Reviews (11)

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works
An excellent complilation of Chopin works which includes 3 of the pieces I am currently learning. Definitely has encouraged me to improve my piano skills and allow me to better appreciate his style of music.

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works (London 2 CD)
Beautifully done 2 CD of Chopin works.I've played it every weekend since I got it, loving every track.It's well performed and recorded, and is an excellent collection for anyone interested in Chopin or his adopted homeland of Poland.And, of course, you can't often go wrong with the London Label.

chopins Mazurkas
this is a wonderful collection of the mazurkas but Ashkenazy plays a lot of them too fast my music teacher played these with more pathos he seems like he cant get done fast enough with some of them some introductions should be slower with more feeling otherwise all the mazurkas i wanted are in this disc just wish i had gotbetter artist like Claude Arrau ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Barcarollefor Keyboard    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Classical Music    7. Etude for Keyboard    8. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    9. Keyboard    10. Mazurka for Keyboard    11. Nocturne for Keyboard    12. Polonaise for Keyboard    13. Prelude for Keyboard    14. Scherzo for Keyboard    15. Waltz for Keyboard   

Reviews (7)

Fine picture of prodigality
Helene Grimaud is one of a number of very fine French pianists to emerge recently, and she has been quite productive so far in her short career.Her recent CDs have been critized for a lack of depth, but she has a certain powerful quality to her which can be quite engaging, and this is already evident in this, her debut recording.This disc was recorded at the age of 17, shortly after she won the First Prize at the conservatory of Aix-en-Provence.In spite of her youth, this is already playing of a high level, displaying an unusual level of understanding and maturity for one so young.It is not perfect, though.
Superb
First of all, Grimaud was only 16(!) when she recorded this, not 18 as was stated elsewhere.Taking that into account, makes the playing heard on this disc all the more imrpessive.The denon sound is flawless, and you can hear every note played cleanly and without any fear:very stunning technique.My favorite is the Chopain balalde on this disc, played extraordinarly well by Grimaud:passionate and fiery.I;m not realy a fan of the schumann, so I can't say much for that.the lizt is really diabolical, and isn't my fabvorite music to listen to, but Grimaud's performance of it seems to be a force to reckon with.Remember:she was only 16 when she recorded this, but she plays like a master on this disc.

Very good performance!
Miss Grimaud played the three pieces here very well, especially the Chopin. I like her early recordings at Denon when she was young and full of energy. This label seems to have given up its classical department and therefore Miss Grimaud's early discs are worth collecting. Congratulation to her having joined a bigger label recently. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Classical    3. Classical Artists    4. Classical Music    5. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    6. Keyboard    7. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    8. Suite/Partita for Keyboard   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (9)

A little rushed sometimes, but beautiful
To be honest, I can't really figure out how much I like Katchen's performance. It's hard to gauge because Brahms's piano music is inherently exceptional played by just about any performer.
Radiant and inspired recordings
If there is a more effervescent , idiomatic , innovative and resplendently performance of the Handel Variations , I have not heard it . Katchen emphasizes with colossal scrupulosity the wide doe and the diversity spectre of the orchestral instruments . You must marvel at the technical equipment of Katchen playing .
Simply Amazing
This recording is definitive. Brahms is known to be passionate, loud, and temperamental like Beethoven. Thus, the piano playing required would have to be as such. Katchen makes full use of the range of the piano, never subduing any bass note, but rather, amplifies it. Furthermore, you don't get the over-romanticized and muddy texture of Evgeny Kissin. It is crisp, powerful, direct, and highly artistic. Truly passionate and other-worldly. But loud passion is not the only thing here; my opinion of Brahms is that his orchestral works are his best, that is, the symphonies and concertos. Yet, his intermezzi are perhaps one of the best compositions for the piano, and Katchen plays with the most careful detail to each and every nuance and phrasing for these gentle, often tragic pieces. Definetly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Classical Music    7. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    8. Intermezzo for Keyboard    9. Keyboard    10. Keyboard Work Entitled "Piece" or "Stück"    11. Music for Four Hands at One Keyboard    12. Rhapsody for Keyboard    13. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    14. Romantic Variations for Keyboard    15. Scherzo for Keyboard    16. Variations for Keyboard   

Features

• Hybrid SACD

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Keyboard    6. Scherzo for Keyboard   

Reviews (5)

An academic exercise well worth studying
Upon first listen, you might think that "Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century" is wrongly named.These works were composed by 14th Century composers, such as Machaut and Landini, and several songs appear as vocal arrangements without instrumentation.
Amazing stuff!
Wow, what a stunning CD. Firstly I am just floored by the audiophile quality of the recorded sound - much, much better than a lot of CDs for three times the price. This is a characteristic of all of the Ensemble Unicorn recordings but this one is particularly good. As for the performances, they brim with life and color as interpretations of music of this period rarely do. They really bring this music to life, transporting the listener back centuries. The music represented here also has a good deal of depth to recommend it too.
Essential to any early music collection
When I purchased this album, I was expecting it to be more akin to the other music performed by the Ensemble Unicorn. I was expecting quick and lively, music akin to the Spanish Troubadour tunes and Las Cantigas de Santa Maria. I was wrong, and I was disappointed at first. I quickly changed my mind after giving the entire album a listen, and was enchanted.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballade    2. Ballata    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music    5. Choral    6. Classical    7. Classical Composers    8. Classical Music    9. Keyboard    10. Madrigal    11. Miscellaneous    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    14. Orchestral & Symphonic    15. Vocal    16. Western European Chant   

Reviews (15)

Beautiful!
This is a beautifully played collection of Chopin's work. It was a birthday gift,
Well worth the money.Wonderful!Wonderful!
I am not a classical music expert but I am an expert when it comes to a great product.I have listened to the works of rubenstein and Horowitz, but nothing is comparable to this great collection of polands favorite son.The nocturnes are dreamy and romantic.The other pieces though not as mesmerizing have plenty of depth and feeling.This is a collection that you will listen to over and over again.Although this music is great anytime, it's especially meaningful during a light rainfall.Go ahead and make this investment.It's only $100.00.For the next 100 days save a dollar and you will have it paid for.I promise you won't be sorry.Excellent!Excellent!

Best investment to make
In my opinion, this is the apex of classical music. You will not find a better CD for Chopin or any piano recordings. There may be plenty of comparable CDs, but nothing can claim to surpass this.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Allegro for Keyboard    2. Balladefor Keyboard    3. Barcarollefor Keyboard    4. Berceuse for Keyboard    5. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    6. Classical    7. Classical Composers    8. Classical Music    9. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    10. Collection of Dance-Based Music for Keyboard    11. Collection of Etudes, Studies, or Exercises for Keyboard    12. Collection of Preludes for Keyboard    13. Contradance for Keyboard    14. Ecosse/Ecossaise for Keyboard    15. Etude for Keyboard    16. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    17. Fugue for Keyboard    18. Galop for Keyboard    19. Impromptu for Keyboard    20. Individual Dance for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Emil Gilels' personal selection of favorite lyric pieces is one of his most praised and best recordings. The pianist obviously selected the pieces with which he felt the strongest identification, and he plays them lovingly, with sprightly rhythms and a rich, singing tone. Gilels was the one who identified himself as second to Sviatoslav Richter--"If you think I'm something, wait until you hear Richter," he supposedly said. But this collection is just as beautiful in its way as Richter's lyric collections. Along with some of his Chopin playing, this Grieg set reminds us that Gilels was a major Romantic pianist. Read more

Reviews (19)

Beautiful Miniatures
This recorded performance is justly famous. Gilels was one of the most technically assured pianists of the 20th century. On this disk you can hear him dwell lovingly on beautiful miniatures by Grieg. This is my favourite piano disc, despite the average sound quality.

Superb historical achievement!
Emil Gilels temperament has always been at least to my mind extremely cold and even analytical. His powerful phrasing is first rate, who can deny it? .
Restoration
It is so good to hear this recording again!Many years ago, I owned this recording, on vinyl, of Emil Gilels playing selections from Grieg's Lyric Pieces.I've recently just got around to restoring it to my collection.It is a most beautiful recording of some of the most beautiful compositions for piano.Gilel's playing is gorgeous.What a pleasure it is to hear again!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Air for Keyboard    2. Balladefor Keyboard    3. Berceuse for Keyboard    4. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    5. Classical    6. Classical Composers    7. Classical Music    8. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    9. Keyboard    10. Nocturne for Keyboard    11. Scherzo for Keyboard   

Features

• Enhanced
• Live

Reviews (8)

A historical legacy!
Despite I am not a Horowitz admirer, it 's worthy to underline and emphasize the colossal pianism and thunderous fingering around every one of its different performances.
Masterpieces played by the great Horowitz
This Carnegie Hall return recital is one of the greatest recordings by Horowitz. With a huge audience, Horowitz did not disappoint. He plays the Bach/Busoni as only he can play; it is eternally beautiful. Schumann has some mistakes, but those mistakes make the playing even more fascinating. The Scriabin is also excellent.
Insert Here Any Superlative You Can Think Of
For those of you who don't enjoy reading long drawn-out reviews: This is the best CD set I could possibly imagine buying before I bought it. After I bought it, I wept twice in the first listening of just the second disc. The Chopin recordings on this disc are simply legendary, definitive, and indescribably beautiful.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    2. Balladefor Keyboard    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Etude for Keyboard    8. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    9. Keyboard    10. Keyboard Music    11. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    12. Mazurka for Keyboard    13. Music for Organ    14. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    15. Toccata for Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. Bagatelle for Keyboard    2. Balladefor Keyboard    3. Baroque Variations for Keyboard    4. Chamber    5. Chamber Music    6. Chamber Music & Recitals    7. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    8. Classical    9. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    10. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    11. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    12. Concerto    13. Keyboard    14. Keyboard Music    15. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    16. Piano Concerto    17. Prelude and Fugue for Keyboard    18. Relaxation    19. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    20. Suite/Partita for Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

Great Mood Music
This is a great CD to compliment any romantic situation. A meal by candle light, champagne on the veranda, or a Jacuzzi for two! Very soothing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bagatelle for Keyboard    2. Balladefor Keyboard    3. Ballet    4. 20th/21st Century Ballet    5. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    6. Chamber    7. Chamber Music    8. Classical    9. Classical Artists    10. Classical Music    11. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    12. Concerto    13. Etude for Keyboard    14. Folk Song    15. Guitar Solo    16. Keyboard    17. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    18. Music For String Orchestra    19. Music for Four Hands at One Keyboard    20. Nocturne for Keyboard   

Reviews (8)

Shock treatment
There are plenty of other pianists who have played Gottschalk's music.These include Eugene List, Alan Mandel, John Arpin, Alan Marks, Philip Martin, and my favorite, Michael Lewin.
Doesn't quite make it
Cecile Licad is a fine pianist, but she's not right for this. Maybe she's trying to put too much "Artistry" into these instead of virtuosic fire, although perversely she plays some pieces too fast. This is still quite nice, considering the low price, but don't throw away your old Leonard Pennario LP's.

An exuberant blazing Gottchalk interpretation
Ms. Licad's Gottchalk interpretations on her latest CD is a pioneering effort in presenting the essential Gottchalk.She could have opted for the "safe andtraditional " moldedfrom other previous interpretations. But on this CD, she has opened a whole new world about the possibilities of Gottchalk's music who typifies the wondrous cultural influences here in the United States.Her performance is riveting, exuberant, blazing,virtuosic and always with a keenindividual musicality thatmanages to always pay homage to what is essentially Gottchalk's. That is a feat in itself. I highly recommend this CD which should be CD of the Year.Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Capriccio/Caprice for Keyboard    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Classical Music    7. Contradance for Keyboard    8. Dance-Based Keyboard Music    9. Etude for Keyboard    10. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    11. Galop for Keyboard    12. Keyboard    13. March for Keyboard    14. Mazurka for Keyboard    15. Romance for Keyboard    16. Suite/Partita for Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Childrens    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Collection of Dance-Based Music for Keyboard    7. Concerto    8. Etude for Keyboard    9. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    10. Keyboard    11. Mazurka for Keyboard    12. Nocturne for Keyboard    13. Piano Concerto    14. Polonaise for Keyboard    15. Prelude for Keyboard    16. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    17. Romantic Variations for Keyboard    18. Scherzo for Keyboard    19. Waltz for Keyboard   

Reviews (10)

Top ten of any performance ever!
We made sure our home had hardwood floors just so we could enjoy this performance at its absolute best.Listen to it at lifelike volume and enjoy the ride: it sounds like it could unravel at any moment, but it never does.So many performances of this work are technically stunning, but tremendously dull.Horowitz brings this piece to life like no other pianist.But, if you can find it, Lazar Berman's recording for CBS was stunning.

Largely Dispensable
Beginning with a rather tinny Polonaise-Fantaisie, Horowitz follows it up with three relatively stunning Scarlatti sonatas. I am terrified by his reading of the Rachmaninoff G Minor prelude, he uses practically NO pedal at all. The Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt is borderlining on out of control throughout, as is typical by Horowitz. The Chopin B Major Nocturne is one of the few highlights on this first disc. A Mix of Sensitive, Passionate, and VulgarPlaying...
Horowitz has always been a controversial figure in the music world, and this CD can help explain why. It abounds in obscene playing of Chopin (it's an almost painful experience to listen to the reading of the first Ballade) and contains some ridiculously eccentric Liszt (it sounds as if Horowitz plays the last two chords of the first Mephisto Waltz with his elbows). Apart from these shenanagins, however, Horowitz offers up several sparkling Scarlatti Sonatas, beautifully passionate Scriabin Etudes, and demonically exciting original transcriptions such as The Stars and Stripes Forever and the Carmen Variations. The two other Liszt selections are also very entertaining. My rating of three stars is based on the overall quality of playing on this particular album and not on my opinion of Horowitz in general. Still, this recording is worth the money for the few treats I have mentioned. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Variations for Keyboard    2. Balladefor Keyboard    3. Band    4. Barcarollefor Keyboard    5. Baroque Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    6. Chamber Music & Recitals    7. Classical    8. Classical Artists    9. Classical Music    10. Collection of Preludes for Keyboard    11. Etude for Keyboard    12. Keyboard    13. Keyboard Music    14. March for Band    15. Morceau for Keyboard    16. Nocturne for Keyboard    17. Polonaise for Keyboard    18. Prelude for Keyboard    19. Rhapsody for Keyboard    20. Scherzo for Keyboard   

Reviews (2)

chopin performances to go back to
This is the first cd I bought when I started my classical cd collection six years ago. Now I have over a hundred classical cds, of pianists ranging from legends like Martha Argerich, Artur Rubinstein, Glenn Gould, Alicia de la Roccha, Evgeny Kissin, Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Philippe Entremont, Daniel Barenboim, Claudio Arrau, Murray Perahia to emerging lights like Lang Lang, Yundi Li, Stanislav Bunin, Cecile Licad, etc.
Winner of Polish Chopin Grand Prix
The selections in this CD are taken from Idil Biret's recording of the complete piano works of Chopin (Naxos 15 CD) which won a "Grand Prix du Disque Frederic Chopin" in Poland in 1995. This competition is held once every five years and there were 46 entries that year with two winning prizes. Need one say more? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Berceuse for Keyboard    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Concerto    7. Etude for Keyboard    8. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    9. Keyboard    10. Mazurka for Keyboard    11. Nocturne for Keyboard    12. Orchestral & Symphonic    13. Piano Concerto    14. Polonaise for Keyboard    15. Prelude for Keyboard    16. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    17. Scherzo for Keyboard    18. Waltz for Keyboard   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (9)

The Best Classical Piano Album of All Time
I loved this album so much I have bought it four times; I wore out two vinyl copies and a CD.This is the best pianist of the 20th century playing some of the best piano music ever written.Van Cliburn's meteoric rise to fame was no accident.His effortless technical perfection, his ability to play the great works with feeling and grandeur are unique.On this album he has chosen 8 tracks that demonstrate the incredible breadth of Chopin's piano music.
Van Cliburn
Van Cliburn is one of the best classical pianist of all times. He plays Chopin beautifully as he does any music. I am amazed that anyone would write a bad review about his playing.

for the most part horrific (with a couple exceptions)
The playing here is so bad that I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw the label "Van Cliburn". It is hard to even know where to begin. The simple trills in the C shape waltz are not cleanly played leading to a disequilibrium in timing (it would be a hard argument to make that Cliburn inserted rubato here... it is quiet obvious that this is a slip caused by the trill). In the subsequent theme Cliburn plays stacatto with no pedal. Some pianists tend to play staccato here... but with no pedal? The pedal goes hand in hand with waltzes during the oom (followed by the pah-pah).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Etude for Keyboard    7. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    8. Keyboard    9. Nocturne for Keyboard    10. Polonaise for Keyboard    11. Scherzo for Keyboard    12. Waltz for Keyboard   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (2)

Get anything Grigory Sokolov recorded
Grigory Sokolov is definitely one of the most underrated pianist for the past few decades, and I truly believe he is the best still around.
Grigory Sokolov - The (Almost) Unknown Major Pianist
One of the best-kept secrets in the piano world is the amazing Grigory Sokolov, a man in his fifties who won the Tchaikovsky Prize in 1966 at the age of sixteen. He has been somewhat reclusive. tending to play in Europe only, and has generally not made studio recordings, but among the cognoscenti his recitals are sought after and often sold out. All the music recorded in this five-CD box has been released on single CDs before (and as a box from Opus 111), and is here offered at budget price. I have owned three of the five previously. Earlier this year I also reviewed a marvelous DVD of a recital he gave in the Ch�telet and filmed by the redoubtable Bruno Monsaingeon. Since Amazon has not yet included the contents of this box (or even told us how many CDs are included) I will list them now:
Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Collection of Preludes for Keyboard    7. Contrapuntal/Improvisatory Keyboard Music    8. Keyboard    9. Keyboard Music    10. Romantic Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    11. Rondo for Keyboard    12. Suite/Partita for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Krystian Zimerman's Chopin is big. He plays this music with a greatdynamic range and huge contrasts, with little of the shading we love inRubinstein's Chopin. Except for the Read more

Reviews (19)

Love it!
As explained in the brief but adequate notes accompanying this recording, the term "ballade" also suggests some poetry and this is 'reading' proves it. I LOVE the way that Zimerman pours over these pieces...like the delicate but vivid watercolours that I envision them to be! The rubato is to die for and the piano, while close, is full and warm. Only by way of comparison, while I'm also a fan of Ashkenazy's interpretations, his piano has a metallic ring that is absent from say Zimerman and Pollini recordings. But back to the present set, in particular the Ballade No. 4 f-moll op. 52 is a lover's caress....languid but never lazy.
Can it get any better than this...?
I absolutely LOVE this cd, it is definitely one of my "desert island" discs. For this recording Zimerman again used his own Steinway, which has such a great, warm sound.
Great work, but could go little further
Zimerman's rendition of the Chopin Ballades are well crafted and probing.However, he could vary his style and phrasing a bit.For example, the G minor's entrance could use some more color and momentum (his is as slow is it gets).The F minor and Fantasie are also static during the beginning.I agree with Mr. Gabrowski that Ivan Moravec's recording is more compelling and spontaneous.Fortuanately, DG's digital sonics compell me to listen to this recording every once in a while. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Barcarollefor Keyboard    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Fantasy/Fantasia for Keyboard    7. Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Chopin didn't like public concerts in large venues, and he played very few of them, preferring salons and home concerts. But he also admired the way his pupil Guttman could play his music with greater power than Chopin could ever muster. Thibaudet is a sensitive musician of the Guttman type. Although he can create intimacy, his basic style at the modern grand piano is very public, sounding as if he's playing to the top row at Carnegie Hall. It can sometimes be a bit much for hearing in a small living room, but this is still an attractive Chopin recital, a varied and generous program, all played very well. And it comes with its own built-in contrast: a bonus mini-recital of four items taken from a TV documentary in which Thibaudet plays a Broadwood piano that Chopin himself played in 1848. The instrument automatically reduces the scale of the music, making it more intimate, and Thibaudet adapts successfully to its character. Maybe, if we get lucky, Thibaudet will record a whole CD on this piano! Read more

Reviews (9)

One of the best CDs I heard of anything
Wow! surely the best 1 CD compilation of Chopin's music. Here familiar works are presented as if they were discovered yesterday. Such a freshness !!!! tempi, phrasing, articulation, are outstanding! Lucid, vivid, not grandiloquent or mannered. For instance take the eroic polonaise! At first not a great thing, seems weak but then remember polonaise was not a warrior dance but instead a stately, full of dignity. And that is what you hear! Listen to how the piece is growing with captivating power. I could go on citing examples of the mastery Thibaudet brings to all pieces. And then ... as if this were not enough ... change instrument!!! he chose for the last tracks a period piano, Chopin's piano! Simply wonderfull! And then ... wow! 2 of that pieces are also played previously on a modern Steinway, so you have here a little "comparative discography". Discover the different approaches to same music with different instruments!
A disappointing disc from a great pianist
It is one of the unfortunate limitations of this venue that reviews for any given item seem to presuppose a general audience, and it's not possible for reader or reviewer to state his or her frame(s) of reference. A CD review by a musician is not necessarily *better* than one by a non-musician, but it is likely to be relevant for different listeners. But even among musicians it's obvious that one musician will not necessarily agree with another just because they are both musicians.
CHOPIN'S ROMANTICISM
WHoa! This cd is amazing! If you want to start with Chopin start with this one. It includes Chopin's most known works like the Polonaise in A flat, Nocturne in E flat, among others. This cd gives you agood start with an orotund performance. Never start classical with a bad performance because it will ruin your ears!Otherwise, if you already have Chopin, listen to this cd because it includes some bonus tracks played in Chopin's piano(that's funny, I mean what for?? haha) so at least you will hear the piano Chopin played. :). A very good piano player as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Balladefor Keyboard    2. Barcarollefor Keyboard    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Etude for Keyboard    8. Keyboard    9. Mazurka for Keyboard    10. Nocturne for Keyboard    11. Polonaise for Keyboard    12. Prelude for Keyboard    13. Scherzo for Keyboard    14. Waltz for Keyboard   

Reviews (6)

I can't critique it
but I can tell you I love it.Brahms--maybe my favorite composer.Van Cliburn--easily my favorite pianist.It doesn't get much better than this in my book.Beautiful music beautifully performed.What more can you ask for?

An extraordinary piano recording.
One really is at first simply stunned by the sound of the piano. These recordings are 30 years old and sound as good or better than a lot of what gets released today.