Classical music reviews

I absolutely love this album! Great job Carlos and ensemble! The album is full of relaxing sounds and emotion evoking melodies. It just gets ya, right there *patting heart*. I recommended it to all my friends and family. It is the best harmony of smooth native american flute and sweet strings I have ever heard. It's great for a massage or winding down from a long day. I often let it play me to sleep. It gives me mental pictures of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and Lake Tahoe. If you liked music from the motion picture "Legends of the Fall," you will love this! It's the best CD I've bought in quite some time. AMAZING!

R. Carlos Nakai, the preeminent Native American flutist, offers traditional music performed on Native American flute and the result is nothing short of spectacular. And you thought Amazing Grace was a classic only when performed on bagpipe? Nakai will change your mind with his rendition of the classic.

For the listener who isn't quite ready for more traditional Native American flute music, INNER VOICES will become a favorite among your other easy listening CD's.

THE HORSEMAN

Native American flute is a medium that, I have found, is either loved or hated. Proponents love the mellow woody voice of the flute and it nostalgic appeal. But I have found that those with whom I have shared my classic Nakai renditions and who don't find Native American flute appealing complain that there is no "accompaniment" in the form of strings and other conventional instruments. Frankly I love the sound of the flute for its own sake but recognize that we are acclimated to a more predictable musical presentation.

Inner Voices is the perfect compromise for those who want to enjoy Native American flute in a more conventional musical presentation. It is the perfect initial Native American flute album purchase. This album is wonderful! I find it the perfect companion for a placid meditation or for the drive home to wind down from a stressful day.

Once you make Inner Voices a part of your collection you will likely be ready for one of Nakai's many other beautiful recordings.

This is a very good compilation of Mozart Violin Concertos and with a very good Orchestra. I did not put 5 stars because I had some of Mozart concertos played by H.Heifetz and other by Xue-Wei that I consider are more brilliant violinsts. Grumiaux is very good but not excelent.

This is an excellent set put out by Philips in it's renowned Duo cd class. Almost all of Mozart's violin works are here. Arthur Grumiaux, one of my favorites, does a superb job of interpreting Mozart's works. This last weekend I played the same works by Heifitz and the comparison makes for interesting listening. I can't say one is better than the other, specially since I have no formal training in music, but each artist definitely leaves an impression.

Excellent set and a superb value but most importantly makes a valuable addition to anyone's collection.

The artistic personality of Artur Grumiaux was undoubtedly very sober. In comparision with the warmth of a David Oistrakh or the powerful musculature of Heifetz, his golden and flawless intonation was if I may, unique. His sonority and style did not belong to bravura style. He was an accurate and impressive violinist. His Mozart is crystalline and innocent. Once more, his presence in various performances in Prades Festival transformed and even improved his spelling touch. As you know all the artists who participated in this unequal Festival acquired a giant dimension. It is not by mere hazard that names of the height of Joseph Szigeti, Eugene Istomin, Rudolf Serkin, Sandor Vegh, Isaac Stern, William Kapell, Clara Haskill - above their innate skills - experienced Casals' spell. And because of this experience there was an immediate rapport with Clara Haskill and recorded one of the most incredible sets of Mozart `s Sonatas for violin that I' have heard ever.
And, despite his brief existence 1921-1986 his name will be resounding in the world of the violin during years and years. His honesty and integrity , technique and musicianship, self possession and aristocratic feature confer a special honor place. Go and get all what you can about Mozart, Faure Sonatas, his Haendel sonatas for violin, his Debussy Sonata, Guilleme Lekeu, Paganini 4th, and his version of Franck's sonata for violin is one of the most lyrical ever recorded.
An unforgettable artist!

This is a great release and in my book one of their best. No L Shankar here, Hariprasad Chaurasiya adds a (wonderful)new dimension and it shows!

Two long pieces, Mukti and Chandrakauns but great listening. I got the impression they had a terrific time doing this album and the flow shows.

Special mention for Zakir and Lotus Feet, great tracks, hats off to HPC.

All in all a fine release

I'm in Sydney Australia, so I was very pleasantly surprised as to how quickly I was sent the product. Well done guys. Keep looking after us Aussies!

Regards

Gary Peacock

I was reading an article in the LA times about this band and at the end of the article it said they were playing ......that very night. To the horror of my (then) wife and son, I talked them into going with me. It was the most beautiful music I have heard - every second of the show was stunning and it lasted almost three hours. This CD and "Believer" are a "must have" for McLaughlin/Shakti fans.

The first time I heard this amazing CD was at a friend's house. I could not believe the gorgeous sounds emanating from the stereo! My emotions ran the gamut on this one. At times my feelings were happy, then feelings of great sadness washed over me. The music is beautifully heart-wrenching...it is almost too much to bear at times. I would recommend this one to everyone! I guarantee you will be happy.

Words can't describe this beautiful music. It has to be experienced. It will stir your emotions; and yes it will bring a tear to your eye.

Wonderful album and Constance Demby just carries a great mood all the way through. One of the ambient and alternative classics!

These sonatas and partitas are among my favorite Bach works, alongside the Goldberg Variations. I've heard most of the great recordings of these suites by the great violinists, including this version by Grumiaux. My favorite rendition remains the 50s EMI survey by Nathan Milstein (not the DG version from the 1970s).

Now, Grumiaux stands tallest with me for his recordings of the Bach violin concertos and the famous double violin concerto, as well as his sublime version of the six violin/harpsichord sonatas (this is my favorite Grumiaux recording, and a "desert island recording" for me...an absolute must-have for anyone). For those, Grumiaux is unmatched in my opinion. But, in those cases, he has accompaniment that he must interact with. In these unaccompanied violin works, he has a subtle detachment. For an example, listen to the opening Grave movement from Sonata 2, and especially the Andante (movement 3) of Sonata 2. Grumiaux's technique is flawless, and he is almost at that magic threshold. Then, listen to Milstein play that Andante from the EMI 50s recording. You will hear exactly what I am talking about, something a bit too ineffable to put into words, but something you can hear. Given the fact that Grumiaux has recorded my favorite versions of Bach's other violin works, as I've mentioned above, this criticism was difficult for me to make.

I'm not suggesting a bombastic, romanticized account of these suites. Milstein finds the perfect balance (in his 50s version) between reverence of Bach and technical mastery. You feel every note of the music as it comes from Bach, and the depth of insight is extraordinary. Grumiaux captured that with his other recordings that I've mentioned above, but in these solo suites, there is a depth of feeling that is lacking. He's obviously more concerned with perfect form and cleanliness of line than he is with probing the music for its innermost secrets. Milstein achieves this, but on the EMI set from the 1950s, not the DG set from the 70s, where I think that Milstein also fell short.

It IS possible to have perfect form and cleanliness of line without sacrificing feeling. Milstein found that magic compromise in the 1950s on EMI. The words I always use after hearing the 50s Milstein are "intimacy" and "insight." His insights are so profound. Grumiaux's survey has impeccable sound quality, played on a gorgeous instrument, with flawless technique in the elegant style. Still, it doesn't get to the heart of this music. It's "perfect," but it doesn't speak to me.

These works are, for me, the highest possible achievement of violin music, and rank alongside the Cello Suites and the Well-Tempered Clavier as Bach's most meditative, introspective and spiritually profound works. They take you through a whole range of emotions and moods, and probably not coincidentally, like the Cello Suites, they end on a bright note, almost like the light of heaven shining down on you. Listening to the fugal movements is like being in a private cathedral of sound. And I say this without being a religious person in any way - this music is more personally spiritual, without being necessarily 'religious', like so many of Bach's vocal works.

I first heard these works performed by Menuhin (like Grumiaux, a student of Enescu), and though I retain a fondness for his recordings, I think Grumiaux's version is, all around, the best. I do agree with some of the other reviewers that Milstein can give a bit more passion, and I particularly like how the lower parts of the counterpoint are often more audible in Milstein (for instance, in the beginning bars of the D-Major section of the Chaconne - which is less accented in the Grumiaux), but I personally don't like Milstein's steely tone that much, and Bach sometimes sounds too much like hard work in his versions. In contrast, Grumiaux's tone is much warmer, I find, though he can put on the power very well whenever it's needed, and his playing is so effortless, one is able to really appreciate the beauty and profundity of Bach's works.

I'm very partial to period interpretations normally (I'm saving up to purchase Rachel Podger's recordings, which are supposed to be exceptional), but on the whole, I find Grumiaux better than the one 'authentic' performance I've heard, that of Kuijken. Grumiaux IS old-fashioned, but he avoids the excesses of most of the others of his generation (even Menuhin takes some movements - like the third of the G-Minor - so slowly, it's impossible to remember it's a dance-movement!), and plays something that seems, to me, to be very much something in the spirit of Bach, even if not entirely 'authentic'. As Manze has said, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with playing Bach on modern instruments - the music is truly universal! Even though on a few points here and there I do prefer other recordings, overall, I find Grumiaux's is simply the best - and I think definitely the best introduction to this awe-inspiring music.

This is one of those recordings that belongs in everyone's classical collection from the beginning. It is without a doubt one of the most heartfelt, achingly beautiful, and totally masterful recordings ever made.

Anyone who has it knows- and everyone who doesn't needs to.

Prior to Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon", literary/historical epics seemed confined to action/war pictures--whether Roman, 19th century or WWII. The slower extended "Masterpice Theatre" approach wasn't thought commercial--and especially such a dry picaresque social satire as Barry Lyndon. Luckily Kubrick had the clout and experience to make it.
So maybe "Barry Lyndon" wasn't a blockbuster, but for sheer beauty, technical mastery, and brilliant use of musical scoring, there are few films that can match it. Unfortunately, the soundtrack recording was as rare as the film. An LP was released, and luckily I bought one almost immediately. But when the age of CD's arrived, never a Barry Lyndon soundtrack CD did I see, find, or receive knowledgeable info about from underage pop-music-centric clerks. So if the CD soundtrack is finally available, buy it before it disappears again, and enjoy a classical, and thankfully instrumental, music soundtrack that not only perfectly complements the film action, but also provides an excellent source for exploring composers and genres, and expanding your own music collection.

An absolutely superb selection of music. Again and again Kubrick revealed his genius in moviemaking with every detail, including his choice of musical accompaniment. The Handel is bold and poignant in all its variations. The rivetting Schubert Trio in E-flat IS the scene in the movie, and remains the scene on the soundtrack and is played eloquently and flawlessly with that odd droll depth which was sometimes characteristic of the Baroque. A truly amazing listen. It will transport you out of the bussle of the 21st Century with such profound delicacy. This one work alone would be worth the price of the CD, but there's so much more. There's also a Mozart march, a wonderful Bach Adagio for duel harpsichords, a gorgeous cello concerto by Vivaldi, and the hypnotically exquisite Cavatina by Pasiello. There are a couple of rare modern sublimes as well, Sean O'Riada's amazingly ethereal "Tin Whistles" and his "Women of Ireland." And then there's a few works of period traditional music which add filigree to the whole ensemble. It's a complete soundtrack, so like most soundtracks, there's a couple of pieces you probably won't want to listen to over and over again, but you can program those out with your CD or mp3 player (the two marches, while well-performed, distract from the otherwise delicate minuet pace of the whole ensemble, so I edit them out). Most of this music places you right in the period, but at the same time, much of it is so rare and wonderfully performed that it also transcends time and place with moments of the highest aesthetic pleasure. I converted it into my mp3 collection and pick and choose from its flavors for aesthetic sustenance according to my appetite. It's a small banquet. You can't help loving this collection. The Schubert trio in E-flat, especially, will stay close to your heart the rest of your life. It has to be one of the most beautiful recordings of all time--an amazing mixture of pathos and deliberation--so much like Barry and Lady Lyndon.

Barry Lyndon is one of my favorite movies and the music chosen is perfect for it. I love the part when Barry has just seen Lady Lyndon for the first time and follows her slowly outside, while Schubert's piano trio in e flat is played. That piece of music perfectly complements the scene. The Irish music by the Chieftains in the beginning is also enjoyable. I haven't been able to find the recording of the Schubert piano trio in e flat anywhere that was used in the film. The pianist is Anthony Goldstone and I love the recording in the film but haven't been able to find the complete trio with Goldstone anywhere online. Anyone know where to find it?

Why do they keep making these "Mozart (and other composers) for..." CDs? I know I know. For idiots to buy them of course so the record company can make tons of money. But I feel it's an insult to classical music. No offense but Mozart didn't write this music for your unborn child. He couldn't care less to tell you the truth. I think he'd be pretty mad seeing how his music is being exploited these days. Why can't people just buy and listen to classical music as it was intended. Buy a set of Mozart's violin concertos or maybe Don Giovanni if you're so inclined. But not this "potpourri excerpts from his work" trash. Another option is to listen to the local classical radio station. Gosh, these kinds of CDs have gone too far. What's next - "Tchaikovsky for Taking a Dump"? Sheeesh....Don't suport this if you care about preserving an art...

Beyond sheer musical appreciation and enjoyment, Mozart's music in general is ideal for gently stimulating the "creative centers" as well as instilling a sense well-being. While there is much academic disagreement about the extent or reality of the so-called "Mozart Effect," it doesn't take a genius to observe how Mozart's music puts most people (and probably babies-to-be) in a happy mood ready to take on the day's challenges. There is a simplicity - yet elegance and musical brilliance - in his music that is also well-suited for the youngest of children.

The selections on this CD are all excellent and represent a nice range of Mozart's compostions, emphasising those that are ideal for creating a pleasant backdrop for leisure, dining and social occasions ("divertimentos"). The recordings are from the creme of musicians famous for their Mozart. Few works are as elegant and soaring as the Serenade #10 for winds - an astonishingly beautiful tune made famous from the early scenes of the movie, "Amadeus." Mozart supreme gifts of music are even seen in such humble "background music" as these pieces. And such continuity of warm, leisurely tones as these over 70 minutes is ideal for inspiring the baby to-be if that is why you are considering this CD. Better to expose a baby to the gentile, lyrical music of Mozart than to the dissonant, loud and disturbing tones of some classical music written well after Mozart.

As the reviewer below rightfully notes, compilation CD's of various unrelated works like this one is not quite how classical music is best meant to be heard. But in a way it is better for many to start with such collections like this - especially for those who just want the more quiet selections that are unintrusive. In that respect, this collection can be satisfying for most anyone (not just moms or babies). I have a huge classical music collection, but still really enjoy listening to one full CD of similar-temperament music like this one that flows easily and smoothly that doesn't demand my attention but only seeks to delight. And, in the end, that was the simple and primary goal of many of Mozart's compositions - to be purely enjoyed and delighted.

Just had to take a moment to write this review. I bought this CD 9 months ago right before the due date of my first baby. Being a new mom and nervous and trying to do everything right, I played this CD the first week home from the hospital. It would totally calm both me and baby and we would rock and rock until he was asleep. I've always loved all kinds of music but having such a peaceful CD to listen to helped me gain my perspective and take a deep breath and just enjoy this new little one I had in my arms. Music does that to me but this CD has something extra special.

A poor, jumpy, amateurish and unimaginative rendition of the pedal exercitium in g minor is what sticks to mind. Although its only an exercise i think it's worth more than that. More interesting stop combinations could have been used here. The toccata and fugue in d minor was too 'fancy' and was a boring affair overall with a silly choice of stops. I expected more from Peter Hurford. If this is the first time you've heard organ music please don't run away beacause of this. It can be so much more intersting.

Overall i dont think these performances do Bach Justice. Better versions can be found at virtuallybaroque.com (not my site)and better still competely free.

A lot of reviews rave about this set. I just wish they would say why it's so good and I hope they're, well, comparing it to something. Most seem to like the "choice of registration" which maybe one way an organist sizes another up.

Preferences in interpretation generally reflect the emphera of a time, and not absolutes. Choice one for this guy is probably Walcha. Dignified and insightful playing probably much more in line with what was expected of, and provided by, Bach way back when.

This set is flashier and lighter in some ways, more bombastic in others--very much a late Twentieth Century effort. Superficial. It suits a less thoughtful approach to the music which isn't a bad thing and isn't necessarily "damning with faint praise." I just doubt if this is really what the music should sound like and I don't mean that in the same way when I say that about Gould's playing. Gould was highlighting an intense part of Bach's craft, pointing the way into the music so to say.

This is a good set for those who like to shake the timbers with organ music; when it was first released in the early digital era it was marketed that way. Bach's music is pretty bullet-proof so it can stand this kind of approach. If you're not a hyper-critical listener, a period instrument hardliner, or a professional organist with strong well thought out opinions this is probably the set for you as the Walcha will sound dry and academic. On the other hand, if you are a powerful admirer of rock and roll classical this might actually be way too much Bach for you. I generally play this set (or Stokowski transcriptions) when I'm in a brain-dead mood and I want Bach-like stimulation without any work on my part. It's really quite nice.

Like another reviewer here I grew up on Helmut Walcha's DG set on LP, and was also familiar with a number of other "great Bach organ work" collections.

One can cavil over the way Hurford takes some of the pieces, I suppose, but his flair, imaginative registrations, and sheer musicality are hard to beat, and the recording too is fantastic.

It's quite easy to listen to three or four CDs from this set in a row, which says something about how fertile Bach's imagination, but also how absorbing Hurford's performance, and how willing he is to avoid generic and worthy church-like interpretations. This is music and music-making of the highest quality.

I know this recent Abbado cycle with the Berlin Philharmonic looks like a tempting proposition, but don't make the mistake of buying this thing! I bought part of it separately and I listened to the rest of the symphonies I didn't buy and I must tell everyone to beware the very poor recording quality that this set offers. You would think that such an expensive set would have great sound, right? Well, you would be severely wrong to think that the imbeciles at Deutsche Grammophon could actually provide a decent digital recording!

The sound as you will instantly notice is recorded at a very low level. It is very distant, like the equivalent of listening to your neighbor play music through their apartment wall and you strain to hear the details. Ok, so it's not that bad, but it is still awful! I turn up the sound really loud and still get a very rounded, small, constricted experience. I know I'm not deaf, I just put on Karajan or Bernstein or Gardiner or damn near anyone and hear the full impact of this music so much more clearly. I recently reviewed Simon Rattle's Vienna Philharmonic Beethoven cycle, ( see my review ), I thought Rattle's cycle was very poorly recorded but Abbado's is significantly worse.

Do not be confused that because the BPO play in a chamber-scaled ensemble for several of the symphonies that the recorded sound should be so low. Gardiner and Harnoncourt play with small orchestras and sound much more powerful.

Ok, so you're saying, the sound is awful, but are the interpretations worth persevering for? Quite simply put, NO!
Claudio Abbado has been studying Beethoven for many years, he recorded the symphonies in the 1980's and since then he's been conserving his energy for something new and radical?! I wish. The only new thing Abbado brings to this cycle is lighter textures, crisper ensemble and faster tempos. That's it, no revelations. The period instrument movement was way ahead of him. The performances are shockingly polite, sedate and boring.

I applaud the Berlin Philharmonic for their wonderful playing but isn't there something more about Beethoven than wonderful playing? How about drama, power, passion, a sense of adventure? You don't find that in this Abbado cycle, but you will find a polite and delicate ensemble. It's true that Abbado once in a while struts his stuff, like the finale of the 7th symphony for instance is taken at a very hectic tempo but the effect is muted by the distant sound.

I listened to the Eroica and felt absolutely nothing! Listening to Abbado's vapid Ninth might make you hate classical music. John Elliot Gardiner is quite vapid too for instance, but at least he's gutsy and fun.

Do you enjoy dinner parties with friends and need some inoffensive background music for the occasion? This Abbado cycle will be perfect for that.

Do you actually want to hear the rage, the power, the beauty, the passion of Beethoven, one of the greatest musical minds that ever lived?

Try the following performances. Karajan in Symphony number 1 from his first or second cycle, Bernstein with the VPO in Symphony 2, the digital Karajan Gold performance for the Eroica, Furtwangler's insane Symphony 4 on Music and Arts, Karajan's massive 5th from 1962, available in the Complete Beethoven Edition, Volume 1. For the Pastoral, try Karl Bohm or Bruno Walter. For a truly devastating 7th, Furtwangler on Music and Arts. Karajan Gold again for a thrilling 8th, and last but not least, listen to the magnificient Solti Ninth with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1972, available on Penguin Classics. For a historical Ninth Symphony, Furtwangler is the man to go to, in 1942 or 1951.

Any one of those recordings is an 'event', an experience to cherish. I will not however be cherishing Claudio Abbado's Beethoven cycle, it's disposable. If you want to hear Abbado and the BPO in full glory and great sound, try out their great Brahms symphonies, recorded more than a decade and a half ago. At least you'll know they can be great together in something!

The recording industry is in such bad shape now that only the most super of superstar conductors can release a complete set of Beethoven symphonies. EMI opted for Simon Rattle with the Vienna Phil. while DG bet on Abbado with the Berlin Phil. Both conductors declared that they had totally rethought these works, which is code for "I have something to offer beyond Karajan."

They do, in a way. Both sets feature faster tempos, leaner ensembles, a less grand approach, and diminished heroism and Romanticism. If that is how you like modern Beethoven--not lean to the bone like Gardiner, Norrington, and other "authentic" conductors but not fat and sluggish like Barneboim and other traditionalists--then to my ears Abbado and Rattle come out about neck and neck.

In neither case do I hear best-of-class readings of any symphony, and the rethinking often slides by without making a strong impression in the absence of total commitment, which is what Klemperer, Furtwangler, Toscanini, and Karajan brought to Beethoven, each in a different way. Rattle and Abbado have superficially jazzed up the symphonies, but they almost make me want to mourn the end of Beethoven as a living force rather than just a museum piece. Of the two, Rattle will revert to the old ways more often--the Adagio to his Ninth, for example, has no period flavor at all.

The fact that these two conductors seem about equal suprised me, though, because Rattle has studiously avoided Beethoven almost his entire career while Abbado has been devoted to him for decades. Rattle's live concert performance of Fidelio with substandard singers was no great shakes, but Abbado has yet to hit one out of the park, either, having turned in a disappointing live Beethoven Ninth on Sony, some quite lackluster symphonies with the vienna Phil. when he was much younger, and a so-so set of concerti with Pollini.

The reviewer below compalins bitterly about the unsatisfactory sonics on the Abbado set. It was also my experience that DG didn't do as good a job as they might have, but unfortunately EMI gives Rattle somewhat tight, boxy, shrill sound as well.

If I had to, I would choose the Abbado set since Rattle is just starting out. It makes an impact when two high-profile ocnductors basically declare that period proponents like Norrington, Harnoncourt, and Gardiner were right. But I don't expect to return to either cycle very often.

I studied piano from age 4 to 20, I, believe it or not, received a book of miniscores of the Beethoven symphonies when I was around 10. I learned the pieces like that back of my hand.

Flash forward very many years. I don't do music for a living, but I think I know something about it. I read rave reviews of the new Abbado recordings of the Beethoven symphonies. I thought "what the heck, I'm in NY City, I'll buy them." I come back south, listen to the recordings, and I was thrilled. Overwhelmed.

Well, I'm obviously just a rube, because a recent reviewer has denounced the recordings as both technically and musically inadequate. I can't tell you how much it hurts me to learn that what I thought were definitive readings of these wonderful pieces weren't worth the CDs on which they were printed. Maybe it's time for introspection. Perhaps I really don't understand music.

Or perhaps the reviewer in question is just being contrary. I'm sorry, but anyone who would disparage these recordings really doesn't understand music. Both the interpretation and the recording are wonderful. While I might have a quibble or two about no. 9, nos. 1-8 more than make up for it.

If you can afford these recordings, buy them.

Zimerman's rendition of the Chopin Ballades are well crafted and probing. However, he could vary his style and phrasing a bit. For example, the G minor's entrance could use some more color and momentum (his is as slow is it gets). The F minor and Fantasie are also static during the beginning. I agree with Mr. Gabrowski that Ivan Moravec's recording is more compelling and spontaneous. Fortuanately, DG's digital sonics compell me to listen to this recording every once in a while.

As explained in the brief but adequate notes accompanying this recording, the term "ballade" also suggests some poetry and this is 'reading' proves it. I LOVE the way that Zimerman pours over these pieces...like the delicate but vivid watercolours that I envision them to be! The rubato is to die for and the piano, while close, is full and warm. Only by way of comparison, while I'm also a fan of Ashkenazy's interpretations, his piano has a metallic ring that is absent from say Zimerman and Pollini recordings. But back to the present set, in particular the Ballade No. 4 f-moll op. 52 is a lover's caress....languid but never lazy.

I have searched for exactly this interpretation. Not to everyone's taste maybe but after the unrushed but pristine brilliance of Pollini's Ballades, this is the PERFECT counterpoint. My Chopin Ballades are now complete.

I absolutely LOVE this cd, it is definitely one of my "desert island" discs. For this recording Zimerman again used his own Steinway, which has such a great, warm sound.
Some may find his tempi on the slow side, but that's more a question of personal taste. However, I can hardly think of a better, more beautiful way to play the 4th ballade, it's absolutely stunning, what a sound, what a music! I've heard it better maybe once, by Zimerman live in concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands.