Frederic Chiu has been stirring up some controversy with critics of late. As far as I can tell, though, most have taken a decidedly favorable stance regarding his highly individual style, a style less radical than that of the young Glenn Gould, to be sure, but far more provocative than the approaches of most leading pianists of the day. I count myself among his admirers, if I can judge from four discs from his Prokofiev cycle and the one under review here. On the whole, his Chopin is sprightly and incisive in the Rondos, ...
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Frederic Chiu has been stirring up some controversy with critics of late. As far as I can tell, though, most have taken a decidedly favorable stance regarding his highly individual style, a style less radical than that of the young Glenn Gould, to be sure, but far more provocative than the approaches of most leading pianists of the day. I count myself among his admirers, if I can judge from four discs from his Prokofiev cycle and the one under review here. On the whole, his Chopin is sprightly and incisive in the Rondos, and probing and colorful in the Etudes.His slightly slow tempo in the third etude (E major) manages to skirt the saccharine and sentimental by adding a pinch of sobriety. His "Black Key Etude" is among the best versions, certainly surpassing one Horowitz account (RCA) and equaling another (Sony). Chiu wrings out the gloom and tension in the E flat minor in so ravishing a way as to tempt the depressed to skip their Prozac. And the verve and playfulness he unleashes in the tenth etude (F...
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