There’s a backstory here. Difficulty in securing a copy and regular enquiries have finally paid off. Those writing about this superb set have already done so, and at least I caught Seong-Jin Cho in this repertoire – all of it – live from Carnegie Hall as a stopgap (if much more than that). So, this release, recorded with immediacy, intimacy, yet a wide dynamic range, preserve a pianist totally at-one with this fastidious music in readings that are immaculate, subtle, sensitive, painterly, and vivid. Having waited awhile, this release is now with me, and I have great pleasure in recommending it enthusiastically. DG 486 6814 (2 CDs). Postscript: I continue to wonder, since Carnegie, if the solo transcription of La valse should be here. Bavouzet includes it on his Chandos survey.
Seong-Jin Cho records Ravel’s Complete Solo Piano Works for Deutsche Grammophon.
