[SACD-R][OF] Chopin - Etudes, Op. 10 & Op. 25 (Limited edition) (Maurizio Pollini) - 1972/2011 (Piano)

01-No.1 in C major: Allegro
02-No.2 in A minor: Allegro
03-No.3 in E major: Lento, ma non troppo
04-No.4 in C sharp minor: Presto
05-No.5 in G flat major: Vivace
06-No.6 in E flat minor: Andante
07-No.7 in C major: Vivace
08-No.8 in F major: Allegro
09-No.9 in F minor: Allegro molto agitato
10-No.10 in A flat major: Vivace assai
11-No.11 in E flat major: Allegretto
12-No.12 in C minor: Allegro con fuoco

13-No.1 in A flat major: Allegro sostenuto
14-No.2 in F minor: Presto
15-No.3 in F major: Allegro
16-No.4 in A minor: Agitato
17-No.5 in E minor: Vivace
18-No.6 in G sharp minor: Allegro
19-No.7 in C sharp minor: Lento
20-No.8 in D flat major: Vivace
21-No.9 in G flat major: Allegro assai
22-No.10 in B minor: Allegro con fuoco
23-No.11 in A minor: Lento – Allegro con brio
24-No.12 in C minor: Molto Allegro, con fuoco

MWC says:
Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin wrote these Etudes, they are not easy to play. If there is a perfect performance of them, then this may well be it!
Amazon product review:
You can not get much further from the conventional image of Chopin as a purveyor of attractive salon trifles than Pollini’s various recordings of the Polish composer’s works; Pollini was already making his name as an interpreter of 20th-century music at its most radical, with his classic performances of Schoenberg & Boulez, & he brought to Chopin a tigerish approach that shakes up listener certainty. The Etudes were always 1 of Chopin’s more startling productions, pieces which instruct & challenge the pianist with the technical problems they pose, but which also test innate musicality; each of them is in its different way a short passionate statement which has to be made to please the ear; Pollini brings a steely intensity to the more dramatic studies – the Revolutionary Etude, Op.10 No. 12, for example, or Op 25 No. 10 -.. & in the more lyrical ones is plangent without being tearstained Even those listeners who like their Chopin more delicate & charming will find Pollini’s approach a refreshing alternative, & those who tend to dismiss Chopin altogether will perhaps be persuaded entirely to reconsider
~ Roz Kaveney
Acoustic Sounds product review:
Both sets of Chopin’s etudes can be as fiendishly difficult for the performer as they are mesmerizing for the listener, yet Maurizio Pollini makes them sound as if they pose no problems whatsoever for him in this 1972 recording. Every 1 of the etudes is played with easy precision, energy, & an entirely enjoyable musicality that demonstrates why Chopin’s etudes are no mere exercises & are as suited to the recital hall as to the practice room. The Op. 25 No. 5 Etude in E minor has some tricky finger acrobatics in it, but Pollini brings out a singing melody all the same in the middle section, while adding a bit of dancing animation to the outer sections. The melody of the famous Etude No. 3 in E major is lyrical & warm, which highlights precisely the challenge posed by Chopin in these brief pieces: bring out an effective melody while mastering an exact technique through repetition. The recording also shows why Pollini is 1 of the most respected Chopin interpreters of all time.