Carnaval / Kinderszenen / Waldszenen
Claudio Arrau's probing, gestalt-ridden aesthetic is always tuned into Schumann's songful restlessness, yet often at the expense of the composer's fanciful, skittish side. While I prefer Arrau's earlier, more mercurialCarnaval(recorded in 1939 and reissued a gazillion times), his warm, elegantKinderszenenis worth this disc's mid-price.--Jed Distler