专辑简介:
Some knowledgeable and discriminating friends of mine love Pollini's etudes; others insist that his playing is bloodless and sterile. All concede his superhuman technique, especially in his younger days.
I have long admired Pollini's art, but not uncritically. Sometimes his conception of a piece simply doesn't connect with me, as in some of his Chopin nocturnes and his early Beethoven. Yet his Chopin B minor sonata stirs my blood every time I hear it, and some of his late Beethoven is superb.
I once attended a great performance of the Hammerklavier in which the pianist missed some notes and was clearly working hard, but he certainly gave us all the music. However, something about the etudes (and, some would argue, Chopin's oeuvre in general) requires that virtuosity be on display. You might well disagree, but if you do agree, Pollini delivers these pieces in spades. It's not that Pollini is emotionless--some of his slower etudes are moving, but if you're looking for delicate washes of color from the piano, try someone else. Maybe Pollini, with his lean tone, perceives these pieces as more abstract, less human, than do other pianists.
I suspect that most serious listeners already have an opinion of these performances, so I'll concentrate on the recorded sound. In terms of equalization and overall piano sound, this expensive SHM-SACD sounds exactly like the CD, which in turn sounds exactly like the LP. It is a close-up, distinct recording whose upper midrange hits the listener hard and (typical of DGG recordings of that era) whose bottom end is just not there. With a high-end system, you hear only the upper harmonics of the low notes: there's no "feel" that Pollini's piano reaches way, way down. Clear notes, but no feeling of space around the instrument.
All else equal, SACD beats CD (at 60 times the sampling rate, it ought to). Some of my SACDs simply blow away the old CD recordings (and yes, the LPs too), but I don't hear much difference in this case. Perhaps the SACD is a little better defined. But keep in mind that high sampling rates and stupendous dynamic range can't correct faults in the original recording.
As for SHM, I think it means absolutely nothing unless your CD player is having trouble reading the bits on the discs. This disc supports my opinion, though I admit it's the only SHM CD I've heard. (For people who enjoy incinerating money, there's an equally expensive SHM version that's NOT super audio!)
The disc comes in a cardboard digipak, not a jewel case. It's beautifully packaged, and all that Japanese on the extra label will impress your friends as much as the price does. 曲目列表:
1. No. 1 in C Major
2. No. 2 in a Minor, 'Chromatique'
3. No. 3 in E Major, 'Tristesse'
4. No. 4 in C Sharp Minor
5. No. 5 in G Flat Major, 'Black Keys'
6. No. 6 in E Flat Minor
7. No. 7 in C Major
8. No. 8 in F Major
9. No. 9 in F Minor
10. No. 10 in a Flat Major
11. No. 11 in E Flat Major
12. No. 12 in C Minor, 'Revolutionary'
13. No. 1 in a Flat Major, 'Harp Study'
14. No. 2 in F Minor
15. No. 3 in F Major
16. No. 4 in a Minor
17. No. 5 in E Minor
18. No. 6 in G Sharp Minor
19. No. 7 in C Sharp Minor
20. No. 8 in D Flat Major
21. No. 9 in G Flat Major, 'Butterfly Wings'
22. No. 10 in B Minor
23. No. 11 in a Minor, 'Winter Wind'
24. No. 12 in C Minor 试听: