Recorded in 1992 when the pianist was 77 years old, this disc of
Chopin's complete etudes played by
Earl Wild is truly awe-inspiring. While there are moments every now and then when one can tell the pianist is in the latter part of his eighth decade -- the rare slipped notes, the occasional distorted rhythms, the infrequent misplaced octaves -- the overall impression can be summed up in the phrase "oh, my heavens!" Surely one of the great piano virtuosos of the twentieth century with a tone of bronze, a strength of steel, and a technique of purest platinum,
Wild is supremely well-suited to conquering
Chopin's arduous etudes. And conquer he does: like a youthful Alexander,
Wild heroically overcomes the etudes' prodigious scales, phenomenal arpeggios, and monumental chords no matter what the tempo or the texture. But like an imaginary older and wiser Alexander,
Wild does not merely conquer but completely comprehends the music, feeling its longings and satisfactions, its melancholy and its exhilarations, its sensual pleasures and its philosophical profundities. While there have been other recordings of the etudes of the super-virtuoso variety -- one thinks of
Horowitz and
Richter's scattered recordings and Pollini's complete recording --
Wild's is easily in the same exalted class and should be heard by anyone who loves the works, the composer, or just great pianism. Ivory Classics' recording is clearly live -- there is possibly too much noise from the audience and perhaps too much distance between the player and the microphones -- but knowing that
Wild's performance is live only enhances its status.