Maurizio Pollini - Chopin '2010

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. 12 Études, Op. 25: No. 10 in B Minor "Octave"
02. 12 Études, Op. 25: No. 11 in A Minor "Winter Wind"
03. 12 Études, Op. 25: No. 12 in C Minor "Ocean"
04. 12 Études, Op. 25: Waltz No. 2 In A Flat, Op. 34 No. 1 - "Valse
brillante"
05. 12 Études, Op. 25: Waltz No. 3 In A Minor, Op. 34 No. 2
06. 12 Études, Op. 25: Waltz No. 4 In F, Op. 34 No. 3
07. 12 Études, Op. 25: Ballade No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 52
08. 12 Études, Op. 25: Polonaise No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 44
09. 12 Études, Op. 25: Polonaise No. 6 in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 "Heroic"
10. 12 Études, Op. 25: Polonaise No. 7 in A-Flat Major, Op. 61
"Polonaise-Fantaisie"
11. 12 Études, Op. 25: Scherzo No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 31

Acknowledged as one of the world's leading performers of Chopin, Maurizio
Pollini recorded most of his polished and sensitive interpretations for Deutsche
Grammophon in the 1970s and '80s. On the occasion of the composer's 200th
birthday in 2010, the label presented a compilation simply titled Chopin that
draws on this legacy, and offers what some might consider Pollini's best tracks.
These are decidedly among Chopin's best-known pieces, and casual classical
listeners will likely recognize the Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op. 44, the
Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53, "Heroique," or the Scherzo No. 2 in B flat
minor, though the selections from the études and waltzes will be more
familiar to serious fans of the composer. What might be a disappointment is the
comparative shortness of the program: a single CD lasting nearly 73 minutes
hardly does justice to Pollini's many accomplishments, and in a time when
collectors favor twofers as the most economical packaging for reissues, this
full-price collection of old ADD selections seems a bit stingy. Beginners would
have benefitted from a double-disc package, for there are other work types that
aren't represented here, such as the preludes, nocturnes, and the sonatas, which
would substantially have added to the portraits of both Chopin and Pollini.
Still, this album is well worth hearing, if only as an introductory sampler, and
the full albums await exploration.

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