Album

Like other titles in this substantial Decca series, Ultimate Chopin is a box set devoted to recordings drawn from the label's prestigious backlist, designed to give beginners and casual listeners a well-rounded introduction to this Romantic master of piano music. The affordable package of five CDs includes Chopin's two concertos for piano and orchestra, as well as his solo keyboard works, such as the nocturnes, ballades, preludes, impromptus, and waltzes. By no means is this the entirety of Chopin's output, for many significant works are not included, including the sonatas, scherzos, etudes, polonaises, and mazurkas, to name only keyboard works, so the term "ultimate" is hyperbolic. Furthermore, these should not be misconstrued as greatest hits, for most of Chopin's music is beloved and the selection was not based on popularity, but on being a representative and well-balanced offering. Still, this is an impressive amount of music for beginners to absorb, and the performances by such major artists as Jorge Bolet, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Claudio Arrau, and Zoltán Kocsis are among the most legendary and enjoyable to be found in Decca's catalog, so this is an impressive package.

© Blair Sanderson, Rovi

CD 1 of 5
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Piano Concerto No.1 in E-, Op.11 Work 42:46 Montréal Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Charles Dutoit Conductor, Jorge Bolet Piano
1	1.Allegro maestoso e risoluto	21:42			$3.49
2	2.Romanze: Larghetto	10:02			$1.99
3	3.Rondo: Vivace	11:02			$1.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Piano Concerto No.2 in F-, Op.21 Work 33:09 Montréal Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Charles Dutoit Conductor, Jorge Bolet Piano
4	1.Allegro maestoso	14:27			$2.49
5	2.Larghetto	9:08			$1.49
6	3.Allegro vivace	9:34			$1.49
CD 2 of 5
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 3 Nocturnes, Op.9 (includes the famous 'Nocturne in Eb') Work 16:27 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
1	No.1 in Bb-	5:45			$0.99
2	No.2 in Eb	3:58			$0.99
3	No.3 in B	6:44			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 3 Nocturnes, Op.15 Work 11:59 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
4	No.1 in F	4:30			$0.99
5	No.2 in F#	3:45			$0.99
6	No.3 in G-	3:44			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 2 Nocturnes, Op.27 Work 11:12 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
7	No.1 in C#-	5:26			$0.99
8	No.2 in Db	5:46			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 2 Nocturnes, Op.32 Work 10:44 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
9	No.1 in B	5:03			$0.99
10	No.2 in Ab	5:41			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 2 Nocturnes, Op.37 Work 11:38 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
11	No.1 in G-	6:08			$0.99
12	No.2 in G	5:30			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 2 Nocturnes, Op.48 Work 13:55 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
13	No.1 in C-	6:23			$0.99
14	No.2 in F#-	7:32			$1.49
CD 3 of 5
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 2 Nocturnes, Op.55 Work 10:06 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
1	No.1 in F-	4:51			$0.99
2	No.2 in Eb	5:15			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 2 Nocturnes, Op.62 Work 12:50 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
3	No.1 in B	6:56			$0.99
4	No.2 in E	5:54			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Nocturne in E-, Op.72, No.1 Work Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
5	Nocturne in E-, Op.72, No.1	4:13			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Nocturne in C#-, Op. posth, KKIVa/16, CT.127 Work 6:57 Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
6	Nocturne in C#-, Op. posth, KKIVa/16, CT.127	3:59			$0.99
7	Nocturne in C#-, Op. posth, KKIVa/16, CT.127	2:58			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Ballade No.1 in G-, Op.23 Work Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
8	Ballade No.1 in G-, Op.23	9:43			$1.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Ballade No.2 in F, Op.38 Work Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
9	Ballade No.2 in F, Op.38	7:36			$1.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Ballade No.3 in Ab, Op.47 Work Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
10	Ballade No.3 in Ab, Op.47	7:26			$1.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Ballade No.4 in F-, Op.52 Work Vladimir Ashkenazy Piano
11	Ballade No.4 in F-, Op.52	11:27			$1.99
CD 4 of 5
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 24 Preludes, Op.28 Work 39:47 Claudio Arrau Piano
1	1.Agitato in C	0:44			$0.49
2	2.Lento in A-	1:47			$0.49
3	3.Vivace in G	1:05			$0.49
4	4.Largo in E-	2:00			$0.99
5	5.Molto allegro in D	0:41			$0.49
6	6.Lento Assai in B-	2:19			$0.99
7	7.Andantino in A	0:52			$0.49
8	8.Molto agitato in F#-	1:56			$0.49
9	9.Largo in E	1:27			$0.49
10	10.Molto allegro in C#-	0:34			$0.49
11	11.Vivace in B	0:40			$0.49
12	12.Presto in G#-	1:06			$0.49
13	13.Lento in F#	3:14			$0.99
14	14.Allegro in Eb-	0:48			$0.49
15	15.Sostenuto in Db ('Raindrop')	5:29			$0.99
16	16.Presto con fuoco in Bb-	1:08			$0.49
17	17.Allegretto in Ab	3:27			$0.99
18	18.Molto allegro in F-	0:58			$0.49
19	19.Vivace in Eb	1:22			$0.49
20	20.Largo in C-	1:45			$0.49
21	21.Cantabile in Bb	2:09			$0.99
22	22.Molto agitato in G-	0:53			$0.49
23	23.Moderato in F	1:00			$0.49
24	24.Allegro appassionato in D-	2:23			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Prelude in C#-, Op.45 Work Claudio Arrau Piano
25	Prelude in C#-, Op.45	5:25			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Mazurka in Ab, KKIVb/4, CT.104 (Mazurka No.62) Work Claudio Arrau Piano
26	Mazurka in Ab, KKIVb/4, CT.104 (Mazurka No.62)	0:58			$0.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Impromptu in Ab, Op.29 Work Claudio Arrau Piano
27	Impromptu in Ab, Op.29	4:42			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Impromptu in F#, Op.36 Work Claudio Arrau Piano
28	Impromptu in F#, Op.36	6:04			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Impromptu in Gb, Op.51 Work Claudio Arrau Piano
29	Impromptu in Gb, Op.51	6:22			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Fantaisie-impromptu in C#-, Op.66 Work Claudio Arrau Piano
30	Fantaisie-impromptu in C#-, Op.66	5:44			$0.99
CD 5 of 5
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz, Op.18 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
1	Waltz, Op.18	4:51			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 3 Waltzes, Op.34 Work 12:39 Zoltán Kocsis Piano
2	1.No.1 in Ab	5:02			$0.99
3	2.No.2 in A-	5:31			$0.99
4	3.No.3 in F	2:06			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz in Ab, Op.42 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
5	Waltz in Ab, Op.42	3:26			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 3 Waltzes, Op.64 (includes 'Minute Waltz' and famous Waltz in C#-) Work 7:11 Zoltán Kocsis Piano
6	No.1 in Db ('Minute')	1:35			$0.49
7	No.2 in C#-	3:00			$0.99
8	No.3 in Ab	2:36			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 2 Waltzes, Op.69 Work 6:22 Zoltán Kocsis Piano
9	1.No.1 in Ab ('Valse de l'adieu')	3:32			$0.99
10	2.No.2 in B-	2:50			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer 3 Waltzes, Op.70 Work 5:42 Zoltán Kocsis Piano
11	No.1 in Gb	1:38			$0.49
12	No.2 in F-	1:33			$0.49
13	No.3 in Db	2:31			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz in Ab, KKIVa/13, CT.221 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
14	Waltz in Ab, KKIVa/13, CT.221	1:12			$0.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz in E-, KKIVa/15, CT.222 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
15	Waltz in E-, KKIVa/15, CT.222	2:00			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz in Ab, KKIVa/13, CT.221 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
16	Waltz in Ab, KKIVa/13, CT.221	2:50			$0.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz in A-, KKIVb/11, CT.224 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
17	Waltz in A-, KKIVb/11, CT.224	1:36			$0.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz in Eb, KKIVb/10, CT.223 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
18	Waltz in Eb, KKIVb/10, CT.223	1:11			$0.49
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Waltz in A-, KKIVb/11, CT.224 Work Zoltán Kocsis Piano
19	Waltz in A-, KKIVb/11, CT.224	2:43			$0.99