Track Listing

1. Ballade for piano No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, CT. 2
2. Ballade for piano No. 2 in F major, Op. 38, CT. 3
3. Ballade for piano No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47, CT. 4
4. Ballade for piano No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52, CT. 5
5. Scherzo for piano No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20, CT. 197
6. Scherzo for piano No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31, CT. 198
7. Scherzo for piano No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39, CT. 199
8. Scherzo for piano No. 4 in E major, Op. 54, CT. 200

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41438 in Music
• Brand: RCA
• Released on: 2004-09-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Customer Reviews

Great performances and sound
Highly recommended. Rubinstein's performances of the Ballades are lyrical, and the Scherzos exciting. The difference with previous issues is the SACD sound, which adds just that much more realism, the sense that the sound is "truer." A wonderful disc both artistically and sonically.

As Good As It Gets
Rubinstein was in his prime when these versions of the Chopin Ballades and Scherzos were recorded in 1959. Curiously, although this was his third version of the Scherzos, he had never before recorded the Ballades.

Rubinstein was temperamentally well suited to these works, moreso than in the Mazurkas and Preludes. The narrative aspect of the Ballades suited his intuitive sense of structure well. At this point in his career, Rubinstein had known these pieces for six decades. It is no wonder, therefore, that he performs them more convincingly than, say, Kissin does on his recent recording.

The Scherzos are outright virtuoso works. Rubinstein would occasionally perform all four in concert, back-to-back. Any other pianist would have been exhasted by the effort. Not Rubinstein, who posessed a seemingly inexaustable reserve of energy. The pianist is just as on top of these pieces, technically, as any of his colleagues, and much more attuned to them musically.

The sound, made from original three channel tapes produced by RCA's legendary Jack Pfeiffer, is spectacular in this new SACD edition--sounding every bit as lifelike as the best of today's digital recordings.

This is the one to get!

3 Channel Sound is Good, Not 5.1
I recently bought an SACD player and thought this CD would be great to try it out. Because the recordig is old, 1959, it is improved via SACD to a 3 channel output (left, eight, center speakers). No surround. I guess I was expecting to be enveloped by sound. This did not happen because all the sound comes from teh front and being used to suround, it is noticeable. As a fan of Chopin, the music is naturally superb. Rubensteins rendition is classic. The clarity of the clarity of teh sound is noticeable and very refined. NO background hissing, feedback, or anyting else. It is completely pure piano.