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.

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