Composer: Leopold Godowsky
Performer: Marc-Andre Hamelin
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hyperion
Catalogue: CDA67411-2
Release: 2000
Size: 1.21 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Studies on Chopin’s Etudes
CD 01
01. No. 1 in C Major on Etude, Op. 10 No. 1 (1st Version)
02. No. 2 in D-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 1 (2nd Version)
03. No. 3 in A Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 2 (1st Version)
04. No. 4 in A Minor “Ignis fatuus” on Etude, Op. 10 No. 2 (2nd Version)
05. No. 5 in D-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 3
06. No. 6 in C-Sharp Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 4
07. No. 7 in G-Flat Major on Etude, Op. 10 No. 5 (1st Version)
08. No. 8 in C Major on Etude, Op. 10 No. 5 (2nd Version)
09. No. 9 in A Minor “Tarantella” on Etude, Op. 10 No. 5 (3rd Version)
10. No. 10 in A Major “Capriccio” on Etude, Op. 10 No. 5 (4th Version)
11. No. 11 in G-Flat Major on Etude, Op. 10 No. 5 (5th Version)
12. No. 12 in G-Flat Major on Etude, Op. 10 No. 5 (6th Version)
13. No. 12a in G-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 5 (7th Version)
14. No. 13 in E-Flat Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 6
15. No. 14 in C Major “Toccata” on Etude, Op. 10 No. 7 (1st Version)
16. No. 15 in G-Flat Major “Nocturne” on Etude, Op. 10 No. 7 (2nd Version)
17. No. 15a in E-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 7 (3rd Version)
18. No. 16 in F Major on Etude, Op. 10 No. 8 (1st Version)
19. No. 16a in G-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 8 (2nd Version)
20. No. 17 in C-Sharp Minor on Etude, Op. 10 No. 9 (1st Version)
21. No. 18 in F Minor on Etude, Op. 10 No. 9 (2nd Version)
22. No. 18a in F-Sharp Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 9 (3rd Version)
23. No. 19 in D Major on Etude, Op. 10 No. 10 (1st Version)
24. No. 20 in A-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 10 (2nd Version)
25. No. 21 in A Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 11
26. No. 22 in C-Sharp Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 10 No. 12
27. No. 23 in A-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 1 (1st Version)
28. No. 24 in A-Flat Major on Etude, Op. 25 No. 1 (2nd Version)
CD 02
01. No. 25 in A-Flat Major on Etude, Op. 25 No. 1 (3rd Version)
02. No. 26 in F Minor on Etude, Op. 25 No. 2 (1st Version)
03. No. 27 in F Minor “Waltz” on Etude, Op. 25 No. 2 (2nd Version)
04. No. 28 in F Minor on Etude, Op. 25 No. 2 (3rd Version A)
05. No. 28 in F Minor on Etude, Op. 25 No. 2 (3rd Version B)
06. No. 28a in F-Sharp Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 2 (4th Version)
07. No. 29 in F Major on Etude, Op. 25 No. 3 (1st Version)
08. No. 30 in F Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 3 (2nd Version)
09. No. 31 in A Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 4 (1st Version)
10. No. 32 in F Minor “Polonaise” on Etude, Op. 25 No. 4 (2nd Version)
11. No. 33 in E Minor on Etude, Op. 25 No. 5 (1st Version)
12. No. 34 in C-Sharp Minor “Mazurka” on Etude, Op. 25 No. 5 (2nd Version)
13. No. 35 in B-Flat Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 5 (3rd Version)
14. No. 36 in G-Sharp Minor on Etude, Op. 25 No. 6
15. No. 38 in D-Flat Major on Etude, Op. 25 No. 8
16. No. 39 in G-Flat Major on Etude, Op. 25 No. 9 (1st Version)
17. No. 40 in G-Flat Major for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 9 (2nd Version)
18. No. 41 in B Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 10
19. No. 42 in A Minor on Etude, Op. 25 No. 11
20. No. 43 in C-Sharp Minor for Left Hand on Etude, Op. 25 No. 12
21. No. 44 in F Minor for Left Hand on Nouvelle étude No. 1 in F Minor, KK IIb/3:1
22. No. 45 in E Major on Nouvelle étude No. 2 in A-Flat Major, KK IIb/3:2 (1st Version)
23. No. 45a in D-Flat Major for Left Hand on Nouvelle étude No. 2 in A-Flat Major, KK IIb/3:2 (2nd Version)
24. No. 46 in G Major “Menuetto” on Nouvelle étude No. 3 in D-Flat Major, KK IIb/3:3
25. No. 47 in G-Flat Major “Badinage” on Etudes, Op. 10 No. 5/Op. 25 No. 9
26. No. 48 in F Major on Etudes, Op. 10 No. 11/Op. 25 No. 3
Godowsky’s Studies on Chopin’s Etudes have achieved a legendary status among piano enthusiasts. Few areas of the repertoire have such a notorious reputation for technical difficulty and audacious compositional invention. Far from being disrespectful maltreatments of Chopin’s masterpieces, Godowsky’s elaborations aim to extend the limits of modern piano technique. Some recast Chopin’s right-hand passagework for the left hand while introducing new contrapuntal ideas; some treat the originals more freely, inverting, imitating or combining two Etudes; others are character pieces or variations based on Chopin’s originals; and twenty-two of the Studies are for the left hand alone. Taken as a whole, these Studies revolutionized piano writing and expanded the polyphonic and polyrhythmic capabilities of the instrument. They remain among the most daunting challenges of the piano literature, their difficulties not always fully apparent to the listener. Pianists brave enough to tackle this music have often been content merely to get through the notes. Marc-Andre Hamelin, renowned for his superhuman technical control, injects them with the required range of character, colour and musicianship, as well as breathtaking virtuosity. Uniquely available on 2CDs, this will surely be the benchmark recording for all time. This set comes with a handsome booklet, including an essay by the Godowsky expert Jeremy Nicholas and individual commentaries by Marc-Andre Hamelin.