How to find the best recordings

Who, as I remember, got bad reviews from the British music hacks.

Actually, he was Chinese his name being Pe Ter Ka Tin.

Which is the "hard rock of truth" about Lang Lang that is news to me? You see, Troyen1, I'm married to a chinese for more than ten years, Beijing is my second hometown and it is not my "belief", but the facts I know about the man.

His name is composed by two different chinese characters : His family name is Lang (in the third tone in mandarin - the descending and ascending one) and the given name is another character which sounds the same (Lang), but in the second tone - the ascending one (so, his name is like a word game). He was born in Shenyang, the second most important city of the Liaoning Province (in Northeast China) and he belongs to the minority ethnic group of Manchu. His father used to be a rather famous player of erhu (the two-string type of violin in the chinese folk music) and his name is Lang Guoren. He grew up in China and, as an adolescent, he started his international quest, going in and out of the country. If, in the meantime, he managed to get some foreign nationalities (which means he denounced his chinese one, since China does not allow double nationality), that confirms what is called here, a "banana chinese".

As for his artistry, he has a phenomenal technic, he is immensely telented and he is gifted with a charisma to be likable. However, the man care less about the rest and he let his great talent to go astray, possibly for the big bucks. So, he has adopted this pop persona of the larger than life artist, who does anything for publicity at the detriment of the music he is supposed to serve. I saw him live in Berlin several times, when I lived there (2003-2008), and he never convinced me for what he played (even Rachmaninov's third). Of course, he could dazzle the audience and carried it away. Some of his recordings, though, sound better, mainly because of the excellent production values.

However, if you put L.L. along with the pianists you mention as "greats", then I should not disagree; all of them are halfway through towards... greatness (all four very consistent, good musiciens, but still they need some time towards the poetry, the great spirit and eventually the authority).

As for the joke for Peter Katin, since you don't know chinese, You simply become funny, not the joke! There are no chinese names with four characters (except very very few) and there are no chinese characters who sound as Pe or Ter or Tin. The Ka exists. Bt the way, the full name of the pianist is Peter Roy Katin and I believe he is still around (he lives, I think, in Bexhill-on-Sea and, probably, does not visit the Grammophone's Forums).

Let's see when this pianistic interlude is going to finish (we have intruded into the wrong topic and we pay a very long visit).

Parla

Since the conversation has taken us to that part of the globe, how about the Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son ?

Wot no Kun Woo Paik? Pretty fine set of Prokofiev concertos.

I'd love to hear a Shanghai radio announcement of a Wigglesworth concert.

...and the more you look around the globe, the more you find anywhere.

By the way, Kyoko Tabe is a brilliant female pianist, who got away, except Japan and some neighbouring countries. Unfortunately, almost all of her recordings can be found in japanese labels. The german tiny label Solo Musica has reproduced arecording of hers with the Carmina Quartet of the "Trout " and the Piano Quintet of Schumann. A wonderful disc indeed!

The french do not impress me, but they are very fine musiciens too. Grimaud is closer to my taste.

Parla

Why don't you give us a starter?

I haven't a clue as to what you are on about.

Where can I find these piano interludes. I've searched all over the web. Who wrote them and when? Can I find them on Amazon if they have been recorded?