Chopin, Frédéric - Piano Recital 1972 - Weissenberg, Alexis (piano)

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Alexis Weissenberg, piano

Alexis Weissenberg was a controversial artist. One cannot deny his extraordinary technical command: he could summon a vast wash of sound from the piano, and the most complex contrapuntal difficulties sounded as simple as child's play. His extraordinary power and sharp, intellectual approach was cold and mechanical to some - and as exhilarating as standing under a glacial waterfall for others! Weissenberg's Chopin was particularly revelatory. No less a pianist than Glenn Gould commented that: "I always felt that I could live without the Chopin concertos and managed to until Alexis Weissenberg dusted the cobwebs from Mme. Sand's salon and made those works a contemporary experience." The current program features Weissenberg in an all Chopin recital, including a complete performance of the Third Sonata and ten Nocturnes. These are essential Weissenberg interpretations, and a disc that no fan will want to do without. Or as one reviewer described Weissenberg's approach to Chopin: "This is NOT for the faint-hearted!"