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Nocturnes: Comp [Import]

Frederic Chopin (Artist) | Format: Audio CD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 32.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
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Product Details
Disc: 1
1. No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 9 No. 1: Larghetto
2. No. 2 In E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2: Andante
3. No. 3 In B Major, Op. 9 No. 3: Allegretto
4. No. 4 In F Major, Op. 15 No. 1: Andante cantabile
5. No. 5 In F Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2: Larghetto
6. No. 6 In G Minor, Op. 15 No. 3: Lento
7. No. 7 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 1: Larghetto
8. No. 8 In D Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2: Lento sostenuto
9. No. 9 In B Major, Op. 32 No. 1: Andante sostenuto
10. No. 10 In A Flat Major, Op. 32 No. 2: Lento
Disc: 2
1. No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 37 No. 1: Andante sostenuto
2. No. 12 In G Major, Op. 37 No. 2: Andantino
3. No. 13 In C Minor, Op. 48 No. 1: Lento
4. No. 14 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 48 No. 2: Andantino
5. No. 15 In F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1: Andante
6. No. 16 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 2: Lento
7. No. 17 In B Major, Op. 62 No. 1: Andante
8. No. 18 In E Major, Op. 62 No. 2: Lento
9. No. 19 In E Minor, Op. Post 72 No. 1: Andante
10. No. 20 In C Sharp Minor, Op. Post: Lento con gran espressione
See all 11 tracks on this disc

Product Description

Amazon.ca

Can 21 Nocturnes be a bit too much of a good thing in one go? Not if the composer is Chopin, undisputed king of the genre, and the pianist is Maria Joâo Pires. She's not exactly a prolific recording artist, but the results are invariably special. Not for her the namby-pamby, soft-focus approach that these pieces sometimes provoke. Chopin's approach to the form is by no means straightforwardly lyrical--take No. 4: it starts innocently enough, but in its middle section that mood is abruptly flung aside by a considerably more passionate section. To Pires, each is a song, a narrative urgently to be expounded (just try the famous No. 12--an entirely new experience in her hands, or the way she becomes the most expressive of sopranos in No. 20). Night casts strange shadows, shedding a different perspective on what seems so familiar by day. No one is more aware of that than Chopin. And no protagonist relishes the very innovative aspect of these pieces better than Pires. --Harriet Smith

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars This is not the way Chopin should be played. May 9 2003
By "argatuk"
Format:Audio CD
I am sorry to disagree with other customers, but in my opinion Pires is really far from Rubinstein, Pollini or Arrau when playing Chopin.
When playing nocturnes, left hand must play in a delicated and softly way... just listen the sample of 2nd nocturne and you can notice how left hand eclipses the right one, breaking all the magic of this composition. She also plays too fast romantic parts !!.
So in my opinion you can skip this CD. I highly recommend the one from Rubinstein collection (RCA).
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5.0 out of 5 stars Field of Dreams Mar 5 2003
By Avid Reader
Format:Audio CD
One must first note that this CD contains all 21 Noctures not 19 as many records do. Secondly, it must be mentioned that this is not an extremely original interpretation of a rather familiar set. But there is a lot to be said for strict renditions that follow the spirit of the artist's intent.

While Chopin infused many of his most beautiful works with sudden rushes and furious passages, the overall spirit of the Nocturnes is that of a languid afternoon as the shadow of the setting sun slowly stretches over the landscape. This is Pires' interpretation and it is a valid one. The dreamy passages glide and flow from melody to melody. There is a softness and a slight hesitation in the playing. While some may criticize the technical aspects, most listeners prefer the beautiful and the satisfying over the imaginative. This recording has depths of emotion that is rare today and for that reason alone deserves the highest accolades.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a true heir to Rubenstein? Nov 1 2002
By Jay
Format:Audio CD
Many pianists have tried their hands at Chopin's Nocturne's; few have created anything other than a pretty picture with any of them! The exception to this catalogue of mediocrity was the great Arthur Rubinstein. His performance of these pieces was romantic without being sentimental, powerful without being painful and deep without drowning the listener. In the years since Rubinstein's death, lovers of Chopin have been fishing about for an artist who can do justice to the nocturnes. Maria Joao Pires is that artist. Her interpretations strip much of the drawing room cliche from these works and present them with a power and a lack of pretense that I find as enjoyable as it is refreshing. The passion of her readings are raw in many places, but when required her playing has a delicate shimmering quality with an almost "otherworldly" beauty. I suppose that in comparison, Rubinstein's performance has a beauty that just doesn't exist anymore, but of her generation and in comparison to any one else, Pires is pre-eminent.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Fluid, delicately dramatic, full of Chopin's romance
Pires' interpretations are really stunning, whether you are listening to her Mozart, Schumann or Schubert, or her Chopin. Read more
Published on Oct 29 2001
3.0 out of 5 stars Pires much overrated
Maria Joao Pires' set of Chopin's 21 Nocturnes has been extravagantly praised. She certainly performs the nocturnes gracefully, particularly those that come closest to the salon... Read more
Published on Oct 20 2001
2.0 out of 5 stars Great for putting you to sleep...
But is that what this great music is supposed to do? I think not. If this set were available at a bargin price, say a two-fer, I MIGHT recommend this to someone who is on a... Read more
Published on Oct 1 2001 by "s_molman"
5.0 out of 5 stars Pricey but priceless
The Pires recording is the most expensive CD in my fairly extensive Chopin collection, but it is the one with which I would be least willing to part. Read more
Published on Aug 3 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars This recording is breathtaking.
I will never play the piano in the same way again. I am astounded.
Published on Mar 5 2001 by Nate Koch
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest classical recordings yet.
I love this recording. I listen to it all the time and I can never get enough of Chopin's nocturnes and Pires' playing. Read more
Published on Nov 3 2000 by Andrew
5.0 out of 5 stars HONESTLY, SIMPLY GENIAL
Beyond the excellence of the recording and the flawlessness of her technique, Pires' simply honest and genial interpretation pays the highest hommage to Chopin's Nocturnes that... Read more
Published on Aug 22 2000 by Pedro I. Garcia MD
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely perfect
This is actually the best recording of Chopin nocturnes. In the hands of Pires, this pieces are poems recited by the piano. The atmosphere created by Pires is absolutely amazing. Read more
Published on Jun 3 2000 by ivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Pires.A pianist of great insight.
These are absolutely the perfect performances of Chopin 's greatest masterpieces. Just try the no. 13 op.48 in c ( possibly the best of them all ). Read more
Published on May 25 2000 by B. Gudgeirsson
5.0 out of 5 stars Outsanding music, outstanding performance, outstanding sound
The Nocturnes are some of the greatest works of Chopin's output. There is always a tension, a passion under the surface dreaminess. Read more
Published on Dec 6 1999 by N. Zhu
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