Everything in this three-disc collection is culled from Idil Biret’s complete Chopin cycle on Naxos, with the exception of the “Largo” from the Cello Sonata (superbly played by Naxos regulars Maria Kliegel and Bernd Glemser). I refer readers to my October 1999 feature where I reviewed the Biret set en masse. Among the chosen “favorites” in this set are the Fantaisie-Impromptu, Nocturnes Nos. 2 & 8, the “Minute” Waltz and Grande valse brillante, the “Military” Polonaise, the Sonata No. 2–and the list goes on. You might wonder why the Krakowiak for piano and orchestra is included in what amounts to a greatest hits package, yet Biret’s supple, imaginative performance makes as cogent a case as any for this rarity, and makes the thorny passagework sound easy. One disc is also given over to the concertos–a wise decision, considering Biret’s strongly profiled lyricism and poetry here. In sum, here’s a nifty, inexpensive overview of the composer who personified the piano.
