Boulez. Prokofiev. Stravinsky. Webern - Piano works

Maurizio Pollini pf

DG 447 431-2GOR Buy now

(68’ · ADD) 

Boulez Piano Sonata No 2 Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 7 in B flat, Op 83 Stravinsky Petrushka – three movements Webern Piano Variations, Op 27

Recorded 1971-6.

Perfection needs to be pursued so that you can forget about it. Pollini’s Petrushka movements are almost inhumanly accurate and fast; but what comes across is an exhilarating sense of abandon, plus an extraordinary cumulative excitement. The Prokofiev Seventh Sonata remains a benchmark recording not only for the athleticism of its outer movements but for the epic remorselessness of the central Andante. The Webern Variations are a magical fusion of intellectual passion and poetry, and the Boulez Sonata vividly reminds us why the European avant-garde was such a powerful force in the 1950s. These recordings are a monument to what it’s possible for two hands to achieve on one musical instrument. The ‘original-image bit-processing’ has given a bit more brilliance and presence, as claimed, and another gain is the retention of atmosphere between movements.