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In a 1998 interview Uchida(a pianist I have heard live many times and admire greatly)said: "There are two kinds of pianists-those who play Chopin and those who play Liszt. I play Chopin."

Of course there were some who played neither with any frequency-Schnabel,Gould,P.Serkin etc.
But what I'm really interested in is your thoughts about what Uchida meant in her quote. (I have my own idea but do not want to influence anyone yet by giving it)

Thank you!

Interesting quote. Not sure if I agree, but I think I know what she meant. I'll see if I can put it into words.

Wow..In my highly uneducated opinion, I think Uchida meant her type of virtuosity is suited for the virtous music of Chopin rather than the virtuosic music of Liszt.

Not to say that the latter's music is empty. I don't think anyone who plays the b-minor sonata or the late, foreward-thinking Nuages Gris feels that the music is subservient to virtuosity

kasa

THAT is an interesting quote.

I'm not quite sure what it means though...but it IS intriguing.

I heard Fleisher say at a master class something like, "Some pianists have to decide whether to play all Chopin, or no Chopin."

Such dualities are good fun and indeed sound intriguing, but I don't how meaningful they really are.

Are you a cat person or a dog person?
Are you (as they used to say in Russia) a Dostoyeskian or a Tolstoyan?

I'd say that the Chopin players are more specialized in the way Chopin is played, and the Liszt players are more specialized in the way Liszt is played. For example, I think Mozart falls under the Chopin category, and Wagner under the Liszt. Chopin players give preference to everything before and including Chopin, Mozart and Schubert are probably quite frequently played by them. Liszt players play a lot of Liszt, and most repetoire after it. Chopin players prefer the virtuosity of the fine, clear melodies and runs, while most Liszt players prefer enormous chords played ff and technically nearly impossible pieces to play.

That's how I see it.

Pardon the horrid generalizations, but Chopin is all waltzes and refinement, and Liszt is all drama and fury. Now, we know Chopin has his fury (Etudes & Scherzos and other various pieces) and Liszt his refinement (Feux Follets, Polonaise, Au Bord d'un source, etc.)

I think that both are great, with Chopin being more direct communication and Liszt channeling through yourself a message from someone else.

Sounds to me like she was attempting a pompous Busoni-ism. "I play Chopin". Please. Well, Mitsuko, if you're content with your limitations in understanding, that's your decision, honey. Don't try to blanket the rest of the world with them.

My take on the Uchida quote is quite different from everyone else. I have heard her live around five times and everyone of her programs features what I would call the most serious repertoire only. Typically she ends with a piece like Schubert D major Sonata, Schumann Davidsbundler, Beethoven Op.111 to name three I can recall.

I think she feels that Chopin is a much greater composer than Liszt and she is saying that she just prefers to play the composers that are for the greatest of the great. I think her repertoire is mostly Mozart, Schumann ,Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy. She probably plays very little Liszt and Rachmaninoff because she feels they are not quite in the league of the other composers.

I agree that Uchida is a very serious musician, but so was Arrau, and he played a lot of Liszt (as well as Chopin). In fact, he played them both as if they were Beethoven, but that's another story.

I think Chopin and Liszt are much more different temperementally and pianistically than is often thought. I'm not sure that pianists can only be Liszt pianists or Chopin pianists though.

Incidentally, I wonder what Liszt's Chopin playing was like.

WHen he wasn't transforming it into a bravura piece, it was very touching and depending on the piece, probably brought tears to people's eyes.

Some guy who visited the old Liszt wanted to hear him play Chopin, because, as he explained, Liszt's Chopin was so famous. And so Liszt played Chopin, and the guy was pleased (an understatement, by the way).

As for Liszt's being inferior to Debussy: utterly ridiculous! to Chopin: not according to Arrau! to Schumann: uh, what?! as a piano composer to Beethoven, Mozart, or Schubert: not really. Well, Beethoven's piano music might be above Liszt's. That I could buy if sold to me with very little expenditure of my money and by a stunningly beautiful female somebody. But B's piano music is still a bit cubic, as Horowitz would have said, whereas Liszt's isn't.

To appreciate Liszt you need to have a soul.

my teacher said Liszt was as great a music innovator as Beethoven was in his time. he told me that a lot of Liszt's music has not been explored yet, except the roughly 20% of his compositions. he really likes Liszt (and plays his Mezzepa also) although he's not specialized in playing Liszt. he said that most pianists don't know how to play Liszt's music as music, even some conservatory/music school teachers in US. i know little about Liszt to agree or not to agree with my teacher though...

Chopin: I should like to steal Liszt's way of playing my own Etudes.