COMPOSERS: Chopin/Liszt
LABELS: ASV Quicksilva
WORKS: 24 Preludes, Op. 28; Etude in C minor, Op. 10/12 (Revolutionary); Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53; Scherzo in E, Op. 54; Liszt: Polonaise No. 2 in E; Rigoletto Paraphrase
PERFORMER: Shura Cherkassky (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: CD QS 6109 ADD (1968)
So many pianists have been labelled ‘the last of the great Romantics’ that the term has become almost meaningless. What it tends to suggest is a high degree of personal idiosyncrasy combined with a sovereign technique which can take all difficulties effortlessly in its stride. And Cherkassky certainly fits the bill. This is not playing for the faint-hearted or devout. The man continually takes chances. Not all of them pay off, but most of them do. This release is individual, but in no way outrageous or shocking and should be in the collection of all really committed devotees of the piano. Jeremy Siepmann
Chopin/Liszt: 24 Preludes, Op. 28; Etude in C minor, Op. 10/12 (Revolutionary); Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53; Scherzo in E, Op. 54; Liszt: Polonaise No. 2 in E; Rigoletto Paraphrase
So many pianists have been labelled ‘the last of the great Romantics’ that the term has become almost meaningless. What it tends to suggest is a high degree of personal idiosyncrasy combined with a sovereign technique which can take all difficulties effortlessly in its stride. And Cherkassky certainly fits the bill. This is not playing for the faint-hearted or devout. The man continually takes chances. Not all of them pay off, but most of them do. This release is individual, but in no way outrageous or shocking and should be in the collection of all really committed devotees of the piano.
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:13 pm