Chopin: Waltzes Complete

In general, Idil Biret's Chopin series for Naxos has been more than decent, although not quite on the level claimed by the pianist herself (and some reviewers). The performances of the waltzes here are certainly worthwhile, and no one coming to them for the first time (which I guess is often the case with Naxos releases of the core repertoire) will come away disappointed. But there is no point in comparing the performances to the likes of, say, Lipatti either. Now, one minor niggle is that Chopin waltzes often utilizes the sonorities created by various ways of striking the keys, and Biret's piano itself is not quite up to the demands sounding almost a little clangy and distant at times, e.g. in the very opening of the first Valse Brillante. Biret's performances are generally rather forthright (usually a good thing) emphasizing the spirit and exuberance more than the delicate nuances, meaning that e.g. the minute waltz comes across well, but (say) the c flat minor ones are rather less evocative than with some other pianists. In general, though, she tackles the issue of rubato rather convincingly and plays with a fine legato. The disc (in addition to some less well-known waltzes) also includes the much rarer but fun Ecossaises and the elegant Contredanse in addition to the lively Tarantelle. Sound quality is generally fine, and again - I don't think anyone will go seriously wrong with this issue, even though it's hardly among the top releases of these pieces.

This 1991 studio recording of Chopin's Waltzes has a great deal to recommend it, not least pianist Idil Biret's notes on performing Chopin which give an indication of the love and care she has taken in producing her award-winning 15 CD edition of Chopin's piano music. The Waltzes were, of course, written as separate pieces over the entire span of Chopin's relatively short life, and it is perhaps not advisable to listen to them one after the other as though they were a unified work of art. However, Idil Biret's playing is very satisfying, and if I award the disc four stars instead of five, this is because, in comparison with the same pianist's recording of Chopin's Sonatas, the sound quality and/or the instrument used is a little top-heavy, the right hand being given too much prominence and the deeper notes sounding somewhat suppressed. I am not a Chopin expert, so I leave further comment to those who know his music better than I do.

Whatever you may think about the modern world, the fact that a few quid can buy you a concert level piano performance you can listen to at home in your jimjams is proof things are not all bad. This is a wonderful recording of some wonderful music. To my ear, the minor key tunes are the best, especially Track 10 (opus 69); Track 7 (opus 64) and the sublime Track 3, the waltze in A minor (opus 34). Whatever your taste, though, this is a great little album which you should own.

Great.Love her interpretation of Chopin.