CHOPIN: Michelangeli plays Chopin (DVD)

Michelangeli plays Chopin
Chopin: Piano Sonata in B flat minor Op. 35; Andante spianto et Grande polonaise brillante Op. 22; Waltzes Op. 34 No. 1 & Waltz in E flat (Op. post.); Scherzo No. 2; Mazurkas Op. 30 No. 3, Op. 33 No. 4 & Op. 68 No. 2

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli 

The legendary Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920 - 1995), playing at the height of his powers, performs Chopin's Sonata in B flat minor and other music by one of the instrument's most brilliant and idiomatic writers, in the famously rare 1962 RAI television recording, newly restored and remastered for this release. Michelangeli's fine control and perfect clarity - always present in his playing - have positioned him among the most outstanding recording artists of any generation. "His fingers can no more hit a wrong note or smudge a passage than a bullet can be veered off course once it has been fired..." (Music critic Harold Schonberg)


"This is in black-and-white, taking from a live 1962 RAI recital in Turin, the colour being provided by the playing! Michelangeli is, as always, aloof and totally absorbed in his music making. But with immaculate pianism and compelling artistry, this casts a strong spell." (The Penguin Guide)

"Fascinating documents of Michelangeli's performances dating from 1940 to 1951, albeit with ageing sound quality. Magisterial and powerful playing." (BBC Music Magazine)

"There is something utterly timeless about this." (Musicweb International)