Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 [Hybrid SACD]

1	Concerto for Piano no 1 i
2	Concerto for Piano no 1 i
3	Concerto for Piano no 1 i
4	Concerto for Piano no 2 i
5	Concerto for Piano no 2 i
6	Concerto for Piano no 2 i
Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 [Hybrid SACD]
1.	Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, CT. 47 40:35
	Composed by Frédéric Chopin
	Conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
	Performed by New Symphony Orchestra of London and Arthur Rubinstein
2.	Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, CT. 48 30:06
	Composed by Frédéric Chopin
	Conducted by Alfred Wallenstein
	Performed by Symphony of the Air and Arthur Rubinstein

All Music Guide

Artur Rubinstein's classic performances of Chopin's piano concertos for RCA have been remastered for this Living Stereo reissue from the original two-track and three-track tapes, though this is a case where audiophiles may feel a little unimpressed by the promises of SACD. The DSD transfer from the analog tapes is rather clean, and Rubinstein's presence and clarity are enhanced in the mix, but beyond these benefits, the sound is still glorified stereo; there is little sense of surround sound immersion in the 1961 two-track recording of the "Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11," and the 1958 three-track recording of the "Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21," is only marginally better in depth through the "triangulation" of left, center, and right channels. Even so, if the interpretations matter more than the reproduction, then Rubinstein's performances -- with Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the New Symphony Orchestra of London of Op. 11, and with Alfred Wallenstein and the Symphony of the Air of Op. 21 -- are perfectly delightful, if old-fashioned renditions, with a feeling of Romantic ardor and sentimentality held in check by the pianist's refined sense of proportions and elegance. Of course, with many excellent recordings available, this disc will be desired most by connoisseurs of historic recordings, but less so by fans of all-digital recordings. Blair Sanderson

Fanfare

Arthur Rubinstein shouldn’t be the only Chopin pianist in your collection, but he should probably be the first. His stereo RCA recordings of Chopin were always elegant and poetic, aptly expressive without being either under-characterized or willful. James Reel