A real bargain: great sound, and performances from Kostelane
Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 09/27/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Chopin's Greatest Hits" may be a misnomer, as he wrote so many "hits" it would be hard to find which were the greatest, or most popular. But this disc is most enjoyable, if not to everyone's taste.
You may know nearly all Chopin's compositions are for piano solo, except the 2 Piano Concertos and several works for Piano and Orchestra. Chopin did not write a symphony, overtures to plays, or concertos other than for piano. But some of Chopin's piano pieces have been arranged for orchestra, as most of the tracks of this disc: such as the Polonaise in A Major, "Military Polonaise", here performed by Andre Kostelanetz and the New York Philharmonic. The Ormandy tracks are all movements from the arrangement of Chopin's music for ballet, "Les Sylphides," and I suspect these were taken from that recording, available in a Sony "Essential Classics" release from the early 1990s. Chopin arranged for orchestra is effective, and entertaining, in my opinion, but I like Bach and Handel works played by a full symphony orchestra: exciting, but not "authentic" in a Puritanical sense of the word.
The sound is full and rich, and easily the equal of many DDD recordings being made today. Ormandy/Philadelphia produced a gorgeous sound in the 1960s: something to behold: much to my liking.
Since someone has a copy to sell (as of the date of this review), for just $.01, $2.50 with shipping: what do you have to lose? For less than the cost of a fast food meal (and no stomach ache afterwards) you can try out some great performances of the late 1960s, and even if they aren't preferable, you aren't out much."