Best Piano Recordings

[posvibes]

I have always felt that the recorded piano on Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album vinyl and remastered CD was absolutely horrible both for Evans and Kelley.

 

[MickeyBoy]

Piano is difficult to record well and can be revealing of flaws in recording technique or playback systems. And there's so much great piano music nobody could listen to all of it in a lifetime. Here are some of the best piano recordings that I have heard. By "best" I mean they sound the most lifelike and realistic. This is hard because there's so much great music to hold back because even though it's generally well recorded, this is about selecting the very best based on sonics.
https://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Impromptus-899-Radu-Lupu/dp/B00000JXZ5
https://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Military-Marches-Variations-Barenboim/dp/B000000SA0
https://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Fantasy-Liszt-Transcendental-Etudes/dp/B000003FY4
On the last it is Etude # 12, the Chasse-Neige that is just fantastic. I have the classic Berman among others, but this one blew my mind in both sonics and performance.
What are some of your best piano recordings? I'd love to discover some new ones.

I just listened to Zimerman's 2022 CD recording for DG of several Szymanowski pieces. Zimerman doesn't carry his personal piano on tour, but a keyboard modified to his liking. I seem to remember that it struck the strings in different places from a standard Steinweg. Most of the pieces were recorded in the Fukuyama Hall of Art & Culture. This venue was chosen for its acoustic. Z: "every note is clear...yet each is in a cushion of warm surroundings." Z. used a Hamburg or a Japan Steinweg.

I was immediately struck by the sound, notably in the first pieces, Preludes, Op.1. The extreme treble had nothing clangy or metallic, but had a ringing resonant quality many find lacking in Steinways. (I preferred bare stereo to simulated surround.) The bass was low and full, warm and open. I loved the long decay of the low left hand notes at the end of the first prelude. The sound reminded me of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, which possesses by far the finest acoustic I have ever heard. Most locations seem to fight musical expression in one way or another, especially my rooms at home.

Here we have several factors: the piano, the modified keyboard, the hall, and the recording technique. Your reactions to this CD very much welcomed.

 

[Timcognito]

 

[HoweSound]

I would like to commend one of Allen Toussaint's later albums, The Bright Mississippi. Well produced and a showcase for Toussaint's jazz talents:

Amazon.com

 

[Timcognito]

I would like to commend one of Allen Toussaint's later albums, The Bright Mississippi. Well produced and a showcase for Toussaint's jazz talents:

Amazon.com

EXCELLENT

 

[Timcognito]

 

[Timcognito]

 

[Timcognito]

 

[HoweSound]

Dr. John had several very good solo piano albums. Professor Longhair (Roy Bird) has some good stuff that came out after he was rediscovered.

 

[AlfaNovember]

I love Allen Toussaint's Songbook record, a solo performance in NYC contemporaneous to the Bright Mississippi record, although I am unqualified to comment on the technical merits of the recording beyond "Sounds great to me!"

Edit: Hey look, there's a CD/DVD Special Edition with more songs! That's better than finding $20 in my pocket on laundry day!

 

[MRC01]

I just listened to Zimerman's 2022 CD recording for DG of several Szymanowski pieces. ... Your reactions to this CD very much welcomed.

I just listened to this on Qobuz - lossless, 96-24 master. It is a well engineered recording with excellent sonics. Thanks for the link!

 

[MRC01]

I would like to commend one of Allen Toussaint's later albums, The Bright Mississippi. Well produced and a showcase for Toussaint's jazz talents: ...

EXCELLENT

Indeed, that album really put a smile on my face. It's recorded a bit hot with moderate dynamic compression, which is a shame. But it still sounds pretty good despite that, and what great music.

 

[MRC01]

I had never heard of him [Barnatan] until recently, when I listened to a fantastic performance him with Alisa Weilerstein playing Rachmaninoff and Chopin.
...

This afternoon I listened to them (Barnatan & Weilerstein) with James Ehnes live here in Seattle. 2nd row center seats. All Schubert, great music, wonderful performance.

 

[MRC01]

I have always felt that the recorded piano on Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album vinyl and remastered CD was absolutely horrible both for Evans and Kelley.

This is common on vintage jazz recordings on Blue Note and other popular labels. The piano sounds like a honky-tonk upright recorded with a compact cassette. Disappointing, since some of the playing is excellent.

In the opposite direction, I recently discovered Paul Lewis performances of Schubert's solo piano works on Harmonia Mundi. I immensely enjoy his performances and the sound quality is fantastic.

Paul Lewis, Schubert - The Late Piano Sonatas

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2014 CD release of "The Late Piano Sonatas" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Schubert - Paul Lewis - Piano Sonatas D.840, D.850 & 894 • Impromptus D.899 • Klavierstücke D.946

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2011 CD release of "Piano Sonatas D.840, D.850 & 894 • Impromptus D.899 • Klavierstücke D.946" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[pinger]

For more of a general impression i have to recommend the Grand Piano Label for terrific classical piano recordings. Very lifelike "piano in the room" quality