# pianists comparable to Barere



## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

Many years ao I purchased the APR Barere recordings after reading Schonberg's list of "greatest Romantic pianists". He blew me away. I have recently (more or less) discovered Grigory Ginzburg. Does anyone have suggestions for pianists on this level whose recordings would be similarly impactful in the Romantic repertoire?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

battistini said:


> Many years ao I purchased the APR Barere recordings after reading Schonberg's list of "greatest Romantic pianists". He blew me away. I have recently (more or less) discovered Grigory Ginzburg. Does anyone have suggestions for pianists on this level whose recordings would be similarly impactful in the Romantic repertoire?


HJ Lim
Eliso Virssaladze
Valery Afanassiev
Igor Zhukov
Alfred Cortot
Vladimir Tropp
Grigory Sokolov
Shura Cherkassky
Nikolai Demidenko
Dino Ciani
Arturo Benedito Michelangeli
Mikhaïl Pletnev
Hitose Okashiro
Kemal Gekic
Ivo Pogorelich
Natan Brand
Cyprien Katsaris
Marc Andre Hamelin
Vladimir Sofronitsky.
Ervin Nyiregyhazi
Benno Moiseiewitsch
Claudio Arrau
Sviatoslav Richter 
Georg Cziffra
Jorg Bolet


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

That is a little too comprehensive a list. There is no way that all these pianists are as shocking as Barere. Thanks for the suggestions though. Fellow Leschetizky pupil Moiseiewitsch maybe.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

battistini said:


> That is a little too comprehensive a list. There is no way that all these pianists are as shocking as Barere. Thanks for the suggestions though. Fellow Leschetizky pupil Moiseiewitsch maybe.


Moiseiewitsch isn't shocking -- he's unbelievably refined and smooth, I'd say to a fault but that's a matter of taste. There's an interesting recital on Testament with the Schumann fantasie and some Brahms variations. I think you will like Kemal Gekic's Japan recital disc, Chopin.

Cyprien Katsaris also may be worth exploring, not sure what though! But that Gekic disc defo.


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

Right, I accept that, these are aesthetic distinctions. Moiseiwitsch is fabulous no question.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The Gekic has a memorable op 34 Scherzo.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

battistini said:


> Right, I accept that, these are aesthetic distinctions. Moiseiwitsch is fabulous no question.


Moiseiwitsch did a wonderful Chopin barcarolle. I remember there were two recordings and they're different. I think people like his Rachmaninov -- he's not a composer I have spent time exploring so I can't say.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

I know no pianist as shocking as Barere but Cortot might be a candidate. Katchen also occasionally produced similar "crazy" moments in his recordings (the finale of Brahms` 3rd Piano Sonata from his 1949 recording is a good example). Schnabel and Serkin must have some early recordings you might wanna check. Of course Argerich is the queen and the protector of the unusual artists. You might find some interesting stuff by her and perhaps by a younger pianist from her entourage.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

This is as shocking as Barere






And this in a different way


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

battistini said:


> That is a little too comprehensive a list. There is no way that all these pianists are as shocking as Barere. Thanks for the suggestions though. Fellow Leschetizky pupil Moiseiewitsch maybe.


I think a good deal of those mentioned are quite far from Barere stylistically ( say Ciani, Afanassiev, Sokolov, Virssaladze, Michelangeli etc. ... ).


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

joen_cph said:


> I think a good deal of those mentioned are quite far from Barere stylistically ( say Ciani, Afanassiev, Sokolov, Virssaladze, Michelangeli etc. ... ).


Yes but maybe (and I say maybe) not so far from the other pianist he mentioned - Ginsburg. And I would say they have all done things which are "impactful in the Romantic repertoire."

Opinions, gentlemen, please, on Ervin Nyiregyhazi.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

I've never enjoyed Barere's recordings because I don't think they stack up in musicianship to other important pianists of his era. If "shocking" is intended to also mean "super-virtuoso," a number of the pianists in the above list wouldn't count. The super-virtuosi mentioned above on the list or comments who I have heard on recordings include Barere, Ginzburg, Pogorelic (formerly), Sokolov, Michelangeli, Katsaris, Hamelin (also live), Richter, Cziffra, Argerich and Bolet (also live). Of those I'd say Barere, Ginzburg, Pogorelic, Katsaris, Richter (sometimes), and Cziffra would count as shocking. Other super-virtuosi I've heard who could be shocking in Romantic repertoire include early Horowitz, Josef Lhevinne, Raymond Lewenthal, Thibaudet (Saint-Saens 5th Concerto), Nelson Friere, Michael Ponti, Yuja Wang.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Mandryka said:


> Opinions, gentlemen, please, on Ervin Nyiregyhazi.


Ervin Nyiregyhazi was kind of a unique pianist who could be described as shocking more for his life story. He was a child prodigy who was studied extensively by psychologist Geza Revesz. He had an unsettled life due to alcoholism. He ended up on the US west coast where he was a studio pianist in Hollywood. When re-discovered in his old age it was his Liszt playing in an improvisational style that some thought marked him as "living history." He was no virtuoso and the late recordings are spotty in my view.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Mandryka said:


> Opinions, gentlemen, please, on Ervin Nyiregyhazi.


He is weird. He reminds me of Pogorelić a little bit but he is certainly weirder than Ivo. He is like Arrau on acid.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Part of the problem I have with him is that the sound of the early recordings is so poor I can’t appreciate what’s going on in the performances very well. There’s an LP called Nyieregyhazi plays Liszt which is just extraordinary - anyone who’s looking for impact in romantic music needs to hear it! The threnody from the end of Années is unforgettable - I remember years ago saying that he was the best threnody pianist ever - I meant it as a quip, a joke, but in fact he could get into that romantic death feeling brilliantly. It’s just not my thing! Not my sort of music. 

I once met someone who saw him in concert in San Fransisco - he said it was very loud. He said he got drunk with him afterwards.

I once read a book about him - all I remember is that when he was young everyone was raving about what he could do and he was auditioned by Klemperer - who couldn’t see what the fuss was about and basically sent him packing!

(Just got the early stuff out. I’d forgotten there were some Chopin mazurkas. This is the sort of thing he must have done for Klemps. No. Just no! No no no no no. Oust!)


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

This is all awesome thanks!

Bolet is someone I know well. And while he was a super-virtuoso before his great re-discovery he was somewhat less after his re-discovery, and I can't help wondering at what point AIDS was affecting his brain. He is a wonderful pianist nevertheless and I have most of his recordings and enjoy them. I am partly attached to him because of the "tragic" nature of his life arc, but difficult to know how unusual or important this is in reality away from journalism and the printed story. In other words there are great recording stars like Horowitz and Rubinstein and Heifetz but how many virtuosi have that? Is part of the issue that Bolet had a good life just not the career of Horowitz? Earl Wild is similar. He had a late life resurgence beacuse he lived incredibly long and played incredibly well into late life.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

There are some extremely interesting things by Bolet which show a pianist of real inspiration IMO -- but you have to cherry pick. Some which I remember being impressed by are

1. The Prokofiev concerto with Thor Johnson
2. The live Chopin sonata which Ward Marston released
3. The Schubert/Liszt
4. The Brahms Haendel Variations

As far as Earl Wild is concerned, there are some really impressive things. But obviously you have to be able to tolerate the music (I can't!) I'm thinking of The Hammerklavier, Hahn's Rossignol Eperdu, the Rachmaninov song transcriptions.


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

I disagree these two wonderful pianists left much more for me to enjoy! I am not THAT narrow-minded!

Both left outstanding recordings of the Rach 3, both live performances, Bolet's is "shocking" in the sense I discribed Barere, I believe it is from 1969. Wild's live version not far behind, I actually love the forward placement of his piano I can hear everything so much more easily. I am truthfully not sure what else Wild left that was memorable, I have enjoyed all his recordings but I go back to that performance of the Rach 3. Maybe I havent studied him much. One thing I can say, he was playing in "shocking" fashion towards the end of his life when other greats definitely slowed down (like Horowitz).

Bolet a different story. I love Liszt but I don't love ALL Liszt. So for example, and please don't make fun of me, popping his Liszt set into the player without picking and choosing what you want to listen to, bad idea!

But he was certainly a poet. And his earlier recordings for example the Liszt Concerti are as lively as any including Richter's.

That concert was awesome, the famous comeback one, and his Tannhauser is spectacular, but not quite as stunning as Moiseiwitsch's to my ear. The problem is, it is not a common piece. I have most of Bolet's recordings. I consider him a poet. He moves me, even when he was REALLY slowing things down like in his studio Rach 3.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

I think part of my problem is that I rarely listen to Liszt or Rachmaninov etc. So I’m not so aware of where these pianists probably excelled. However I will say this: yesterday for the first time in years I listened to Wilde play some of Le Rossignol Éperdu - I loved it!


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

He is probably due for a retrospective in my home...I don't think there is a problem with your tastes, I have pretty narrow pianistic tastes (and knowledge and taste). In fact I will probably refer to your list at some point to re-listen to Bolet and Wild.


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## battistini (Jan 22, 2021)

Well now you have me on a Moiseiwitsch tear...


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Mandryka said:


> There's an LP called Nyieregyhazi plays Liszt which is just extraordinary - anyone who's looking for impact in romantic music needs to hear it! The threnody from the end of Années is unforgettable - I remember years ago saying that he was the best threnody pianist ever - I meant it as a quip, a joke, but in fact he could get into that romantic death feeling brilliantly.


When listening to Nyieregyhazi Plays Liszt I wouldn't have recognized consciously the threnody style, and now I'd be more aware of that. As for the fuss made over him as a child prodigy, perhaps it would have had to do to with the involvement over a considerable period of time of Geza Revesz, who was a major figure in psychology. One would have to look into that aspect more.


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## bwv543 (May 25, 2021)

battistini said:


> I disagree these two wonderful pianists left much more for me to enjoy! I am not THAT narrow-minded!
> 
> Both left outstanding recordings of the Rach 3, both live performances, Bolet's is "shocking" in the sense I discribed Barere, I believe it is from 1969. Wild's live version not far behind, I actually love the forward placement of his piano I can hear everything so much more easily. I am truthfully not sure what else Wild left that was memorable, I have enjoyed all his recordings but I go back to that performance of the Rach 3. Maybe I havent studied him much. One thing I can say, he was playing in "shocking" fashion towards the end of his life when other greats definitely slowed down (like Horowitz).
> 
> ...


Bolet's recording of the Franck Prelude, Aria, and Finale is pretty great and it was my first introduction to that piece. A fantastic work, every bit as wonderful as the Franck PCF but somewhat less well known it seems.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

battistini said:


> Well now you have me on a Moiseiwitsch tear...


This is very good I think


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