Ultimate Chopin [Box Set] [Box set]

Frederic Chopin (Composer), Charles Dutoit (Conductor), Montréal Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Jorge Bolet (Performer), Vladimir Ashkenazy (Performer), Claudio Arrau (Performer), Zoltán Kocsis (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jorge Bolet, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Claudio Arrau, Zoltán Kocsis
• Orchestra: Montréal Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Charles Dutoit
• Composer: Frederic Chopin
• Audio CD (September 24, 2007)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B000ICMF5S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,391 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #2 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Ballads
  • #4 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Fantasies
  • #19 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard > Piano

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor

2. Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor

Disc: 2

1. Nocturnes 1-21

Disc: 3

1. Four Ballades

Disc: 4

1. 24 Preludes, op. 28

2. The Impromptus

Editorial Reviews

The most popular composers of all-time now offered at an incredible price! FIVE CDs for the price of ONE--who could resist! Collections of the essential works of the most popular composers and their greatest hits! Outstanding artists and recordings from the Decca and Philips Classic's catalogues. Each package is a slipcase loaded with FIVE jewel boxes - that's over 5 HOURS of great music in each boxed set. CD 1 Jorge Bolet, piano & Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal Charles Dutoit, conductor CD 2/CD 3 Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano CD 4 Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano CD 5 Claudio Arrau, piano

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prime rib for the price of a burger, April 28, 2007

By 

King Lemuel "Trust, but verify" (Puyallup, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Chopin [Box Set] (Audio CD)

If you are new to classical, or if your classical collection has a big Chopin hole in it, this set is a great place to start. This is a budget product, but it features some of the all time great pianists from the 20th century who are also very famous for their Chopin performances.

Some of the "ultimate" packages can only paint a very partial picture of the composer(s). For example, the Philips Complete Mozart boxed sets have over 150 cds! Thus, a 5 cd Ultimate Mozart can present a survey plus a few of his important works at best. Beethoven and Bach also have a truck load of music. Chopin, on the other hand has around 13 to 17 cds en toto.

Chopin was as a composer who keyed on the piano keys. Thus, he only has about 3 lps worth of orchestrated compositions and these involve the piano! Most of his output is for solo piano. Without question, Chopin composed some of the most beautiful, if not THE most beautiful music for the piano. This 5 cd set covers much of these key compositions: The preludes, the ballads, the Waltzes, the Nocturnes, plus his piano concertos. Two of the all time great Chopin artists are featured prominently on these disks: Askenazy and Arrau. If you were ever looking for a "no brainer" classical purchase, this has got to be it

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Steal, November 20, 2007

By 

K. Wong "K-wong" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Chopin [Box Set] (Audio CD)

A five CD-set for the price of one. That should normally be a good enough reason for most people to purchase this set. This set, however, is truly a steal. To start the set, on disc one you have Jorge Bolet performs the 2 Chopin piano concertos with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit. This is a solid performance and as far as I know, this performance is not available anywhere else. Disc 2 and 3 contain the complete Nocturnes and the Ballades performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy. These 2 discs alone worth more than the asking price. Ashkenazy is a wonderful Chopin expert and his Nocturnes are filled with romance. These two discs are top-notch and timeless recording. There simply are very few recordings that can surpass this one. Claudio Arrau gives you a classy performance on disc 4, containing the Preludes and the Impromptous. On disc 5, Zoltan Kocsis gives you a very good rendition of the Waltzes, slightly on the fast and bouncy side. So you have performances ranging from very good to exceptional and you are paying for only the price of one. Furthermore, the sound quality is of the highest standard, all recorded between 1974-88. So whether this is your first set of Chopin or your additional set, don't hesitate.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can listen to this all day., December 26, 2008

By 

James - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ultimate Chopin (MP3 Download)

I found myself listening to an 18 track Chopin CD nearly every day at work. I wanted to expand my appreciation for Chopin and spent several days looking for just the right CD(s) to do that.

I am not an expert on Chopin interpreters, but after listening to many of the top selling Chopin pianists, I found that I really liked Claudio Arrau and Vladimir Ashkenazy, among others. This CD gives you both of those artists, for a fraction of the price if you bought their CD's individually.

I have listened to this CD set several times since I purchased it and have loved it. The piano playing is amazing, and Chopin's work, for me, is like nothing else -- it is so unique compared to other classical music.

If you are looking for a good overview of Chopin, I highly recommend purchasing this CD set. You get 80 songs for the price of one CD, with some of the great Chopin interpreters playing for you. Five Stars!