Anne Kauppi plays Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasy with fairly steady tempos, choppy phrasing, restricted dynamics, and little tonal allure to speak of. Her pretentious rubatos, picky articulation, and seeming unwillingness to maintain a reference pulse for more than two or three bars help run the poor Ballades into the ground, going nowhere. In fairness, her approach intensifies and enlivens the Second Ballade’s agitated sections, while the counterlines of the Fourth Ballade’s coda clearly emerge from the textural thickets. Gauche accentuation pops up all over the F minor Fantasy like weeds in a landscape, although Kauppi’s pianism generally proves more fluid here than elsewhere. Still, her limited range of color induces aural fatigue. If her style of Chopin playing appeals to you, try Claudio Arrau’s 1977 Philips Ballades and Fantasy for an altogether higher level of virtuosity and artistic finesse. Not recommended.
