Chopin Fantasie Impromptu, Opus 66

Well, just for the fun of it I pulled Perahia's out and played it. It has been a long time since I last listened to it. Perhaps I should have mentioned it in my initial post to Jax2. It's quite nice indeed, if a bit on the soft dreamy side which is just what I thought might be something he would like.

BTW, if you are adventurous at all about Chopin, or for that matter Brahms and Rachmaninoff, try Biret on Naxos. I don't know why no one ever mentions these performances. Just excellent, and budget, recordings no less. Just don't think because she is a woman they are going to be soft and wimpy. Not! She in the middle of doing a traversal of Beethoven's sonatas and even though my shelves a 'full' I'm going to try some. Oh, BTW, should you not be familiar with the Brahms Intermezzi hers would be a great place to start. Some of the most sublime music for solo piano and she does it well!

Chopin?

Michelangeli, Sofronitsky, Vedernikov.

My favorite performance of that 4th impromptu is actually an old Philips recording by Bela Davidovich. Very expressive, well recorded, and quite a bit better than the Rubenstein performance I have.

newbee - I just want to disagree with your recommendation of Biret on Naxos. I have her recording of the sonatas and, due to poor sonics, it is a mush - distant and muddy.

Jult52, FWIW I sort of listen to performances more than sound, so one must always look elsewhere for sonic spectaculars, but just for the fun of it I put the recording on that you mentioned.

On the system I used, Primaluna 3/5, Wadia 302, and Silverline Bolero speakers, I found the sound of this CD to be a bit dry and slightly edgy in the upper mids, but far from the 'mush-distant and muddy' you have experienced. This is a sonic signature I have come to accept as the norm for most Naxos recordings I have purchased (not that many, but most of Biret's).

Obviously we have different systems as well as expectations.

BTW, sonics apart, what do you think about Biret's skills as a Chopin interpreter/performer?

Newbee - I'm not familiar with her Chopin, although I know she has a positive rep. I usually try to be forgiving of sonics but some of the Naxos releases test my patience and that Rach disc is one of them.