Waltzes; 4 Scherzos; 26 Preludes

This CD is a brilliant recording with outstanding music. The piano used here sounds lively, not too fast and not too slow..just a perfect blending of rythmn on sound and contrast. I love listening to this CD while driving my car...it is uplifting and lovely to hear. Anyone purchasing this will truely love it.

I am a Vladimir Askenazy fan. He has recently completed his post as Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra - I livein Sydney! I intend to get all of these CDs as soon as possible.

This 2-disc set brings together Ashkenazy's performances of Chopin's complete waltzes, scherzos, and preludes, recorded between the late 1970's and the early 1980's. The waltzes are well-played, though I'm not sure I recommend listening to all 19 at one stretch. The scherzos and preludes are more interesting for the listener, though I miss the extra excitement delivered by artists like Martha Argerich in this repertoire. Ashkenazy is cleanly recorded and overall quite distinguished, though buyers should also check out Rubinstein in this repertoire.

As with most of Ashkenazy's recordings, the BEAUTY of the music is very evident, with showmanship left on the back burner. Of course, this is very desirable but sometimes a little more bravura might be desired in some pieces. For instance: take the preludes recorded here: they do not match up to the benchmark Martha Argerich recording for Deutsche Grammophone. This is not to say that Ashkenazy's playing is poor, not at all, but it is less spirited and not as imaginative as Argerich's. However, as if to vindicate my faith in Ashkenazy's ability, the Waltzes supplied here are flawless examples of this great pianist at his best: I was first introduced to the Waltzes through the Naxos pianist Idil Biret, and since hearing Ashkenazy perform them have never gone back to that Naxos CD at all. The scherzos are truly brilliant, though I prefer the earlier recording recently released on the Decca: Legends label - they seem to be fresher and somehow more in tune to the spirit of Chopin. However, I cannot criticise this performance too much: it is a superb CD - a welcome treasure for any Ashkenazy/Chopin fan.

As usual, Ashkenazy's performance of Chopin is extremely good. His interpretation and technique are unmatched by any other pianist.

ashkenazy is for me the best interpreter of chopin.

Like any compilation of Chopin`s piano works this is a fantastic collection...Couple this with the expertise of Ashkenazy..A must buy

Ashkenazy did win the Chopin piano competition in 1955 I believe. He understands well the spirit of Chopin playing: No excessive flair nor speed, with a delicate balance between passion and a certain introversion.Chopin's music requires a lot of maturity by the pianist. Chopin has a depth which others of his time like Liszt, lacked. Ashkenazy truly seems to understand this depth, but also has the mastery of technique to bring out the passion of Chopin's music, but without destroying its paradoxically "reserved" or introverted nature, which one might say is the intellectual side of Chopin's music which makes up its depth of character.Ashkenazy has succeeded remarakably well in achieving this balance. On occasion, his playing may be a bit harsh, but never bothersome. His playing give the listener the insight needed to appreciate and truly and deeply understand Chopin's unique musical style. The recording quality is very good as is usual from Decca. Highly recommended if you want to discover Chopin's music the way it was meant to be played by the composer himself, and not the way it is played all too often today or in the past, by show-off pianists who use it to impress crowds with THEIR music and technical prowess, rather than letting Chopin's music speak for itself and impress the audience all by itself.

Lovely, big Chopin fan.

superb performances of these great masterpieces by a pianist at his peak