A musical high-wire act of the highest quality!
By Roy Gregory
Few musicians achieve the universal respect and affection garnered by Maurizio Pollini across his long and highly productive career. Since winning the International Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 18, in 1960, his reputation has gone from strength to strength, to the point where he no-longer specified repertoire for his scheduled recitals, apparently playing as the mood took him and (reputedly) even ‘changing horses’ half way through. For the audience, it was enough to hear Pollini, no matter what he played. With his passing in March of last year, perhaps now is the time to revisit his career from a more reflective perspective, looking at three, very different recordings from his long and fruitful association with Deutsche Grammophon…
Frédéric Chopin
The 24 Preludes – Opus 28
Maurizio Pollini
DGG Original Source LP 2530 550 (Recorded in 1975, re-issued in 2024)
One of Pollini’s best and, best known recordings, this disc captured him at the pinnacle of his powers and was for many years, an unrivalled first choice amongst the many, many recordings of these popular pieces. Now re-issued in DGG’s excellent Original Source series, the sound has never been better, while the fact that it is finally available with RIAA cutting EQ means that for many listeners, this is the first time they’ll hear it as it should be reproduced.
Out of a sense of responsibility to those without switchable EQ, I played the original pressing with both the RIAA curve and the correct Teldec EQ. Using the Teldec curve reveals the poise, timing, delicacy and effortless precision in Pollini’s playing. Switching to RIAA, he loses the subtlety and feel, the sense of utter control and expressive mastery, sounding clumsy, thick and ‘plonky’ in comparison. Moving on to the Original Source re-issue, with RIAA EQ and corrected VTA actually exceeds the earlier pressings by a considerable margin, especially when it comes to dynamic range, temporal ad musical authority, substance and the sheer presence of the instrument. A slight revision in the sides (side A finishes on Prelude 14, rather than the 15 of the earlier pressing) underlines the dynamic superiority of the re-issue, with Side B now opening on the impressively explosive Prelude 15, a track previously confined to the cramped inner grooves at the close of Side A. The rich harmonic complexity of the instrument is well served by the re-pressing, adding still further to the sense of dimensionality and presence on the Original Source disc. The recording captures Pollini at the height of his powers and this pressing does both the recording and the artist justice.
It makes for a remarkable comparison with the 1975 Argerich recording (also on DGG and also a Chopin winner, in 1965). Martha delivers a far fuller, more sumptuous tone, redolent with swelling power and momentum, fiery and dramatic, with clean, incisive accents and direction. Pollini is more measured and poised, glorying in the delicately interleaved layers, the muscles and sinews in the music. His is a more intimate and nuanced reading, where Argerich is more about expressive range and vigour. You pays your money and takes your pick – except of course, that we don’t have to. We can have both, playing either as the mood takes us. But if push really came to shove and only one record could be saved from the waves? I’d take the Pollini for its greater depth and subtlety. There’s more here for more different days. There are better recordings of the piano – although not many – but few are as accomplished or simply beautiful as this. The Original Source re-issue has excellent, quiet surfaces and adds weight and stability to the sound of the original pressing, even when that original is played with the Teldec EQ curve. No Teldec curve? Then there’s no comparison. In its Original Source pressing this is one of those rare occasions when a genuinely stellar performer and performance meet a great recording and record. If you only buy one Original Source disc – or you want to discover whether they’re actually any good – this is the one to choose.
