Nelson Freire Chopin Etudes Op. 10, Barcarolle, Sonata No. 2

If you've ever presumed Chopin was a miniaturist whose music is to be played daintily you are wrong, and this CD is living proof. The Sonata No. 2 is a grand work and Freire treats it as such. He creates great tension in the first movement and delivers; his "scherzo" is filled with tempi tricks that all somehow cohere as he fearlessly leaps all over the keyboard, and the finale, a harmonic puzzle of sorts, makes excellent sense with all of the melodic lines given equal strength. The Barcarolle is more ferocious than we're used to but it's still a valid reading, and the Etudes are, indeed, perfect studies, offering a superb student's eye view of each.

Phillips' Great Pianists of the 20th Century issue has gotten a lot of publicity in the ten or so years since it has been released. In a musical niche suffering from falling revenues, it was a decent seller. But it left many connoisseurs disappointed, as the quality was limited to the fancy packaging.