The Piano Maven with Jed Distler
Music
About
Your friendly podcast guide to piano recordings.
Episodes
- The 2025 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition Four-CD set
Jed Distler reviews a four-CD compilation of performances from the 2025 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition. The set includes recordings by competition winners and laureates, featuring works like Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 and Rachmanino…
- Backhaus' Beethoven Diabelli Variations Reconsidered
Jed Distler revisits Wilhelm Backhaus’ 1954 recording of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. The episode shares Jed's recent thoughts on this historical performance.
- Meloclassic's Monumental Walter Gieseking Edition
Jed Distler reviews Meloclassic’s Walter Gieseking Anniversary Edition, a large collection of the legendary pianist's broadcast and concert recordings, including previously unpublished items.
- Some Mozart "K. 488s" that I Missed!
Jed Distler revisits Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K. 488, discussing four listener-recommended recordings: Solomon, Grigory Sokolov, Zoltan Kocsis, and Eva Poblocka.
- Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 K. 488 on Disc
Jed Distler discusses recordings of Mozart
- Richter at Carnegie Hall, October 1960 - The Back Story
This episode of The Piano Maven focuses on Sviatoslav Richter’s 1960 Carnegie Hall recitals, his American debut. Jed Distler explores the recordings made during these concerts, which were released by Columbia Masterworks but soon went out…
- Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op. 14 No. 2 on disc
Jed Distler explores Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major Op. 14 No. 2, examining various available recordings by artists including Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Kempff, Alfred Brendel, and others.
- Maven Chat: Are "AI" recommendations trustworthy?
In this episode of The Piano Maven, Jed Distler explores whether Artificial Intelligence recommendations for piano recordings are trustworthy. He explains the nuances of why the answer is both yes and no.
- Warner's Maria Tipo Box
In this episode, Jed Distler reviews the Warner Classics box set featuring the complete EMI and Fonit Cetra recordings of pianist Maria Tipo. The discussion includes references to her performances of works by Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin.
- They Recorded THAT? - Pianists "Playing Against Type"
Jed Distler discusses pianists who record music outside their typical repertoire, highlighting examples such as Glenn Gould performing Chopin and Rudolf Serkin playing Chopin Etudes.
- Alicia de Larrocha's 1969 Columbia Ravel Disc
Jed Distler reviews Alicia de Larrocha's 1969 Columbia recording of Ravel's Alborada del grazioso and Valses nobles et sentimentales. This episode focuses on the hard-to-source Columbia disc, which has not been widely reissued on CD.
- Emil Gilels' Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 Reconsidered
Jed Distler discusses three recordings of Emil Gilels playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1: the 1955 performance with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony, the 1972 performance with Lorin Maazel and the New Philharmonia Orchestra, a…
- The Unique Cecil Taylor
This episode of The Piano Maven podcast features Jed Distler discussing the unique improvising pianist, composer, and bandleader Cecil Taylor (1929-2018). Several recommended recordings are provided.
- Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 K. 453 on Disc
Jed Distler on The Piano Maven podcast recommends recordings for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major K. 453, sharing links to various performances.
- Five Pianists - No Bad Recordings?
Jed Distler challenges listeners to name a pianist who has never made a bad recording. He proposes five pianists who might meet this high standard, providing links to examples of their work.
- Five Notable Mozart Pianists
Jed Distler explores the distinct performing styles of five pianists—Lili Kraus, Walter Gieseking, Robert Levin, Roberto Prosseda, and Mieczyslaw Horszowski—in their approaches to Mozart's keyboard compositions.
- Piotr Anderszewski's Late Brahms
Jed Distler reviews Piotr Anderszewski's Warner Classics album featuring late Brahms piano pieces. The episode explores comparative performances of several works, with links to specific recordings provided.
- Boris Giltburg's Ravishing Rachmaninov
Jed Distler discusses Boris Giltburg
- RIchard Strauss' Burleske on Disc
This episode of The Piano Maven features Jed Distler's discussion of Richard Strauss' Burleske. Distler covers various recordings, including those from the 78 and mono LP era, recent releases, and historical performances.
- From Deutsche Grammophon - Gallons of Gulda on 84 CDs
Jed Distler examines Deutsche Grammophon's 84-CD Friedrich Gulda Edition, featuring the pianist's complete recordings for Universal Music labels. The episode discusses Gulda's boundary-breaking career in both classical and jazz music and a…
- Morton Feldman's Triadic Memories
Jed Distler discusses different available recordings of Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories, noting the composer's centenary.
- Claudio Colombo Plays the Complete Piano Repertoire - Really?
Jed Distler explores the extensive recordings attributed to Claudio Colombo, questioning whether he has truly recorded the complete piano and harpsichord repertoire. The episode examines this claim and related recordings.
- Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor Op. 58 on Disc
This episode of The Piano Maven features Jed Distler
- The Chopin Etudes on Record (rebroadcast)
This episode is a rebroadcast of Episode 20, where host Jed Distler discusses complete recorded cycles of the Chopin Etudes. Links to a Gramophone survey and selected recordings are provided.
- A Deep Dive into Beethoven's Diabelli Variations (rebroadcast)
Jed Distler discusses fifteen favorite recordings of Beethoven
- Yunchan Lim's Goldberg Variations
This episode of The Piano Maven features Jed Distler discussing Yunchan Lim's performance of the Goldberg Variations. Several other recordings of the piece are also mentioned.
- Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus - four recordings
Jed Distler starts a multi-episode series on Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus, focusing on four recordings from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. The episode includes audio samples from recordings by Michel Béroff, Peter Serkin,…
- Three Recent Beethoven Piano Concerto Cycles Considered
Jed Distler reviews three recent recordings of the Five Beethoven Piano Concertos. The episode highlights specific movements from performances by Inon Barnatan (Concerto No. 1), Garrick Ohlsson (Concerto No. 5), and Haochen Zhang (Concerto…
- Krystian Zimerman's Schubert
Jed Distler explores Krystian Zimerman's Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Schubert's Piano Sonatas in A Major D. 959 and B-Flat Major D. 960. The episode includes links to selected movements.
- Ingrid Fliter's Chopin Mazurkas Volume 1
Jed Distler reviews Ingrid Fliter's Volume 1 of Chopin Mazurkas, available on the Outhere label. A link to Fliter's performance of the C Major Mazurka Op. 24 No. 2 is provided.
- Essential All-Liszt Recitals Part 1
This episode of The Piano Maven reviews seven distinct all-Liszt piano recitals. Recordings discussed include those by Claudio Arrau, Minoru Nojima, Sandrine Erdely-Sayo, Earl Wild, Arnaldo Cohen, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and Vladimir Ashkena…
- The Prague Piano Duo Plays Schubert
In this episode, Jed Distler reviews an all-Schubert album released by the Prague Piano Duo.
- Sviatoslav Richter's 1977 Salzburg Recital Revisited
Jed Distler reviews the 1977 Salzburg Festival recital by pianist Sviatoslav Richter, reissued by Orfeo. The episode discusses the recording and provides a link to the music.
- Chopin's Barcarolle on Disc
In this episode of The Piano Maven, host Jed Distler explores Chopin's Barcarolle, sharing recommendations for some of his most cherished recordings of the piece. The episode includes links to performances by notable pianists.
- A Vladimir Horowitz Sonata Collection from Sony/BMG
This episode discusses "Vladimir Horowitz Plays Great Sonatas," a ten-disc collection featuring the pianist's performances of sonatas from the Baroque era to mid-20th century. The music is drawn from his Columbia Masterworks and RCA Victor…
- Reviews in Retrospect - IPQ's critics pick the best of 1998
In this episode, Jed Distler revisits the Winter 1999 issue of International Piano Quarterly, where critics chose their best piano recordings of 1998 and requested reissues. The discussion explores whether these selections remain relevant…
- Cyprien Katsaris' Beethoven Odyssey
This episode reviews Cyprien Katsaris' Beethoven Odyssey, a six-CD collection of Beethoven's original piano pieces and unique solo piano transcriptions of other works, performed by Katsaris.
- Ripe for Reissue - Four Out-of-Print Piano Box Sets (rebroadcast of Season Two Episode 60)
Jed Distler highlights four out-of-print piano box sets that warrant reissuing: Milosz Magin plays Chopin, Annerose Schmidt plays Mozart's Complete Piano Concertos, France Clidat plays Liszt, and Raymond Trouard: Une vie pour le piano.
- Arrau at the Ambassador
Jed Distler reviews the Claudio Arrau: The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals, a 5-CD collection of previously unreleased piano performances from 1977, 1981, and 1986. More details are available on the First Hand Records website.
- Still Another Box Set Wish List
Jed Distler presents another list of ten desired piano box sets, mentioning pianists Gina Bachauer, Tamas Vasary, Rafael Orozco, Bruce Hungerford, Rudolf Firkusny, Sequeira Costas, and Cyprien Katsaris, along with 1950s American M-G-M pian…
- Rachmaninov Concertos Under the Radar
Jed Distler highlights overlooked recordings of Rachmaninov's Four Concertos and Paganini Rhapsody, emphasizing their value and interest. The episode provides links to specific performances by pianists Tamas Vasary, Julius Katchen, Mirka P…
- Thanksgiving Turkeys (rebroadcast)
This rebroadcast episode of The Piano Maven focuses on piano "turkeys," featuring recordings by Valery Afanassiev and Rita Bouboulidi, as discussed by Jed Distler.
- Volodos in Vienna
Jed Distler reviews Arcadi Volodos' 2009 Vienna Recital, released by Sony Classical. The episode highlights recordings of Scriabin's Prelude Op. 11 No. 16 and Liszt's Dante Sonata.
- Malcolm Frager and John Browning - two documentaries
The Piano Maven episode features Jed Distler recommending documentaries about American pianists Malcolm Frager and John Browning, including links to watch them.
- The Ideal Debussy Preludes Book 1 (One Pianist for Each Prelude)
Jed Distler selects twelve distinct pianists to perform Debussy's Preludes Book 1, offering listening and purchasing options for each piece.
- Jorge Bolet's Best Liszt Transcendental Etudes
Jed Distler reviews Jorge Bolet's performance of Liszt's Twelve Transcendental Etudes from an August 1964 Tanglewood recital.
- Paolo Bordoni's Complete Schubert Waltzes
Jed Distler recommends Paolo Bordoni's recording of all Schubert's solo piano Waltzes. The episode also includes a link to Bordoni's performance of Schubert's Sonata D. 840.
- Stanislav Knor plays Chopin's Four Scherzos
Jed Distler reviews Stanislav Knor's early 1960s recording of Chopin's Four Scherzos, providing links to listen to the performance.
- Six Chopin Nocturne Cycles (rebroadcast)
Jed Distler revisits earlier episodes of The Piano Maven, focusing on six recommended cycles of Chopin's complete Nocturnes. The episode includes relevant links to performances.
- Bach Guild's Big Chopin Box (rebroadcast)
Jed Distler evaluates Bach Guild's Big Chopin Box, a digital download set. A link to purchase the collection is provided.