Maria Yudina专辑介绍：Recorded: 7.04.1961 (1-17); 30.06.1961 (18-51) by James Leonard That Maria Yudina was an artist is indisputable -- what kind of artist she was is debatable. In her 1961 recordings of Beethoven's "Eroica" and Diabelli Variations, Yudina is clearly a great pianist with an assertive tone, a propulsive sense of rhythm, and a superb if idiosyncratic technique, but, just as clearly, she's more than just a great pianist. Yudina hears things in Beethoven Variations that other players don't seem to hear. Beyond the wit, the whimsy, the energy, and the virtuosity, Yudina hears something deeper, wider, and more unfathomable, something, in Schopenhauer's formulation, that reaches for the eternal and the infinite. In her interpretations, one gets the sensation of more than musical content: one gets the sensation of emotional, philosophical, even spiritual development, of the themes as feelings, thoughts, or individuals growing through the music's vicissitudes toward the inevitable and transfiguring conclusion. All this may sound exceedingly unlikely, not to mention wildly farfetched, but in listening to Yudina's utterly unique interpretations, conventional criticism seems beside the point. For some, her approach may seem hopelessly self-indulgent. For others, her approach may seem absolutely awe-inspiring. The only way to know is to listen for yourself. One thing's for sure: whether it's musical, emotional, philosophical, or spiritual, it's hard to remain indifferent to Yudina's artistry. Vista Vera's remastered early '60s Russian sound is functional to the extent that one can more or less tell what Yudina is doing.