Ingrid Fliter - Scottish Chamber Orchestra - Chopin: Piano Concertos - Classical Ear

I hadn't heard Ingrid Fliter until now. I've been missing something. Fliter's playing here gives me the sort of pleasure I get from Uchida and Pires. Hearing her play Chopin reminds me of hearing the very greatest interpreters of Bellini, for this is bel canto of the highest order, the kind of disciplined musicianship that permits total freedom. No pretty note-spinning here, no 'look-how-clever-I am' virtuosity. Fliter has the strength that allows her the utmost refinement, with phrasing that is not imposed but comes from the music itself. It is the sort of unselfish musicianship that makes this listener feel, 'Ah, so that's how it is.' I want to hear her in Mozart! Jun Märkl seems totally on Fliter's wavelength: a real meeting of minds. With the always excellent SCO, ex-EMI producer John Fraser in charge, and impeccable Linn sound in Edinburgh's Usher Hall, this should certainly be snapped up.