melodies and artistic balance ("Mozart Lite," one might say), and the playing on this CD, while somewhat flat, does nothing to deter me from that opinion overall.