This is not an entirely easy review to write. Why is that? Because although acknowledging Pollini has vast pianistic capabilities, I belong to those who seldom find he has been able to channel them into rewarding musical ends. Pollini's 1972 Prokofiev Seventh and Stravinsky Petrushka Movements doubtlessly belong to my short list of most brilliantly executed piano playing. Unfortunately, instead of exploiting this repertoire to his advantage (e.g. in Bartok, Messiaen or Ligeti), Pollini has devoted most of his career to the (somewhat augmenting the term) Romantics, stretching from Beethoven to Debussy. More often than not, the results to my ears can to be likened to technically immaculate but musically cool observations.

This disc of Chopin Preludes, together with the Etudes disc (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Chopin-Etudes/dp/B000001G5H/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Chopin: Etudes</a>), serves as a model example: the G major and D major--brilliant if just plain cold; the F-sharp minor--harsh rather than dramatic or passionate; the E major--certainly not very beautiful in tone; the C-sharp minor and G-sharp minor--like being observed rather than performed; the F-sharp major and A-flat major--just compare with Ohlsson and you will know the difference when it comes to real beauty; the E-flat minor--again harsh and bangy; the B-flat minor--surely brilliant but not in the Argerich or Pogorelich sense that you get emotionally swept away; the E-flat major--well, I'm just left indifferent (Pogorelich is priceless here!); the B-flat major--along the same lines, this is not very plastic playing; lastly the D minor--a lot of loud notes but little of dynamically dramatic sweep.

To sum up: brilliant indeed, no nonsense or fuzz, musically coolly detached, alarmingly harsh and inelastic tone production (alas, further emphasised by DG's overly fierce and cold recording quality). My recommendations for, respectively, fiery and sparkling, celestially beautiful, and uniquely individual and memorable Preludes safely remain with Argerich, Ohlsson and Pogorelich.
This is not an entirely easy review to write. Why is that? Because although acknowledging Pollini has vast pianistic capabilities, I belong to those who seldom find he has been able to channel them into rewarding musical ends. Pollini's 1972 Prokofiev Seventh and Stravinsky Petrushka Movements doubtlessly belong to my short list of most brilliantly executed piano playing. Unfortunately, instead of exploiting this repertoire to his advantage (e. g. in Bartok, Messiaen or Ligeti), Pollini has devoted most of his career to the (somewhat augmenting the term) Romantics, stretching from Beethoven to Debussy. More often than not, the results to my ears can to be likened to technically immaculate but musically cool observations. This disc of Chopin Preludes, together with the Etudes disc (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Chopin-Etudes/dp/B000001G5H/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt? ie=UTF8">Chopin: Etudes</a>), serves as a model example: the G major and D major--brilliant if just plain cold; the F-sharp minor--harsh rather than dramatic or passionate; the E major--certainly not very beautiful in tone; the C-sharp minor and G-sharp minor--like being observed rather than performed; the F-sharp major and A-flat major--just compare with Ohlsson and you will know the difference when it comes to real beauty; the E-flat minor--again harsh and bangy; the B-flat minor--surely brilliant but not in the Argerich or Pogorelich sense that you get emotionally swept away; the E-flat major--well, I'm just left indifferent (Pogorelich is priceless here! ); the B-flat major--along the same lines, this is not very plastic playing; lastly the D minor--a lot of loud notes but little of dynamically dramatic sweep. To sum up: brilliant indeed, no nonsense or fuzz, musically coolly detached, alarmingly harsh and inelastic tone production (alas, further emphasised by DG's overly fierce and cold recording quality). My recommendations for, respectively, fiery and sparkling, celestially beautiful, and uniquely individual and memorable Preludes safely remain with Argerich, Ohlsson and Pogorelich.