Pogorelich

Together in one box all the records for printing the great pianist Ivo Pogorelich, one of the most respected and extraordinary 80 artists of recent decades.

Shot with simplicity and gimmick-free acuity these two recitals were filmed early in Pogorelich’s career. Both took place in palatial surroundings, the pianist casually dressed, alone. And both find him exuding the concentrated stillness that was so much a feature of such performances, despite his reputation for wilfulness and eccentricity. He was twenty-eight at the time, seemingly infallible and playing the repertoire that made his DG recordings of the time so important a feature of that company’s output.

When Pogorelich did not make the finals of the 1980 Warsaw Competition (where they play exclusively Chopin), his response was to sign with Deutsche Grammophon for his first recording and he made it an all-Chopin affair. From his stunning opening take on Chopin's Sonata #2, to a Funeral March restored to its grandeur, to the breaktaking final moments of the Scherzo #3, Pogorelich announced to the music world that he'd arrived.

The present release is Ivo Pogorelich’s first full Chopin studio recording in over 20 years. The legendary pianist Ivo Pogorelich has marked the classical music scene of our time. His unique musical talent and innovative approach have placed him among the most original music minds of today. Pogorelich’s adventurous spirit, valued for the lucidity in his discovery of new capacities of musical expression, is cloaked in pianism of the highest aesthetic value, inimitable virtuosity and technical mastery. His evocative interpretations, shaped by a refined music taste, the likes of which are rare in our time, have broadened the horizons and understanding of piano literature by setting new standards for pianistic interpretation.

Although this anthology is weighted towards more familiar sonatas, the programming is sufficiently intelligent and varied for one to sample a fairly comprehensive range of the composer's keyboard style. Five of the sonatas, at least, featured in Horowitz's repertoire, and consequently one is rather tempted to compare the two pianists. Pogorelich really does not come off too badly.