# Pogorelich's New Chopin Recording



## selina010101 (12 mo ago)

https://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Pogorelich/dp/B09LGVWS89

Op.48 No.1 and Op.62 No.2 have already been released. I have to say I didn't really enjoy Op.48 No.1 when I first heard it and didn't go back to it for a while. But I heard it again about a week later and now I can't stop listening to it. I'm really obsessed with the recapitulation and the fragmented feeling-- a bit too dramatic, pretentious, and glacial (as always), and Pogorelich really tears the notes and music structure apart, but I just feel it as an incredibly private and powerful rendition. My cousin (a piano educator) said I have bad taste but I don't know--is this new recording really that bad? I know Pogorelich's renditions are usually too idiosyncratic and eccentric, and sometimes they are just plain bad interpretations that are not self-explanatory, but this one? For me, it's so good.

Any thoughts?


----------



## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Haven’t heard it. However every recording by him in the last decade or two that I have heard of Pgo has left me with a bad taste in the ear.


----------



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The op 48/1 nocturne has been released. I have two reservations, which in the fullness of time may turn out to be deal breakers. First, in the opining c minor section he plays with a slow and rigid pulse - I’m not sure it’s such a good idea. And second, when the music gets loud, I think the sound he makes come out of the piano seems a bit hard and unnuanced - this possibly the work of the engineers.


----------



## AaronSF (Sep 5, 2021)

The tempi are often glacial, the playing is labored, and both are full of idiosyncratic rubato that borders on mannerism. These recordings seem pretty typical of Pogo's output in recent years. He's not to my liking at all.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Spotify has just one track, the _Nocturne Op. 62, No. 2 in E Major_ - and I found it very nicely done.


----------



## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

FYI, Spotify has them as separate releases - 




FWIW I like them, I generally like Pogorelich.


----------



## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

being an absolute fan of pogorelich (mostly for his early days) i will get this cd because of the excellent rendition of the third sonata; the fantasy is ok as well but the two nocturnes are slow, full of hesitations and the music is not playful, dance-like and the sound definition is poor on top of that; i have compared with the versions by pollini, engerer, freire, rubinstein, fliter, leonskaja, pires and pogorelich cannot compete with them in the nocturnes; one wonders what he tries to achieve in the nocturnes; on a final note i would like to add that pogorelich has IMHO never excelled in chopin and even his early second sonata does not belong to the best versions


----------



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The Chopin sonata is absolutely fine.


----------



## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

It's hard to find another performer whose hairstyle changed so drastically, but playing style remained relatively constant.


----------



## selina010101 (12 mo ago)

I really like his Chopin sonata no.2 and op.28 no.24( not the DG ones but the live recording in the Chopin competition). But I agree with you that he has never excelled in Chopin and I have no idea why he constantly picks Chopin's works in his programmes. His Bach, Scarlatti, and Ravel are generally better; I also, personally speaking, love his early Scriabin sonata (both no.2 and no.4) and Liszt. A pity that he didn't continue to work on those pieces.


----------



## selina010101 (12 mo ago)

Right the c minor section is way too rigid for me, but I kind of like the unnuanced part of the sound. Sharp, metallic and even frantic sound, and I think that is very intentional.


----------



## 96 Keys (Oct 21, 2021)

AaronSF said:


> The tempi are often glacial, the playing is labored, and both are full of idiosyncratic rubato that borders on mannerism. These recordings seem pretty typical of Pogo's output in recent years. He's not to my liking at all.


Not to mention the terrible sound! It's really sad to hear a once remarkable artist decline so precipitously.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

96 Keys said:


> Not to mention the terrible sound! It's really sad to hear a once remarkable artist decline so precipitously.


As I read all this I am glad I did wait buying it .


----------



## OCEANE (10 mo ago)

justekaia said:


> being an absolute fan of pogorelich (mostly for his early days) i will get this cd because of the excellent rendition of the third sonata; the fantasy is ok as well but the two nocturnes are slow, full of hesitations and the music is not playful, dance-like and the sound definition is poor on top of that; i have compared with the versions by pollini, engerer, freire, rubinstein, fliter, leonskaja, pires and pogorelich cannot compete with them in the nocturnes; one wonders what he tries to achieve in the nocturnes; on a final note i would like to add that pogorelich has IMHO never excelled in chopin and even his early second sonata does not belong to the best versions











I have listened to this new album quite a few times and focused very much Nocturne Op 62, No. 2 E Major. 
As a fan, I used to attend his concert of Chopin Preludes many years ago and liked to his play very much in term of style and presentation. Back to Op 62, No.2, I compared his version with Rubinstein (i dont really like his nocturnes), Pires, Pollini and Moravec. Pogorelich's is relatively slow, bass line softened and less dramatic but very very expressive, every single note is full of context.

With his age and life having been through, I feel that he is expressing himself through his music but not just playing chopin. His interpretation is unique and very personal, and I am so touched by his personal interpretation.


----------

