Maurizio Pollini – Études Op. 10 & Op. 25

Confirming its legendary status among 1970s classical record collectors Pollini’s debut album for DG has now been reissued as a Universal (Japan) SACD. Whether this has improved the overall sound quality is interesting as the original LPs and transfer to CD sound quite brash and hard with some distortion in the fortes. The Opus 10 set in particular is a tour de force of virtuoso pianism, a veritable whirlwind that inevitably sacrifices some detail to lyrical power. If you want equally forceful majestic playing with more of that detail please search for Ronald Smith on APR who might be completely off your radar (as he was mine) but is a compelling pianist who aims to articulate every note. To say Smith gets inside Chopin’s music would be an understatement. It is reborn in his hands. The sound quality of the APR CD is also miles better than the Pollini. Personally I couldn't be without either in Op 10.

With Op 25 it is a different matter. There is room for other voices, indeed there ARE other voices - mysterious and elusive - that Pollini completely ignores in his headlong bravado approach. Here again Ronald Smith is in his element exploring the more complex harmonies and chords of the later set.
So too and highly recommended is Frederick Chiu on Harmonia Mundi USA, but with the expensive caveat you will have to buy two CDs to get both sets of etudes. I would just get Chiu’s Op 25 as this is where his interpretative skills shine.

More traditional “straightforward” readings and performances abound in a less pressurised relaxed style with varying degrees ranging from the deadly dull (Robert Browning on RCA) to the divine Edith Picht-Axenfeld (Sony Japan).

My choice is therefore Picht-Axenfeld for delightful unhurried but glittering pianism supplementing the ferocious wolf in the pack Pollini. First choice in all respects goes to Ronald Smith on APR for both intelligent pianism and demonstration recorded sound quality.

Johannes aus B würde sagen, das sind Sachen zum Flexen!