The Piano Maven with Jed Distler

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On this episode entitled “Warts and All,” Jed talks about five recordings that he is particularly drawn to in spite of their undeniable flaws.
Alfred Cortot plays the Chopin Ballades (1957) https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/41377--chopin-ballades-nos-1-4/browse
Percy Grainger: Grieg Concerto (1957) - https://www.amazon.com/clp/B000007TIF
Artur Schnabel plays Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7933911--great-pianists-schnabel
Ervin Nyiregyházi, Recital at Old First Church, San Francisco, May 6th 1973 - https://sonettoclassics.com/recordings_Soncla007.html. (The Second Liszt St. Francis Legend starts at 30:50 in this webcast link - https://www.wwfm.org/show/between-the-keys-with-jed-distler/2024-09-12/over-the-top)
A famous pianist totally losing it in the Fourth Movement of Chopin’s Piano Sonata in B Minor (starts at 43:53 in this webcast link - https://www.wwfm.org/show/between-the-keys-with-jed-distler/2024-09-12/over-the-top)

Consider taking out a paid subscription to The Piano Maven podcast via our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven
Jed recommends ten recordings that represent a wide range of the Stephen Kovacevich’s artistry in a podcast tribute to the late pianist, who passed away October 27th, 2026.
Chopin: Polonaise-Fantasie Op. 61 - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7930571--the-best-of-chopin
Brahms: Handel Variations - https://streaming.prestomusic.com/album/9727275
Richard Rodney Bennett: Piano Concerto - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7960899--bennett-piano-concerto-commedia-iv-five-studies-capriccio
Bartok: Out of Doors - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8036520--bartok-debussy-mozart-music-for-2-pianos
Debussy: En blanc et noir = https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8036520--bartok-debussy-mozart-music-for-2-pianos
Schumann: Kinderszenen Op. 15 - https://www.medici.tv/en/concerts/stephen-kovacevich-bach-schumann-beethoven
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K. 467 - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8050905--ultimate-piano-concertos
Schubert: Piano Sonata in B-flat major D. 960 - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8661423--schubert-piano-sonata-in-b-flat-major?srsltid=AYCX9vJtf_4IxGxblFeieivyPbPe1_-vuRM2GE7suROI3xmPzGvGVKvI
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor Op. 111 (1992 recording) - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8787042--beethoven-piano-sonatas-nos-27-28-32
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations Op. 120 (Onyx recording) - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7977855--stephen-kovacevich-plays-beethovens-diabelli-variations

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The gifted Italian/Australian pianist Jonathan Ferrucci’s recording of Bach’s English Suites is the subject of this episode.
Link to purchase:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9991890--johann-sebastian-bach-the-english-suites

Consider taking out a paid subscription to The Piano Maven podcast via our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven
Jed goes back 70 years to look through High Fidelity’s Record Annual, a compendium of all of the reviews published by High Fidelity magazine in that year. He zeroes in on four releases that continue to hold interest for piano mavens, and what High Fidelity’s critics wrote upon their original LP release in 1956. The recordings have stood the test of time, but what about the reviews?
Here is a link to browse through back issues of High Fidelity:
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/High-Fidelity-Magazine.htm
And here is the link to Mortimer F. Frank’s article about Standards of Criticism that Jed cites in this episode:
https://classicalmusicguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=26605

Consider taking out a paid subscription to The Piano Maven podcast via our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven
Ferruccio Busoni’s piano transcription of the Chaconne from J.S. Bach’s. Partita No. 2 in D Minor for Unaccompanied Violin is the topic of this episode, where Jed discusses nearly a century’s worth of worthy recorded versions, including Johanna Harris, Yvonne Loriod, Erik Then-Bergh, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Shura Cherkassky, Egon Petri, Agnelle Bundervoët, Gregori Ginzburg, Arthur Rubinstein, Alicia de Laroccha, Hélène Grimaud, Veronica Jochum, Peter Rösel, Sequeira Costa, Alexis Weissenberg, Jorge Bolet, Freddy Kempf, Mihail Pletnev, Evgeni Kissin, Kun-Woo Paik, Alberto Reyes, Maria Tipo, Rosalyn Tureck, Christopher O’Riley, Alexander Brailowsky and Lise de la Salle.
Here are a few performance links:
Johanna Harris - https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=bach+busoni+johanna+harris&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:b6f400fe,vid:qU6DLkC9f-U,st:0
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli - https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=bach+busoni+michelangeli&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:6716feae,vid:w6-v-ZtCAFw,st:0
Veronica Jochum - https://www.qobuz.com/fi-en/album/piano-masterworks-of-busoni-veronica-jochum/0888831794370
Arthur Rubinstein (live) - https://open.spotify.com/track/6z2ch5cRKeDeCQHSStdAY6