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The Piano Maven with Jed Distler

Jed Distler

Your friendly podcast guide to piano recordings.

music music commentary

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13:49

Thanksgiving Turkeys (rebroadcast)

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/27

By request, a rebroadcast of 2024's Thanksgiving "Turkeys" episode! Here are some genuine piano "turkeys" to consider, or perhaps to avoid, with links below:For Valery Afanassiev's Beethoven, check out Victor Carr, Jr.'s review: https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-11451/. For commentary about Rita Bouboulidi's Beethoven Sonata cycle, visit this link: https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=23626.0

6:05

Volodos in Vienna

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/24

Jed discusses Arcadi Volodos' 2009 Vienna Recital released by Sony Classical, one of this pianist's finest recordings:Excerpts:Scriabin Prelude Op. 11 No. 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m0hFO3yvyALiszt Dante Sonata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZYJvX8Ruck

6:02

Malcolm Frager and John Browning - two documentaries

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/20

Jed recommends documentaries about legendary American pianists Malcolm Frager and John Browning. Link to watch Malcolm Frager: American Pianist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q-cx_lJNWcLink to watch Memories of John Browning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_tqt112TlE

19:53

The Ideal Debussy Preludes Book 1 (One Pianist for...

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/17

Jed recommends individual recordings for each one of Debussy's twelve Preludes Book I, picking twelve pianists without repeating a pianist. Here are links to listen to, to download, to stream or to purchase these performances:No. 1 Catherine Kautsky - https://music.apple.com/us/album/debussy-pr%C3%A9ludes-for-piano/905973751No. 2 Philippe Cassard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHIwKlPewVgNo. 3 Alfred Cortot – (1931 recording) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZVy_6T86bINo 4 Catherine Collard -

6:23

Jorge Bolet's Best Liszt Transcendental Etudes

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/13

Jed discusses Jorge Bolet's August 4th 1964 Tangelwood recital, which featured a stunning performance of Liszt's Twelve Transcendental Etudes. Here's a link to hear the recital:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvJo1ciAq3M&t=2021sConsider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven

4:39

Paolo Bordoni's Complete Schubert Waltzes

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/10

Jed recommends Paolo Bordoni's delightful survey of each and every Waltz that Schubert composed for solo piano, once available from EMIHere's a link to the pianist's rare EMI recording of Schubert's "Unfinished" Sonata in C Major D. 840:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bXlwC8Lf68

8:13

Stanislav Knor plays Chopin's Four Scherzos

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/06

Jed discusses Czech pianist Stanislav Knor (1929-1984) and his early 1960s recording of the Chopin Scherzos, available to download here:https://archive.org/details/fbgsfAnd here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdSRZ_yOL7E&t=1890s

19:22

Six Chopin Nocturne Cycles (rebroadcast)

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/11/03

We continue rebroadcasting earlier Chopin-centered episodes of The Piano Maven with Jed Distler, this time with six recommended cycles of the complete Nocturnes.Here are some relevant links:Jan Smeterlin Op. 48 No. 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lssPl98jDkMoura Lympany link: https://www.classicstoday.com/review/sublime-sounds-sacred-space/Stephen Hough link to Hyperion video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqD7AHQAKykIvan Moravec plays Chopin Op. 48 No. 1:

16:33

Bach Guild's Big Chopin Box (rebroadcast)

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/30

Continuing our rebroadcasts of selected Piano Maven episodes centered around Chopin, here's Jed's evaluation of a genuine download bargain.Here's a link to purchase and download Bach Guild’s Big Chopin Box here: https://www.classicselectworld.com/products/big-chopin-box-7-hour-digital-download-boxed-set?_pos=1&_sid=598a0a1ad&_ss=rConsider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/..., which you also can access by

10:47

Eric Lu in Leipzig (rebroadcast)

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/27

To mark Eric Lu’s first prize victory in the 19th Warsaw International Chopin Competition, I’m offering a rebroadcast of my episode about the pianist’s July 2nd 2022 recital in Leipzig, which included Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 – here’s a link to listen:https://archive.org/details/3_20240904_20240904_1534 And here's a link to purchase his Warner solo debut CD –https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8732850--chopin-preludes-op-28-schumann-ghost-variationsConsider making a donation to The

8:49

The Chopin Mazurkas with Arthur Rubinstein (rebroadcast)

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/23

As we decompress from the 19th International Chopin Competition, my 100th episode in this second season of The Piano Maven podcast rebroadcast will be a repeat of the 2024 episode where I compare Arthur Rubinstein's three integral edition of the Chopin Mazurkas.Here are download links for all three cycles: 1. https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8079160--rubinstein-collection-vol-6-chopin-mazurkas-scherzos; 2.

20:10

The Ideal Major Chopin Piano Works

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/21

On this episode, Jed offers a list of both historic and modern recommendations for each major Chopin work or cycle of works, without repeating a pianist.Here are selected links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses:Poloniases – Maurizio Pollini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-OK5a1h07s&list=PLC3ZgwGAh0c9yect11lXvWOIhHs8vRjUOPoloniase Op. 26 No. 1 - Arthur Rubinstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVaLArwr80Etudes – Paul Badura-Skoda:

11:59

Live From Warsaw

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/16

Jed Distler is in Warsaw as official Gramophone blogger for the 19th International Chopin Competition, as well as hosting a daily video "Chopin Report" Here are links to five performances that Jed considers special:Yanyan Boa - Ballade No. 4 in F Minor Op. 52 (at 37:21, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjQQa0YtGq0)Pedro Lopez Salas - Nocturne in E Major Op. 62 No. 2 (at 00:02, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ0ZwM7Hz4Y&t=1151s)Kevin Chen - Etudes Op. 10 (at 15:14,

31:03

Deutsche Grammophon's Chopin Masters Edition

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/13

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomavenTying in with Jed's live onsite coverage of the 19th Warsaw International Piano Competition this month, all of October's episodes are devoted to recordings of Chopin's music. On this episode, Jed discusses Deutsche Grammophon's 2021 box set reissue The Chopin

23:42

Chopin Mazurka Cycle Madness Part 3

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/09

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomavenOur third and final three episode covering complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc, along with significant releases featuring selections from the Mazurkas. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses:Ignaz Friedman -

14:38

Chopin Mazurka Cycle Madness Part 2

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/06

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven The second of three episodes covering complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc. Here are links to some of the recordings discussed:Tatiana Shebanova plays Mazurkas Op. 17 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi6Q3XNRnXQRussell Sherman -

12:06

Bonus Episode - Bruce Liu & Yunchan Lim play...

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/03

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomavenWhose new recording of Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons should you acquire?Jed discusses two recent and rather diverse interpretations from Bruce Liu and Yunchan Lim.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYdHjTYKfshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-bTQ0toQ4

12:06

Bonus Episode - Bruce Liu & Yuncham Lin play...

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/03

Although we're focusing on Chopin this month, I've decided to offer a bonus episode comparing Bruce Liu and Yunchan Lim in their recent recordings of Tchaikovsky's The Seasons.Yunchan Lim - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvMdJnTjJ1kBruce Liu - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYdHjTYKfs

20:17

Chopin Mazurka Cycle Madness Part 1

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/10/01

Consider making a donation to The Piano Maven podcast by subscribing to our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomavenThis is the first of three episodes covering selected complete Chopin Mazurka Cycles on disc. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed discusses in this episodeArthur Rubinstein 1930s version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ092gZHB54Excerpt from Nikita

7:36

Guilty Pleasures - Boris Berezovsky's Ravel Recital

The Piano Maven with Jed Distler ·

2025/09/29

Warner Classics' box set edition of Boris Berezovsky's Teldec Studio Recordings oddly omitted his Ravel recital for that label. This disc has long been one of Jed's "guilty pleasures," as you will learn from this episode. Here's a link to find second-hand copies of this long out-of-print disc: https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/6924178Consider a paid sunscription to The Piano Maven by clicking on this link: https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/.

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