Amazing Solo Piano Recordings

I have the Beethoven & Schuberet sonatas by Kempff on DG and I am happy with both. (the Beethoven is the stereo version)

I'd like to second (or third) the recommendations of Nojima Plays Liszt and Nojima Plays Ravel on Reference Recordings, and add one more: Claudio Arrau playing the Liszt Transcendental Etudes on Philips. These are analog recordings (made 1974-76), very close up, exceptionally vivid and immediate. You feel like your head is about three feet away from the piano's sounding board. The first item, Prelude, only 1:05 long, is quite spectacular and wide-ranging and will tell you right away whether or not you like this kind of very close up piano sound. I do.

Who can play Chopin like Rubinstein?

For some contemporary artists, try Windham Hills Piano Sampler II. Awesome.

Hello Cpdunn,

for DG it isn't bad at all. very balanced and enjoyable. yes... tape hiss is slightly audible, but the performances and recordings in general are very listenable. I can't say that I know of a more enjoyable schumann set- of course there are the Gieseking records (his davidsbundlertanze and kinderscenen in particular are arguably more lucid and have more sweep) and then there is the Cortot footage from the "great pianists" dvd playing "the Prophet" from kinderscenen which is probably for me the most transcendental, ultimate piano art example IMHO, in a masterclass of all places.
You won't regret getting the Kempff set.