Claudio Arrau’s famous 1978 traversal of the Chopin Nocturnes was recorded at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and originally released on LP in Philips’ Trésors Classiques series. The performances always were highly rated, and with the possible exception of Ivan Moravec’s cycle, they’re still front-runners despite their near quarter-century vintage. This latest Philips 50 transfer is remarkable–fresh-sounding and transparent, with no loss of quality at either dynamic or registral extremes. The new remastering also allows you to enjoy the performances more as if you were seated centrally in the Concertgebouw’s main stalls, so the bloom and resonance of the hall itself gives Arrau’s outstanding playing a tangible sense of place and heightened atmosphere, too. The subtleties and technical refinements of Arrau’s playing are both too numerous and too familiar to require specific analysis: you can sample any of the works and find ample evidence of these qualities. However, this set is now even more of a “must have” because of the useful fillers added to Disc 2. Both of these substantial works, the F sharp major Barcarolle Op. 60 and the monumental F minor Fantaisie Op. 49, receive exceptional performances. An essential purchase. [7/10/2001]
