Thread: Zimerman

I am a big fan of Zimerman. His touch is just awesome. When I listen to his Brahms concertos, it is just perfect. He can develop the weight the Brahms needs. His tone is so convincing!

I think he's a very remarkable pianist--an extremely 'vocal' one. Of the current pianists of his age, he seems to instinctively know where a phrase begins and ends and can 'sculpt' it like a good singer. God knows he's got technique to spare, but I'm never aware of it for it's own sake.

I like both of his Brahms concerti a lot, and I grew up on Serkin, Bachuaus, Arrau and Rubenstein. Zimerman's approach is probably more 'similar' to Arrau's, but I never get the feeling that he's 'copying' Arrau. He simply has a more expansive, lyric-dramatic approach. I don't find the tempi slower or more tragic--I get the feeling that with the Brahms, he and Bernstein collaborated extensively on the recordings. It feels and sounds like a true partnership between pianist and orchestra. And except for the first movements of either concerto, the tempi appear to be very similar to other pianists (the finale of the First is tremenduously exciting, IMO).

I've got his recording of the three Brahms Sonatas, the Greig, Schumann and Liszt concerti--plus the "Totentanz", which is just flat-out thunderously good--and his Debussy Preludes. The Debussy is simply the best recording of those very subtle (and subtly difficult) works I've heard since early Gieseking.

Don't have his Chopin, but I don't like Chopin, never have, so it's no great loss. However, I would assume that his Chopin is probably quite marvelous if you like Chopin.

I like Zimerman a lot. He knows how to 'sing' on the piano, which is something that some of his contemporaries don't seem to have grasped, yet. It's a lovely sound, IMO, and when strength, passion and fire are called for, he seems to have tremendous reserves of that, too. I find his playing both beautiful and exciting and most importantly, profound.

And I've been around long enough to recognize it when I hear it, LOL!

Tom

[Daniel]: When I listen to his Brahms concertos, it is just perfect.

I would have to disagree. Gilels and Curzon have my favorite interpretations of the Brahms concerti.

I have always enjoyed Zimerman's take on the Schubert Impromptus. He and Perahia certainly share a talent for those pieces.

I've only heard his Chopin, which I found to be not to my liking. Perhaps if I get into Brahms eventually, I'll give him another shot