Sa Chen - Chopin: The 2 Piano Concertos (2008) [Hi-Res]

More than an hour of glistening jewels pouring fourth from the piano lain upon the luxurious, silken blanket of the orchestral background. No more, but certainly no less, is what one expects when listening to Frederic Chopin't two piano concertos. And yet, both works have retained their place in the concert repertoire up to this day and age: incidentally, as the only truly heavyweight virtuoso concertos.

Once again, the fact speaks for itself, and proves the uniqueness of the music by Chopin on this recording. A profound discussion on the standing and worth of both works in the "piano concerto" genre does not even arise, as both pieces completely invalidate the approach to the symphonic concerto (with its sophisticated dialogues between the soloist and the orchestra as two equal partners), which was laid down perfectly by Mozart and Beethoven.

This is a pure representative of the "virtuoso concerto" category, in which nothing is allowed to divert the listener from the performance of the soloist.

The orchestra is simply given the task of increasing by means of an extensive orchestral exposition, the eagerness of the audience for the longed-for entrance of the soloist, and consequentially to provide harmonic support during the further course of the brilliant solo part. In fact, it hardly matters at all whether Chopin carried out the instrumentation of the works by himself, or took advantage of the help offered by others. The so-called "improvements" carried out by composers such as Tausig and Balkirev deprive the concertos of much of their original character.