Amazing Solo Piano Recordings

Rushton's suggestions are excellent. They sound excellent on CD as well (the Connoisseur Society ones have been issued by VAI, and are among the most natural recordings of a piano you'll ever hear on CD). In addition, the most spectacularly dynamic piano recording I've ever heard is an RCA Direct to Disc, 45 rpm recording of the Beethoven Appassionata played by a Japanese woman whose name escapes me. Ronc played that one for me when I visited him, and I've borrowed a copy since, but it's out of print and tough to find used and in good condition. I'm not giving up on it though. Worth looking for. If you have a good vinyl rig and play it, you'll wonder what everyone is thinking when they complain about vinyl's limited dynamic range! Finally, I'll note that piano sounds especially natural on SACD--no problems capturing dynamics and transient attacks, as is usually the case with vinyl (not on the ones mentioned above or by Rushton), or the harmonic correctness you thought you could only get from analog. The new Perriah Goldberg Variations on Sony SACD is a superb recording and an excellent performance, maybe not Glen Gould but then no humming either.

Frogman, excellent suggestion, I'd forgotten about how good that one was--now I've got to listen to it again. And you can even spell his name, something I sure can't do. You should give his recent Goldberg Variations a listen--it gets better every time I listen to it, CD or SACD.

Tireguy, the pianist there was arguably the greatest of all time--my dad was a piano major in college, heard Rachmaninoff in concert and decided if he had to compete with that, he'd become a lawyer instead... An excellent recommendation, particularly the transcriptions.