Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Waltz for piano No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 18, CT. 207
2. Fantasy-Impromptu for piano in C sharp minor, Op. 66, CT. 46
3. Nocturne for piano No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9/2, CT. 109
4. Waltz for piano No. 3 in A minor, Op. 34/2, CT. 209
5. Mazurka for piano No. 23 in D major, Op. 33/2, CT. 73
6. Scherzo for piano No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31, CT. 198
7. Waltz for piano No. 9 in A flat major ('L'adieu') Op. 69/1, CT. 215
8. Nocturne for piano No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15/2, CT. 112
9. Waltz for piano No. 10 in B minor, Op. 69/2, CT. 216
10. Ballade for piano No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, CT. 2
11. Mazurka for piano No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 7/1, CT. 56
12. Waltz for piano No. 11 in G flat major, Op. 70/1, CT. 217
13. Nocturne for piano No. 9 in B major, Op. 32/1, CT. 116
14. Polonaise for piano No. 6 in A flat major ('Héroique'), Op. 53, CT. 155

Disc 2:

1. Ballade for piano No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47, CT. 4
2. Prelude for piano No. 25 in C sharp minor, Op. 45, CT. 190
3. Waltz for piano No. 6 in D flat major ('Minute'), Op. 64/1, CT. 212
4. Waltz for piano No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64/2, CT. 213
5. Etude for piano No. 12 in C minor ('Revolutionary'), Op. 10/12, CT. 25
6. Etude for piano No. 5 in G flat major, Op. 10/5, CT. 18
7. Nocturne for piano No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55/1, CT. 122
8. Polonaise for piano No. 3 in A major ('Military'), Op. 40/1, CT. 152
9. Barcarolle for piano in F sharp major, Op. 60, CT. 6
10. Prelude for piano No. 15 in D flat major, Op. 28/15, CT. 180
11. Etude for piano No. 23 in A minor, Op. 25/11, CT. 36
12. Etude for piano No. 3 in E major, Op. 10/3, CT. 16
13. Scherzo for piano No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39, CT. 199

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2606 in Music
• Released on: 1996-02-13
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

A very good choice, but get the Philips too
There is not that much to add to the other reviewer's comments: these two discs are a bargain and unreservedly recommended. Ashkenazy is indeed one of the very best overall Chopin interpreters around. I immensely enjoyed his treatment of pieces such as the second scherzo and the g minor ballade. Not to mention the etudes, the preludes, etc. etc. Ashkenazy's playing is always crisp and clear, both passionate and insightful, and the fact that some recordings are analogue doesn't matter at all: in fact, you wouldn't really hear it if it weren't mentioned.

But keep something in mind: as I said, Ashkenazy is arguably overall one of the best. This implies that he can be bettered in some ways. Philips has also released a Best-of Chopin set, which contains better renditions of some Waltzes (Kocsis), the Barcarolle and Mazurkas (Kovacevich) and the impromptus (Davidovich). Additionally, the Philips discs give you the Marcia funebre, the Fantaisie-Polonaise and the fourth Ballade, three big pieces that cannot be found over here. Overall it is more balanced too. So if you are going to buy just one best-of-Chopin set, go for the Philips. The best choice, however, is to get both of them!

Highly Recommended!!!
In this recording we hear one of the great piano performers in Vladimir Ashkenazy playing pieces from one of the greatest piano composers in Fryderyk Chopin; with the utmost quality in recorded sound. And if one needs more convincing, you get two hours of music for the price of one cd. Hard to find a better buy in classical music. Moreover, this cd not only looks good on paper, but it also is one of my favorites to listen to. I usually listen to music to help enrich and exonerate an otherwise mundane (computer) task, and I find myself stopping work several times each listen because I'm overcome by the beauty of these pieces, and the both spirited and soulful playing of Ashkenazy. For anyone new to Chopin, I cannot think of a better starting point (no, this double cd does not cover all his great compositions!) than this recording.

Wonderful Chopin selection, briliantly performed
This title comes with two (2) CD's, and its selection is wonderful. It contains many well-known Chopin pieces, it is perfect for those who just started to listen to Chopin as well as his long-time fans. The performance by Ashkenazy is, needless to mention, always so precise, delicate yet so stable ... beautiful! I strongly recommend it!