Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 Sonata For Piano And Cello Sonata

   in Piano International (Mar, 2016)
Although there exists a plethora of live recordings of Chopin’s First Concerto by Argerich, it is probably the deservedly revered studio recording with LSO/Abbado that most collectors treasure. Here is a worthy complement.

There is great detail in the recording of the orchestra; Kaspszyk finds levels of sophistication in Chopin’s scoring denied to many, and is certainly less relentless than Abbado in the opening tutti. Argerich asserts her strength at her entry, but also lends the music a patrician sense of space. She projects music that is languid, peaceful yet sophisticated – in many ways a polar opposite to Pollini/Kletzki (EMI). Inner voices are perfectly balanced and highlighted; and despite Argerich’s …