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Discussion: Chopin: The 2 Piano Concertos - Sa Chen, Lawrence Foster

Posts: 15
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Post by Windsurfer November 10, 2008 (11 of 15)
ramesh said:

To me, it's completely self defeating to complain that the artists aren't on a par with the best of the past. If this is the case, any company producing SACDs might as well give up on most modern artists. Nobody would buy anything if it didn't meet their most exacting standards and we wouldn't have any new SACDs. THis, of course, will lead to a self-validating prophecy for the complainers-- if no modern company supports up-and-coming musicians there will be zero chance of anybody scaling the heights of the past.

Ramesh - Thank you,

I concur 100%. One would think people would know better. I am enjoying this recording immensely, because despite the interpretive mannerisms (which really aren't bothering ME so much), I think this is really worth hearing - and the recording in mch far exceeds just "good". It is excellent, superb!

I received it from CD Universe just a few days ago, have listened to it twice, and both times thought: "Wow THIS is the way a piano recording should sound".

Bruce

Post by Domimag November 10, 2008 (12 of 15)
Windsurfer said:

Ramesh - Thank you,

I concur 100%. One would think people would know better. I am enjoying this recording immensely, because despite the interpretive mannerisms (which really aren't bothering ME so much), I think this is really worth hearing - and the recording in mch far exceeds just "good". It is excellent, superb!

I received it from CD Universe just a few days ago, have listened to it twice, and both times thought: "Wow THIS is the way a piano recording should sound".

Bruce

Agree with you too !

I'm 100 % fan of SACD, I spend money to listen these SACD in good condition.

I enjoy very much the Pentatone Chopin/Sa Chen/Foster (I find her as good as Zimmermann or Argerich/Dutoit)

Pollini surely made a very good job 40 years ago but I don't care, I'm not listening my SACD Chopin with the score in the hands and I'm surely not musically able to make a difference between a "very good" and an "excellent" interpretation !

Long live to PENTATONE !

Post by Windsurfer March 31, 2010 (13 of 15)
A note to Patrick Lam, re his nice recent review:

PentaTone is a Dutch label not UK.

Bruce

Post by wehecht March 31, 2010 (14 of 15)
Mr. Lam's math isn't so hot either. Sa Chen (while I'm sure Mr. Lam knows more about Chinese naming conventions than I do I'll refer to her in the same manner as this site and the disc) was born in 1980 making it exceedingly unlikely that she has been known as a world class pianist since "the early 1980's". Even the early '90's would be a stretch. I do concur in his high regard for the recording.

Post by Jijagua January 25, 2011 (15 of 15)
I've compared this disk with the "Living Stereo" disk featuring Arthur Rubinstein as the pianist, and I have to say that I'm torn from picking which one is better.

The paces each pianist uses varies. There are certain tunes where Rubinstein goes faster than Chen, and vice versa. Ms. Chen does tickle the ivories lighter than does Mr. Rubinstein, but she still changes tones just like Mr. Rubinstein.

As a person who does not play an instrument, I cannot tell which of Ms. Chen or Mr. Rubinstein is more technically capable - both performances seem equal in technical skill. Emotionally, I still can't decide because both performances vary their attack pretty much in parallel.

While the Living Stereo CD has a bit more fullness to the sound (not soundstage width, but in its depth and "fatness"), I guess I am going to have to concede to the Living Stereo CD over the Pentatone/Chen CD.

For me, it's a tough call. I listened to both, compared individual pieces, etc. and I thinks I can't quite pick the better performance.

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