Michelangeli plays Chopin and Rachmaninov
The Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was a legend in his own lifetime. He was renowned for his beautifully polished sound, clarity of execution, strict fidelity to the composer, and awareness of the harmonic subtleties of each work he performed.
It seems like he had everything planned to the highest degree of musical and technical perfection. He played the way he was as a man – with a seemingly highly focused, elegant style.
We get to hear the following selections:
Chopin:
- Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 ‘Marche funèbre’
- Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
- Waltz No. 17 in E flat major, Op. post., KKIVa:14, B 46
Rachmaninov:
- Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40, with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Ettore Gracis conducting.
Performed by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano)
Michelangeli had a tremendous palette of colors at his fingertips, which he subtly displayed in his performances of Chopin, Rachmaninov and also in his Debussy.
Here is Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli performing the piano concerto in G- Major by Maurice Ravel, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sergiu Celibidache:
http://youtu.be/-JAeUjg4zj8
And next, here he is in a beautiful performance of Johannes Brahms’ Four Ballades, Op. 10:
http://youtu.be/aOToqSLw8Hw
Tags: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Brahms, Ravel
