Chopin: Ballades, Mazurkas, Polonaises
Anderszewski, having gained many favorable reviews for recordings of Bach and Beethoven, now proves his musicianship in Chopin. The first positive element in this recital is the programming. Discs of all Mazurkas or Polonaises may make it easy to find a piece on your shelves, but a varied program like this is much more intelligent programming for a listening experience. The performances are engrossing. Tonal beauty and variety, necessary for great Chopin playing, are in short supply today, but Anderszewski displays greater tonal control than the contemporary norm and adds an intelligent, penetrating, poetic approach to the music. The result is a thoroughly gratifying Chopin recital, highly recommended for home listening. Unless you drive a luxury sedan, though, keep this disc out of your car or you'll lose a lot of its wonderful subtlety to road noise. The so-called program notes are just a puff piece for the artist but Virgin's sound quality is excellent.--Leslie Gerber