Todd A
pfm Member
Disc one. Given that I'm a big Michel Block fan, it's not surprising that I really dig this. This is much more youthful playing than his late career recordings. The Second Sonata is much different, terser, and obviously quicker than the almost obscenely drawn out Guild recording. It's still idiosyncratic, but much closer to standard than the later take. The disc starts with a peppy Op 53 Polonaise, and one has to wait only until the second track Waltz to hear Blockian goodness. And then come the four Etudes. 25/5 makes obvious why he didn't place; it's just too radical. All the others are decidedly non-standard, as well. Hearing them just makes me lament the fact that he didn't record them all. The Prelude selections are also rather spiffy. Expectations met.
Disc two. The one Nocturne and three Mazurkas offer strong hints of Block's later recordings. One might be able to argue that this solitary Nocturne example is better in some ways than his Guild Nocturne recordings, or even that his Mazurkas are better than his Guild recordings, but his Pro Piano Mazurka recordings are undoubtedly more better. The new thing here is the concerto. There are many hints at what came later in his playing in general, though there is no later recording of this work. Given the age of the recording and the less than best orchestral support, I can't say this becomes one of my very favorite versions, but I can say that I welcome it warmly to my collection. Predictably, as with pretty much any disc of Block's playing that I manage to get my paws on, this is a purchase of the year. Now I need to get me his Beethoven sonatas disc.
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