Chopin: Polonaises

Maurizio Pollinis recordings of the Polonaises, which have attained classic status, are now available as part of The Original Source Series. Pollini offered playing of outstanding mastery as well as a subtle poetry. His supreme achievement is in suggesting the immediacy of an inspired improvisation, while at the same time preserving the shapely unity of a preconceived whole. To ensure optimum audio quality, the work was mastered from the original 4-track tapes, cut at 45rpm and redistributed on two LPs.

 

“Maurizio Pollini makes it virtually impossible to imagine Chopin's Polonaises played with greater clarity, force and resolution. Not for him the odd approximation or slip of the finger: everything is ruthlessly, indeed frighteningly, concentrated and of the essence.” – Gramophone

 

The audiophile vinyl series The Original Source presents outstanding recordings from the 1970s in a whole new sound quality. For this, the  renowned Emil Berliner Studios have remastered and edited the original four-and eight-track tapes in 100% analog quality (AAA) using technologies developed specifically to produce the series. The sonic differences to the original releases are considerable: greater clarity, more subtleties and improvements in frequency response, while at the same time less background noise, distortion and compression allow for an audiophile listening experience like never before.

 

On 180g vinyl records and in a deluxe gatefold edition with original covers and lyrics, the copies of this series are released limited and numbered, accompanied by additional photos and facsimiles of the recording logs and tape boxes.

 

Tracklisting:

 

LP 1

Side A

1. Chopin: Polonaise No. 1 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 26 No. 1

2. Chopin: Polonaise No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 26 No. 2

Side B

1. Chopin: Polonaise No. 3 in A Major, Op. 40 No. 1 „Military“

2. Chopin: Polonaise No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 40 No. 2

 

LP2

Side C

1. Chopin: Polonaise No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 44

2. Chopin: Polonaise No. 6 in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 „Heroic“

Side D

1. Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-Flat Major, Op. 61