Frederic Chopin - Frdric Chopin The Original Piano Roll Recordings (27 tracks) +Album Reviews

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Frederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin: The Original Piano Roll Recordings
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Classical

Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
1. Etude for piano No. 24 in C minor, Op. 25/12, CT. 37
2. Ballade for piano No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47, CT. 4
3. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35, CT. 202: 3rd Movement
4. Waltz for piano No. 6 in D flat major ('Minute'), Op. 64/1, CT. 212
5. Scherzo for piano No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39, CT. 199
6. Barcarolle for piano in F sharp major, Op. 60, CT. 6
7. Nocturne for piano No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15/2, CT. 112
8. Nocturne for piano No. 9 in B major, Op. 32/1, CT. 116
9. Mazurka for piano No. 45 in A minor, Op. 67/4, CT. 95
10. Ballade for piano No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, CT. 2
11. Preludes (24) for piano, Op. 28, CT. 166-189: Nos. 1, 4, 10, 21 & 24
12. Waltz for piano No. 4 in F major, Op. 34/3, CT. 210
13. Berceuse for piano in D flat major, Op. 57, CT. 7
Track Listings (14) - Disc #2
1. Waltz for piano No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 18, CT. 207
2. Mazurka for piano No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 50/2, CT. 81
3. Scherzo for piano No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31, CT. 198
4. Nocturne for piano No. 8 in D flat major, Op. 27/2, CT. 115
5. Etude for piano No. 5 in G flat major, Op. 10/5, CT. 18
6. Fantasy-Impromptu for piano in C sharp minor, Op. 66, CT. 46
7. Prelude for piano No. 15 in D flat major, Op. 28/15, CT. 180
8. Ballade for piano No. 2 in F major, Op. 38, CT. 3
9. Mazurka for piano No. 34 in C major, Op. 56/2, CT. 84
10. Nocturne for piano No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9/2, CT. 109
11. Nocturne for piano No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48/1, CT. 120
12. Nocturne for piano No. 3 in B major, Op. 9/3, CT. 110
13. Impromptu for piano in F sharp major, Op. 36, CT. 44
14. Nocturne for piano No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 27/1, CT. 114

CD Details

All Artists: Frederic Chopin
Title: Frédéric Chopin: The Original Piano Roll Recordings
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Dal Segno
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Re-Release Date: 2/27/2007
Album Type: Import
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Classical
Styles: Chamber Music, Forms & Genres, Ballads, Fantasies, Sonatas, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Romantic (c.1820-1910)
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPCs: 675754976323, 5060104470197

CD Reviews

Virtuoso Diversity Between 1905 and 1928

David | Houston, Texas, USA | 05/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the interesting benefits available to those listening to these performances is the opportunity to hear a great variety of interpretations and styles applied to what may have become all too familiar traditional interpretations of these famous works.

Personal interpretations applied to performances of great works was not only accepted, but actually expected from the pianists of this era; virtuoso showmen such as Liszt on the piano and Paganini on the violin set the bar at a high level for performance showmanship. This provided an open invitation to other performers to put more of themselves into their performances. Paderewski developed a loyal cadre of listeners who looked forward to his particular interpretations of their favorite compositions.

A case in point on this recording is the remarkable interpretation of Chopin's Nocturne in E flat Op. 9 No. 2 by Leopold Godowsky; the mood he established as he performed this work in 1916 was sensitive and haunting.

Artur Rubenstein performs several of the selections along with other notables of the era; one of the works Rubenstein performed is a favorite of mine the Nocturne in F sharp Op. 15 No.2, he performed this in 1919 at the age of 32. It so happens I have another recording of Rubenstein performing the same work in 1965 at age 78. I thought this a great opportunity to compare the two performances and played one and then the other several times.

The first thing I noticed was the timing according to the disc; the 1919 performance took 3 minutes and 49 seconds, the 1965 performance took 3 minutes and 53 seconds, pretty close it seems to me. After listening to both performances a number of times I would say that the two interpretations are very close; some of the dynamics in the 1919 performance were a little more dramatic and the ritardando in the last few measures was somewhat more pronounced in the 1965 performance but there were not too many other interpretive distinctions that I could identify.

I have mentioned before on other discs in this series how full and authentic the lower octaves of the piano sound; the lower bass notes are rounded and full and truly sound as if you're listening to a 9 foot concert grand. I did, however, notice an ever so slight ringing of some of the notes above middle C for about two and one half octaves. This was not a major problem but I did find it noticeable during some loud passages.

If you think you would enjoy the excitement of hearing great pianists performing great works and adding their own personalities to the performances I think you would enjoy these CD's. I found it to be both intriguing and entertaining to hear these familiar works played in what might be considered a less familiar way.

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