The Piano Maven with Jed Distler

Latest Episodes:

Live From Warsaw Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

Jed Distler is in Warsaw as official Gramophone blogger for the 19th International Chopin Competition, as well as hosting a daily video "Chopin Report"

Here are links to five performances that Jed considers special:

Yanyan Boa - Ballade No. 4 in F Minor Op. 52 (at 37:21, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjQQa0YtGq0)

Pedro Lopez Salas - Nocturne in E Major Op. 62 No. 2 (at 00:02, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ0ZwM7Hz4Y&t=1151s)

Kevin Chen - Etudes Op. 10 (at 15:14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaCHVBpGvI)

Shiori Kuwahara - Polonaise in A-Flat Major Op. 53 (at 38:23, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq02Z3Pvz_g)

WIlliam Yang - Andante Spianato ed Grande Polonaise Op. 22 (at 21:14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcv0suUQNYQ)

Here are video links to Jed's first four episodes of The Chopin Report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kPMJ9wvmTc&t=69s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNDkPdla2xA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh0MeCpROVQ&t=17s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE9llDb71HM

Deutsche Grammophon's Chopin Masters Edition Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

Tying in with Jed's live onsite coverage of the 19th Warsaw International Piano Competition this month, all of October's episodes are devoted to recordings of Chopin's music. On this episode, Jed discusses Deutsche Grammophon's 2021 box set reissue The Chopin Masters, featuring 28 CDs with 28 pianists.

Here are links to some of the performers and performances covered:

The original DG YouTube promotional trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2oBU-hb2KA

Roberto Szidon plays Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor Op. 39 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKIRQBFB2_M

Adam Harasiewicz plays Ballade No. 1 in G Minor Op. 23 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAsOmf3EWeI

Fou Ts'ong plays Mazurka in B-Flat Minor Op. 24 No. 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m81GFTfo3Fk

Vladimir Ashkenazy plays Scherzo No. 4 in E Major Op. 54 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olKoS6Q1AM4

Shura Cherkassky plays Polonaise-Fantasie in A-Flat Major Op. 61 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lzfx2n6iCI

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli plays Prelude in C-Sharp Minor Op. 45 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHbxF0SP8Bg

Chopin Mazurka Cycle Madness Part 3 Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Our third and final three episode covering complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc, along with significant releases featuring selections from the Mazurkas. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses:

Ignaz Friedman - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_-zrhZVF69NS5DXmagEMV6uoRw2X2SXU

Maryla Jonas plays Op. 17 No. 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF91sYFAamo

Guiomar Novaes plays Op. 59 No. 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z1zql-yv5Y

Youra Guller plays Op. 6 No. 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjjeQRVlfM

Vladimir Horowitz plays Op. 63 No. 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH7uie6_hRA

William Kapell plays Op. 41 No. 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuOxOAgG95Q

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli plays 10 Mazurkas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDz8DbgUV1Q

Klara Min plays Op. 56 No. 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAoVKDuQCRQ

Marjan Kiepura’s Mazurkas on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGfzkIOBVY&list=PLKkve0LtLL-XJCJrqq1qH74CFrTenXQUF

Pavel Kolesnikov plays Op. 50 No. 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfjn9Ll4eUk

Idil Biret plays Op. 56 No. 1 (not from her complete cycle, but this performance is special!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nIgUVlcf_Q

Jean-Marc Luisada Mazurka Cycle (DG) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiY09aR8nm8&list=PLJ0ZmvzszsR1I_DxuugLqQfclnB5UUyc2

Antonio Barbosa Lima Mazurka Cycle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYdYwk3Vjqg&list=PLQopr5raEipfPQXYanmfhTpHhPp9abuNZ

Garrick Ohlsson Plays Op. 59 No. 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jm0uwfoRgg

Chopin Mazurka Cycle Madness Part 2 Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

The second of three episodes covering complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc. Here are links to some of the recordings discussed:

Tatiana Shebanova plays Mazurkas Op. 17 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi6Q3XNRnXQ

Russell Sherman - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8019963--chopin-mazurkas-nos-1-51?srsltid=AfmBOoo7Sf4Gtm0gjjXPu8cjZzgEQwkrZl1ybRtCdsROO93NZaEE1yCZ

Alessandro Deljavan - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8700579--chopin-mazurkas

Joanna MacGregor - https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8315247--joanna-macgregor-plays-the-complete-chopin-mazurkas

Peter Jablonski - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j-3QI0RbLc&list=PLalhy4gc-IIKve9Z6Rzr4eje2cTvDp3PS

Bonus Episode - Bruce Liu & Yunchan Lim play Tchaikovsky's The Seasons Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

Whose new recording of Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons should you acquire?

Jed discusses two recent and rather diverse interpretations from Bruce Liu and Yunchan Lim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYdHjTYKfs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-bTQ0toQ4

Bonus Episode - Bruce Liu & Yuncham Lin play Tchaikovsky's The Seasons Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

Although we're focusing on Chopin this month, I've decided to offer a bonus episode comparing Bruce Liu and Yunchan Lim in their recent recordings of Tchaikovsky's The Seasons.

Yunchan Lim - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvMdJnTjJ1k

Bruce Liu - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYdHjTYKfs

Chopin Mazurka Cycle Madness Part 1 Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

This is the first of three episodes covering selected complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses in this episode

Arthur Rubinstein 1930s version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ092gZHB54

Excerpt from Nikita Magaloff’s Philips Mazurka recordings- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0cOqLE9l0

Excerpt from Nadia Reisenberg’s Westminter Mazurka recordings- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drnot1bqt4Y

Jan Ekier Cycle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4axX2Gy_Fm8&list=PL1gAgJIplj-mM-QawlQNdOv-sMB2UfP0T

Excerpts from Ryszard Bakst’s Muza/Westminster Mazurka cycle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC1_R6rFr-M

Vladimir Ashkenazy Cycle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Yhyt9XwAo&list=PLKq64tL0GeMFI4Pl7zmJhL7lNrld8kQok

Adam Harasiewicz Cycle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0na0rEmuYM&list=PLnnh5FPx2uWoV5vPXi55j6CIAITikHsdU

Excerpt from Fou Ts’ong’s Sony Mazurka cycle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_xSHt-B6Vc

Guilty Pleasures - Boris Berezovsky's Ravel Recital Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Warner Classics' box set edition of Boris Berezovsky's Teldec Studio Recordings oddly omitted his Ravel recital for that label. This disc has long been one of Jed's "guilty pleasures," as you will learn from this episode. Here's a link to find second-hand copies of this long out-of-print disc: https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/6924178

Consider a paid sunscription to The Piano Maven by clicking on this link: https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/.

Martin Jones' Debussy Cycle on Nimbus Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

Jed discusses Martin Jones' complete Debussy piano music cycle on Nimbus.

Link to recordings: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7961023--debussy-complete-piano-music?srsltid=AfmBOopkhy9q8dyyUowlAshDW8DXwGTyp91S-5Dqf2XRm72pz6TEF7KD

A Starter Guide to Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto Series Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

Want to get acquainted with Hyperion's Romantic Piano Series, but don't know where to begin? Jed selects five representative volumes to get you started.

Volume 42: Sinding and Alnaes Concertos - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67555

Volume 55: Widor Concertos and Fantasie - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67817

Volume 18: Marx and Korngold Concertos - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA66990

Volume 62: Gounod's Complete Works for Pedal Piano and Orchestra - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67975

Volume 49: Stenhammar Concertos 1 & 2 - https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67975

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