The Piano Maven with Jed Distler

As we decompress from the 19th International Chopin Competition, my 100th episode in this second season of The Piano Maven podcast rebroadcast will be a repeat of the 2024 episode where I compare Arthur Rubinstein's three integral edition of the Chopin Mazurkas.

Here are download links for all three cycles:

1. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8079160--rubinstein-collection-vol-6-chopin-mazurkas-scherzos;

2. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8079130--rubinstein-collection-vol-27-chopin-mazurkas-impromptus;

3. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7933105--rubinstein-collection-vol-50-chopin-51-mazurkas

On this episode, Jed offers a list of both historic and modern recommendations for each major Chopin work or cycle of works, without repeating a pianist.

Here are selected links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses:

Poloniases – Maurizio Pollini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-OK5a1h07s&list=PLC3ZgwGAh0c9yect11lXvWOIhHs8vRjUO

Poloniase Op. 26 No. 1 - Arthur Rubinstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVaLArwr80

Etudes – Paul Badura-Skoda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2n7NMgzjwY&list=PL4D14bmfCxVVkhor7FZs6mJeC9n_854gH

Jed Distler is in Warsaw as official Gramophone blogger for the 19th International Chopin Competition, as well as hosting a daily video "Chopin Report"

Here are links to five performances that Jed considers special:

Yanyan Boa - Ballade No. 4 in F Minor Op. 52 (at 37:21, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjQQa0YtGq0)

Pedro Lopez Salas - Nocturne in E Major Op. 62 No. 2 (at 00:02, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ0ZwM7Hz4Y&t=1151s)

Kevin Chen - Etudes Op. 10 (at 15:14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaCHVBpGvI)

Shiori...

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Tying in with Jed's live onsite coverage of the 19th Warsaw International Piano Competition this month, all of October's episodes are devoted to recordings of Chopin's music. On this episode, Jed discusses Deutsche Grammophon's 2021 box set reissue The Chopin Masters, featuring 28 CDs with 28 pianists.

Here are links to some of the performers and performances covered:

The...

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Our third and final three episode covering complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc, along with significant releases featuring selections from the Mazurkas. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses:

Ignaz Friedman - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_-zrhZVF69NS5DXmagEMV6uoRw2X2SXU

Maryla Jonas plays Op. 17 No. 4 - https...

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The second of three episodes covering complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc. Here are links to some of the recordings discussed:

Tatiana Shebanova plays Mazurkas Op. 17 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi6Q3XNRnXQ

Russell Sherman - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8019963--chopin-mazurkas-nos-1-51?srsltid=AfmBOoo7Sf4Gtm0gjjXPu8cjZzgEQwkrZl1ybRtCdsROO93NZaEE1yCZ<...

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Whose new recording of Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons should you acquire?

Jed discusses two recent and rather diverse interpretations from Bruce Liu and Yunchan Lim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYdHjTYKfs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-bTQ0toQ4

Although we're focusing on Chopin this month, I've decided to offer a bonus episode comparing Bruce Liu and Yunchan Lim in their recent recordings of Tchaikovsky's The Seasons.

Yunchan Lim - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvMdJnTjJ1k

Bruce Liu - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYdHjTYKfs

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

This is the first of three episodes covering selected complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses in this episode

Arthur Rubinstein 1930s version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ092gZHB54

Excerpt from Nikita Magaloff’s Philips Mazurka recordings- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG...

Warner Classics' box set edition of Boris Berezovsky's Teldec Studio Recordings oddly omitted his Ravel recital for that label. This disc has long been one of Jed's "guilty pleasures," as you will learn from this episode. Here's a link to find second-hand copies of this long out-of-print disc: https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/6924178

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Jed discusses Martin Jones' complete Debussy piano music cycle on Nimbus.

Link to recordings: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7961023--debussy-complete-piano-music?srsltid=AfmBOopkhy9q8dyyUowlAshDW8DXwGTyp91S-5Dqf2XRm72pz6TEF7KD

Want to get acquainted with Hyperion's Romantic Piano Series, but don't know where to begin? Jed selects five representative volumes to get you started.

Volume 42: Sinding and Alnaes Concertos - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67555

Volume 55: Widor Concertos and Fantasie - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67817

Volume 18: Marx and Korngold Concertos - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA66990

Volume 62: Gounod's Complete Works for Pedal Piano and Orchestra - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D...

Claude Loyola Allgén's 49 minute Fantasia for Piano (1956) is a work that unfolds in one long uninterrupted movement. What does one make of this strange yet fascinating music? Is it a neglected masterpiece, or merely just one big mess? Decide for yourself by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFb-rabTkU

Jed reviews Edna Stern's 2024 Orchid Classics Schumann release. Here's a link to download: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9664747--carnaval

Consider supporting The Piano Maven Podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

For this episode, Jed talks about six pianists who had major careers yet recorded relatively little. The pianists are Yara Bernette, Carl Friedberg, Malcolm Frager, Myra Hess, Eduard Steuermann and Ossip Gabrilowitsch.

Here are links to some recordings:

Yara Bernette: Rachmaninov Prelude Op. 32 No. 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe7Vr2...

Who said that ancient keyboard music doesn't work on the modern concert grand. Evidently it does, and wonderfully well, as Kit Armstrong demonstrates on this magnificent release. Here are some video links that should entice you to explore further......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZTfslob7Sw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0_tTsiHtw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K86xCd6COBo

Jed Distler picks ten albums that represent a broad scope of jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson's extraordinary career.

Links to the albums here:

The Oscar Peterson Quartet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2QAj7OuSXc&t=134s

Live at the Concertgebouw - https://open.spotify.com/album/5u9s4m4f1og4Yz6uUfuljk

West Side Story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGb2wuT1p9o

Canadiana Suite - https://www.amazon.com/Canadiana-Suite-Oscar-Peterson/dp/B00000E5HT

My Favorite Instrument - https...

Th great Hungarian pianist Annie Fischer's EMI legacy is the topic of today's episode. Here are links to recordings discussed:

Beethoven "Moonlight" Sonata - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwyRNbfHoU

Mozart Piano Concerto K. 595 Rondo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RObJ2V9R3v8

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For this episode of The Piano Maven, Jed Distler discusses selected recordings of Edvard Grieg’s Ballade in G Minor Op. 24. Here are links to most of the cited performances:

Leopold Godowsky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enPP00uLYeQ

Eileen Joyce - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX4MB8rKv08

...

On this episode of The Piano Maven, Jed Distler reconsiders the legacy of jazz pianist, bandleader and educator Lennie Tristano (1919-1978).

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Links to recordings cited in this episode:

“Wow” Lennie Tristano Sextet (1949) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GSjkYnpvYM

“C Minor Complex” (1961) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX1s3OWXxZg

“Desce...

Carlo Grante is the first pianist to have recorded Domenico Scarlatti's complete keyboard sonatas on a modern concert grand piano. Issued by Music & Arts in six volumes totaling 34 CDs, Jed explores Grante's monumental achievement on this episode of The Piano Maven.

Here's a link to Volume 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WWSLwOjjqY&list=PLhQbBbPdSZ2wycF4j85kfeNYL7sPNFHuS

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com...

Jed discusses Angela Hewitt's 2018 remake of the Six Keyboard Partitas by J.S. Bach.

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Partita No. 5: Preambulum (recorded 1997) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c1yNfGVM2E&list=PLPXd6_jpWSlfkR9JT-aCF-MxovL5gwr08&index=30

Partita No. 5: Preambulum (recorded 2018) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noHcLr_XPXw

Partita No. 4: Sarabande (recorded 2018) - https://www...

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Schubert Duo 1st Mvt - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1eK9WDenQA

Beethoven Op. 30 No. 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIxv9mac01c

Grieg Sonata No. 3 Op. 45 Mvt. 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCxvH9mRXvs

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Link to purchase Rudolf Buchbinder's 1986 EMI Chopin disc - https://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Piano-Works-Rudolf-Buchbinder/dp/B000239B96

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Here’s Jed’s Gramophone Cliburn Competition Blog about Alexei Sultanov - https://www.gramophone.co.uk/blogs/article/jed-distler-s-cliburn-blog-no-16-alexei-sultanov-reconsidered

Link to purchase Sultanov’s Rachmaninov Sonata No. 2, Prokofiev SOnata No. 7 and Scriabin Sonata No. 5 - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7948204--rachmaninov-prokofiev-scriabin-piano-sonatas

Chopin's uniquely hypnotic Berceuse has been lucky on disc, and Jed discusses seventeen pianists who've made memorable recorded versions. Here are links to some of them:

Josef Hofmann - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzqGLmLlMHY&t=3s

Alfred Cortot - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqSDOLmfk30

Solomon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O8rbQ6Hi2M

Wilhelm Kempff - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsKxP_4byAk

Walter Gieseking (both versions) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccf2FSvkzWA

Vladimir...

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The third and arguably final of three episodes discussing big box sets featuring pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli is devoted to his Deutsche Grammophon recordings.

You can find some of these on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arturobenedettimichelangel8450

And while this box set may be hard to source, all of the individual recordings are readily available from...

Jed discusses the 26-CD box set Jorge Bolet: The Complete Decca Recordings on this episode.

Here are several samples:

Franck - Prelude, Chorale & Fugue (live recording) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTtcCLrNqM

Chopin - Prelude Op. 28 No. 8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpbwtXP00pg

Reger - Telemann Variations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzPdVE12MvI

Liszt - Waldesrauchen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbi3XaM45ds

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic...

In 2006 & 2007, Franz Hummel (1939-2022) composed his own set of 33 variations on a waltz by Diabelli, the very same waltz on which Beethoven based his iconic Diabelli Variations Op. 120. Is it a masterpiece or a curiosity? Jed Distler fills you in on this episode.

Here's a link to listen purchase Franz Hummel's Diabelli Variations: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7980049--beethoven-hummel-diabelli-variations

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com...

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Jed discusses the complete recordings of French pianist Edouard Risler (1873-1929), made acoustically for the Pathé label in 1917.

Link to listen via YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNyKzgpI20w

Link to Marston Records release - https://www.marstonrecords.com/pages/lagniappe-5-risler

A CDR transfer - https://classicmusiccds.com/product/edouard-risler-the-complete-recordings-cdr/

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Link to Rosalyn Tureck's 1952/3 recording of Bach's Fugue in C-sharp Minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9UypYRjv4g

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Jed explores Anton Kuerti's 1985 recordings of the five Beethoven Piano Concertos; a cycle that deserves wider attention. Here's are links to purchase -

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7971236--beethoven-piano-concertos-1-2

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7971233--beethoven-piano-concertos-3-4

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7971216--beethoven-emperor-concerto-etc

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Link to Philipp Lynov playing Ravel's Miroirs in The Cliburn 2025 Semi-Finals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj9hASh2wgw&t=1521s

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Jed discusses a very rare all-Schubert disc with live performances by Steven de Groote (Claremont GSE 1527)

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Link to purchase recording - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9735901--kate-liu-plays-beethoven-brahms

Link to video of Kate Liu playing Brahms' Piano Sonata No. 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OwW0T1PvZM

Link to Kate Liu 2022 Van Cliburn International Competition Quarterfinal Recital - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nliha96TliY

Jed explores recordings of Chopin's 24 Preludes Op. 28 with 24 pianists. Actually 25, since one is mentioned in passing, but it's basically 24!

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Link to Jed’s review of Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy - https://www.classicstoday.com/review/schmitt-leonardys-stimulating-chopin/?search=1

Link to Alfred Cortot’s 1934 recording via The Piano Files with Mark Ainley - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4aeV1...

Andrew Tyson's Landscapes - https://open.spotify.com/album/0g83URd7QGhtgWw2kj13sa

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Consider a paid subscription to The Piano Maven podcast via our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

The teenage Grigory Sokolov's recordings of the Tchaikovsky 1st and Saint-Saëns 2nd Concertos reveal how this gifted pianist already was "Sokolov" at such a tender age - everything is there: the impeccable technique, utmost control of sonority and balance, and almost scientific awareness of his instrument's mechanical and expressive potential.

Here are links to the performances:

https://w...

Jed Distler’s “top ten” list of Alfred Brendel recordings is the topic for this episode. Here are links to some of Jed’s reviews on Classicstoday.com:

Mozart Sonatas - https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-9108/?search=1

Mozart Concertos - https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-3408/?search=1

Liszt - https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-13884/?search=1

Bach - https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-13776/?search=1

Schumann - https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-3829/?search=1

Beethoven - https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-6210/?search=1

Chopin - https...

The gifted young Hungarian/American pianist Julia Hamos presents Ellis Island, one of the most impressive solo piano debut releases in recent memory, featuring works by Kurtag, Bartok, Ligeti, Meredith Monk, Charles Mingus and Schubert.

Promotional video - https://www.facebook.com/reel/621337480674569

Ligeti's Fanfares - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tItbf6F-M3A

Link to purchase - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9759948--ellis-island?srsltid=AfmBOorpob-cx3Rc0JrrcaEg1sIz9QHIn6gnHJQ7ssacJ2q_cgF5Irm-