Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Study No.1 in C, 1st Version (From Etude in C, Op.10 No.1): Allegro Maestoso
2. Study No.2 in D flat, 2nd Version (From Etude in C, Op.10 No.1): Allegro
3. Study No.3 in a, 1st Version (From Etude in a, Op.10 No.2): Allegro
4. Study No.4 in a 'Ignis Fatuus', 2nd Version (From Etude in a, Op.10 No.2): Allegro
5. Study No.5 in D flat (From Etude in E, Op.10 No.3): Lento Ma Non Troppo
6. Study No.6 in c# (From Etude in c#, Op.10 No.4): Presto
7. Study No.7 in G flat, 1st Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.10 No.5): Vivace
8. Study No.8 in C, 2nd Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.10 No.5): Vivace
9. Study No.9 in a 'Tarantella', 3rd Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.10 No.5): Vivace
10. Study No.10 in A, 4th Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.10 No.5): Vivace
11. Study No.11 in G flat, 5th Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.10 No.5): Vivace
12. Study No.12 in G flat, 6th Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.10 No.5): Vivace
13. Study No.12a in G flat, 7th Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.10 No.5): Vivace
14. Study No.13 in e flat (From Etude in e flat, Op.10 No.6): Quaver=108-132
15. Study No.14 in C 'Toccata', 1st Version (From Etude in C, Op.10 No.7): Vivace
16. Study No.15 in G flat 'Nocturne', 2nd Version (From Etude in C, Op.10 No.7): Allegretto Espressivo
17. Study No.15a in E flat, 3rd Version (Etude in C, Op.10 No.7): Allegro
18. Study No.16 in F, 1st Version (From Etude in F, Op.10 No.8): Allegro Risoluto
19. Study No.16a in G flat, 2nd Version (From Etude in F, Op.10 No.8): Allegro
20. Study No.17 in c#, 1st Version (From Etude in f, Op.10 No.9): Allegretto
21. Study No.18 in f, 2nd Version (From Etude in f, Op.10 No.9): Mesto
22. Study No.18a in f#, 3rd Version (From Etude in f, Op.10 No.9): Allegretto
23. Study No.19 in D, 1st Version (From Etude in A flat, Op.10 No.10): Allegro Moderato
24. Study No.20 in A flat, 2nd Version (From Etude in A flat, Op.10 No.10): Presto Ma Non Troppo
25. Study No.21 in A (From Etude in E flat, Op.10 No.11): Allegretto Sostenuto
26. Study No.22 in c# (From Etude in c, Op.10 No.12): Allegro Con Fuoco
27. Study No.23 in A flat, 1st Version (From Etude in A flat, Op.25 No.1): Allegro Sostenuto
28. Study No.24 in A flat, 2nd Version (From Etude in A flat, Op.25 No.1): Allegro Sostenuto

Disc 2:

1. Study No.25 in A flat, 3rd Version (From Etude in A flat, Op.25 No.1): Allegro Sostenuto
2. Study No.26 in f, 1st Version (From Etude in f, Op.25 No.2): Vivace
3. Study No.27 in f 'Waltz', 2nd Version (From Etude in f, Op.25 No.2): Tempo Di Valse
4. Study No.28 in f, 3rd Version (Version A)(From Etude in f, Op.25 No.2): Allegro Moderato
5. Study No.28 in f, 3rd Version (Version B)(From Etude in f, Op.25 No.2): Allegro Moderato
6. Study No.28a in f#, 4th Version (From Etude in f, Op.25 No.2): Presto Ma Non Troppo
7. Study No.29 in F, 1st Version (From Etude in F, Op.25 No.3): Allegro Moderato
8. Study No.30 in F, 2nd Version (From Etude in F, Op.25 No.3): Allegro Moderato
9. Study No.31 in a, 1st Version (From Etude in a, Op.25 No.4): Allegro Moderato
10. Study No.32 in f 'Polonaise', 2nd Version 9From Etude in a, Op.25 No.4): Allegro Drammatico
11. Study No.33 in e, 1st Version (From Etude in e, Op.25 No.5): Allegro Ma Non Troppo
12. Study No.34 in c# 'Mazurka', 2nd Version (From Etude in e, Op.25 No.5): Tempo Di Mazurka
13. Study No.35 in b flat, 3rd Version (From Etude in e, Op.25 No.5): Allegro Moderato
14. Study No.36 in g# (From Etude in g#, Op.25 No.6): Allegro
15. Study No.38 in D flat (From Etude in D flat, Op.25 No.8): Allegro Sostenuto E Cantabile
16. Study No.39 in G flat, 1st Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.25 No.9): Allegro Vivace
17. Study No.40 in G flat, 2nd Version (From Etude in G flat, Op.25 No.9): Allegro
18. Study No.41 in b (From Etude in b, Op.25 No.10): Allegro Con Fuoco
19. Study No.42 in a (From Etude in a, Op.25 No.11): Lento - Allegro Con Brio
20. Study No.43 in c# (From Etude in c, Op. 25 No.12): Allegro Molto E Con Fuoco
21. Study No.44 in f (From Nouvelle Etude No.1 in f): Allegretto Con Moto
22. Study No.45 in E, 1st Version (From Nouvelle Etude No.2 in A flat): Allegretto
23. Study No.45a in D flat, 2nd Version (From Nouvelle Etude No.2 in A flat): Allegretto
24. Study No.46 in G 'Menuetto' (From Nouvelle Etude No.3 in D flat): Allegretto Grazioso
25. Study No.47 in G flat 'Badinage' (From Etudes in G flat, Op.10 No.5/Op.25 No.9 Combined): Vivace...
26. Study No.48 in F (From Etudes in E flat, Op.10 No.11/in F, Op.25 No.3, Combined): Allegretto...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39708 in Music
• Released on: 2000-03-01
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .31 pounds
• Running time: 152 minutes

Customer Reviews

Incredible!
Godowksy's notoriously difficult arrangements of the Chopin Studies are presented here complete, in a supremely polished recording. Hamelin's pianism is not quite as authentically 'romantic' as it could be and he sometimes falls short of milking the full expressive potential. However, few possess his technical command and he does an extremely good job of achieving necessary lightness within intricate figurations. Perhaps most interesting are the many arrangements for left hand alone (notably the transformation of the tragic E flat minor Etude). It is still not entirely clear why Godowsky went to such pains to devise ingenious ways of keeping his right hand unoccupied, although there are some theories going around. Hamelin's own (as expounded in the liner notes) looks extremely credible, following the recent discovery of a 1920s police document. This charge sheet reveals details of Godowsky's arrest during a recital of left handed repetoire, for behaviour that the local Sheriff deemed to be 'grossly unacceptable' (yes, that's right- even back then public smoking was outlawed in the state of Utah).

Astonishing piano playing allied to sensitive musicianship
This is remarkable. The Godowsky studies on Chopin's etudes are regarded as one of the pinnacles of pianistic super-virtuosity, particularly as regards left hand technique. Of the total of 53 studies, 22 are for left hand alone and are merciless in their difficulties.

The studies have been recorded complete twice before (by Geoffrey Douglas Madge and Carlo Grante), but Hamelin simply blows his rivals away by overcoming all of the technical hurdles with a scarcely believable control, bordering on nonchalance. It is not just that he is a fabulous pianist, but that his astonishing virtuosity allows him to find so much more in the music than mere barnstorming. As he points out in his own notes, many of the studies are intended to be serene rather than forceful in character; it is a tribute to his complete mastery that for the first time the composer's intentions are fulfilled.

I believe this is one of the great piano recordings of recent years and would urge anyone with an interest in the piano to buy it and marvel.

Breathtaking pianism
This is remarkable piano playing. Hamelin both masters the extraordinary technical demands of these pieces, widely regarded as among the most difficult ever written, and conveys the intelligence and beauty of these elaborations on Chopin's originals. Anyone who assumes that these works must be nothing more than an unwelcome novelty will be converted after only a few bars of the first study.

A worthy Gramophone award winner last year, these pieces and their performance take pianism to its outer limits