# Exceptional performances



## Aurelian (Sep 9, 2011)

Which performances for you were so exceptional they made you realize the performances you heard up to that point were "just OK"?

Here are 2 recent finds:

Paganini's 5th Caprice:





Chopin's Ocean etude:


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Aurelian said:


> Which performances for you were so exceptional they made you realize the performances you heard up to that point were "just OK"?
> 
> Here are 2 recent finds:
> 
> ...


Is it just me, or is the intonation between the high and low notes not that great?


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

Phil loves classical said:


> Is it just me, or is the intonation between the high and low notes not that great?


Your intonation is probably fine.


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## Simplicissimus (Feb 3, 2020)

I had the subject experience recently. Listening as I usually do to the brilliant program on Latin-American music "Fiesta" on WFMT-Chicago, presented by Elbio Barilari, I heard a version of de Falla's El amor brujo that redefined this work for me. I've been interested in the work for a long time and have had two performances in my collection:

Reiner/Chicago SO, 1963, Leontyne Price, RCA Living Stereo
Frühbeck de Burgos/New Philharmonia Orchestra, 1966, Decca.

Now comes Barilari introducing a whole other take on this work, true to the 1915 version for a smaller orchestra and flamenco type singer:

Angel Gil-Ordoñez/Perspectives Ensemble, 2018, Esperanza Fernández, Naxos.

Wow!!! If you are interested in this work, I think you need to hear this.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

A live performance by the late Youri Egorov of Bach's Italian Concerto. (this was decades ago.)


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## TalkingPie (May 15, 2020)

I like a lot Sofronitsky playing Scriabin


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## ZeR0 (Apr 7, 2020)

Richter performing Grieg's Lyric Pieces. I got a recording from 1993 (I think). One word that immediately comes to mind with regard to the playing contained therein is painterly. Before I listened to this, I would be hot and cold towards these pieces despite there being some otherwise exceptional recordings out there (Gilels and Gieseking, for instance). Now this is one of my favorite works for solo piano, and I return to it often.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

ZeR0 said:


> Richter performing Grieg's Lyric Pieces. I got a recording from 1993 (I think). One word that immediately comes to mind with regard to the playing contained therein is painterly. Before I listened to this, I would be hot and cold towards these pieces despite there being some otherwise exceptional recordings out there (Gilels and Gieseking, for instance). Now this is one of my favorite works for solo piano, and I return to it often.


I might have been going to mention the Gilels performance, but you got in first. I guess I should listen to Richter's then.


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