Just wondering if anyone's heard him playing and what you think? I really like his Chopin.

I enjoy some of his playing very much, and some a bit less. It isn't terrifically surprising that he was unanimously/no second prize awarded the first prize at the Chopin in 2005: exceptional facilty, clean sound, and natural sense of timing. Where I disagree with him is also one of his almost unique qualities: articulation. His playing has a micro-articulate quality that I sometimes find distracting, unnecessary, and with a requisite lack of warmth (depending in the instrument an acoustic).

This is exemplified in the video of excerpts from his Sonatas album - the Mozart is almost brittle.

His phrasing and zal are often superlative, however, and that atones for a number of his sins.

His scales are very unique sounding. I like them a lot. I find him a little bit predictable and boring at times but he never makes any glaringly bad choices. Overall I think he is exceptionally good and I would see him in concert if I could.

There is a reason Blechacz was judged peerless during the 2005 International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition. Contestants from different countries came in droves, but only he was able to perfectly capture Chopin's spirit in his interpretations (I don't know if it helped that they were both Poles). Some even claim that Blechacz is actually Chopin's reincarnation! I LOLed at the idea (though no one can deny their uncanny resemblance).

I couldn't say the same for his Beethoven, though... but you gotta love his Chopin!

He's playing in San Francisco on April 21. Here's his program:

BACH Partita No. 3 in A minor
BEETHOVEN Sonata in D Major, Op. 10 No. 3
CHOPIN Nocturne in A-flat Major, Op. 32 No. 2
CHOPIN Polonaise in A Major, Op. 40 No. 1
CHOPIN Polonaise in C minor, Op. 40 No. 2
CHOPIN Two Mazurkas, Op. 63
CHOPIN Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
SZYMANOWSKI Sonata No. 1

Regardless of his playing, what a wonderful program!

I heard a lot of excitement behind his recording of the preludes, I listened, but did not get not really get into them. Though, he did a live recording, and I listened to that, totally blew me away, especially his playing of Szymanowski's B minor Varations.