Monday, January 28, 2013

Antonio Barbosa: Chopin Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 & No. 3, Op. 58 (1970)

Connoisseur Society CS-2026

I always pick up any LP I see on the Connoisseur Society label. Their recordings were state of the art in their day, and some prefer them to modern recordings. This LP was a thrift shop find (99¢), and not especially well cared-for, but the recording quality makes up for the somewhat noisy surface.

From the American Record Guide (1971):
Some months ago I was moved to acclaim Barbosa's first recording (of the Chopin Op. 35 and 58 Sonatas) as the disc debut of an important new talent

From Records in Review (1972):
Barbosa finds something new and immensely stimulating to say about this music without resorting to time-worn cliches...

Note: The Ortofon X1-MCP cartridge is back from the shop. It was retipped with a nude elliptical stylus (it originally came with a bonded elliptical stylus). Starting with this post, all sample tracks will be digitized with the Ortofon again.

Chopin Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58, Largo