Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This recital is simply phenomenal, November 17, 1999
I had the chance of being at Avery Fisher Hall in NY for a concert where Kissin performed this repertoire. After ending with "Wild Jagd" we held him on the stage for 5 encores... The Shumann may lack a little more instrospection in the final movement, but the first two are amazing for his power and projection which reminds me the Horowitz 1965 performance. And the Liszt is just out of this world. Chasse neige is almost scary, and Harmonies du soir has all the bell effects you can imagine and more. By all means, reviewing this recital is total pleasure. Trust me, this is awesome playing.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Liszt is celebrating in his grave..., January 6, 2006
Ok lets do a very quick simple excercise - blindfold yourself and think of Arrau as X. Listen to the fifth etude " Feux follets". Then listen to Kissin (Richter and Berezovsky if you wish). You will notice that Kissin plays it about 4 times faster and with more precision (and in my opinion also beautifully though this point is not necessary to get my message across).
Only in the most Orwellian of Orwellian worlds can you call Arrau's performance better than Kissin. The main point of these pieces by Liszt is to show command and virtuousity at the piano (and even an argument as to some type of emotion that Arrau has that is lacking in the Kissin would be real embellishment).
Now don't get me wrong... not all pianists have to have superb techniques. But when it is blatantly obvious that Y pianist has a superior technique to X pianist.... there are a number of implications as far as I am concerned:
1. a pianist with a noticeable lesser technique will most likely never be considered a mega pianist. I am sorry but there are just too many good pianists out there who have a combination of technique and other attributes.
2. Said pianist should avoid pieces such as Chopin and Liszt etudes and pieces that display virtuosity.
3. When running comparisons, in the framework of reviews or talk, discrepancies in technique must be pointed out and illuminated.
No different is done with gymnasts in the Olympics... no matter HOW elegant they are....if they make technical mistakes they lose out from the get go.
The crux of all this is that we have to set a clear standard. The first thing that is imperative for a pianist is:
1. mastering the technique of a piece
2. not making mistakes (wrong notes) within reason.
ONLY AFTER this can we start to delve into the complex world of interpretation, musical intelligence, etc.
Don't get me wrong I am at times dissatisfied with Kissin because of his lack of insight/intelligence/expression (sometimes he is too quick, intense and bangy even when playing the nocturnes for example). I am sorry but the technique in the etudes here are beyond any other rendition that I have heard. Although the Schumann falls short I challenge someone to present a more technically brilliant and explosive rendition of these etudes than Kissin. In addition I would reccommend Richters performance in the famous Sofia Recital. Also Busoni recorded this in the 1920s.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID ALBUM, May 12, 2004
By A Customer
All of Kissin's abilities, including his implausible, supernatural technique, are beautifully displayed in the horrifically difficult solo piano pieces recorded on this compact disc. The recording heavily surpasses the work of Horowitz, Arrau, Richter, Ashkenazy and/or any other accomplished pianist that has ever lived. The Schumann work is fantastically interpreted with all of the continually consistent saturated emotion Schumann himself would have intended. Kissin makes the last transcendental etude, "Chasse-Neige," the most powerful, dramatic short recording that has ever been produced. It is superbly dazzling. The longest of the etudes, "Harmonies du Soir," is performed with a growing feeling, which starts out subtly, flourishes about two-thirds of the way through the piece and finally ends ever so delicately-a feeling that Liszt was so very partial to, in that piece, and would have greatly enjoyed. Another etude, "Feux Follets," greatly demonstrates Yevgeny's technical abilities. That piece is played with the utmost amount of controlled excitement obtainable to human nature. Liszt's tenth etude in f minor, also included on this compact disc, is a mystical dream with wonderful musical expression. Lastly, the "Wilde Jagd" etude is performed, from the first instant, with a type of wild, exploding marvel only Kissin is capable of. This piece, my favorite of the recorded pieces, is executed with utterly impeccable timing and phrasing. Yevgeny brings out an extreme amount of orchestral color and power in this piece particularly. Kissin's recording of "Wilde Jagd" makes all of the other professional solo piano recordings of this piece, and any other solo piano recording for that matter, seem very amateur. There are several other great recordings of piano music on the market today, although this album is most definitley one of the finest I have come across. This recording has helped me to establish the obvious fact that Kissin is certainly, by far, the most incredible pianist in the world. In this recording, Kissin shows that he is a true genius who magically coats the soul with mysterious musical harmonies. This recording is priceless and essential for every music collection.
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~ Ludwig van Beethoven
~ Nikolay Medtner
~ Johannes Brahms
is Evgeny Kissin's 
