Wow, I didn't realize this was on here. I have it on cassette tape, recorded live off air on that evening, and it's still, 25+ years on, my favourite performance of this marvellous piece. I attended the first two rounds of the competition and vividly remember the impression Pizarro gave with his second-round performance of Liszt's Sonata. I predicted then that he would win ... So what's special about him here? He characterizes each passage so vividly, and he's not afraid to be light and delicate, even humorous, when it's appropriate. It's essentially a lyrical rather than a barnstorming (like so many) performance, but Pizarro also brings out the dark and passionate side of the piece (witness his choice of the 'big' cadenza rather than the more lyrical one). His playing is truly kaleidoscopic. And, of course, Rattle and the CBSO are with him in every detail (in fact, we hear orchestral details normally obscured). The main theme of the first movement can sound almost trivial; not here. Somehow Pizarro invests it (or should I say inflects it) with latent meaning and power. In fact, every note has meaning; nothing is reduced to mere pianism, as so often. Truly a classic performance. Many thanks for posting!
