Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor/Grand Fantasia/Grande Polonaise
Revisiting the very repertoire featured on his concerto recording debut  from the seventies, Emanuel Ax makes his first foray into the world of period  instruments, playing a mid-1800s Erard. While its sound is not as big as that of  a modern concert grand, the treble and bass registers have greater timbral  differentiation. Ax responds to the instrument like a kid with a new toy. The  concerto's outer movements are lighter in texture and more urgent in expression    than the two shorter concerted works, which sing and dance with just the right  blend of pomp and brio. Abetted by his superb, responsive band, Charles  Mackerras clarifies instrumental detail in a way that belies Chopin's maligned  reputation as an orchestrator.--Jed Distler