Chopin’s bicentennial was celebrated in 2010, and while there is never any lack of new recordings and performances of his timeless works for piano, a few things popped up that all music lovers may want to know about. The first is a 5-CD set from Capriccio titled “Great Chopin Performers.” Even with five discs there’s only room for about ten pianists but here’s the hook: these are live performances from the Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. The best-known names include Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ivo Pogorelich, Maurizio Pollini, and Garrick Ohlsson, who became the first American to win the prize in 1970. The only quibble: a dearth of detailed booklet notes; surely the project deserved an additional booklet for the box with more of the story of these performers and the competition itself. But it is a great cornerstone for a Chopin collection.

the strongest, most muscular, and most thrilling account of the Etude No. 1…the Military Polonaise was…played to perfection by Halina Czerny-Stefanska, who evokes a sound of almost orchestral proportions and colors. Jean-Marc Luisada…plays the four mazurkas of Op. 24 quite well, with well-chosen tempos, not too fast, shaped effectively.

The 5CD set is listed in one catalog for $34.99, an attractive price.

To read the complete review, please visit American Record Guide online.