Pianistic interpretation is the source of endless discussion and dispute. How a work for the piano is played and why is it played that way are valid questions. Whose is the best interpretation of any given piano piece is not.
A musical interpretation must be convincing to a listener, but the listener in turn must be able to hear the music through a marriage of the composer's intentions and the pianist's interpretation of those intentions. A great many of these marriages seem to have been made in heaven. For those who can appreciate the treasures to be found in the differing interpretations among great pianists, comparing them can be a source of seemingly endless joy.
These differences range from an exquisitely turned phrase to a radically new conception of an entire work. Every new discovery of an interpretation that is convincingly different can be like falling in love with the work all over again.
Clicking on each of the following links will take you to a page containing a number of fine performances of each piece by different pianists. In some cases you will find more than one performance by the same pianist. Whether you listen to the entire recording of each piece before going on to the next or concentrate on comparing favorite passages is up to you. Each method of comparing performances bears different gifts.
