International Piano - September-October 2016

THE MOST PERFECT PIANIST OF THE NEW MILLENIUM. THE CANADIAN ANGELA HEWITT DOES EVERYTHING, MORE COMPLETE THEN HOROWITZ AND RUBINSTEIN.

Thanks for this. Will download to read the interview with Hewitt. I really wanted to like her version of Chopin's Nocturnes, but I revere her record with renditions of a bunch of Beethoven's Sonatas.
(Sorry, but I'm not brave enough to put her over Horowitz and Rubinstein... Richter, Arrau and Argerich are the top in my heart)
Thanks!!!!

When I was 15, I could not bear to hear anything different from my father's albums, for me the local pianists of my region were the world's best, even the patriotic pride, which does not fit a lot in this sense.

Then, I evolved and I started lissitening to other performers, I've heard all the recordings of the not Russian Horowitz has done, sincerely, it is one of the greatest pianists who ever had in the history, but listen to everything he did, tired me enough, there comes a time, it is easy to identify his playing style, but, his Scarlatti is amazing new.

When in 1980, the Croatian 'Ivo Pogorelich' was eliminated from the most famous competion of Chopin Warsaw, and when then happend the classic scene of one of the greatest Argentinian pianist 'Martha Argerich' rises from the panel of judges and withdraws from the jury after Pogorelich be eliminated to until today unknown pianist 'Dang Thai Son', caused the reverse spotlight turn to 'Pogorelich' and dapple the competition until today.

The proposed of 'Pogorelich' is precisely this, stop playing Chopin as everyone plays, 'Rubinstein' is amazing, but his interpretation on 'Chopin' caused many students from conservatories to copy his mannerisms. The same way, about Bach after 'Glenn Gould' . Will not exist or can exist rules for the interpretation, unless certain stylistic concepts or when we must play a 'Minuet', that must be a dance, not a funeral march.

The great German pianist 'Wilhelm Kempff' removes notes that bother him in 'Schumann' and sounds much better.

Miss 'Hewitt' comes to make a glissando at the beginning of the famous Chopin's Nocturne , but he never wrote that.

Now, here among us, has to be very good and great to be able to dare to do so, such feats are only for the enlightened, of course there are people who do not accept, but can never dare to such a feat. Or will never give up to have it's 15 years.

I still remember the first time I heard Pogorelich playing the Preludes, thinking "what the funk is he doing?". A brilliant, brilliant musician. But I feel the whole incident was unfair with Thai Son, who is a superbly brilliant pianist himself (his renditions of Chopin's Sonatas are supreme).
I understand that it is interesting to propose playing the standards with a new light (Pollini playing the Ballades one minute faster than all others, Pogorelich playin the Prelude 15 two minutes slower than all others...) but when you listen to Gould playing the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata 14, the "Moonlight", you realize that the experiment just went too far and the interpreter is not "interpreting" anymore but developing a new score. This is why Rubinstein is the parameter to measure Chopin, as he is not as elastic as Pogorelich or Kissin nor as rigid as Pollini or Perahia.
I heard Hewitt's Bach and Beethoven and found her an extraordinary pianist. Thanks to Viper for this share.