Magic music

DomL

I listened to this recording a great deal in my teens and 20s, and have returned to it now, decades later to find it as fresh and beautiful as ever. In my view, Michelangeli's interpretation of Beethoven's astonishing 32nd is the greatest ever recorded. His time is very strict, and this allows the extraordinary 1820's "ragtime" of the second movement of the sonata to shine through. More sentimental renderings, even by great artists, lose that sense that this is foot-tapping dance music that Michelangeli shows us. The Scarlatti and Clementi are like heavenly bells chiming. Only the Chopin gives me pause, and not because of Michelangeli's rendition but because the "Death March" has unfortunately become such a cliche that it is almost impossible to hear it simply as music any more. These recordings are, in my view, amongst the finest piano performances ever captured for posterity.