Michelangeli Plays Chopin

Introduction

This is Opus Arte`s welcome second release of an Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli broadcast, this time in a recital of twelve Chopin piano works for what is described as a `famously rare` 1962 RAI TV recording. I assume that means that someone had lost the recording, and it has only just been rediscovered.

The first recital is also reviewed elsewhere on this site.

The works performed here are :

Sonata No.2 in B flat minor Op.35
Ballade in G minor Op.23
Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante Op.22
Fantasia Op.49
Waltz in A flat Op.69 No.i `L`adieu`
Waltz in A flat Op.34 No.i
Waltz in E flat Op. Posth.
Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor Op.31
Mazurka in A minor Op.68 No.ii
Mazurka in B minor Op.33 No.iv
Mazurka in D flat Op.30 No.iii
Berceuse in D flat Op.57

Video

Being an early 1960s TV broadcast, we get what`s expected - a full screen 4:3, black & white presentation, albeit a strikingly clear one for its age.

The fact that it`s NTSC doesn`t really make that much difference to whether you accidentally watch it in PAL mode or not.

Audio

Sound is, again, as expected, yet the LPCM mono is perfectly clear, and although lacking the depth we are used to nowadays, even for a solo piano, very little detail is lost.

Features

Absolutely none. There must be a Michelangeli documentary out there somewhere!!

Admittedly there`s a nice little essay by Misha Donat in the booklet, but this doesn`t really count as an extra.

Conclusion

Michelangeli, in his rather nonchalent fashion, pulls off a yet another stunning performance. If I have any reservations at all, it is that I would have liked a little bit more risk-taking from him, especially in the Sonata (containing the famous `Funeral March`), which appeared to be slightly too carefully managed, almost as if a little slip-up here and there would have forced a complete re-take. This is a man who was famous for almost never playing wrong notes, but to be honest, if he had thrown care to the wind in the Scherzo of the Sonata, I wouldn`t have minded a few duff notes. Not that she plays any herself, but I prefer Martha Agerich`s (once a pupil of Michelangeli) recording.

But, he was a perfectionist, so this wouldn`t have happened, and overall, the way he plays these pieces shows that he was a man who cared passionately about the way the music should go, and is able to convince the listener it is the ONLY way the music can be played.

There is very little to say about the music performed here. Chopin was one of those composers who could create a quite beautiful and memorable tune in every piece he wrote, and we have a very generous programme here which cannot fail to impress.

This is a masterclass in piano playing. Only the lack of extras prevents an overall 10.