Chopin: Polonaises; Andante Spianato; Minor Works [Box set]

On this CD:

1. Polonaise for piano in C sharp minor, Op. 26/1, CT 150
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Maurizio Pollini

2. Polonaise for piano in E flat minor, Op. 26/2, CT 151
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Maurizio Pollini

3. Polonaise for piano in A major, Op. 40/1, CT 152
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Maurizio Pollini

4. Polonaise for piano in C minor, Op. 40/2, CT 153
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Maurizio Pollini

5. Polonaise for piano in F sharp minor, Op. 44, CT 154
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Maurizio Pollini

6. Polonaise for piano in A flat major, Op. 53, CT 155
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Maurizio Pollini

7. Polonaise-fantasy for piano in A flat major, Op. 61, CT 156
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Maurizio Pollini

8. Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise for piano, Op. 22.
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Martha Argerich

9. Polonaise for piano in D minor, Op. 71/1, CT 157
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

10. Polonaise for piano in B flat major, Op. 71/2, CT 158
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

11. Polonaise for piano in F minor, Op. 71/3, CT 159
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

12. Polonaise for piano in B flat minor, KK IVa/5, CT 164
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

13. Polonaise for piano in G flat major, KK IV/a8, CT 165
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

14. Polonaise for piano G minor, KK IIa/1, CT 161
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

15. Polonaise for piano in B flat major, KKa/1, CT 160
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

16. Polonaise for piano in A flat major, KK IVa/2
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

17. Polonaise for piano in G sharp minor, KK IVa/3, CT 157
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

18. Bourrée for piano No. 1 in G minor (arr.), KK VIIb/1
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

19. Bourrée for piano No. 2 in A major (arr.), KK VIIb/2
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin

20. Galopp for piano in A flat major, KK IVc/13
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

21. Moderato for piano in E major, KK IVb/12, CT 107
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

22. Cantabile for piano in B flat major, KK IVb/6, CT 9
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

23. Fugue for piano in A minor, KK IVc/2
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

24. Largo for piano in E flat major, KK IVb/5, CT 49
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Anatol Ugorski

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1 In E minor, Op. 11: Allegro maestoso risoluto
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E minor, Op. 11: Romanze (Larghetto) -
Piano Concerto No. 1 In E minor, Op. 11: Rondo vivace
Piano Concerto No. 2 In F minor, Op. 21: Maestoso
Piano Concerto No. 2 In F minor, Op. 21: Larghetto
Piano Concerto No. 2 In F minor, Op. 21: Allegro vivace
Waltz In C Sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2
Nocturne No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 9 No. 1
Nocturne No. 2 In E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2
Nocturne No. 3 In B Major, Op. 9 No. 3

Tracks:

Nocturne No. 4 In F Major, Op. 15 No. 1
Nocturne No. 5 In F Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2
Nocturne No. 6 In G Minor, Op. 15 No. 3
Nocturne No. 7 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 1
Nocturne No. 8 In D Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2
Nocturne No. 9 In B Major, Op. 32 No. 1
Nocturne No. 10 In A Flat Major, Op. 32 No. 2
Nocturne No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 37 No. 1
Nocturne No. 12 In G Major, Op. 37 No. 2
Nocturne No. 13 In C Minor, Op. 48 No. 1
Nocturne No. 14 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 48 No. 2
Nocturne No. 15 In F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1
Nocturne No. 16 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 2
Nocturne No. 17 In B Major, Op. 62 No. 1
Nocturne No. 18 In E Major, Op. 62 No. 2
Nocturne No. 19 In E Minor, Op. 71 No. 1 (posth.)

Tracks:

Waltz In A-Flat Major, Op. 34, No. 1
Mazurka In F-Sharp Minor, Op. 6, No.1
Mazurka In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 6, No.2
Mazurka In E-Major, Op. 6, No.3
Mazurka In E-Flat Major, Op.6, No.4
Mazurka In B-Flat Major, Op. 7, No. 1
Mazurka In A-Minor, Op. 7, No.2
Mazurka In F-Minor, Op. 7, No. 3
Mazurka In A-Flat Major, Op. 7, No.4
Mazurka In C-Major, Op. 7, No. 5
Mazurka In B-Flat Major, Op. 17, No.1
Mazurka In E-Minor, Op. 17, No. 2
Mazurka In A-Flat Major, Op. 17, No. 3
Mazurka In A-Minor, Op. 17, No. 4
Mazurka In G-Minor, Op. 24, No. 1
Mazurka In C-Major, Op. 24, No. 2
Mazurka In A-Flat Major, Op. 24, No. 3
Mazurka In B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4
Mazurka In C-Minor, Op. 30, No. 1
Mazurka In B-Minor, Op. 30, No. 2
Mazurka In D-Flat Major, Op. 30, No. 3
Mazurka In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 30, No. 4
Mazurka In G-Sharp Minor, Op. 33, No. 1
Mazurka In D-Major, Op. 33, No. 2
Mazurka In C-Minor, Op. 33, No. 3
Mazurka In B-Minor, Op. 33, No. 4
Mazurka In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 41, No. 1
Mazurka In E-Minor, Op. 41, No. 2
Mazurka In B-Major, Op. 41, No. 3
Mazurka In A-Flat Major, Op. 42, No. 4
Mazurka In G-Major, Op. 50, No. 1
Mazurka In A-Flat Major, Op. 50, No. 2
Mazurka In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 50, No. 3

Tracks:

Mazurka In B-Major, Op. 56, No. 1
Mazurka In C-Major, Op. 56, No. 2
Mazurka In C-Minor, Op. 56, No. 3
Mazurka In A-Minor, Op. 59, No. 1
Mazurka In A-Flat Major, Op. 56, No. 2
Mazurka In F-Sharp Minor, Op. 56, No. 3
Mazurka In B-Major, Op. 63, No. 1
Mazurka In F-Minor, Op. 63, No. 2
Mazurka In C-Sharp minor, Op. 63, No. 3
Mazurka In G-Major, Op. 67, No. 1
Mazurka In G-Minor, Op. 67, No. 2
Mazurka In C-Major, Op. 67, No. 3
Mazurka In A-Minor, Op. 67, No. 4
Mazurka In C-Major, Op. 68, No. 1
Mazurka In A-Minor, Op. 68, No. 2
Mazurka In F-Major, Op. 68, No. 3
Mazurka In F-Monor, Op. 68, No. 4
Mazurka In A-Minor, Op. Posth. (A son ami Emile Gaillard)
Mazurka In A-Minor, Op. posth. (Notre temps)
Scherzi In B-Minor, Op. 20
Scherzi In B-Flat Minor, Op. 31
Scherzi In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39
Scherzi In E-Major, Op. 54

Tracks:

Barcaolle In F-Sharp Major, Op. 60
Berseuse In D-Flar Major
Polonaise In C-Sharp Major, Op. 26, No. 1
Polonaise In E-Flat Major, Op. 26, No.2
Polonaise In A-Major, Op. 40, No. 1
Polonaise In C-Minor, Op. 40, No. 2
Polonaise In F-Sharp Major, Op. 44
Polonaise In A-Flat Major, Op. 53 (Heroic)
Polonaise In A-Flat Major, Op. 61 (Polonaise-Fantaisie)
Andante splanato & polonaise brillante In E-Flat Major, Op. 22

Customer Reviews:

THE GREATEST OF CHOPIN PIANISTS.......2007-03-01

These are the earlier discs of Rubinstein's Chopin, recorded by HMV in London during the 1930's. It is less complete than his later recordings for RCA - no Sonatas, no Ballades, no Etudes. The sound is naturally of its time - but in many ways more natural than the sharply-lit, slightly edgy piano sound RCA favoured in the 50's and 60's. Nevertheless, these are the Chopin performances I return to most.

Rubinstein's natural affinity with Chopin is legendary. He seemed always able to capture precisely the right degree of rubato at exactly the right moment in these pieces. And he had a unique ability in his countryman's music to balance the lyrical with the impassioned, what seems completely spontaneous with what is clearly deeply considered. The Nocturnes here are, I think, the best you'll hear anywhere on disc. In the greatest of them - the Opp.37 & 48 sets, for example - Rubinstein gets the contrast between the dreamy nocturnal outer sections with the darker, more impassioned central sections just right. These are not salon miniatures in his hands but big works, if not in length then in content. And no-one can match Rubinstein in the elusive diversity of this complete set of Mazurkas. The two Concerti both have Barbirolli as the sympathetic conductor, following Rubinstein's lead in the ebb and flow of phrases and whole sections of these gorgeous and often maligned works. Interestingly the recording of Concerto No.2 (actually the first composed) dates from before the pianist's famous withdrawal from public performance to reconstruct his technique and his approach, that of Concerto No.1 from after. Perhaps one can detect a touch more maturity and refinement in his approach to the latter, but they are both ravishing performances.

Many of the performances on these 5 discs are the greatest Chopin you're likely to hear. And the ear soon adjusts to the somewhat old-fashioned recorded piano sound. This is a highly desirable set for any lover of Chopin and/or great piano playing.

The greatest interpretation.......2007-02-17

The interpretation is stunning. Mono - but no matter for solo piano - and a wee bit hissy but still quite superb.

Not such a great album.......2007-01-12

This album was recorded from records as you can hear the scratches and skips. Don't recommend it!

Love it........2006-06-22

This is my favorite album. I think that not even Rubinstein's later recordings attain this quality of musical involvment.

There is a fair amount of background noise, but the music helps to forget it rather quickly overall.

RECORDING QUALITY IS A FACTOR.......2005-02-10

Otherwise, I would have given 5 stars. The fact that these have a hiss (and you can practically hear him close the piano on several numbers) should be mentioned. I guess we are spoiled to audio quality, but this is an expensive collection and this fact was glaringly omitted. That said, I have enjoyed the recordings, in spite of the very audible hiss.

Poland (Box Set) - Chopin Polonaises and Mazurkas

Average customer rating:

Poland (Box Set) - Chopin Polonaises and Mazurkas

Manufacturer: Opus 111
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00001NTKE
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Amazon.com

These 1991 recordings feature the Polish pianist Janusz Olejniczak, a Chopin specialist. He plays with sensitivity and a genuine affinity for Chopin's nationalistic idioms, but his rhythm often lacks backbone and incisiveness. One misses the proud swagger and lilting, concentrated sense of line needed to make these works truly take wing. While Olejniczak's rubatos and agogic adjustments are never extreme or mannered, they tend to obscure rather than fortify the music's heartbeat. Arthur Rubinstein's red-blooded eloquence in this repertoire still reigns supreme. --Jed Distler