The "What are you listening now?" thread

[Froge]

cliche but

I'm really starting to hate Rubinstein. He doesn't understand Chopin's music in my opinion. Every note carries with it a frustrating sense of inevitability, whereas Chopin should be unpredictable, colorful and expressive. I find his playing boring and prosaic. Technically competent, but garbage as a Chopin interpreter. Why is he so celebrated?

Have you played Chopin yourself?

Chopin is expressive and colourful, but far from being unpredictable. Some of his pieces, especially his nocturnes, have often be alluded as being almost aphrodisiac (they tend to entrance the audience into a dream-like state). Rubinstein is highly skilled at the essential cantabile or singing tone alongside the perfect degree of rubato. From my personal experience, Chopin is all about maturity, which is what separates him from most other romantic composers. One needs to be calm and collected when playing his pieces, but at the same time his notes must be sung clearly. He is not the flamboyant, unpredictable, and prideful Liszt, whose pieces are capricious and bombastic. Chopin needs to be played like a singer on stage.

Now if you want a highly skilled Chopin interpreter who has indeed the expressiveness you're looking for, I recommend Argerich: