Alexander Hawkins

Kathleen Ferrier also incredible in this IMHO...and for another left field suggestion, there is a live recording of Carlos Kleiber(!!!) with Christa Ludwig...

Have you seen this film? Includes, at the opening, some wonderful footage of him practising and discussing the Etudes...

Yes indeed! I didn't really know these pieces too well, apart from the op.13...mind-boggling genius especially considering the age at which they were written...

Thanks so much, both!

The early C Minor sonatas.

I just wanted to share some information about a new release of mine - a solo piano recording just out on the Intakt label... Here is a link to some audio over at the Intakt Bandcamp page (there's also another track available for preview there). Some early reviews too at the Intakt website. I hope you might be interested in checking it out...I'm really delighted with how it all came together. 12 tracks, all new compositions. Beautifully recorded in the studios of the Swiss Radio in Zürich by Martin Pearson; liner notes by Richard Williams...

Yes...there's some totally mind-blowing stuff here...sounds quite unlike anything else anyone ever did...

Having taken it off the shelf the other day and failed to listen, into the final stages of this now (great version!):

Hah! Talk of having time...I pulled this one of my shelf last night, and somehow got distracted before making it as far as the CD player...hmmm...a particularly poor effort on my part What a piece though...

How strange - literally 5 minutes before reading this, I finished listening to the Janáček Quartet/Bernathova recording of op.34! Yes, love that Pollini/Quartetto Italiano version too.

On Brahms, I think this op.116 is pretty mind-blowing: And in a totally different reading of the composer (though I guess there are*certain* similarities), I love the Glenn Gould Brahms...

Was watching some Tipo Mozart concerti on Youtube the other day...I think she's really amazing... Kreisleriana from this set!

Agreed - I really like this set. Just finished it; earlier played this too. Quite incredible playing.

Love these earlier versions too!

Just listened - wow, really enjoyed this!

Thanks for the recommendation - this one is totally new to me!

Ha! I was just listening to a couple of different recordings of Geza Anda playing the Symphonic Etudes, and although I do love them (as well as v different readings such as Pogorelich, Richter etc.), the Pollini is the one to which I keep coming back. ...and speaking of Anda, just now, the Diabelli Variations from this set:

Surely it’s clinched by the cover art on the Supraphon vinyl of ‘The Water Goblin’