EMI's no-frills Chopin anniversary box
Roochak | 01/30/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Acquiring Chopin's complete works for just under five bucks per disc is quite a bargain, if Garrick Ohlsson, Cecile Ousset, and Ronald Smith are the pianists you want to hear in this repertoire. I don't know what EMI's selection process might've been for the recordings in this box, but it's safe to say that none of these performances have really suffered from overexposure to the listening public. I certainly haven't heard any of them.
Here's a brief rundown of the contents: Garrick Ohlsson plays the complete preludes, nocturnes, and polonaises, as well as the two piano concertos (with Jerzy Maksymiuk and the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra); Augustin Anievas plays the waltzes and impromptus; Andrei Gavrilov gets the Etudes, opp.10 & 25; Cecile Ousset plays the second and third piano sonatas, the four scherzos, and the four ballades; and Ronald Smith handles the complete mazurkas.
Pianists chosen for Chopin's lesser-known music include Leif Ove Andsnes (Sonata no.1), Claudio Arrau (the Allegro de Concert, op.46), Daniel Barenboim, Tzimon Barto, Paolo Bordoni, Benjamin Grosvenor, Danielle Laval, Ronald Smith again, and Alexis Weissenberg. The cello sonata is played by Charles Owen (piano) and Natalie Clein; the piano trio by Marianna Shirinyan, Vilde Frang, and Andreas Brantelid; and the nineteen songs by mezzo-soprano Eugenia Zareska and pianist Giorgio Favaretto.
Interesting that EMI decided not to allow its Chopin recordings by Martha Argerich, Dinu Lipatti, and Maurizio Pollini anywhere near this budget-priced reissue box."
There are better alternatives
Javier Bezos Lopez | Madrid, Spain | 04/12/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Good performances from Ohlsson although far from memorable. Anievas and Smith are quite uninvolving. Gavrilov is the gem of this set, but I wouldn't recommend it just for this single disc (Études). Go for the set from Deutsche Grammophon, Brilliant or Sony, or buy the set by Rubinstein and then complete it with other recordings. By the way, there is little new in this set in the bargain field, because most of it is just a repackaging of the corresponding sets in the Gemini series."
(+) EMI's Chopin Anniversary Box is at least a Great Bargain
C. Pontus T. | SE/Asia | 05/15/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Just having concluded DG's competing Chopin box set offers little greatness, even at less than $50, I am happy to report this EMI 16-disc set is by far the better purchase. At less than 30 or £30 in Europe, in spite of quite a number of pedestrian shortcomings, this is inescapably a bargain--largely made up of six repackaged EMI bargain twofers, reduced even further in price.
The lion's share of the proceedings is given to the young Garrick Ohlsson--the Concertos, Preludes, Polonaises, Nocturnes, as well as the Barcarolle and Fantaisie plus the concertante Fantasy and Rondo. If the mature Ohlsson, of some decade-and-a-half-later, produced some of the greatest Chopin playing caught on record, his younger self often did a pretty good job, albeit not always that individual or penetrating. The Concertos and concertante works are average, the Preludes quite dull in part (particularly Nos 1-7), the Polonaises show signs of emerging mastery, whereas the Nocturnes sound beautiful but somewhat impatient in tempo and characterisation.
Also Cécile Ousset is given a fair amount of disc space--that is, the Ballades, Scherzos, and Second plus Third Sonatas. Her playing is sound and solid but not distinguished. The same can be said of Ronald Smith's Mazurkas which, if quite sparkling, ultimately often sound rushed and unidiomatic. Augustin Anievas's Waltzes and Impromptus, though delightful, focus on ephemeral shimmer rather than lasting depth. Danielle Laval's Rondos sound rather weird with innumerable erratic tempo manipulations. The remaining miscellaneous pieces are shared between various pianists including Andsnes, Arrau, Barenboim, Barto, Bordoni, Weissenberg and 17-year-old British Benjamin Grosvenor who recently signed a so-called development agreement with EMI.
The main highlight of this set, as accurately pointed out by Mr Lopez below, is Gavrilov's Etudes--indeed, the most fiery brilliant account yet committed to disc, although a bit harsh in recorded sound and occasionally in tone when the blistering momentum gets the best of the pianist.
To sum up, EMI's anniversary box gives the most Chopin at the lowest cost; as its quality is at least average, the bargain tag is most appropriate--and thus the added plus. With the apparent risk of repeating myself: the mature Ohlsson's complete survey, though, remains very much supreme.
REFERENCE: Ohlsson"