The best introduction to Chopin
hjonkers | The Netherlands | 10/05/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"These two discs were some of my first recordings and I have never regretted buying them. They offer a broad overview of Chopin's most important piano works. From the light-fast 'Grande Valse' to the dark and ominous fourth Ballade; from the dream-like Barcarolle to the Heroic Polonaise: all is inside. Philips has assembled all of its big cannons (Claudio rrau, Zoltan Kocsis, Stephen Kovacevich, Rafael Orozco and many more), so the final product has become a meeting of giants. All eight pianists are performing at their very best. Most impressing were ALL performances by Stephen Kovacevich (a fantastic Barcarolle!), and on the other hand the virtuoso Waltzes by Zoltan Kocsis. The impromptus by Bella Davidovich are gracious, gentle pieces, and Nikita Magaloff's Etudes and Preludes sound as ferocious (or calm) as they should be. As I said, there are no really weak points. The coda of Claudio Arrau's fourth Ballade could have been somewhat more ordened, but this is a minor thing. It is a real shame that this set has been so underrated, when compared with Ashkenazy's best-selling 'favourite Chopin' set. I found this Philips set overall the best of the two. The fact that there are eight pianists included here offers a more 'mixed' sound than Ashkenazy's solo set has. Go for it!"
A fresh recording
darreen | Berkeley, CA | 06/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this album basically as a bargain of Kovacevich's Chopin performance. It made me so curious since he once said, he's got a little bit afraid of playing so, like other music of the Romanticism. While it terms out to be wired that he said so -- Kovacevich's got some extraordinary records here. Barcarolle, one of the most beautiful pieces of Chopin, terms out to be almost an impressionistic dream here, so do the two Nocturnes. What you'd always expect from Kovacevich, accuracy, elegance and transparency are still here, and there's the mellifluence. His performance's always magic... kind of ability that makes one indulged. Of course, we always get to know Chopin from Rubinstein, Arrau, Horowitz, ... those great and immortal recordings. While for some dreams, listen to Kovacevich."