Editorial Reviews

As if the title -- The #1 Piano Album -- wasn't enough of a claim, the subtitle goes even further: "The best-loved piano works of all time." Of course it seems impossible to deliver on that statement even with two 75-minute-plus compact discs. But as the discs go rolling by -- as Uchida's elegantly turned interpretation of the opening Allegro of Mozart's famous "Sonata in C major, K. 545" is followed by Haebler's gracefully witty interpretation of Mozart's "Alla Turca" finale is followed by Arrau's sensually despairing interpretation of the opening movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata is followed by Brendel's cool and clear interpretation of Beethoven's "Für Elise" -- one begins to wonder if perhaps the claim is truly justified. And as Wilhelm Kempff's deeply moving interpretation of Schubert's "Impromptu in A flat" is followed by Bolet's passionate interpretation of Liszt's "Liebestraum" and Argerich's stunning interpretation of Brahms' "Rhapsody No. 2" and Richter's magnificent interpretation of Rachmaninov's "Prelude in G minor" and Rogé's pellucid interpretation of Satie's "Gymnopedie No. 1," one begins to think the producers did in fact put together not only "The best-loved piano works of all time," but even the best performances of the best-loved piano works. Of course, there are some less-than-best best-loved piano works -- could either of the two Shostakovich "Preludes" that close the second disc really be described as "best-loved?" And some of the performances are hardly the best performances. Surely Arrau's sweetly sexual performance of Chopin's "Nocturne in E flat" is preferable to Vasary's merely pretty performance. But, on balance, this pair of discs does come awfully close to being "The #1 Piano Album." James Leonard, All Music Guide

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