Chopin: Barcarolle (Pollini, Zimerman, Kissin, Horowitz, Argerich)

One of the nicest things about classical music is that you can closely compare two different performances of exactly the same piece. [Arranged approximately by date of performance] 00:00 -- Pollini (Warm and lyrical. He has a reputation for technicality and coldness that is not deserved.) 08:37 -- Zimerman (Hushed and worshipful, occasionally rising to majesty) 17:30 -- Kissin (Tender and surprisingly meditative) 26:23 -- Horowitz (Scriabinesque, aching, enigmatic, some nice voicing) 35:21 -- Argerich (Intimate, and as you would expect, relatively free and occasionally tempestuous.) Chopin’s Barcarolle is one of his most important works, and is awash in harmonic innovation -- the last pages descend into near-atonality, and the use of the G7 chord in the penultimate flourish is essentially a very daring tritone substitution. It is also very tricky to interpret effectively, and here 5 great performances are collected. My personal favourites are Pollini’s and Argerich’s performances but ask me on another day