Frederic Chopin: Etudes Op.10 & Op.25 - Maurizio Pollini, 1960
After Maurizio Pollini won the Warsaw International Chopin Competition in 1960 at the age of 19, he signed with EMI and recorded outstanding Chopin's 1st PC. It was followed by Abbey Road sessions in which Pollini recorded his first-ever set of all 24 of Chopin's Etudes. This was playing of the exquisite kind but Pollini refused to allow this recordings to be released without giving any specific reason. Years later terminating with EMI, Pollini recorded the Etudes under Deutsche Grammophon. This later DG sessions was an exellent performance, but made by the completely different pianist - previous Pollini mysteriously gone. In 2011 the Testament label has been able to remaster and release EMI unissued but superb tapes. There's a freshness about Pollini's 1960 playing coupled with exceptional talent and technique.
Yesterday I saw at the Odeon blog post with the DG version of the Studies, so there is the chance to compare both of these.
