I fist became familar with the artistry of pianist Burkhard Schliessmann through his recording of Schumann's Kreisleriana. I was doing a 'marathon' review of all existing recordings of the Kreisleriana and picked up Schliesmann's performance on Bayer.
After spending many weeks on the dozens of versions I own, my conclusion was that Schliessmann's was the best modern recording on the market and rivals the wonderful interpretations from Gieseking, Moiseiwitsch, and Cortot. Actually, his playing reminds me greatly of these legendary pianists. Most compelling is Schliessmann's riveting portrayals of the Florestan and Eusebius figures and their interaction.
Since that time, I have scooped up the other Schliessmann recordings on Bayer and enjoyed them immensely. This includes his Chopin disc. I have read that his pauses create damage to the flow the musical arguments but find no such condition. Of course, the crucial aspect of pauses is whether they just constitute empty space or offer meaning. From my perspective, Schliessmann's pauses convey meaning, although some other listeners have reached a different conclusion.
In summary, I consider the Schliessmann/Chopin disc highly rewarding and quite distinctive. This does not surprise me in that every Schliessmann disc I have heard is not in the mainstream. Schliessmann takes risks, and that's all to the good (particularly for those very intimate with the music). He is an exceptional pianist among the best of the current crop, and his Chopin disc is preferred to the new one from Hough on Hyperion, and the ones from Perahia and Kissin.
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