Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Chamber Versions)

Chopin was an intensely private musician, preferring to perform in the intimacy of a salon rather than in the public gaze of a concert hall. That explains why the chamber arrangements of these two piano concertos have been in existence as long as the orchestral versions. And in so many ways, the chamber versions win, hands down. Chopin was not the greatest orchestrator, resulting in much of the solo piano being lost in thick string textures. But in these compelling performances, his sparkling piano writing shines anew, particularly in the two slow movements where the melodic lines soar free. The temptation for any soloist might be to dial everything down, but pianist Emmanuel Despax doesn’t hold back, presenting Chopin’s genius in full-throated splendour. The quintet—members of diverse British orchestra Chineke!—plays with a magical combination of responsiveness and subtle reservation.