Mozart: Sonata In D Major, K.576, Sonata in F Major, K.332 / Chopin: Nocturen In B Minor, Two Mazurkas / Schumann: Arabeske, Kinderszenen
These are nearly ideal performances, without exception. Mieczyslaw Horszowski's Mozart is played directly, but with a wealth of nuance that conveys every subtle flicker of emotion in the music. The comfortable way he plays the tricky finale of K. 332 is remarkable. Three Chopin pieces--two mazurkas and a nocturne--are kept within fairly strict rhythmic bounds, while almost imperceptible emphases point our attention towards every expressive intention. The two Schumann works are equally remarkable. Only a faint hint of blurring in moments ofKinderszenen, barely noticeable, provides a clue that the pianist was almost 96 when he recorded this exquisite disc.--Leslie Gerber