Pollini: Chopin Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3 (rec. 1984) - DG 415 346-1 (DDD)

$

34

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This beautiful LP from Deutsche Grammophon (415 346-1, German pressing, DDD stereo, total playing time 51:51) features Maurizio Pollini's masterly accounts of Chopin's Piano Sonatas No. 2 in B-flat minor Op. 35 and No. 3 in B minor Op. 58 – recorded at the Herkulessaal, Munich in 1984.

For even those out of sympathy with Pollini's artistic aestheticism, these performances are imbued with an unassailable stature, a poetic grandeur that is as impressive as it is moving.  With his Schumann Fantasy Op. 17, the Three Movements from Petrouchka, and the Boulez Piano Sonata No. 2, these Chopin Sonatas must count among his finest recordings. Helene Grimaud reportedly took up the challenge of Chopin's B-flat minor Piano Sonata Op. 35 after hearing Pollini play it in recital in Tokyo. It must be heard.

Wrote the erudite critic Joan Chissel in her review for the August 1986 issue of The Gramophone:

“Authoritative is the key word here. Whatever Pollini does is done with conviction as firm as his tone. Though aware that Chopin would not be Chopin without rubato, he never allows it to undermine the music's structure. In Sonata No. 2 his bold dynamic contrasts and purposeful, never lagging tread in the Funeral March itself, at once make that clear. Less objective in style than the masterful Duchable (Erato), he enjoys fuller, riper-sounding reproduction. And though in no way more perceptive than Perlemuter (Nimbus 2109—not submitted for review), that touchingly unforced, unaffected septuagenarian has not his younger rival's sheer physical exuberance in movements like the Scherzo of the B flat minor Sonata or the finale of the B minor—besides sounding as if recorded in a large, reverberant acoustic. Pollini's aristocratically authoritative way of doing things is superb.”

Production and Recording Supervision: Rainer Brock / Recording Engineer: Günter Hermanns. The striking cover photo of Pollini was taken by Gabriela Brandenstein, Vienna.

Included is the full-size, 4-page insert with authoritative liner notes by Paolo Petazzi – printed in German, English, French, and Italian.

CONDITION:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

The condition of the jacket is EXCELLENT. There is slight edgewear and creasing, but that is all. There are no bends, seamsplits owners' markings, or other defects, and the album remains solid, bright, glossy, and highly attractive – overall, a truly excellent collector's copy.

The condition of the LP itself is near-MINT. Though the surfaces are not perfectly silent (and thus I have rated it NM vs. MINT) this is a fine copy and playback is superb. If you must have perfect surfaces, then please do not buy this LP. Overall, this rates as a NM collector's copy.

PLEASE NOTE:
This LP has been carefully cleaned using a VPI cleaning machine. All LPs are provided with a new Nagaoka (or Nagaoka-style) inner sleeve. The images I've provided are of the actual item you are potentially bidding on - these are not stock images or images I've taken from other sites. Bid with confidence!

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